//------------------------------// // The Time we... // Story: Come, Fly with me // by Tofazz //------------------------------// He smiled at her, “You look great.”         “Thank you, so do you.” She answered, and finding it oddly true.         Upon his black fur he had put on a pearl white tuxedo, and around his neck there was a tied purple bow made in a shining material that gleamed slightly in the dull light. His normally wild mane was combed neatly and pertinently.         They stood still for a little while, both seemingly taking in the sight of the other. Doodle let her eyes wander over her childhood friend, again marveling just how much he had changed in appearance since last they saw each other. Or perhaps not, she thought. It had after all been many years since they had said goodbye that day. It could of course be that it was her own vision and maturity that finally came to show. She found that she cared little to figure out which it was. Their eyes met in an instant and both froze, and both averted their gaze with a slight blush coming to their cheeks.         Savant cleared his throat, “I’ve ordered a table in the corner of the bottom floor for us, is that okay with you?”         She nodded in retort, perhaps a bit too energetic for her own liking. There was a question ringing inside of her while Savant guided her forward through the buzzing restaurant. She knew him, she knew him all too well, so why did this uncertainty cling to her? He was still the same pony  she had watched leave that train station so many years ago. Pulled out of her haze by the sound of a scraping chair, she saw him standing ready with a chair for her, she smiled and thanked him before sitting down; startled slightly as he pushed her close to the table. Quickly he sat opposite of her. Neither said a word, nor did they look directly at each other. Soon Savant began to fiddle slightly with a salt shaker. It seemed that he struggled a little at the change in their relationship, even if it was his idea. Talk had come so easy when they first met again, then two days later he had summoned the courage to ask her on a proper date. It was then he began to fumble his words, often stuttering his sentences, and it lasted till they said their goodbyes and agreed on a time and place.         She dared a quick glance at him. She didn’t mind the change between them at all. It was only after she had gone home and after he asked that she had recognized the feelings she felt at the station. Thinking back at that she blushed slightly, Savant noticed, for he returned the blush with one of his own, then an uncertain smile. She had indeed been a little love-struck that time, and so had him it seems.         The waiter came to them and took their order, and as soon as he left, silence came again. It reached the point where it soon became awkward. Then she remembered something she wanted to ask him earlier. The bracelet he wore, it was made with clean silver and had three brightly colored diamonds in it. It didn’t seem like something he would use.         “Savant,” she began, “that bracelet of yours, what is it?” hoping it would help him that she started the conversation, normally she was accustomed to the other part doing just that, Savant seemed to be a little befuddled over it all.         He blinked, then smiled at her question. “I use it for my work,” he started then leaned forward. “It’s somewhat lengthy if you want to understand it, do you really want me to bore you with this on our first date?” He asked with a careful tone.         She quickly nodded, what caused her to do just that was the eagerness she sensed in his voice the moment she asked about it. If anything it might break him out of the shell he had around him.         He smiled even wider. “Have you ever wondered how it is that unicorns and alicorns are the only ones able to harness and use magic around us?” He triggered something in the bracer, making it glow slightly. He got a slight mad glint in his eyes and continued without waiting for her response. “You see, I had a theory, that all ponies have that magic in them, but the unicorns are the only ones able to use it because of their catalyst,” he leaned forward and almost whispered ominously while pointing at his forehead, “the horn.”         Doodle giggled slightly at how comical Savant made himself out to be as he explained. The way his voice rose in pitch and even when he tried to whisper. She saw passion aflame in his ice blue, tender eyes; and she loved what she saw.         He clicked once more on the bracer, “The pegasi are the clearest example, we’re the only race, together with gryphons and alicorns, that can walk upon clouds, yet we utilize nothing to do it.” He stopped, his features growing solemn.         Letting her hoof stretch out, she barely touched him. “Savant… anything the matter?”         Shaking his head, he smiled again, “No, nothing at all.” Then clearing his throat he continued where he lost his train of thought, but this time in a much calmer state. “As I said, we pegasi walk on clouds, and I believe it is because of the natural magic all of us has inside. That’s why I got granted funds from Princess Celestia to create this prototype.” He pointed at the bracer again and clicked the last gem. “A catalyst for non horned ponies.”         