"So where do you live, Coco?" Starspark asked.
"Right on the edge of Ponyville, sort of near the forest, but also near Sweet Apple Acres," Coco replied.
"Ponyville? Is that near Cloudsdale?"
"Kind of. Ponyville is near where Cloudsdale would be if it was on the ground. Why?"
"Just wondering. For some reason I don't remember a lot before being in the Everfree Forest, but I do remember that name. I just wanted to know."
"Ok. Look, here we are!" The two ponies stood in front of a modest-looking cottage with two stories and a garden outside, which made it seem cozy. Starspark and Coco stepped inside and were instantly greeted by Coco's family, an older mare and stallion, a younger stallion, and two fillies, both just a year away from becoming mares. They felt surprised when they saw Starspark walk in behind Coco, but were nevertheless glad to see her.
Starspark's heart buzzed with joy, and she showed it overtly through the smile upon her face. She giggled when one of the older fillies tickled her stomach, and her giggling soon changed to plain-out laughter as the young stallion joined in. "Stop it! Stop it! You're tickling me! Stop it!"
"Never! We must continue our quest until it is finished!" The young stallion joked.
The family obviously loved Starspark already. They all went to bed with happy thoughts in their heads. And as the months passed by, the group of ponies bonded with Starspark strongly.
One day as she trotted down the hallway for a midnight snack, Starspark noticed the family whispering about something at the table without her, making sure to keep quiet. "How much do we have so far?" Coco asked.
"We're almost there, just ten bits more," replied Stawberry Twist.
"10 bits more until what?" Starspark thought.
"But what if she doesn't like it? What if all this was for nothing?" queried Caramel Swirl.
"She'll like it, all of us know it in our hearts. It'll be the best two weeks of her life," contradicted Porcelain Bowl, her father. "We know she will. Starspark is going to love Flight Camp. She can finally learn how to really flap those wings of hers!"
"Flight Camp! So that's what the ten more bits are for!" she realized with a joyful smile. As she stepped back, a board creaked under her hoof.
"Hey, did you hear something? I think somepony's out in the hallway," Strawberry Twist said.
"Well if you think somepony's out there then go check. I didn't hear anything," replied Coco.
Strawberry Twist slid from her chair at the dining table and walked over to the hallway. She checked each direction, but saw nopony standing there. However, she neglected to look up. Starspark silently flapped her miniature wings, keeping her afloat and attached to the ceiling. When Strawberry had gone back into the other room, Starspark flapped her way down from the ceiling and landed on the wooden floor below with a soft whoosh. She instantly creeped back to her room and her bed, making to sure to be absolutely silent.
"Starspark! Wake up! Breakfast!" Caramel Swirl called.
A few weeks had passed since Starspark overheard her family's midnight conversation. She knew they had to "tell" her soon, because it didn't usually take three weeks to gather up ten bits. But then again, her family was a bit on the poor side of Ponyville's residency. Feeding a family of six three times a day and seven days a week isn't cheap.
Starspark groaned as she rose from her pillow, but soon recanted as she sniffed the air. Chocolate-Chip Waffles. Her favorite. She happily jumped out of bed and raced down the hall to the kitchen, where her mother, Cinnamon Dust, stood cooking the waffles.
"You look hungry," Cinnamon Dust joked as Starspark sat and watched the battery confections solidify in the pan, her mouth hanging open and looking as if it was preparing to drool, which wouldn't be hard with Starspark's tongue sticking out like a dog's. "Go sit down, these two are almost done cooking. I'll bring them over in a minute," Cinnamon Dust said. Starspark obediently followed the commands and plopped herself into her chair, waiting to receive her breakfast.
Once everypony settled down at the table and had finished their food, Porcelain Bowl looked first at Cinnamon Dust, then at Oakwood Axe, and finally Strawberry Twist and Caramel Swirl. Porcelain reached under his chair and pulled back up a medium-sized cloth bag. The contents clinked as they moved, most likely made of some sort of metal.
"Now Starspark," Porcelain Bowl began. "Obviously you are coming upon the age at which you learn to fly, and as we're Earth ponies we can't exactly teach you how. And so, over the last two months we have been putting aside a small portion of our income to go into a special..."fund" of sorts. And that fund is so we can pay for you to go to Cloudsdale Flight Camp for Young Pegasi."
Starspark beamed at her family, unable to control her joy. She ran around the table and kept saying,"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!"
When she calmed down Caramel Swirl winked at her younger sister and replied,"You're welcome! You're welcome you're welcome you're welcome!" The two giggled for a short bit afterwards.
