Familiar Skies: Part 1

Twilight Sparkle had been struggling for the last few minutes, straining her horn and emitting what little magic she was capable of. But even that and the immense head-ache beginning to form at the front of her skull, wasn't enough to even crack at the dragon egg.

Nothing was working, and she was starting to think her training, reading and practicing- it had all been a lost cause. Sweat was rolling off of her, and she became worried the judges could see the beads covering her, despite how far across the room they sat from her.

She gave one final, desperate burst of magic. Her horn gave off a tiny and pathetic sprinkle of sparks, and quickly died out. And as it had been those excruciating five minutes, the dragon egg sat still in its hay nest. Untouched and unbothered.

Twilight stared at the egg and gave a whimper, her eyes filling with tears. She blinked them away as she turned to face the judges, her tiny legs trembling as she did so. She took only a glance at the judges, only glimpsing the manic way in which they were jotting down their notes.

Twilight lowered her head as she spoke. "I'm sorry for wasting your time." Her lip quivered, but she fought back tears. The last thing she wanted was to add further insult, to the injury of failing her exam. She didn't even dare to think what Queen Celestia might think! Why did she even think she could do this?

"You may leave Ms. Sparkle. We will have your results sent to your parents in a week's time."

What results were there to send? She'd clearly failed in the most spectacular way possible- did they just want to spell out how truly terribly she'd done.

That thought, almost sent Twilight over the edge, and she was grateful for her parents as they quickly rushed her forward and out of the test room. Her mother held her close as they walked out, and Twilight nestled close, burying her face in her mother's shoulder. She was sure she'd be crying into her arms the whole way home.

Sunset frowned as she watched the small purple unicorn be ushered out by her parents. She'd been bothered by all the foals who hadn't been able to complete their own tests- but the sorrowful nature of this foal particularly spoke to Sunset.

But, there were more foals after this one, and Sunset quickly changed her expression to a more neutral look. She stole a glance at Celestia, who looked calm, even serene. Sunset wished she could master the cool and calm look Celestia always seemed to exude. It was hard for Sunset to not let things bother her, like that dis-heartened foal.

As the test room was being prepped for the next foal, Sunset focused her gaze on the window across the room. The large arches allowed a view of the tops of Canterlot's buildings, and beyond them, the bright blue sky. Her eyes followed clouds as they slowly drifted by.

She felt comforted by the simple scenery, soaking in the deep blues, and fluffy whites. It was a nice, calm day.

The skies were just as blue and promising across Equestria in Manehatten, though their beauty did little to comfort one down-trodden filly. Applejack rested her head on her hooves and looked out at the rolling green of the country. She could see it, and it felt so close, but she knew she was confined inside the massive city, hidden away by stone walls and concrete roads.

Her thoughts turned to her family back home... or what was left of it. She wished to be back under those glorious trees, basking in their cool shade. Biting into those sweet, quenching apples. The smell of the wood, and her home. Her own bed, family pictures, food, laughter... her memories.

Applejack blinked, feeling tears roll down her cheeks and land on her hooves. She sniffed and looked out at the fields again, the comforting greens now seeming cold and distant.

After all, everything she held dear about home... It was all just a memory, now, wasn't it? It wouldn't be the same if she went back now.

Applejack wiped the tears from her eyes, sniffling all the while. She remembered her aunt calling her for breakfast, and decided to join her aunt and uncle. Maybe... just maybe being around them would make her feel better. Or, at the very least, she could get advice on what to do.

She arose from her seat at the window, and tentatively, pulled the window shut and drew the curtains. She couldn't stand to look out at the country any longer. The memories were too painful and too fresh.

Quietly, she sauntered out of her room, down the hall and into the kitchen. She took a seat at the table, and looked up at her aunt and uncle. They were very different from her family back home. But they were still her family, and they had offered for her to stay with them when she didn't know what she could do with herself.

The most Applejack could do, as she saw, was return that hospitality they'd shown her. And try, really try, to make the most out of being here. Even if that meant putting farm life behind her.

"Rainbow Dash! Sweetie- there you are!"

Rainbow startled at the sound of her parents' concerned voices. Her jolt also startled the camp counselor who was placing an aloe smeared patch on her burn mark. The counselor grumbled, but finished placing the patch, and promptly began working on other nearby foals who'd been bruised-up in the scuffle to get off of the campgrounds. In the chaos, the camp goers and workers had been corralled into the nearby staff buildings, cramped and crowded.

Rainbow Dash grimaced as her parents raced towards her, and gritted her teeth even more as they scooped her up into an embarrassingly exaggerated bear hug. She let them hug her for a moment, but quickly pushed them away the moment she heard other foals giggling at the sight.

"I'm fine." She groaned, falling back onto the bench she had been sitting on.

