//------------------------------// // Fly like an eagle // Story: Dead Birds // by Stray Dog Kane //------------------------------// Dinner was mostly quiet. Fluttershy had insisted that Gilda have some kind of salad with the tuna bits in it. Even some griffons in the old empire would have been uninterested in such a mix, but Gilda didn't mind. Shy looked surprised by that lack of argument, as normally the griffon eyed non-meat with annoyance. Still, hay fries are worse, Gilda thought. She had to wonder why ponies even ate that crud. “You seem different, Gilda,” Fluttershy noted aloud as Gilda ate. “After that session, you were looking worse, but now you look ok. Did something happen?” “I had a nice laugh,” GIlda answered, hoping the pegasus didn’t ask about it. She figured the details would have lead to more confusion. “You’re getting along with Pinkie then?” Fluttershy’s question caused an unpleasant answer, as Gilda gulped and nearly choked. She did notice it with terrified concern, patting a hoof on the griffon’s back until it was clear. “Y-you knew?” Gilda said with surprise after a gasp. “How did...how’d you know?” “How else would you have given Angel a cake?” Shy replied simply with a coy smile. “Right…” Gilda said, letting out a sigh. Where was her mind again? “Is she bothering you at all?” Fluttershy asked, taking a bite of her own dinner. “Ya know…” Gilda replied, looking her in the eye. “I can’t tell anymore. This place has me feeling more wierd than usual.” While the pony enjoyed her meal for a bit, the griffon had stopped for a moment to ponder. “Are you sure those pills aren't doing...something to my head?” “How so?” Shy asked. She continued eating as Gilda tried to think of how to explain. “It’s like it’s...I don’t know….” Gilda said, unsure on her answer. “Making me do stuff. Like it’s making me enjoy it, that kind of thing,” as she pondered aloud on the idea, it kinda of scared her. “What if those things are trying to brainwash me?” The pony shook her head. “Maybe it was that...stuff this morning…” “They are just dreams, Gilda,” Shy said with a sympathetic, reassuring look. “They can only affect you as much as you let them. You did tell me you didn’t like that party dream.” “Yeah, I didn’t,” Gilda said with a sigh. “But this other stuff feels like it’s getting to me. I’m...pretty sure I normally would avoid Pinkie. No offense.” “It’s ok, none taken,” Shy said patting the griffon’s claw. “You are starting to feel better, right?” “Yeah, I guess, maybe,” Gilda replied looking to the side. “For now anyway.” They finished their meals, and Fluttershy got to washing the dishes. Gilda found it weird that she was hanging around in the room still, instead of just going to her room as usual. When she realized that, the griffon felt more nervous. Was she here due to those pills, or due to the shocks she’d been being hit by recently? “Well,” Shy said after she was done, oddly cheerful despite the griffon’s inaction. “Bedtimes not for a few hours...” “What of it?” Gilda replied, not sure where the pegasus was going with this. “Anything you’d like to do?” Fluttershy asked with a hopeful look. “Like what?” Gilda asked with a claw up and a shrug. “I can’t go to town, remember?.” “Why?” Fluttershy asked back as she sat back down. “I’m sure things have calmed down.” “I feel uneasy enough, alright?” Gilda replied, looking down. “I just know it won’t end well.” “What do you mean?” Shy looked more worried. “I don’t think I’d do well with the town ponies right not,” Gilda answered. “If Dash can hold a grudge that badly…” Shy tried to end what would have been Gilda putting herself down again by giving the griffon a kind nudge. “Maybe we could play a game together?” Fluttershy suggested. “I know you’ve been playing checkers, maybe a card game? I do a good game of poker!” Despite her eagerness to this, Gilda wasn’t interested. “Nah,” Gilda replied off hand as she rubbed her neck. “Luck and me aren’t on speaking terms.” “Flying?” Gilda had to pause then for a moment with Fluttershy’s suggestion. Even she didn’t want to shoot that down, but still the desire to try wasn’t there right now. “Nah, I got no where to fly to anyway,” she replied without much joy. “Early bed time, maybe?” Fluttershy said, and might have been joking when she asked. But either Gilda didn’t get it or went