For the First Time

"Mom? It is okay to go outside... right?" Water Skies asked and pawed the ground while looking at the very same ground.
Star Waters looked suspiciously at her son while trying to lull her newborn Lily Falls into sleep. "I thought you were playing with your sister."
"Well... I was?" Water Skies answered insecure, "but she kind of fell asleep..."
Star Waters couldn't help, but to laugh. "She fell asleep over you two playing? Just what were you playing?"
Water Skies didn't want to respond, but luckily didn't have to as his littlest sister started to cry in his mother's forelegs and Star Waters turned her attention to her.
"So...?" Water Skies asked shyly again. "Can I go?"
"Have you already tried to wake Sky Lillies?"
Water Skies nodded, "Yes, but she didn't wake up..." Admittedly, he hadn't tried too much to wake her, but he had tried.
His mother sighed, "Okay, fine, but don't stay out for too long. Your father is on duty today, so I'll advise him to look out for you then and again."
Water Skies groaned, "Mom!"
That was the last thing he wanted to hear today.
"I promise, I will watch out for any dangers and come home immediately, should I see something dangerous," he rattled what his mother would always tell him off, "and depending on how dangerous that is I will also tell the warriors." He sounded rather indifferent about it, even a bit annoyed, despite trying to say it motivated.
Star Waters finally agreed, "Alright then. But promise me that you will come home immediately when there's something dangerous. No trying to fight it."
Water Skies nodded in a serious manner.
"Then go. But be back before the sun sets."
This time, his nod was an enthusiastic one. "Thank you, mom!"
With that, he happily swung around and left the house.
He galloped right into the forest, eager to escape the heat of the summer sun and to dive into the soothing atmosphere of the Everfree.
Millenio jumped around him. "What were you thinking of to do today?"
"I don't know," he answered and sighed, "but Sky's enthusiasm was just too much for me and I need a bit time for myself."
Millenio nodded, "She really was enthusiastic today. I bet, she's going to ask you for a race again once she awakes and finds us."
Water Skies smiled, "Yep, that's also my guess. But for now, let's go explore."

He half jumped, half galloped further into the forest. He heard the birds sing in the trees and the buzzing wings of parasprites as he walked through the forest. The sun painted beautiful patterns on the ground and here in the forest, there was a gentle breeze moving through the leaves of the tree.
Luckily, there were no signs of Timberwolves around and it promised to be a good stroll today.
The heat was way more comfortable under the trees of the forest and Water Skies totally forgot about everything while he admired the trees, the leaves, the patterns on the ground, the birds, the other animals he could hear from afar...

Suddenly, he noticed that his surroundings had become lighter and brighter. The trees stood further apart from each other and Water Skies extended his claws in fright as suddenly a 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘩! was heard from above him and the trees shook in the strong wind of whatever just dashed past them. The wind caught Water Skies and played with his fur while trying to knock him over. He jammed his claws into the ground and tried his best to withstand the wind.
Then, the wind was as suddenly gone as it had appeared. His fur and hair were totally messy from the wind and after Water Skies recovered from the shock, he looked at Millenio with excited eyes. "What was that?"
"I don't know, but let's check!" The horned rabbit started to float upwards and Water Skies quickly followed. They flew over the forest soon and saw a group of winged ponies flying in a breathtakingly fast pace around that pony town right off the forest.
"Whoa..." Water Skies was in awe. He had never seen anyone fly that fast and he wanted to fly that fast, too.
He flapped his wings slower and slower until he came to a halt on one of the highest branches of a tree.
The winged ponies, he guessed them to he called pegasuses*, flew a big round around that pony town and seemed to come closer again. One of them, a rainbow pegasus, flew extra circles and pirouettes.
"How can they do that at such a high speed?!" Water Skies excitedly asked Millenio.
"I don't know! But how cool would it be if we could do the same?!" Millenio was as excited as he was, if not more.
They flew right towards Water Skies who got big eyes and a grin that wided the closer they came.
Whoosh! The first flew directly over its head. It was a blue one and it was so fast, Water Skies could barely make out any clear shapes. The other three, the rainbow one was under them, dashed right behind the blue one and flew also right over Water Skies' head.

The last one, an orange one, just started a stunt before it reached the forest and suddenly, great pain exploded on Water Skies' right side of his face. His grip on the tree branch loosened and the last thing he noticed was how he slowly fell down before his view went pitch-black.

Star Waters watched the sun go down and Water Skies still hadn't returned yet.
"Where is he? He promised to be back BEFORE sunset, not while or even after!"
She started to trot from left to right in front of their house, waiting for him to return, but he didn't.

