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Cloud Blossom2,705 words
Apple Honey2,915 words
All Our Yesterday's3,345 words
Here And Now4,692 words
One For Sorrow3,897 words
Closer Than Most3,197 words
Home, The Long Way Around3,673 words
Epilogue 1,424 words

Cloud Blossom

Cloud Blossom put down her hammer and chisel, turned her back on the half finished sculpture she had been working on for the better part of two weeks and examined the note again, for what had to have been the sixth time that day. It was a very short note, succinct and to the point, although her mom usually was. Then again, her momma Shy didn't usually send her mail via dragon, so Cloud assumed something was up back at home. She picked it up in her front hooves, flapping her wings gently to maintain her balance. Cloud had long ago learnt to work around her disability and for the most part it never bothered her, although there were times when she entirely forgot she didn't have a left hind leg, usually first thing in the morning. Thankfully, as she lived alone, nopony was around to see her sprawl unceremoniously onto the floor.

So, here she was in her work room, putting aside her latest masterpiece in favour of that note. Quickly she scanned it.

“Cloud Blossom,

Please come home to Ponyville at your earliest convenience, we need to see you and your sister urgently. I wouldn't write to you unless it was very important for you to come home. I won't go into details in a letter, you need to hear this in person.

Yes, your sister will be here too (hopefully), I know you two don't exactly get on together, and I understand why, but this has to stop sometime Blossom.

Please hurry, yours,
Momma Fluttershy”

For the seventh time Cloud screwed up the note and threw it away to the corner of her work room, where it came to rest and found itself a home amidst marble and stone blocks, upcoming commissions for customers that she hadn't started work on yet . If there was a hint of a possibility her sister would be there too, then she didn’t want to be. If she never saw Apple Honey again it would be too soon. “Don't exactly get on”, her mom had wrote. Cloud sniggered to herself. “Now there was an understatement mom, I bucking hate her!” She thought with venom.

Cloud Blossom had hated her sister for as long as she could remember and the pegasus was very sure the feeling was mutual. It was the one and only thing they had ever agreed on. Since her cutie mark had appeared fifteen years ago and she had discovered her talent for sculpture she had left Ponyville and her family, especially her dratted sister behind. She had kept in contact with her mothers, Applejack and Fluttershy, by mail, in fact Cloud had kept every one of their hundreds of letters over the years. She had them all in her upstairs study.

Sighing inwardly Cloud picked up her hammer and chisel, they were her cutie mark, and her favourite tools to work with, and turned her attention back to the half finished work in front of her. She rested the chisel against the hard stone and tapped it twice with the hammer before putting them back down on the small table. Cloud sighed again. The note from her mom had distracted her, and she knew she’d get no more work done today. There was no point fighting it, and she refused to force her art. Her creativity had to flow naturally from her, otherwise it wouldn't be her best, and Cloud Blossom refused to ever sculpt less than her best. Her clients and critics in Canterlot, Manehatten and the rest of Equestria had come to expect the highest quality, and she had to deliver it every time.

Cloud Blossom caught sight of herself in the mirror then, and had to stifle a chuckle. She looked a mess, covered in stone dust and sweat from mane to tail, she could barely make out her pale green coat and fair blonde mane. Reaching behind her head she removed her dust mask and shook her mane out, showering the hardwood floor in pebbles, chippings and dust that had accumulated over the day's work. Her Aunt Rarity would have had a heart attack at the state of her. With a laugh at the thought of Rarity's reaction, “Darling, your mane!” she decided a very long, very hot bubble bath was in order. Flipping off the lights at the switch on the wall she plunged her work room into darkness and flew up the stairs to the first floor where she lived.

Reaching the bathroom Cloud went straight for the tub which was big enough to accommodate four full grown ponies, not that she ever entertained four fully grown ponies, or even one fully grown pony, but money had its privelidges. And this bath tub was her favourite, big enough for her to spread her aching wings and hooves without touching the sides, the bubble jets in the sides always managed to sooth away the days stress. Cloud fluttered her wings and landed front legs first into the bath before lowering herself to a seated position, tucking her wings away and used a hoof to turn on the water, setting it to a temperature just lower than the inside of an active volcano. Lathering herself up in shampoo and scented oils Cloud flipped off the water and activated the button for the bubble jets before dipping her head under the almost scalding hot water. She didn't think herself a particularly girly mare, but this luxury of hers was utter bliss. Bringing her head up Cloud took in a welcome lungful of air and spread her powerful wings under the water, allowing the jets to massage her feathers.