along. “Sure, whatever,” she said. Shy looked a bit disappointed by that, but Gilda tried to defend it. “If that’s ok with you, I just got a lot on my mind right now.” The pony looked better about it now at least now. “We can talk about it in our next session, so don’t worry about it,” Shy added. “I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable.” With that sorted out, the griffon went upstairs to her room and filled that same glass on the nightstand. Like clockwork, Fluttershy was there with her pill. Gilda let out a brief sigh, took her pill, and took a drink to swallow. To her surprise, or perhaps not, Fluttershy wasn’t moving again. “What are you sticking around for?” Gilda asked with suspicion. “I just want to make sure you’re ok,” Shy answered calmly. “Won’t you get weird when this stuff kicks in,” Gilda said as she waited, feeling a bit more nervous. “Maybe,” Shy said as reached for something in the nightstand. “It’s a idea I had. Just don’t be afraid, okey? It’s going to be alright.” “Afraid of what?” Gilda eyed the room, still nervous. Then, as expected, the drug kicked in. Reality began to fall apart as usual. From the window falling off the wall like a picture frame, to the sound of that dry wind and that fog. Even Fluttershy wasn’t immune to the effect, as she turned into birds and then into butterflies. With a flock of them that just kept fluttering around the bed, as the bed itself began drifting away. “I’m sorry Gilda,” said a distorted voice as something covered Gilda’s eyes. It was a sleeping mask, the same one the pegasus pointed out before! Now all Gilda could see was darkness as her ears could hear the world fall apart. “Hey!” Gilda protested. “What are you doing?” “Just….safe,” Shy’s voice was distant, sounding like she was calling from the other side of a field. “......’m here. S….calm.” The voice got farther away every second. Without the ability to see, let alone move, all Gilda could do was feel what she imagined drifting was. Across a landless world filled with unknown creatures, blind. It clearly didn’t sit well with her. “Not...cool,” she growled to no answer. That dry wind sound was all she could hear, and for all she knew those terror things from beyond lurked from outside her vision. This helplessness was not her style and it was ticking her off. Unable to move, and with anger having no effect, the next stage came in--panic! “Get this thing off me!” Gilda yelled, again to no response. “Please!” For some reason, maybe due to the last thing she saw when her vision was lost, she felt something on her giving her the feeling of lift. Thousands of little wings were beneath her now, and while enchanting, it didn’t help her mood. “Oh, come on!” she shouted. Apparently, the butterflies Fluttershy dissolved into were around her, clinging to her body and refusing to leave. While the griffon struggled in now less than fearful annoyance, something suddenly groped her face. Then the sound of something breathing came, something like radio static with a slow rhythm that gave her pause. The griffon felt like her face was tasted by something breathing on it, it breath chilling. She tried not to whimper as she felt something across her fur. Gilda could feel it move across her chest with unknown feelers drifting across her wings. It wasn’t hurting, but her blood felt cold. Eventually, it seemed to give up, moving away maybe. She couldn't tell in her blindness, she could only sense it leave. Thought this stuff was meant to help me sleep! Gilda thought in fear. At this point, I just want a I.V of pure mule coffee. Despite her locked body, she really wanted to tremble and shiver at this experience. Those butterflies were still there though, now distracting her from that unpleasantness. Almost tickling her with near warmth as they pressed against her fur. Even if they weren’t trying to tick her off they were doing a crummy job of it. As she kept struggling, those things started to fly around her frozen body. “H-hey!” Gilda struggled to keep her voice down as she spoke. “W-what are you doing?” Letting out a low growl didn’t faze the flying bugs as some settled on her while others began feeling around her face. “Just get off me!” she let out another growl as it felt like the ones on her face were now a mass. Her eyes opened to a shocked look as this mass began nuzzling her.