"So...mom? When do I have to leave?" Starspark wondered out loud.
"Oh right! You actually get to start tomorrow!"
"I do? Wow. That was quick."
"Then what are we waiting for?" her father said. "Let's get you packed up!"
Starspark readied her bags as her mother called her name, signaling their departure. Her heart fluttered inside at the prospect of going to flight camp, a place where she could finally be among other pegasi, with similiar interests. Maybe she'd even make a few friends.
"Starspark! Time to go! Do you have everything ready?"
"Yeah, mom, just a second!"
Starspark rubbed her hoof over a picture she grabbed from her bags for flight camp. The picture showed her and her family, with her positioned in the bottom middle. It was taken the week after she walked home with Coco from the everfree forest. The time before her family meant nothing to her now. She had everything except friends, and she'd soon gain those at flight camp. Her life, it seemed, couldn't get any more perfect.
"Starspark! If we don't leave now we'll be late!"
"Coming!"
Nyx scampered through the bustling marketplace, looking for abandoned shopping bags or dropped bits. All she could do now was keep looking. She continued her search, by now very experienced from all the times she learned to steal. She didn't feel guilt anymore. She used to, but eventually she knew she had to live with it to survive.
Suddenly, the familiar ping of fallen money reached her ears. She quickly scampered towards the sound, and saw her quarry, sitting still on the dirt road that ran thought the marketplace. Three bits isn't considered much, but anything'll do when you're starving and living off anything you can get your hooves on.
Nyx scooped up the shiny, golden coins and darted back to behind the wall of a building. She then carefully placed them inside a small pouch she carried with her, and tallied her total for the day.
"Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!" she exclaimed quietly. "What should I do with this much? I have enough food for today," she told herself as she walked back "home".
Nyx lived in an abandoned cottage, with the roof sagging and fallen in at some points. The floor contained a few holes, some of them quite large, but Nyx had recently dragged boards over the largest one, creating a small bridge. It creaked as she walked over it, but held strong underneath her hoofsteps.
She trotted over to a shelf on the far side of what used to be a kitchen, set her pouch down, and lay down on the rug. It still, surprisingly, retained some fluff. She looked up through a hole in the ceiling, and thought about how much her life had changed over the past few months.
I'm free, but I'm all alone, she thought. Surely there has to be a way to fix being alone?
As she looked around the room at the teal-colored wallpaper, by now very faded, her thinking was rudely interrupted by her growling stomach.
GURGLE.
"Ugh. I guess I should eat," she said, and hopped up from the rug. She skipped over to what used to be a kitchen, and pulled open the cabinet doors of where she kept what food she had.
Earlier that morning, she had found herself with some luck as she discovered a whole bag full of pastries, left outside of Sugarcube Corner. The day before she also found an abandoned shopping bag, but instead of pastries and baked goods it had been filled with fruits and vegetables. That same produce now filled up Nyx's cabinet.
She grabbed an apple and began munching. Her mouth turned up at edges, and she closed her eyes as she savored the taste. This is definitely from Sweet Apple Acres, she told herself. She could tell by how much sweet juice there was inside of the shiny, red fruit. The apple disappeared quickly into Nyx's mouth, and her hunger subsided.
She decided to go back out to scavenge, mainly because it was lunch time and lots of ponies would be moving around, and none of them ever seemed to eat at home.
As she walked down the dirt path, an orange filly with a blonde mane galloped past her in the opposite direction, carrying four bags of what looked to be cloth in her mouth. Soon after, a white unicorn filly with a particularly curly purple mane ran behind, obviously chasing her.
"Applejack! Give me my bags back! Those fabrics are important for my new line!!!"
"You'll have to catch me first, Rarity!" Applejack challenged.
Nyx paid no mind to them, as it was normal for fillies to rush about and play with their friends. Normal, Nyx thought. She continued walking, now with a slower pace.
Soon she found herself walking along the main streets of Ponyville, and continued the routine activity of stealing. After about an hour with nothing to show, she decided to head home. Disappointed, she trudged along the dirt road.
Suddenly, she heard arguing. Very. Loud. Arguing. Two stallions seemed to be fighting over something. Nyx poked her head out from behind a crate of carrots. One of the stallions, the one behind the stand, wore an apron and a ball cap. The other, much to Nyx's surprise, wore a monocle over his eye, a fancy top hat with a bright red ribbon, a navy blue bow-tie with a white collared shirt, and a black tuxedo jacket. Nopony ever dressed up THAT much in Ponyville. Even on Nightmare Night!
