//------------------------------//
// A home without glances 
// Story: A Game of Homes. 
// by Lethrael 
//------------------------------//

A home without glance.

Wingdaloo didn't gladly remember the flight back. She left Ponyville in this dark hour without any goodbye for Sweetie Belle and she felt horrible about it. It didn't help, that she clung around Sunnys neck with half filled saddle backs and without her scooter. The wind and the flapping wings made this flight the worst experience since, well since the Summer Sun Celebration.	Her aunt remained silent awhile and tried to leave the airspace over Ponyville as fast as she can. Other pegasi had the same idea and were much better prepared. Like falling stars little points of light moved around in the dim heaven, but they were to close to be real falling stars. 
The pegasi had brought lantern to see their surroundings and were so able to fly much faster. From Cloudsdale a few pegasi headed to Ponyville, the last known location where princess Celestia had been. Honorable old Wonderbolts and actually royal guard pegasi rushed past them. The lights of Cloudsdale finally went bigger and the confusion of flying pegasi became a wild mayhem. Wingdaloo felt as the strain and flurry of the rushed pegasi attached to her and her bouncing heart pressed her tighter in Sunny Rays neck. She felt her tremble and muffled heart bumps.
“Everything would be fine, Scootaloo.”
Her voice blended with a little panic and she didn't sound really assured. She attached her wings closely to her body and jostled through another landing pegasi to the solid ground, well solid ground for pegasi at least, the clouds. Wingdaloo couldn't dismount, everywhere were pegasi, shouted names, ran around and searched their beloved ones. Worries and fears have crushed down everypony.
“Nightmare Moon has return.”
This shout echoed over the crowd and all ponies froze. Everypony turned their heads slowly to the flying ambassador of the news. A mailpony. Wingdaloo turned her head too and starred at her. Aunt Sunny on the other hoof wasn't surprised from the message at all and was able to push herself through the other pegasi.
“Where is Curryfeather at this time, usually?”
Her voice sounded clear and controlled for Wingdaloo, as she moved on to a faster trot. The filly closed her eyes and thought. Typically she walked around the city center with a cauldron cart, sold soup, if it was like every year. But today.
“I believe she is home and waits for us.”
Wingdaloo wasn't sure, if the answer was correct and she sounded more than a little concern, but aunt Sunny nodded. She pushed herself through the once celebrating crowd and soared up to the residential districts of Cloudsdale. Here were only a few ponies left and the filly could dismount at last . Her wings flapped nervously, as she finally bent into the home street and she sped up involuntary her pace.
“Scootaloo wait.”
Aunt Sunny was exhausted and couldn't keep pace with her, but she didn't care.	She flounced through the dark alley and lifted her hoof to push the door. Somepony flung her hooves around her neck, she was lifted and firmly hugged to a trembling body.
“I'm so glad, you're okay, Wingdaloo.”

Her mum was going home, as everypony noticed, that the sun wasn't been right. She had thinking to fly to Ponyville and had decided against it. Now they were sitting around the table and aunt Sunny explained with fast words, what have happened down there.
“And then I've thinking, that I have to bring Scootaloo to you.”
Curryfeather looked at her filly and took an eased breath. She stroke her over the head  very gentle with her left wing and took a teacup into a hoof.
“I'm so happy, that we're all here. Now we can.”
She dropped her cup, as she looked out of the window. Luckily it landed on a cloud and didn't break. Wingdaloo followed her stare and she opened her mouth without any help. The sun, was rising again!	The long fearsome night was displaced by an undoubted happy feeling for everyone, as the messages from Ponyville arrived. The returning Wonderbolts and Royal Guards captured and told them from ear to ear. Princess Luna has returned and Princess Celestia was freed.	Six ponies had done this heroic deed and two were pegasi. Wingdaloo had never heard the first name and so she forgot the name, Fluttershy quickly after hearing. But the second name, Rainbow Dash burned herself even further into the memory with this story. She wanted to return to Ponyville soon, but Mum wasn't happy about this. Wingdaloo knew her mother, she didn't speak it out, but the filly knew it had to be right.
Her letter, her relief as she realized, that her filly was here above again and the kind of look changed even so. Her foal believed, that she had changed it. She didn't see much pitiful in her eyes, something different glanced in their, but what exactly t was. She couldn't say. So she staid here. Aunt Sunny asked, if she want to flight back with her and she promised to send her scooter. Than she leaved and returned to Ponyville. For the next hours mum spoke about the Summer Sun Celebration and how many bits she has earned with her curry soup. She didn't ask what Wingdaloo had experienced and who she had met. Like she didn't want to remind her on the few days down there. The filly listened simply, she didn't want to say something, she only wanted to be there for her. They were cooking, her favorite meal a hot vindaloo curry with celery and ate it.
After that, Wingdaloo went to bed, as she has never leaved and this evening was like every other. The filly nestled into the missed softness of her cloudbed and starred through her favorite poster. The flying Wonderbolts with the stripes of clouds behind them let remind her to the last night. The sadness was totally wipe away from her fear and she just wished to feel something different than  timidity. Wingdaloo turned away from the poster, pressed her eyes into the pillow and thought about the brave pegasusmare. Rainbow Dash laid a smile on her face, before the fatigue slid her into the sleep. The observant eyes in the door crack kept in sight the sleeping filly for a while.