As he said it speckled dust flowed out from his hoof, whisking itself in the air in a beautiful mirage. It had no solid state, nor solid clear color, it shifted between all the known pallets. A deep frown grew over his forehead and the aura sparked, letting off tiny explosions. Doodle jump back in surprise, letting a small gasp escape her. Savant blinked, and then laughed. And as the initial surprise blew over together with the vanishing aura, she laughed as well, it was a hearty laugh, one she hadn’t had in a long time.         “Right now it is quite useless,” He said as he turned the bracer off with another click. “It just makes pretty colors for a neat trick, the reason I’m wearing it is because my body needs to get used to it to utilize it.” He took a large gulp of water and looked at her. “How about you? Are you still creating art as you did before?” He asked with a genuine curiosity in his voice.         She nodded, “Yes, I’m saving up bits so I can open my own studio. Till then I’m working freelance and taking up orders while traveling from place to place.” Her eyes wandered and her mind became distant, “It’s not the best paying job around, but I enjoy it, and I do make enough to save.”         “That’s good, I’m going to have to get you to draw me again.” He chuckled slightly, “I feel that I have grown a little since you last did.”         She smiled warmly at him, glad the awkwardness he had began to fade. She also agreed, for she had not drawn him since the first time they met. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t know why. She had practiced all through their foalhood, but never on him. He had never asked either, so she was not entirely to blame, she concluded. She only knew that it would have to change soon. Stealing a quick glance over at him, looking how the thin muscles moved underneath his clothing. Her cheeks warmed slightly and she immediately became aware how her mind had jumped to a risque portrait of Savant. She wouldn’t mind of course, but for now she pushed the thought back and tried to regain focus. They fell in to old habits, talking about anything they could think of from their foalhood together, laughing about the smallest things. For anyone looking at them from the outside, they must surely have looked like mad ponies. As the waiter arrived with their order they were talking about the night Savant had gone with a pink mane for her, cheerfully dubbing it ‘the dawn of pink’, they struggled to contain their mirth long enough for the waiter to walk away again. The food beckoned them to taste its wonderful flavors, but it remained almost untouched as the evening went on. They were too busy with each other’s company and laughter to touch it. They spoke about things high and low, of hurts and fears, about joys and happiness. The longer into the night they went, the more their company turned natural. Savant eventually began to relax and let out his goofy side, while explaining how a student at his old school had managed to set fire to his coat. He managed to activate the bracer again, sending torrents of small uncontrollable magic waves over the table. Again, once the initial shock passed over them, they giggled and laughed, he over his clumsiness, Doodle over the face of surprise that came over Savant. Eventually, as they began to look at each other with a sense of endearment, the other ponies in the restaurant glanced at them with annoyance; they decided it was about time to leave. He insisted on paying, after all, he said, it was a date so it was only proper. It was only now she realized how much time had passed. The moon no longer rose, it stood up on the sky offering the little light it could to the town underneath. Streetlights showed the path between the houses, but the fog and darkness made it look like a passageway between canopies lit up by rays of sunlight breaking through a leafy roof. She felt how he carefully embraced her under his wing as they began to walk, it only nestled on top of her back, and she could easily pull away if she wanted. Taking a deep breath, she let out a content sigh and smiled to him, and he smiled in turn. Her thoughts wandered forward in time, how would it be if they became more than friends? Would it be like this forever? The feeling of sincerity and comfort she now had underneath his wing, would it always be like that? “Do you want to go up on the hill there?” He said and pointed to a large rock secluded behind the town. “I’ve heard from some locals that the view is great during the night.” He said, blushing slightly as he did. Having been up there plenty of times, she knew what the locals were talking about, it was a place she often used for her paintings, but never had she been there at night. “Yeah, let’s!” She answered, with perhaps a little more excitement in her voice than what she planned, forcing reddened cheeks to come to her. Savant laughed with her at her excitement, and they began to walk forward at a greater pace. Perhaps she should have tied her gown up again, like she did before when she walked to