Nyx's eyes also couldn't help but stray towards a wallet that lay on the ground, next to the rich-looking stallion. It looked as if it was about to burst at the seams. Nyx saw an opportunity, and prepared to seize it. She crept close to the ground behind the empty stands, and snuck along the side of a box, the one closest to the moneybag. She reached her hoof out and snatched the wallet, and took off as fast as her legs could carry her. She clutched it to her chest and galloped out of the marketplace, down the streets, and to her cottage with the sinking roof.
As soon as she got inside to the living room, she poured out the contents of the wallet onto the table. It flowed out and created a huge pile which Nyx immediately started counting. After five or so minutes, she had her total.
"One hundred bits!" she exclaimed, utterly surprised and overly astonished by her... "find". "This... this is amazing! I'll be set for months at least!
But somewhere inside of her she knew she wanted more than just being able to live on her own. She wanted something she could keep in her mind forever. Something memorable. She wanted an experience she could treasure. But what?
It was almost two o'clock, but Nyx decided to take a nap. She preferred the night and darkness over the bright sunny day anyways. Soon Nyx drifted into slumber, and she slept.
Images floated through Nyx's mind, some quiet and a few quite loud. She tossed and turned on the couch, almost rolling over at one time. Memories flashed though her head, shooting across her mind as if they were darts. They resurfaced, and began to play through in Nyx's head like an old movie.
"When do I get to say I told you so?"
"You don't consider yourself part of that family anymore, do you?"
"What do you mean, they left you behind?"
"They hurt you. They hate you."
"They don't care about you anymore."
"Our family, together forever."
"They're not your family. They never were. Not. Ever."
Nyx's head shot off the couch arm with cold sweat across her brow. Her breathing had quickened, but now slowed as she was awake. She sighed with relief that the nightmare was over, and turned her head to look out the broken window and up at the jeweled night sky. The stars shone like diamonds, and the full moon was a glistening beam of light that seemed to chase away the darkness. Nyx loved the night. More than that the hot, sweaty, burning thing ponies called day for sure. The cool air felt so refreshing as she glided, barely above the ground. She flew up to a branch in a nearby tree and just stared at the moon.
Nyx loved how the craters seemed to form a pony's face, especially with the smaller ones dotting the top, creating a horn. She wondered why the moon looked this way for a second, and then recalled the tale of Nightmare Moon she had been told as a tiny foal. She could understand why the princess of the night had been angered. She had thought that no pony in all of Equestria loved her gorgeous night. How crazy they must have been, Nyx thought to herself, to not love such a beautiful sight! How could they resist the twinkling of the stars, the soft glow of the moon, or the gentle chirping of the crickets as bats flew quietly through the air?
"Don't worry, Princess Luna," Nyx whispered. "I adore your night, and I wish you would come back soon to see it. I'd love to see you raise the moon and the stars one day."
But Nyx knew inside that it would never happen. Princess Luna had been banished to the moon for a thousand years, and all because she was trying to reason with the situation presented against her. Her older sister, Celestia didn't understand her, therefore leading her to not loving Luna. All because she was different. Different.
"I understand how you feel, Princess," Nyx said. "I hope you will return one day. And I hope to see it."
Nyx then gently flew down from the branch and lay on the grass, gazing up at the stars. Her eyes absorbed all of the brilliance and light, taking it in like a sponge. Her heart soared as she witnessed a comet streaking by. She wished for her heart's desire as it flew through the air.
"I... I wish... I wish Luna would return, and bring with her a new sense of understanding to all ponies who do not marvel at her night. Please make this wish come true," she asked as she got up and walked back home to solitude.
Nyx lifted her head from the rug and opened her eyes. Early dawn was breaking, and the warm rays drifted through the cracks and holes, resting on the floor below. Nyx grumbled, and sat upright. She trudged over to the counter in the kitchen and reached for the cupboard's handle. She opened it and took out some bread and some jam.
After she had finished breakfast, she headed out to start the day. A strong breeze blew against Nyx's face as she stepped outside, almost sweeping her off her hooves at first. She walked through the market, surprisingly not as crowded as usual. As she walked down the road, a poster flew into her face, and stopped her for a moment. She grabbed it off of her face, but stopped as she saw what it advertised.
"Cloudsdale Flight Camp- Where Young Pegasi Foals Learn to Soar"
Something struck at Nyx's heartstrings right then. None of her family back in Canterlot had ever bothered to try and teach her how to really fly. she had learned by hurling herself off of the roof until she got it, which injured her a lot.