She was back. Curryfeather felt a tremendous relief and couldn't unstick the stare from her sleeping sweetheart. She would never travel alone once more. Wingdaloo should stay at her and...Curryfeather stopped her thoughts and closed the door. Her thoughts turned around and flight through the time, as Wingdaloo was crying in her mane, as she was sad about her reject. Curryfeather trembled and sidled into her own bedroom. What could she do to prevent such things.
“Maybe I might talk with Autumn Breeze about this.”
She had trying it, of course, but perhaps she had now the better arguments. Her whispered mumble stopped at the bed and she noticed an old photo. She sighed against it.
“Today I could used your help very well. Wind Dancer.”
Her whisper addressed the pegasus stallion with small wings and two silver aulos as a cutiemark on the bright blue coat. His mane stand away in every direction and reminded her in the art of style to Wingdaloos own mane. But his eye color matched her perfectly and aroused the memories. His vows of love sounded again in her feelings, but she shake it up like nasty flies.
“You flew away. You didn't want a foal like her. But today she could used your help, your support. You dammed chicken.”
Her voice sounded gutted and angry at the same time. As she has ended the sentence she breathed deeply and detached her view from the picture. She snuggled into the cloud bed and turned away from the bedside table.
“And I could use your help today, too.”
These last words leaked out her mouth, before she felt asleep.

“Scootaloo, Scootaloo? Where are you?”
Wingdaloo wandered through an empty Ponyville and searched something. Her voice echoed through the abandoned Sugarcube Corner and she tried to reflect herself in a window. But she looked through it, she could only saw the loneliness outside and this raised her fears. Her hooves guided her towards the School, but this house was abandoned too.
“Scootaloo, this is no joke. Who are you?”
She started to gallop and her calls sounded more panic fuelled. Houses were floating past her and her harried glances tried to find somepony, but nopony were here. Faster, faster she ran, louder and louder she screamed the name.
“Scootaloo!”
She ended lastly before a giant mirror and looked to herself. The look on the other side were changing very quickly. The Wingdaloo at this side frowned and she could saw tears in her eyes.
“Why are you returned? There above you weren't happy. Why are you believing, that's your job, to make Mum happy again, if it makes you sad? You were happier down here!”
She felt tears flown over her own face and pressed the eyes tight together.

"Wingdaloo, Wingdaloo. Who are you?”
Curryfeather flew through Cloudsdale, heavy loaded with a cauldron cart and felt her heart bouncing again her ribs, as it would break them. Her calls slid through the clouds, over hundreds of pegasi and curiously other ponies, which were running on the clouds. Dozens of foals flew through her, with wings, or without and she tried to find her own. Than she remembered. Wingdaloo couldn't fly! She landed and rushed through the other ponies. Her calls sounded haunted and she left behind the cauldron cart in the crowd, so she could easier slipped through them. Her voice became louder and her wings clapped wildly on her side, as she ran home.
“Wingdaloo, Wingdaloo. Please where are you?”
She pushed the door open and entered the empty room of her filly, her abandoned bed frightened her. What if Wingdaloo would never return from Ponyville. When she really changed her name and forgot her mum. She snuggled down gently into the empty bed and tried to calm down her feelings. But as she heard the name she jumped up.
“Scootaloo.”

The next morning wasn't easy for Wingdaloo, she tried to suppress her dream again, but unlike the bad dream about Nightmare Moon, she failed. She didn't know, whether she could talk about it with her mum. Her mum herself didn't sleep very well, because she woke up her early and cradled her firmly. Her shaky wings blew away her anxiety, but her voice sounded calmer, than Wingdaloos own.
“Today I'm talking with Autumn Breeze. Eventually, we could find an other solution for you.”
The filly nodded only and was biting her lips. She opened  her mouth, but nothing came out. She just couldn't  tell her. Curryfeather left the house, after she prepared the breakfast and went probably to work. Wingdaloo was left alone and tiptoed into the bathroom. The raincloud, which served s a water source there, hovering over a little hole in the clouds and as the filly looked in the hole, she could saw green grass below. Involuntary tears were gathering in her eye. She moved her hooves through the cloud, took water with it and sloshed it into her face, flushed away every tear.
“I shouldn't thing about it.”
Her voice sounded so thin, she had to look into the giant mirror on the side to consider, that she was herself. The wet mane, the sad face and the tiny shaky wings let her doubt for a moment, but she bit again on her lips and stroke the mane with her hooves.
“I have to be brave. Mum was so happy!”
Her left front hoof toddled two times to the white cloud above her and finally she tightened herself. What could she do now? All of her friend had moved on to the flycamp and Mum was at work. Should she go to school and...No! Wingdaloo opened the door and left home. The warm sun tickled in her nose and she sneezed gently. Her hooves guided her through the streets, and first she felt something like happiness, even joy to walk on clouds again. But now the first glance hit her. A dark blue pegasus stallion with four snowflakes as a cutie mark was the first, who looked at her this way. She belittled herself, ducked her head, but it didn't help. She was salient everywhere she went. Glances stroke her, pitiful, surprised, even confused. Wingdaloo sped up her steps, but this led to even more attention. She sensed more glances than formerly, because of her time in Ponyville. So she felt even wronger. She galloped now over the not succumb clouds and her hooves led her to the only place, the only fair heaven above here, besides her home, the Curryparadise Cloudsdale. She threw the door open and landed gasping in a crowd of weather pegasi, which glances at her, too. Pity mirrored in all of their faces. At least Wingdaloo could saw nothing else.

Curryfeather had prepared the sandwiches for the early shift, as a clop distracted her from her work. Wingdaloo was plunged into the diner, and gasped at the ground.	Rainbowshine and Parasol bent over the filly and tried to figure out, what was happening. But the little pony couldn't answer.
“Wingdaloo, how nice of you. You're visiting me. Get over here, and take a seat.”
Curryfeather flew fast to her, smiled to the two pegsi and dragged her filly over the counter and to a little cloud below. There she put her on and faced her guests again. But she looked frequently worried to her filly.

Wingdaloo didn't move and looked down. She didn't want to see anybody and tried to fight every feeling. But she couldn't stop it. Her thought, her feelings both were knot together around these glances and she felt homesick. Home sick for a home without glances.