the restaurant, but she didn’t care about it at that moment. The climb was steep and tiresome, much more so than she remembered. At last they reached the top, both having a slightly heavier breath. Perhaps not the ideal thing to do on a date, she though, not for Savant at least. After all, she preferred this over sitting cornered inside of a restaurant all night. Perhaps he shared the same view on it, for he only smiled wide as he regained his breath. She stood next to him, taking in the vision of the town under the cover of sleep. Nothing moved there except a few ponies walking home from a night out like them. They saw the light of a night train passing through, only the red light and damp sound echoing loudly, only interrupted by the warm gales of the summer night, along with the occasional howl of a wolf from the forest only visible in the horizon. A gust swept over the hill they sat atop, pulling her mane out from the bun she so neatly had put up. At first, she whimpered slightly in surprise, then she began to fumble, trying to gather her mane up again. As the wind still swept over, it was effort in futility. Her heart jumped as she felt a hoof touch her own, holding both of them still as the red band she had used to tie it up was held firmly in it. Her mane enveloped both of them, and one could almost marvel at the mere length of it. It danced in the wind like a carefully guided stream, not whipping nor lashing. She turned to face Savant, who was still holding her hoof. In the blanket of brown and ocean blue that was her mane, he smiled warmly at her. “Leave it like this,” he said and closed his eyes in recognition, “It looks much better on you.” Once again she felt her cheeks warm up, but this time it didn’t stop there, she felt it all the way to the tip of her ears, radiating warmth against the much chillier wind. She tried to respond, but words remained distant and difficult for her at that time. She felt like no matter what she would say, it would become superfluous and would in no way manage to transfer how she felt at this moment. If her lack of a response bothered him he didn’t show it, for once more she felt his wing touch her. This time it didn’t remain just nestled to her, he pulled her in closer, so their bodies shared a common warmth, and a common heartbeat, within the empty night. Still as her cheeks almost burned up, she nestled her head in the groove of his neck, feeling how his muscles tensed and shifted. Doodle knew now that she liked the thought of him being there for her, in ways more than a friend could. The way her chest and cheeks burned by his touch, how gentle his every touch of her was. The way her stomach tingled just at the thought, she knew that it would be fine for them to try at least, and she knew they would make it far; perhaps even to the end. “I often imagine…” he started, a solemn look coming to him again while he gazed longingly to the moon. “I often imagine how it is to fly up in the sky, among the birds, to wander along the winds as they carry you to places you perhaps have never been.” Doodle blinked at him, there was a certain sadness about him as he said it. No matter how much he had changed, his fear of flying did not. She wanted to laugh a little, for it was quite comical someone with wings had a fear of using them. But she did not even utter a giggle, nor a chuckle, for it saddened her to see the look on him as he said it. Then an idea struck her, and a wide grin made its place over her lips. She broke free from his wing and stood in a confident pose in front of him, once more seeing the confused blinking she had seen from him a couple of times that night. She took hold of his hoofs and guided him forward, he raised a brow in question. “Come, fly with me.” She said in the softest voice she could muster. Instantly she saw panic take hold of him, his eyes darted and he withdrew his hoofs. It was almost like she could see the terror in him, she was certain his muscles trembled underneath his coat. She stroked his cheek, “Do you remember that night at the prom, Savant? I was so terrified of going because I was afraid to show my mane, burnt to a crisp by a silly mistake.” His pulse raced under the hoof that touched him, but he nodded in answer. It seemed like just the thought of what she tried to do with him had paralyzed him. “You convinced me to come, even though I didn’t want to. I was much like you are now, paralyzed.” She leaned in and placed a warm kiss on his cheek. “I trusted you back then, now I want you to trust me. For that night turned out to be one of the best nights I can remember. This night has already been wonderful, Savant, please trust me and let’s make it unforgettable.” She could see how his thoughts raced, struggling between his fear and his trust of her. He closed his eyes, and she feared she might have ruined this night for him by pushing too far. Then, after minutes of painful silence, he opened his icy blue eyes and stared intensely at her with determination. Slowly his wings unfolded, arching behind him majestically, his wingspan was so much greater than hers, if not for the body he could have been mistaken for a griffon purely based on the