"Of course none of them cared a single speck," Nyx spat. She studied the poster further. At the bottom, it stated the price to attend for a week. It read, "100 bits for one filly/colt, 200 for two, 300 for three, after three fillies and/or colts, see discounted deals on back."
Nyx thought for a moment, and then brilliance struck. Her longing for a memorable experience, acceptance by peers, and a time in her life she could treasure. She was going to flight camp.
Starspark walked into the central hot air balloon station, and looked for the one that would take her to flight camp. At last she spotted it, a bright blue and quite large air balloon. It was next to three others, each duplicates of the first. She checked the pouch strapped to her backpack, and made sure it was secured. Her entrance fee resided in that pouch, and she didn't want to lose it. Otherwise she'd be in big trouble.
Nyx trotted slowly into the station, and walked towards the hot air balloons. Her heart raced with joy as the thought of what was to come became nearer and nearer with each step. She carried what few belongings she had in a small sack, made from the larger one which she had found Starspark in. Starspark. The name meant almost nothing now, as her one shot at a friend had deserted her, leaving her alone in the Everfree forest.
Nyx shook her head out of the clouds and headed towards the balloon, which would take her to where she would truly discover herself. Or so she thought.
The excited fillies and colts hopped off of the hot air balloons and onto the cloudy ground. Their wings buzzed with anticipation for the week ahead.
"I can't wait! This is gonna be awesome! Isn't it, Snowflake?" said a dark grey colt.
"YEAH!" he roared. "Yeah, Thunderlane, it is," he said quietly, correcting himself.
"Okay, fillies and colts, line up so we can collect your entrance fee," said a straight-faced mare. She resembled Cherrilee, but with green as her main color instead of pink. "My name is Miss Blossomforth, and I will be guiding you on your first day at Cloudsdale Flight Camp."
The foals jumbled themselves into a disorganized bunch while instructors flew around, collecting entrance fees and putting the various pouches into a large bucket, held up by a small cloud. They started to chat until a very annoyed Miss Blossomforth interrupted their side conversations. Quite loudly.
"Well, where is it? It can't have just disappeared into thin air!"
Heads turned as she continued to shout at a colt, for reasons unknown. It was Snowflake.
"It-it was right here! Ho-onest! I don't know where else it could be!" He looked scared as a bunny in a foxhole with Miss Blossomforth staring him down, hunching over him.
"Well," she said as she returned to a normal position. "No entrance fee, no flight camp. The air balloons will take you home in twenty minutes. You may stay outside here for the time being." She pointed towards a cloud bench for him to sit on. "Now, if there will be no more delays, the rest of you will follow me."
She then motioned for the group to follow her, and they walked into the camp's center. It buzzed with activity, preparing for the first day of camp and making final touches before it officially began. Pegasi flew in every direction, making sure everything was ready one last time.
"In a few minutes I will be back with the list of who you will be sharing your cabin with. There will be two to a cabin, fillies with fillies and colts with colts. Don't push anypony over the edge or make mess or get lost in the two minutes I'm gone," finished Miss Blossomforth. Naturally the foals began to chat with each other.
Starspark turned to the pony next to her, a filly with a light blue coat and strangely the same rainbow-colored mane as her own. She seemed oddly familiar as well. Almost like she knew this filly from somewhere. Soon she noticed Starspark staring at her.
"Hi, I'm Rainbow Dash. What's your name?" the filly said.
"I'm Starspark. Nice to meet you," she replied. "Wanna be friends?"
"Sure. You seem pretty cool. Your mane's the same color as mine. At least I know something we have in common." And with that, she winked at Starspark.
Starspark already liked this pony. She was about to ask her something when Miss Blossomforth returned, carrying a piece of rolled parchment paper. She trotted up to a podium and began to read the names in pairs.
"In Cabin One," she said. "Will be Thunderlane and Hoops. Cabin Two will be Score and Dumbbell. Cabin Three will be Crescent Moon and Big Shot, Cabin Four is Star Hunter and Fast Clip , and Cabin Five Cloud Break and Compass Star. Now for the fillies. In Cabin Six will be Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy-"
"YES!" shouted Rainbow Dash. Her actions were returned with a scowl from Miss Blossomforth. "Oops. Sorry," she apologized.
"Continuing on," droned Miss Blossomforth. "In Cabin Seven will be Cloudchaser and Flitter, Cabin Eight April Showers and Cloud Kicker, Cabin Nine Chocolate Blueberry and Candy Floss, and finally in Cabin Six will be Starspark and Dawn Flight. That is all for now, and I would like you to return here at eleven o'clock sharp for your first activity. You are to go to your cabins and get settled in, but do not leave until the bell sounds. You are dismissed."
