When Mint gets a letter from her father asking her to come home, Mint thinks about the past and all the mistakes she had made. As she gets ready to leave to go back to her hometown, some of her friends ask to come along. Join us as we discover what made her leave her family, and more importantly, what made her not want to return.

This story is mainly out of Happy Tree Town, so there's no deaths YAY. :3 *cough* Well, there is ONE, but it's in a flashback...

September 22, 1998

143 Oak St.,

Veronnaville, GA

My Dearest Minuit,

I'm sorry for what I said to you going on five years ago. I was being foolish. I know now that I should have been supportive of your wish to be a mime, I just couldn't imagine you becoming like my brother. Your Uncle Berenger regrets giving you that book telling you all about mimes. He never thought you would actually give up your right to speak and sing. I'm guessing by now, though, you're already a mime...

I also bet you're wondering how I got your address. We looked for you using computers and found you in that little town, Happy Tree Town. Your step-mother misses you, also. I must say we regret fully about telling you to give up on being a mime.

But let's get into that. Tell me about your friends, or if you decide to come home, sweet Midnight, tell us then. But I beg you, my sweet Minuit, just return home. The things you left behind haunt us, the little girl we knew is gone. We want you to return home, return to us. We need you here.

Your Loving and Foolish Father,

Audric Bayard

Mint stared at the letter. She shook her head slightly as tears filled her eyes. No... She thought. Why should I return home to them? Why? Then Minuit 'Mint' Bayard saw a P.S. on the note.

P.S. Your friend Briand and his sister Adora both miss you as much as I'm sure you miss them.

Mint shook her head slightly. Impossible... she though. They couldn't possibly remember me! I left so long ago...! Mint put the letter down on her table. Could they possibly really want me to come home? They hate Uncle Berenger for being a mime, wouldn't they hate me just as much for being a mime? Don't they HATE mimes? She sat down and stared at the letter. Nothing's in mother's handwriting, but he mentions her... She shook her head again. For the first time since she left, she started missing them. But... Did I ever NOT miss them...? she thought slowly to herself.

She made her decision. She would leave. Family came first. While she was packing, she wondered how she'd let the others know. If she spoke, that would mean she wasn't a TRUE mime, but if she DIDN'T speak, how was she to let them know?

She looked at the letter again and smiled slightly. She sat on the ground and started packing everything in invisible boxes. Then she picked them up one box at a time and put them on the counter. She quickly ran out and ran to a car rental place and went up to the desk. Lumpy looked at her over his newspaper. Mint pointed to a picture of a U-Haul. Lumpy looked at her curiously, then called up some workers. Handy and Splendid seemed to come out of nowhere and she lead them to her house. She started getting her kitchen ware into the back of her car(which she was actually too young to drive) and Handy and Splendid got her couch, love-seat, chair, dining room table, bed, and other big things like that into the back of the U-Haul.

When everything was done, she pointed to a random, empty house and they took the U-Haul there, thinking that that was where she was moving. She quickly ran into the park, holding the letter, and sat down under a tree. Within two hours, all of her friends had come through and seen her, and she had signaled for them to wait.

Giggles had fallen asleep and was leaning on Cuddles' shoulder. The Mole was so-called reading a book, even though he couldn't see. Petunia was trying to straighten Mint's hair up. Mint sighed inaudibly and batted her hands away. Lumpy was staring into space. Pop was playing with Cub, the latter of which was laughing. Flaky was hiding behind Cro-Marmot. Flippy was starting to fall asleep. Nutty was high on sugar at the moment, and Handy and Splendid were having a small argument. Shifty and Lifty were, of course, not there. Disco Bear, though, was being very annoying, trying to flirt with Petunia. Toothy was watching Handy and Splendid argue. Sniffles was eating ants. Russell yawned boredly.

Mime was the only one not there.

Mint frowned, but decided it couldn't be put off any longer. Sorry, Mime, I gotta get home... Mint stood up and gently tapped on Giggles' shoulder, who mumbled something, then opened her eyes.

"Oh, finally gonna tell us what you want to?" Giggles asked with a small yawn. Mint nodded and handed her the note. She read it aloud.