“Aaaaaahhh that's the spot, just there…hmmmm…” The stream of gentle bubbles caught her under her wings, just where they joined her barrel, then flowed over the feathers, easing the tired and sore flight muscles. True she never flew very great distances, but with only having one hind leg Cloud had grown accustomed to using her wings almost constantly to keep her balance, or to hover around her sculptures when working. She was steadier under wing power than she was on her hooves, and nine hours per day hovering about took their toll. By this time her back and wings were usually screaming for release. Cloud Blossom then folded her wings and rolled onto her back before spreading them again and pointed herself directly against the bubble flow.

“Oooooh yeeeeaaahhhhh…” Cloud felt her tight back muscles melt under the ministrations of the bubble jets. Right about now in her daily bathing routine images of a dusky massage mare would be taking the place of the jets in her mind, and she’d be giving herself over to her imaginary expertise. Today though, try as she might to summon the mare of her dreams to her dreams, Cloud Blossom found her thoughts directed once more to her mother's letter.

“Cloud Blossom,

Please come home to Ponyville at your earliest convenience, we need to see you and your sister urgently. I wouldn't write to you unless it was very important you come home. I won't go into details in a letter, you need to hear this in person.

Yes, your sister will be here too (hopefully), I know you two don't exactly get on together, and I understand why, but this has to stop sometime Blossom.

Please hurry, yours,
Momma Fluttershy”

If her mom thought it was important enough to summon her back to her old home then of course she would go, but the thought of setting eyes on her sister again after all this time made her blood run cold despite the bath water. They hadn't seen each other for fifteen years, and they hadn't parted In the best of ways. “But, Momma Fluttershy did say it was urgent, and we are older now, we’re both thirty for Celestia's sake, maybe we can put this behind us after all...it would be nice to see Ponyville and my aunts again.”

With that Cloud Blossom pulled the plug in the bath tub, and with practised ease placed her two front hooves on the special non slip mat around the edge and hopped her hind leg out onto the mat, like many pegasi Cloud hated flapping her wings when they were soaking wet. Carefully, trying not to slip on three wet hooves, Cloud made her way over to the blow dryer mounted in the opposite wall. Second to the huge bath tub the blow dryer was her favourite indulgence. Balancing on two hooves she quickly pressed the button to activate the dryer and spread her wings wide, allowing the warm air to dry her feathers, before lowering her head to dry her white blonde mane. Turning her back to the dryer she held her wings open once more, drying the top side. “Aaaaah, dry wings are the best! I dunno how Aunt Dashie can stand to fly in thunderstorms.” Cloud wondered out loud to the empty bathroom before lifting her tail so the dryer could get everywhere. This was her favourite part of the dryer, feeling the pleasant warm air blow over her hind leg and marehood. It always made her giggle like a naughty dirty filly, and on especially lonely evenings the imaginary massage mare would be summoned to her fantasies again, her or the really attractive mailmare that Cloud had a very long standing crush on. Still, she wasn't in the mood just now, that letter was playing on her mind, and now she was properly dried off it needed a reply.

Flapping her wings gently she fluttered her way to her study, however instead of going to the writing desk Cloud made a beeline straight to her record player. Carefully with her teeth so as not to mark the disc she inserted her favourite, a collection of cello classics by Octavia. Her favourite song was the first to be played, ‘Le Carnaval des Animaux : XIII, The Swan’. Once the beautiful sound of the cello filled up her study Cloud made her way to the desk, and wrote her reply to her mothers.

“My Dearest Mothers,

I have some business to attend to here in Canterlot, then I shall be in Ponyville on the afternoon train this Friday.

Hoping this reply finds you both in good health,
Yours,
Cloud Blossom”

“There, that should do it.” Cloud thought to herself as she sealed the short reply in an envelope and addressed it to Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville. She was confident it would reach its destination even if she just wrote her mothers names on the envelope, they were so well known. Being a daughter of two of the Elements of Harmony had been both blessing and curse, on the one hoof Cloud had discovered certain doors had opened easier if you happened to casually drop a name here or there, but on the other you were always in their shadow, and it had taken a good long time for Cloud Blossom to be recognised for her art in her own right.