"Well-" Windy began, taking a moment to look at the crowded room, and then back at her daughter. "I'm sure you are- you were always such a tough girl!" Her mother praised, giving the most award-winning smile she could muster.

Her father continued Windy's statement. "But, well it's just- a storm cloud breaking loose and throwing lightning around willy-nilly... Well it just makes ponies worried is all." Bow concluded, also giving an earnest grin to their daughter.

Windy glanced at her husband and sighed. This alerted Rainbow, and she quickly noticed their changing expressions.

"And that danger dear..." Windy said, her eyes turning concerned as she spotted the patch on her daughter's back. "Well it's just..."

"We're here to take you home, Rainbow." Bow commented, his expression just as concerned as Windy's.

"...Oookay?" Rainbow squeaked. She knew that this fiasco would shut down camp for the day- or at least until the rain cloud was under control. But did her folks really have to take her home?

"We're taking you home... for the rest of camp, sweet heart." Windy stated, her expression pleading as she looked at her daughter.

Rainbow sat upright at this, her tiny wings flaring as she protested. "NO!" Rainbow's eyes darted around as she looked at the other ponies around her, their eyes on her now.

That wasn't enough to stop her fighting back. "No! I don't wanna leave- there's still like two more weeks!" Rainbow's eyes pricked with tears, but her frustration overtook her vision.

"It was just a dumb little lightning bolt- I'll be fine!" She was standing up now on the stool, her eyes just below the level of her parents.

Bow and Windy looked around the room, shameful at the way their daughter was acting, though they knew that would be her reaction. Windy nodded to her husband, and without a word Bow scooped up the tiny, still angry foal.

Rainbow protested and shoved against her father's arms, but it wasn't even close to loosening his grip. They began making their way out of the faculty building, and out towards the inner city of Cloudsdale.

Rainbow Dash protested and screamed, cried and pleaded. But nothing was going to change her parent's minds.

They arrived at home shortly after, and as soon as Rainbow was set down on the floor, she bolted to her room and slammed the door shut. She stood in the middle of her room, fuming.

She couldn't fathom how her parents were doing this to her! She didn't get hurt- not really. Not enough to be pulled from flight camp for the rest of summer! Her mother had assured her that there was always next year, but that was too far off in time for Rainbow to even consider.

Eventually, her anger turned to despair, which gave way to tears and the tiny foal threw herself onto her cloud bed. The brightly colored pillow sheets being stained a darker shade with her tears. Rainbow let herself cry for a good while, and still harbored resentment for how that day had gone down.

But she didn't want to stay mad at her parents forever. And though her stubbornness still blinded her as to why her parents pulled her from flight camp, at the very least she understood it was because they cared about her.

After she'd calmed down enough to talk, her eyes strained from the tears, she quietly opened the door of her room and peered down the stairs. Her father was nowhere in sight, but her mother was at the front door. She stood in the doorway, talking and reassuring a pale yellow mare with a bright red mane, done up in smooth curls.

Rainbow didn't recognize the mare her mother was talking to, but her curiosity took over. She carefully crept down the stairs and ran behind one of the sofas in their living room. She sat waiting and tuned into the conversation.

"I don't know, I haven't heard anything." Windy was saying. "But I promise we'll keep an eye out- and we'll let you know if we see anything."

Rainbow couldn't make out the words of the other mare, her voice was faint, and she seemed to be in a worried state.

"Yes- I'm sure she's alright. Don't worry, I'm sure they will do everything to find her, we will too." Windy said again.

Rainbow peered around the corner of the couch in time to see her mother waving the mare off. Her mother watched as the yellow pegasus flew off. Rainbow wished she could see her mother's expression. Windy was still standing in the doorway, long after the other mare had flown out of sight.

She seemed to be frozen, and Rainbow thought about approaching her mother. Finally, Windy snapped out of her state, and she shut the door, and turned around.

Rainbow quickly stood up and slowly stepped out from behind the sofa. "...Mom?" Rainbow asked, confused and a little alarmed by her mother's mood.

Windy's attention snapped to her daughter, and she quickly rushed over and scooped her foal up into her arms. The two sat for a moment like that. Rainbow reluctantly hugged her mother back, though was still thoroughly confused by her behavior.

After a moment, Windy let go and set her daughter back down. "I'm sorry." Her mother said, as she brushed a hoof over her daughter's bright, messy mane. "I just... I just worry is all."

Rainbow was still confused by her mother's behavior, but was determined to ask one, final question.

"Uh... yeah. Who was that lady, at the door?" Rainbow asked, brushing her mane back into its messy state.

Windy's smile faded and she looked back at the front door. "She was just a worried mother looking for her foal. I'm sure she'll turn up soon."

"Did she run away?" Rainbow asked. Familiar with the idea, as that had been one of the many raged-filled thoughts that had crossed her mind not twenty minutes ago.