"Who's 'Minuit?' I'm not familiar with that name." Sniffles said. Mint pointed to herself. "But isn't your name Mint?" Mint shook her head. "Minuit... Hey, if you get rid of 'ui,' you have Mint!" Mint nodded and rolled her eyes.

"But why'd he say 'Minuit,' then 'Midnight?'" Cuddles asked, looking at the note. Mint had to think for a few seconds on how to signal this. She pointed to the name 'Minuit' and then 'Midnight,' hoping they understood she meant 'Minuit means Midnight.'

"Are you leaving?" Petunia asked with a frown. Everyone's attention was caught now. Mint nodded slightly. "B-but why?" Mint pointed to the letter. "Does Mime know?" Mint shoo her head and signalled the fact that she couldn't wait another minute and he hadn't come yet. Petunia pulled out her cellular phone and quickly called Mime. When she heard it pick up and heard a small 'thump' on the table, showing that he picked up, Petunia said "Come to the park, now. Mint has something to tell us." Mint had to keep from laughing. I already told'ja, ya nit-wit. she thought to herself.

Ten minutes later, Mime arrived on his unicycle, smiling. His smile fell as he saw the sad faces of everyone. He jumped off his unicycle and looked at them questioningly. Giggles handed over the letter. After Mime read it, he looked up with a questioning glance at Mint.

"Did you know her real name was Minuit?" Cuddles asked. Mime shook his head no. "Well, she's leaving today." Mime looked genuinely surprised. He looked over at Mint and pointed to the letter with a questioning look on his face. Mint nodded.

Cub looked at Mint, confused. "Why Mint leave here?" He asked. Mint looked at him, then at Pop. Surely Pop would understand why she was leaving. Her parents actually wanted her to come home!

But Pop was silent. He picked his young son up and walked over to Mint and smiled. "Hope you have fun with your parents again." Then he walked away.

Petunia spoke next. "Can I come with you? I want to come with you!" Mint looked at her, surprised.

"Me too." Giggles said. "It's not like we'd stay forever. But we can be, like, your protection squad and stuff." Mint quickly shook her head, but Mime ran over to her and dropped down on his knees and put his hands together and looked up at her in a way that asked 'please,' complete with puppy-dog eyes. Come on, who could resist that face? She sighed inaudibly and nodded. Mime was immediately happier.

The only ones who decided they wanted to come along were Cuddles, Giggles, Petunia, and Mime. Cuddles said he would drive, just in case they got stopped by a cop. He DID have his license, after all. Mint was in the passenger seat, pointing which way to go. Petunia was in the back seat in the middle, scolding Mint on how dirty her car was. Giggles was listening to an MP3 player and singing along quietly. Mime was in the back seat behind Mint. He was bored so he started tying random-and invisible- bows in Mint's hair.

"Let's listen to a little music." Cuddles said. He turned the radio on, and the song "Riding with Private Malone" was on. Mint bit her lower lip. That had been one of her favorite songs to sing along with. Cuddles laughed slightly. "Wouldn't it be funny if you opened the glove compartment and found that very same note?"

Wrong kind of car, wrong year. Minuit thought to herself. She faked a smile. She was staring out the window of the car. They were on the interstate. They had to go straight for the next hour and a half or so. One problem; Mint was feeling really tired.

"Hey, I'll take the map and say which way to go." Petunia said. Mint glanced back and smiled slightly. They'd have to wait until they stop, though.

They stopped at a restauraunt to get something to eat, then they got back into the car. Only Petunia and Mint had traded places. Thirty minutes later, Mint had fallen asleep. Her head was leaning on Mime's shoulder. Mime glanced at her, then looked back out the window. He sighed inaudibly.

I'm bored... he thought to himself. I wish she were awake, she makes things interesting. He looked at the sky. Well, at least I'm still around her. If Petunia hadn't of called-and I don't even remember when I got that phone- I never would of seen her again. He glanced back at Mint. Minuit... Midnight? I wonder why she was given that name. She hasn't a dark color on her anywhere-that I know of anyway. Only her eyes, and they're not even considered dark. Mime looked back out the window. Why Midnight?