Suddenly, she heard fast footsteps coming towards her and she looked up, ready to give him the lecture he obviously desperately wanted.
"WHERE- oh! Sorry, dear," she cut herself short as she saw Sunset Star's quite scared expression.
"W-what happened?" Sunset Stars asked after he recovered from that sudden attack.
"Water Skies still hasn't returned! He promised me to be back BEFORE sunset!" As she said that, she pointed towards the sky with a sour expression. "And now it's PAST sunset! Just what is he thinking?!"
"I don't know. Maybe something happened to him."

"No, don't say that!" Now, Star Waters was worried, "He isn't the type to barge into fights! But maybe he was attacked from behind and he didn't realise it! He could laying somewhere unconscious or even worse-!" She didn't finish the sentence, but the terror on her face said the rest. She had started shaking her taller husband in fright.
"No, he's not! Don't even think that!" Sunset replied, equally terrified, and made her stop shaking him. "Maybe he just found a nice cave and didn't see when the sun was setting."
"A cave?!" She started shaking him again. "You mean, the cave of an Ursa Major?! That would be even worse!"
Sunset gulped, but he still replied, "No, just a normal cave! With nothing inside. Maybe just a crystal rock or two. Something totally normal!"
Star Waters breathed in heavily. "You're right. He's a cautious one, he'll be safe. ... right?" Her eye twitched and Sunset wasn't less worried.
"We have to search for him!" Star Waters shook him again, before running off.
Sunset Stars followed and quickly caught up to her.
They just entered the forest as a voice suddenly called for Sunset Stars. He went back while Star Waters ran deeper into the forest, calling out his name despite knowing how dangerous that was. Soon, she heard other voices also call for him.
When Water Skies awoke again, sunset was long over and the night had begun. He got up slowly and his head was still hurting, but it was a dull pain.
"Wh-what happened?" He asked and held his head. For a moment, nobody answered and that startled him.
He looked around. "Millenio? Where are you?"
"H-here..." He heard a faint voice behind him and spun around.
"Oh, I'm so glad, you're okay!" If he could, he would totally have hugged Millenio now.
"Do you know... what happened to us?" Millenio asked and had a pained expression on his face.
Water Skies shook his head, "No... All I remember is this orange pegasus started a stunt..."
His memory was too blurred and even shaking his head didn't clear the memory. If anything at all, it made the memory even harder to grasp.
Then, his eyes started to glow and he bounced around despite the pain. "But have you seen that? Even though, we didn't see the whole stunt, that start already looked so stunning!"
Millenio's face brightened up, too. "Yes! It looked like a super-duper amazing stunt! We have to watch them again some time!"
"Definitely! Especially that rainbow pegasus! It did so many different stunts! Just how cool is that?!"
"Like too cool! The orange one also knew some amazing stunts!"
They fanboyed some time more, until Water Skies suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh no, Millenio!"
"What?"
"It's dark!" Suddenly, Water Skies was worried. "I wanted to be back before sunset, remember? Now it's way past sunset! Mom will be so furious!"
"Damn, you're right! Let's get back home fast!"
He started galloping back to the village. Now, in the dark, the forest was way more creepy. It was silent, the path was just dark and not completely visible anymore, and the worst of them all, most dangerous creatures were awake during the night!

That thought alone let him speed up, but he skidded to a halt soon after as he heard grifixes call for him. "Water!" "Water Skies! Water Skies, where are you?!" "Water Skies?"
"Oh no, mom's with them, searching for me!" He was really frightened now. "I broke so many promises today, she can't find me here!"
"Then let's use a detour and stay close to the edge until they are behind us," Millenio quickly suggested and hopped back into the direction they came from. Water Skies quickly followed and they retreated back to the edge, before going to the village from there.

He couldn't hear them call, but he knew that they were still somewhere around and thus, stayed for a long time close to the edge, before he finally jumped inside the underwood and headed straight for the village.
But he wasn't even halfway to the village when she heard his father in the near. "Water Skies?"
Unwillingly, he sighed relieved and he answered, "I'm here!"
It took a few moments, before Sunset Stars called out, "What? Where?!"
Water Skies heard some rustling in the bushes and while hoping that it was his father who caused the noise, he said, "Here!"
"Stay where you are, I'm coming!" More rustling in the bushes and only seconds later, Sunset Stars rushed through the bushes. Water Skies blinked. He wasn't even nearly half as fast as those pegasuses.
Sunset immediately spotted him and hugged him tightly. "Water Skies! Where have you been?! You almost scared your mother to death!"
Water Skies barely got any air and was relieved when his father finally let him go. "I...", he started, but Sinset continued, "She was even close to give me your lecture." He laughed shortly and started to move. Water Skies followed.
Sunset looked down to his little son. "Seriously though, where have you been?"
Water Skies gulped. "I... I've explored the forest and... I forgot the time over it..."
"But you should have noticed when the sun set."
"I know, but I didn't... the forest was just too wonderful!"
Sunset Stars sighed and used his wing to hug Water Skies again. "Well, at least you are safe and sound now."
As he let go of Water Skies, he called out loud, "I found him!"