"Not exactly... she's just missing right now. But everyone at camp who isn't dealing with the storm is searching for her. I'm sure they'll find her." Windy replied, giving Rainbow another small hug.

"... Oh." Rainbow replied. She quickly let go of her mother's grasp and looked up at her. "Can I help look for her?" She asked, hopeful at the prospect.

That hope was immediately dashed when she saw her mother's expression change from happiness to concern.

"No sweetie, I don't think that would be a good idea. It isn't safe for fillies to go out searching for other fillies, especially not with that storm out." Windy patted her daughter's head and made her way over to the nearby sofa.

Rainbow felt a sense of urgency at this missing foal. But if her mother was so calm about it... surely there wasn't anything to worry about, right? Rainbow fluttered over to the sofa and sat beside her mother.

"So... she'll be okay right? That missing foal?" She asked, hesitant about the whole situation. Windy looked at her daughter and gave a soft smile. She rustled her colorful mane as she replied.

"I'm sure of it dear. After all, she couldn't have gone very far."

Below the weather-protected city of Cloudsdale, Ponyville was beginning to hear the rumbling crash of thunder, making its way towards the small town. No harsh weather had been planned for that day, so the roar of thunder was of surprise to the residents.

Which included the wildlife that surrounded the small town. Fluttershy yelped as she heard a particularly loud crash of thunder, not too far away from the peaceful meadow she'd found herself in. She looked around and soon caught sight of a massive dark cloud making its way over the town and surrounding woods.

Fluttershy realized how long it had been since the race had begun, and with the on-coming weather, it wouldn't be long before she couldn't fly back up to camp. She took a final glance at all the adorable furry creatures she'd met, and faintly waved goodbye to them.

"I'm sorry little friends, I have to go." With that she began flapping her wings, shakily taking off from the soft forest floor. The clouds were getting closer, along with the thundering noise. Fluttershy whimpered as she slowly ascended into the sky. She wasn't going as fast as she would like, and the clouds were moving faster than she could keep up with.

A sudden crack of lightning sent Fluttershy reeling. The bolt had been too close to her, far too close. It terrified her, and she felt her wings spinning out of her control. Before she could change her flying stance, she felt herself falling again. This time she landed in the leaves of a nearby tree.

The branches scraped against her and she yelped as she fell through the foliage. She slid down onto a more solid branch and her legs shook uncontrollably from the fear. The weather was far too wild now, and she knew she wouldn't be able to fly through it, or else risk being struck by lightning.

Rain began showering down, finding its way through the gaps of leaves and directly onto Fluttershy's head. She whimpered and looked around, desperate for any kind of shelter. She saw, just under the shade of the tree, a small group of fluffy creatures go running by. Their large back legs carried them swiftly through the grass, and into more sheltered parts of the forest.

Not knowing what else to do, Fluttershy clambered down from the tree branches and back onto the forest floor. She followed the small fluffy creatures as they bounded deeper into the woods. Their large fluffy ears were pulled back as they ran, and instinctively, Fluttershy did the same.

These small animals were fast, and at times it was difficult for Fluttershy to keep up with them. But, eventually they stopped and took notice of the gangly foal who'd followed them into the heart of the forest. The leaves were so thick this deep in, that very little rain was able to touch the forest floor.

The small creatures' noses twitched and flickered as they inspected the pony that stood before them. Fluttershy stood still, letting them observe her. She wasn't sure if they could understand her, but she thought it polite to at least explain why she'd followed them this far.

"I'm sorry to bother you..." she began, noticing other forest creatures were coming closer to where she stood. "It's just that I needed somewhere to go. I can't fly back home in the rain... it's much too dangerous for me."

Other small fluffy animals were twitching their noses as they approached Fluttershy. They seemed curious, but weary of her. She understood their hesitation.

"And I'm so sorry for bothering you, but I saw you were going somewhere safe... so well I just thought... it might be best to follow you."

Slowly, Fluttershy lowered herself to sit on the grass, keeping in mind to make her movements calm and un-threatening. "So, I hope you won't mind if I wait for the storm to be over here with you. I really will go once it's all over... but it's just too dangerous for me right now."

If the creatures that were around her understood her words, they showed no sign of it. They simply skittered closer and closer, their tiny pink noses drawing in her scent, and deciding whether or not she'd be a threat.

Ultimately, it seemed, they decided this foal wouldn't harm them. Some creatures simply ran off back into the brush, while others stayed and sat closely beside the pony. Watching her intently. Fluttershy watched them closely in turn, taking in the features and characteristics of the creatures that surrounded her.

They were very different from the few animal's she'd seen growing up in Cloudsdale. Many of them seemed to live underground, or be good at digging. She desperately wanted to know more about them, what they were and what they did.

But for now, she was content to wait with these strange, beautiful creatures. And hope that this sudden storm would end as quickly as it began.