"Sister! Sister!"

"Soleil!" A dark blue and black cat ran over to the white and gold kitten. "Soleil, don't worry! I'm here!" She pulled her sister to her in an embrace.

"Where is your aunt Papillon?" A dark voice called out. The black cat looked up.

"I won't tell you where Aunt Papillon is, never!" The man chuckled.

"Then say goodbye to your sister." Soleil was suddenly pulled from the black cat's arms.

"Soleil!" The black cat yelled as her sister disappeared in the dark. "Oh Soleil, mother and father will never forgive me..." The black cat lowered her head and ears.

"Where is Papillon?"

"Don't tell him!" The cat's head lifted up. She saw her mother being held by the man, who was about to kill her.

"Tell me or your mother dies." he said. "Sweet Miss Oriel Bayard will die if you don't say."

"N-no, I'll never tell you! I won't!" she shouted, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Suit yourself." He smirked, then tossed her aside really hard, making her hit a wall with a loud crunch.

"Mama!" it was useless though. She could see that her mother was dead. "Mama..." She started sobbing. "Why did you kill her?" She yelled.

"I warned you, Cat." He said with a laugh. "You have such a fitting name for an all-powerful but not-known sorceress." She lifted her head, her eyes wide.

"How did you know-?"

"I know EVERYTHING." He stated with a laugh. "You know, your name is a little TOO fitting." He smirked. "Maybe we should make it a little less fitting, if you know what I mean..."

He held up his staff and pointed it at the cat and said with a laugh "Say goodbye to your midnight-black and cobalt-blue fur, girl! Say hello to mint-green and mint-blue everything." He smirked. "But let's face it, if you're all bright colors, that would be no fun. Dark Blue eyes will do perfectly." She screamed out as there was suddenly an excrutiating, burning pain. Her midnight-black hair turned to a mint-green color, her fur turned to a very light blue color, her muzzle and hands along with her ear tips and feet and tail tip were all light green. There were three spots on her neck that were the same shade of green as her paws. Her eyes, once an amber color, were now ocean-blue.

She squealed in hatred. "What have you done to me, you monster?"

He laughed cruelly. Just then, the cat's father, a pure-black cat with cobalt-blue, ran over to them and stopped upon seeing his daughter crying and his wife, a pure white cat with golden hair, lying dead. The sorcerer turned to him. "Your youngest daughter is gone, your wife is dead, and your daughter has been changed." He laughed cruelly. "And it's all her fault. You can no longer call her by her name," He laughed. "For she is no longer Minuit!"

Mint jerked awake, and realized she must have been a little reckless because Mime had a hold of her shoulder, Petunia looked scared, Cuddles had gone into a Gas Station's parking lot, and Giggles was clinging to the seat Cuddles was in.

"What were you doing, trying to kill us?" Petunia asked, hysterical. "You started kicking, and looked like you were yelling something, but we didn't know what, because you've become so silent! You even kicked Mime once or twice when he was trying to restrain you so you wouldn't hurt anyone! You even-" Cuddles cut Petunia's rant off.

"Were you crying?" He asked, looking closer at her fur. Mint quickly shook her head and tried to push Mime's hands off her shoulders, but it seemed like he didn't trust her not to try and kick him again.

"Maybe we should stop for the night..." Giggles suggested.

They went to a hotel and got one of those two-bedroom hotel rooms. Mime immediately claimed the couch though, because he didn't like the thought of sharing a room with Cuddles. Cuddles just shrugged and went to his room.

Petunia, Giggles, and Mint went into their room. It had two double beds and a single bed. Mint immediately walked over to the single bed and jumped onto it. The other two just randomly chose one of the two left-over beds.

Mint was afraid of going back to sleep, but soon sleep claimed her and she fell asleep again. The dream started out where it had left off...

"No! I am Minuit, father! I am! Just because I look different doesn't mean I'm not Minuit!" Minuit stood up, her tear-stained face shining in the light.

"Minuit... How could you let them die?" Audric asked his daughter. He shook his head slightly and looked down. "I can't believe you let him kill them."

