//------------------------------// // Prologue: A Night by the Forest // Story: Home Sweet Home // by Web of Hope //------------------------------// On a peaceful night, dark and quiet, in the early summer, the moon gave only the most sparing light. A gentle mist covered the fields of Equestria. Ponies across the land slept. The town of Ponyville lay quiet in its vigil on the southwestern edge of the Everfree Forest. And yet, while all others slept, the door of one small cottage opened. A Pegasus stepped out, careful not to wake her home's many tenants, walked slowly to the edge of her fenced in yard, and sat in the bench she had put here for just such nights. Fluttershy had loved the gentle hush of a summer's night by the forest since her first season on the ground. Even a forest like the Everfree, as full of dangerous creatures as trees, held a reverie at night; a soothing, shifting lull that calmed her usually highly fragile nerves. Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy closed her eyes, and let the night fill her. After a few moments of this, the yellow Pegasus opened her eyes, and turned to look fondly at her home, so different now than it had been when she'd first laid eyes on it. Back when it had belonged to an elderly pony mare, whom most simply dubbed 'the crazy old witch by the forest'. Fluttershy smiled gently, admitting that the dear old mare probably had been a bit crazy. But there had been more to Whispering Hedges than most of the ponies in this small town knew. Wild she had been, but also unfailingly kind, taking in a lost filly new to the world beneath the clouds. Eternally patient, teaching Fluttershy how, and what it meant, to care for her animal friends. Compassionate, when the news came to them that the search for Fluttershy (after her fall) was being led not by her parents, but by the only classmate of hers who had ever bothered to defend her. Remembering that little incident momentarily broke the young mare's warm recollections. She huffed in mild irritation at being interrupted, and began tucking all those bad feelings away, like she had countless times before. Then she recalled a conversation she had had a few days ago. Rarity had sagely advised that while dwelling on such things wasn't healthy, neither was hiding from them, and pretending they hadn't happened. And so now, in the dead of night, Fluttershy sighed in resignation, immersing herself in the memory of that fateful summer. ~{F}~ Cloudsdale, ten years earlier Cloudblossom walked into the kitchen-slash-dining room of their cloud-home timidly, bracing herself for the inevitable argument she was about to cause. Her husband sat at the table, facing away from the doorway, almost reading today's paper after a delicious home-cooked dinner. Only almost, though, as he gazed at it more to keep up the appearance than out of any real interest. He felt justified in saying that the news of the day was rarely worth the time it took to hear over the radio, much less read oneself. “Sweetie?” he heard called softly from the entrance into the room. He sighed inwardly, knowing full well that his wife's tone meant that she was going to ruin his previously good mood. “Yes, dear?” he replied in what he thought would be an even tone. “Cirrius, honey, we need to talk.” She said, gaining a small mote of confidence from knowing that this was for their daughter. “Well, I'm all ears now.” he prompted, turning to watch her sit in the chair opposite him. He then noticed that she was carrying a pamphlet with her. She placed it on the table, turning it towards him and pushing it across the table into his reach. “What's this?” he asked in a chilly tone. It was plain from the design on the flier that it was an advertisement for a nearby summer camp. Cloudblossom decided that it really wouldn't help her case to drag things out, so she got right to the point. “It's a summer flight camp being held at the Junior Speedsters' training course. They're offering training sessions for kids who may want to try out at the start of next school year.” Cirrius gave her a cold look of disbelief. “And you think our Daughter -who is afraid of her own shadow and won't even get out of bed without all four hooves on the floor first- would be up to joining a flight camp with what I can only imagine would be the best and brightest fliers in her age group?” His wife shifted nervously, knowing that he was probably right. Still, she knew it would do their little filly some good to get out and make a few friends her own age. Maybe they could inspire her to flight, where her parents could not. “Sweetie, I'm worried about her. She's hardly got any friends, and we haven't made any progress trying to teach her ourselves. Maybe if-” “'Maybe if' What?” He exploded suddenly, slamming his hooves onto the table and scaring her. She jumped out of her chair, knocking it over. “Maybe if we let some 'professional' take her she'll be right as rain? Maybe they can get our little chicken to fly?? Maybe THEY can be better parents than US!?” During his tirade, he stalked around the table, smacking it again a few times for emphasis. Cloudblossom slowly backed away into the corner of the room, till she had nowhere to go and he was barely out of reach. He stopped there, never raising his hoof to strike. Not that he ever did, he made very sure that he never crossed that line. Not with his wife, and never with his daughter. Silence reigned for a few moments as Cloud never flinched, never cowed, just stood in the corner, resolutely staring in defiance. Those moments stretched. “Fine.” The silence was broken. “Fine?” The mare questioned. “Yes, fine. She can go.” He relented, looking away slowly before returning to hi chair at the table. Silence again took over, until Cloud slowly came over to him, put her hooves across his shoulders, and gently nuzzled his cheek. “Thank you.” She walked out of the room to go sit in her favored chair in the living room and calm her nerves. She had been dreading that conversation for days, and it seemed to have worked out better than she'd hoped. Just out of sight, around the corner and at the top of the stairs, sat a gangly yellow filly with a pink mane, listening intently as her doom was spelled out and ensured. Fluttershy was going to Flight Camp