//------------------------------// // Flying Without a Wingman // Story: Volition // by PredictableOffender //------------------------------// It has been several hours since the event at the arena and Gilda had to talk to some higher ups about a promotion so you haven’t seen her since. A voice on the PA system informs the entire ship and presumably the entire town to get ready for CEASELESS DISCHARGE to set sail. You have permission to go wherever you may like so you use to to check if the neighboring room connected to yours to see if it was occupied, no one was in the room. You have free use of it. You have a romantic idea. You walk back into your room and open the connecting door. You enter the other room to find it was furnished identically to your room, more importantly it also has a desk near the window along with a chair. You go back into your own room to move your chair back to the other room at the desk. You realized the entire time you spent in these rooms the lights have been off you decide to investigate the switch, nope you can’t dim them so you decide to look for alternative lighting. All you found was a very utilitarian looking gaslamp and nothing else that would be useful to your plan. You decide to pull out your notepad out for some note taking. 1) table cover 2) flowers 3) Candles? (how dark does it get in there) 4) bother the cooks 5) ^ find a way to move large dishes. 6) Plan a excuse to launch operation Dinner time initiative 6.5)  find a way to not make it look creepy 7)10 not 11. 10 not 9...... You know these massive ships serve as flying towns so you should be able to find a shopping district on the unreasonably large CEASELESS DISCHARGE. You decide to move the chair back into your occupied room to avoid suspicion. You take your wallet and begin set off on your conspiracy shopping spree According to the oh so helpful map decks fifteen to twenty was a large shopping centre, the map specified the movie theater is on deck nineteen for some reason. You take the Elevator to floor fifteen. You arrive in a hallway with two signs on either side of a map “Storage this way” and “Shopping centre this way” you continue along to the shopping centre. The place is a massive five story complex with a park complete with ponds, trees, fields and sports fields. There are some elevators that drop you off right in the middle of the complex. The walls are lined with colorful signs and advertising, there are some out of place things such as toy shops. Gryphons freely fly from floor to floor in the carrying various bags and larger objects while avoiding each other. You wade through the crowd towards yet another map, once you have the locations of: Elder’s waxwork, La Grande’s Furniture and Vitality. You decide to head off on a shopping spree. As you wander the around the voice in the PA informs you that you are getting closer to take off. ~~~ “Welcome to the Valkyries Ms. Auditore.” Admiral Artorias leans back in his office chair. “It’s a pleasure sir.” Gilda continues to stand at attention. “You are aware of your duties?” Artorias arranges some papers on his desk. “Yes sir.” Gilda remains professional. “You have permission to speak freely.” Artorias opens and closes a few drawers. “What do you expect me to say sir?” Gilda questions him. “Whatevers on your mind Captain”  Artorias pulls a small toy airship from his drawer. “Why was I given a title with the same responsibilities as my previous one sir?” Gilda still hasn’t moved. “It’s peacetime and all the other Valkyries are getting old and I plan to retire or demote them soon. I want you be be in charge of the entire funhouse... Captain.” Artorias gestures with the toy. “Why me?” Gilda was caught off guard. “I haven’t meet a better aerial fighter than you, I know very little true leaders, and I need someone close to Equestria.” Artorias focused most of his attention on the toy as he spoke. “With all due respect I have shown only one of the qualities you listed.” GIlda has long ago learned to stow her ego away, if only for her superiors. “You can stop feigning your humble attitude Captain.” Gilda doesn't respond. “I’ve seen you rise to the rank of Captain in under a decade, I’ve seen your training, I’ve awarded you with a medal for single-handedly slaying a dragon. If you still feel like you lack the qualities provided I been working developing them in you.” Artorias smiles. “...” Gilda is confused and flattered by his speech. “Now shall we continue.” Artorias pulls out another stack of papers. ~~~ Once your shopping spree was finished you had a bag that you had to move back to your room, though it was nowhere near as heavy as that walk Rosetta had you take. Come to think of it Rosetta should be on the ship somewhere, although the odds of meeting with her are next to none. Right when you get back into the elevator a voice comes back on to the PA system. “Please brace yourself for takeoff.” with no further warning you feel the entire ship lurch forwards. The elevator ascends anyway, the force of the ship moving and the elevator ascending pushes you into the corner of the elevator. Once the time the elevator reaches its destination the ship is still accelerating and the transition through the door was not smooth. It wasn’t the movement itself that is throwing you off so much as the feeling of it. You can and will endure anything to get laid at this point. You enter the empty room and collapse onto the chair with your bags at your side. You look out the window to see distant mountains moving slowly past the window, you look past back towards your smog filled and soot-blackened hometown as it slowly sinks away into the horizon. It has been too long since you seen the ground from this height, well at least saw more of the fog below. Excitement starts to grow in again and you start to look like a dog the way you are looking out the window. You look over every snowcapped mountain, watch the smaller ships scuttle about, and look at the tops of the trees that are tall enough to peek out from the fog below. When you were a kid you remember exploring the glaciers and pine forests down there, for some reason there is an ungodly number of caves down there. You had several encounters with monsters down there but you always found a way out. You begin to wonder if Gilda grew up in a little town like you did or if she was from a city. The airship lets out a deafening cry from its engines and you feel it begin to accelerate faster, you feel the ship begin to ascend in further into the sky.