"Don't worry, the little girl is still alive." He smirked. "Want her back? Give me what I want."

Minuit stared at the ground and said "Fine, I'll tell you where to find Aunt Papillon..."

"I don't want Papillon anymore." he laughed. "Minuit, you're a powerful enough sorcerous to get what I want done. Come here and I will turn you back to your normal self." He smirked. "You'll regain all your lost powers."

Minuit was shocked, but she started to obey, if only for the sake of dear little Soleil.

"Minuit! Come here!" Audric ran over to his daughter and grabbed her hand. "There's no use of giving him what he wants... he's probably lying."

"But father, if he'll give Soleil back..."

"But then he'd be taking you away. It's a lose-lose situation, Minuit. And he won't give Soleil back, I guarentee you." He said, hugging his young daughter close to him.

Suddenly, the room they were in faded away, and they were in a forest. Her mother's body was also gone, as was the sorcerer's.

"Father.. H-he changed me..."

"I know, dearest Minuit. I know."

Minuit hugged her father tightly. "I don't feel the magic, father..."

"Along with your true form, he also sealed your powers, my dearest. I'm sorry..."

"Is there any way to regain them?" Minuit was worried. Her Aunt Papillon had told her that without magic, a sorcerer or sorcerous was defensless.

"There is a way, but I don't know, my dear." He shook his head slightly and let his arms drop. "But maybe we can cheer you up with some ice cream. How 'bout it?" Minuit smiled slightly and nodded.

"I'd like that, Dad..." she said quietly.

Mint woke up the next morning, a lot calmer. She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. Then she stood up and walked out of the room. Well, I'm not totally defensless... she thought with a small smile.

"Mint! You're finally awake!" Petunia said. Mint stumbled and fell to the ground. She glared up at Petunia. "Eh heh, sorry.."

Mint stood up and dusted herself off. Then she noticed something; her paw was slightly darker... it had a blackish tinge to it. Suddenly, a memory flashed in her mind. When I fell down the stairs and broke my leg, my father said weird things were happening until they got my leg fixed, and that my fur was a lot darker than it should have been. And every time I died in Happy Tree Town, people say they thought my fur went straight from green-blue to black and blue... Could pain be what returns me to normal, if only for a few seconds?

"Mint, why are you staring at your paw?" Cuddles asked as he walked over, a bowl of cheerios in his hands. Mint quickly shook her head and forced a smile.

Mime came over to see what was going on. He seemed to be the only one to notice her fur was darker. He frowned slightly, confused.

"Giggles is waiting in the car, come one!" Cuddles started pushing all of them along.

"B-but I haven't had my shower yet!" Petunia exclaimed.

"You already had two, though." Cuddles pointed out. Mint couldn't help but smile.

Mime lightly tugged Mint's wrist, then point to her fur in a confused way. Mint was confused also. What's he mean?

Mime thought for a second, then pointed to his own fur, then one of the blue lines on his shirt.

Oh... he's asking why my fur got darker... Mint shrugged with a sheepish smile. Mime didn't smile back. Mint's smile fell. She quickly looked out the back window.

"Turn around, Mint." Cuddles said. Mint sighed inaudibly and sat right.

The drive that day was uneventful.

"Mint... I know you won't tell us or anything, but what was that dream of your's about?" Petunia asked suddenly. Mint paled slightly and shook her head and looked down at the floorboard. All except Cuddles, who was watching the road, turned and stared at her.

When they all turned away from her, not wanting to see her so upset, Mint looked up at the ceiling of the car. Mime put a comforting hand on her shouder and smiled slightly. Mint smiled back.

Her secret seemed safe... but Mint knew they'd all figure out sooner or later, and they might even turn on her for it. I really hope they don't... especially not you, Mime...

~To Be Continued~

Yep, chapter in this one. -w- Why did I use French names? Cause I felt like it. :3 And why did I make Mint-or should I say Minuit- be a sorcerous? Cause that sprt of stuff is fun. I think I'm gonna go draw her original form.

And also, yes, Minuit is French for Midnight. And no, I do NOT know French, I know basic French, but eh.