With that done Cloud fluttered her way over to the wine cabinet and sofa beside it. Extracting a bottle of red she poured herself a modest amount and settled onto the faux leather sofa while the third tune, ‘Cello Sonata in G minor : III Largo’, began to play to its solo audience. Cloud sipped her wine as the haunting sounds of the beautiful instrument bathed her ears, reflecting that Octavia played her cello like she used her hammer and chisel, with a natural style and skill that only the most dedicated professionals could match.

After she had drained the wine from the glass, Cloud Blossom found herself rather sleepy, probably she reasoned, due to the relaxing bath, the music and the wine. She was tempted to make her way to her bed, but decided against it. She was plenty warm and comfy enough where she was, so tucking her legs under her and tucking away her wings she lowered her head to the arm of the sofa, closed her deep blue eyes and fell peacefully asleep.

Little Cloud Blossom was so proud! She had done it, at long last she had done it! The little filly buzzed with excitement, almost bouncing on her three legs as she squealed at the top of her little lungs.

“I did it! Momma I did it! Did ya see? I did it!” While it was true her achievement wasn't that grand, to her it was the best thing ever! Finally at the age of five she had managed to cross the large living room at Sweet Apple Acres unaided and without face planting herself into the carpet. It had taken her two years longer than her twin sister but learning to cope with just three legs AND wings had been hard.

“Ah surely did sugarcube, you done made me mighty proud young’un.” Applejack beamed a huge smile down at her daughter before picking her up in her hooves and throwing her a foot into the air, making her squeal even louder with joy.

“So what?” A cross little voice squeaked up from the corner of the room where she had been playing with her toys, “ah been doin’ that fer years an’ ya don’ praise me like that.” As if to prove her point beyond all measure of doubt Apple Honey promptly jumped to all four hooves, sauntered over the room then buzzed her little wings and flew back over to her toys. “See? Easy!”

Cloud’s squeals immediately ceased, and her lip trembled on the verge of tears. “Momma, Honey making fun of me?” She couldn't understand, what had she done wrong that her sister wasn't happy for her?

Applejack shhh’d her daughter, intercepting her tears with practised ease, before turning a stern gaze on the burnt yellow pegasus on the floor. “Apple Honey, the first time y’all walked over the room ah was proud’a ya too. Ah still am proud’a ya both an’ ah always will be, but don't go bein’ mean to ya sis just ‘cause it takes her longer to do sumthin’.”

Apple Honey flicked her pink mane from her face, before muttering in a sulky tone loud enough to be heard, “yeah, all ‘cause of her dumb leg.”

This time no amount of comforting would hold back Cloud’s tears, the cruel jibe finding its mark on the little filly. Applejack’s eyes narrowed dangerously towards her other daughter, who didn't back down, simply stared back at her mother with a defiant smirk on her face. “Apple Honey ya apologise to ya sis right now!”

“Ah will NOT!” Honey punctuated the last word with a stomp of her hoof, “y’all always give her the attention over me!” And with that she stomped out the room and up the stairs to her bedroom.

“An’ stay up there till ya feel ready to say sorry!” Applejack hollered after the angry young pegasus.

Apple honey made it to the top of the stairs, but didn't go in her room, instead staying hidden around the corner of the upstairs landing. The little filly could hear her mother calming her sister downstairs, and the irritating whine of Cloud Blossom.

“Momma, why does Honey hate me?”

“She don't hate ya none sugarcube, she’s just riled up is all. Now ah’m proud’a ya, so cheer up y’hear little missy?” At this Cloud giggled, sounding happier.

Up the stairs Apple Honey cried her own tears, of course she was proud of her sister, but why couldn't her momma’s be proud of HER too? Why was it always ‘Cloud this’ and ‘Cloud that’? Why was she always in the shadow of her dumb sister and her dumber leg? It wasn't even there and it got more attention than she did! Her Momma Jack was wrong, she did hate her sister, but she didn't know why, and that made the hurt, confused filly hate her sister even more.

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