wings. At first she was a bit awestruck by how he looked with his wings spread out. Then she smiled, filled with joy over how he trusted her enough. Then she began to flap her wings, hovering just above the ground waiting for him to grab hold of the hoof she offered. Once he did, they trembled, and the large wings did a few trying bats. Even if he had never used the muscles before, the motions came to him naturally. He started and stopped more than once, all while she waited patiently for him to gather the courage. It seemed that this time he was determined to not stop, for slowly his wings beat faster, inching him away from the ground, and she followed him slowly, never letting go. Soon they were rather high, he never looked down once, his eyes was locked to hers. She realized quickly how challenging it was to fly backwards. Doodle hoped her smile cheered him on, for she dared not to speak, in case it might break his concentration. At first it was slow, but the ascent quickly sped up, and before he knew it they were high above the ground. It was not before they almost touched a cloud he noticed, and his face lit up in a horrified joy. “I made it!” He squeaked, clutching her still. She smiled at him, it was almost like she could see her foalhood friend resurfacing. “Yes, you did.” She said tenderly. She pulled a little on his hoofs, “Come, and let me show you how wonderful the ‘natural’ magic you spoke of is.” They began to speed ahead, never really fast though, for she never let him go. They crashed into a few clouds, sending a barrage of mist around them. With each cloud they broke his laughter became greater and more joyful. For a moment she forgot that this was his first time flying, and joined in his laugh, heartfully, again a laugh she missed for so many years. Soon they came to a large cloud, and she decided to rest. Again she guided him, and again he followed her with complete trust. She looked behind her, making sure she was at the very center of the cloud, and she let go of him. She allowed herself to fall, and then landed comfortably with her back on the soft fog that only pegasi could walk upon. Savant flailed his hoofs, but landed right next to her. He remained stiff as a board, collecting himself from the shock of her sudden release. He carefully poked the cloud with his hoof, making sure that he could still remain safe even if he moved. “That scared me,” He said, and put out a mock pout. “I’m sorry,” she said, and giggled, “I couldn’t resist, and I wasn’t sure if I could convince you otherwise.” He nodded and silence fell between them again, all the time their gaze never left each other. The silence was not like before, it was appreciative, and it was something she welcomed. He stretched out a hoof and stopped by her mane, “May I?” he asked thoughtfully. Doodle nodded, “I don’t mind when it’s you.” She answered and immediately felt his hoof touch her. Savant inched closer to her, never letting his eyes break from her, and his hoof stroked through the base of her mane, playing lovingly with it. A smile came to him and he pulled a feather from his wing, using the red thread he caught earlier he tied the feather to a lock of her mane that flowed so wildly behind her. As he finished tying it he let his eyes fall down to her, she felt her chest rise in anticipation, their muzzles were close enough for the soft fur upon them to touch. The last step between them, and she let it all be up to him. Doodle decided she was ready to try if he was as well. He slid back, and she felt a sense of disappointment come to her, wondering if he had second thoughts. Then he stood on all fours legs above her, surprisingly steady for his first time on a cloud, his eyes looked at her with a tender gleam in them. “You asked me to trust you, and so I did. You were right, what I feel now is… this night…” Again her chest rose with anticipation, waiting for him to finish. As his ears flopped back and his cheeks became red upon his beautiful black fur, she knew that he as well struggled. Just as she had, he surely felt how superfluous the words became and could never put words to how he felt. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest as he descended towards her, and her breath became heavier as he stopped just above her lips. So close did he stop that his breath tickled upon her muzzle, making her lower lip twitch slightly in anticipation. Then, his lips finally touched hers, rugged but soft, they moved over with ease and care. The warmth from her chest spread slowly into every bit of her body. She closed her eyes and returned the kiss, they moved together in a loving dance, both taking in the scent and touch of the other. His hoofs still played with her mane, and soon hers embraced around his neck, beckoning him to stay as close as possible to her, and he did. He descended further, letting his chest touch hers. It was like time stood still for them, and if it didn’t, it did not matter. Their hearts sung out in a beautiful symphony, one which they had sung only half of alone until now. He broke their embrace, tenderly stroking her chin, smiling as he did. “…Wonderful.” He said before he let his lips touch hers once more.