Nyx could not believe her ears. That same filly she had met in the forest only months before, that same filly who had deserted her, that SAME FILLY who had left her alone in those woods, was now her bunkmate for flight camp.
Starspark had kept no memories of Nyx, or Dawn Flight, her supposed name, and of course, was clueless to who she was. Even though it had only been five months, "Dawn Flight" was nowhere to be found in Starspark's head, as her very existence became irrelevant once she bonded with her foster family. So, naturally, she wanted to be friends with this "new" pony.
Once all the fillies and colts finally reached their cabins and had started settling in, they began to, of course, chat with each other and get to know their roommate. Starspark was no exception.
"So," she began. "Um, I'm Starspark, you probably know that, but um, um, oh gosh what should I say here.....well, hi."
"Hello," replied Nyx.
"Um...which bed do you want? Top or bottom? I'm fine with either one."
"Oh. I'll take the top bed, please." And with that, she flew up to the top and put her bag down.
"Okay. I wouldn't mind if you chose either one. Hey, I know this is kind of a stupid question, but have you ever heard of the Wonderbo-"
DING DONG. DING DONG. DING DONG.
"I guess that's the bell," Nyx said, hopped off of the top bunk, and headed out the door.
"But I wasn't finished..." Starspark said quietly. Soon, she too walked out the door and into the central plaza.
The center of Flight Camp buzzed with excitement as fillies and colts talked and talked, as young children often do. A stallion walked up and spoke, attempting to direct the crowd of foals.
"Welcome to Cloudsdale Flight Camp! My name is Comet Burst. Today, you will take part in two activities. One this morning, and the other in the afternoon. I will now split you into two groups. Cabins One and Two will be with Cabins Six, Eight, and Ten in Group One. Cabins Three, Four and Five with will be with Seven and Nine in Group Two. Group Two will follow me for the rest of the week, and Group One will be guided by Blueberry Muffin. Now, Group Two, follow me. Group One, wait here. Blueberry will out in a minute. Just chat amongst yourselves. Oh nevermind, here she is!"
And so the fillies and colts followed the bright blue mare to a small clearing, almost like a field in the sky. Blueberry Muffin then instructed everypony to line up single-file and wait for their name to be called.
"Right now the rules are simple: just show us what you can do. That way we can figure out whether we need to teach the basics or not. Hoops, you're first."
The first few ponies went through the exercise like normal, flying a few laps, maybe doing a trick or two, and finishing. The filly called Rainbow Dash was so far the fastest, and the pony after, Fluttershy, caused some of the colts to snicker. Blueberry soon heard it and gave them a glare. They stopped and continued to sit, this time quietly. Then it was "Dawn Flight's" turn.
She walked up to the edge, readied herself, got into position, and took off. She zoomed around the track, her mane flowing behind her. With her dark-colored coat she almost looked like a meteor, shooting around the sky. She felt so free, so happy, like nothing could chain her down. Like she could do anything she wanted, and she could get away with it.
To finish up she did a few loop-dee-loops, something she called a triple-spin flip, and then she landed, content with her performance. She proudly trotted back to her spot, next to Starspark. Next up was Starspark.
She hunched down on the edge of the clouds, reached her back left leg and her front right forwards, and took off, almost leaving a trail of rainbow behind her. She flew almost as fast as Rainbow Dash, definitely faster than Nyx had. As she finished her laps, she dove downwards and spun in circle, accelerating tremendously. Soon a tiny spark formed in the middle, drawing everypony's attention. They gasped as it began to form a star. Starspark continued to spin faster and faster, creating more sparks around the first. Then, suddenly she broke the circle and shot out faster than a bullet. The stars grew and exploded, covering the open air in medium-sized fireworks. The foals clapped for the performance, and cheered as Starspark landed. Her mane was frizzled and she looked exhausted, but her expression was pure joy.
Nyx clapped and cheered for her friend as loud as she could, while jumping up and down on the clouds below her. Starspark saw her and ran over.
"Hoof bump!" she shouted, and held up her hoof. Nyx obliged and bumped her hoof to Starspark's.
"Okay, Group One!" Blueberry Muffin shouted. "You can head back to your cabins for free time, and know that when the next bell sounds it will be lunch time!"
The foals scattered and went back to their cabins. As Nyx lay down on her bed, she spoke to herself, "So far, so good for flight camp. I think everything'll play out just fine," she said with content.
Oh how wrong she was.
Author's Note
One possible reason Snowflake can't fly very well. ;)
(Also thank you to the mlpfim wiki character page for some of those names)
