//------------------------------// // A Late Night Talk // Story: Not a Cloud In the Sky // by OutOfTheBlue //------------------------------// Pandora lay awake, listening to the miserable sounds Cloud made as he slept. His emotions were saturated with heartbreak and sorrow. After a few more seconds, he started crying. She rolled over and shook him awake. "Cloud, please wake up." Cloud slowly woke up, still radiating anguish. "P-pandora?" "Cloud what's wrong?" Without a word, Cloud buried his head in her chest. Pandora soothingly stroked his head, concerned that the usually stoic stallion was this shook up. "I-I'm sorry. This is just... pathetic of me. I wish you hadn't seen this." "Cloud talk to me, what was it." Cloud gulped before shaking his head. "Cloud please, trust me. I want to help, you can tell me anything." He looked up, eyes ringed with read, "Fine, it's time I told you the real reason I left Cloudsdale, and why me saying I love my family was a lie. I hate them and am a disappointment to them. It's the reason I did distance myself from everyone. How I'm going to wind up ruining your life." "It's ok Cloud, just tell me." Cloud exhaled slowly before beginning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A young Cloud Nine slowly shuffled through the cafeteria, looking with dead eyes for a place to sit. One table in the corner histed only one occupant, a gryphon. He had redish brown feathers and a tan body, and was slumped wearing an expression that radiated hostility. Cloud didn't even hesitate before sitting down in the same side if the table, back to the wall, a respectful distance away. The gryphon glared at him, "What do you want pony." He spat. Cloud didn't bother responding, instead slowly eating his lunch. "What, too good for me, maybe you don't realize I could kill you easily!" "You'd be doing everypony a favor." Cloud mumbled before taking a bite of his hayburger. The gryphon looked shocked before scowling again, "Oh, I see, one of your dumb friends dared you to sit beside the 'wild animal' is that it. Come to stare at me like everyone else." "What friends." Was the only reply he got. The gryphon looked confused now, "Dude, what's with you?" "Everypony either hates me, ignores me, or doesn't know I exist." "Ain't that the truth." Mumbled the gryphon, sounding a bit sad rather than angry. Cloud offered him a hoof, not even looking up, "Names Cloud Nine." "Stephen Ironquill." He said, gripping the proffered hoof. ---------------------------- (Two weeks later) "You sure you don't mind Cloud? I mean, you could get busted too. I'm technically not allowed to eat meat here." Cloud responded by snatching a piece of bacon away from the gryphon, and tentatively eating it. His eyes widened, "Dang! This stuffs great!" Stephen blinked confusedly before slapping a claw to his face, "Dang it, now I got you hooked on meat. Now you'll keep stealing mine." Cloud smirked before sliding a cookie over to him, "I gotta deal for you." ------------------------------- (Sophomore year) "Dude, your family is a huge pack of dumbasses." Cloud grunted in between bites of salad, "Yeah, they're the worst. Do you like the cupcake though?" The gryphon looked up with frosting covering his beak, "Armph yoo kiddng? Thiph iph great!" He said around his mouthful. He swallowed before continuing. "I'm telling you, cooking, violin, singing. You can do everything! You'r like some kinda genius or something!" "Oh please, you're just saying that cause we're friends." "No seriously! You're the best pony ever!" The gryphon added enthusiastically, not noticing the blush the quiet pegasus was sporting. ---------------------------- (Junior year) "Nice moves Stephen! You're freaking awesome at this!" Cloud cheered as the gryphon landed. "Carefully bro, people might think you and me are feather fluffing if you keep complimenting me. But I mean, who wouldn't want a piece of this!" He added before stretching his muscular frame. Oblivious to the attention his pegasus friend was paying to his movements or his sudden uncomfortable stance. "What's feather fluffer mean?" " It's the same as calling someone a colt cuddler in gryphon culture." "Oh yeah! Thay makes sense." Cloud added, looking guilty for a second. A faint groaning sound caught his attention but was missed by the gryphon. He looked up in time to see one of the heavy sandbags that rested on the gym rafters falling towards his friend. He dove forward, pushing Stephen aside. With a crunch, it landed on his back legs, causing him to cry out in pain. "Gah! Cloud! Hang on buddy I got you! Hey! Somebody! We need an ambulance!" He shouted, panic evident on his voice as he held the trembling pegasus. --------------------- Cloud sat in his hospital room, staring at the distraught gryphon sitting beside him. "Wh-what do you mean?" "It's all me fault, I'm sorry I shoulda been paying attention! I shoulda been quicker and then you wouldn't be hurt." Stephen added, looking downtrodden. Cloud spread his forelegs and gave him a reassuring smile. The gryphon gently hugged him, holding his head to his chest while he sobbed. No one noticed the blissfull expression on Cloud's face as he burried his mussle in the gryphon's musclar chest. ------------------------- (Senior year) "Dude! This is frickin awesome! We need to do this more often!" Cloud said as the two settled onto a cloud overlooking the city but remaining away from its majority. The moon shown down upon the two as Cloud looked over at Stephen, sneaking a peak at his powerful muscles while the gryphon was distracted. "Hey, so long as you can keep sneaking out, we can." Stephen added. "Don't worry, their all morons. My family doesn't notice me during the day, why'd they notice me missing at night." Cloud added before casual bumping his friends shoulder, almost making him spill his drink. "Yeah well, their loss. Though I'm telling you, given you're growth spurt over the summer, your going to have to beat the ladies off with a stick." Cloud blushed before winking at hos friend, "And some of the stallions too." The two burst out laughing. Something they only did around each other. ------------------------- They'd been meeting up every night for the first two weeks of school, and now something was bothering Stephen. He gulped, swallowing his nerves before asking. "Hey Cloud?" "Yeah?" The pegasus responded. "Umm... I've been thinking, and I wanna try something, but, well... it might seem a little weird." Cloud rolled his eyes before smirking, "I'm not gonna laugh, just lay it on me!" The gryphon gulped before licking his beak and slowing his breathing, trying to calm himself. "Stephen, calm down! You're acting weird. Just do whatever you want to do." He started when he felt the gryphon's beak press into his lips, before freezing. Stephen pulled back away, and noticed his friends shocked expression. "Oh damn, I knew I shouldn't have. I, I'm sorry I." The gryphon stuttered before attempting to fly away. He was stopped by Cloud grabbing his wing and pulling him back onto the cloud. The gryphon grew an ashamed look before saying. "I'm sorry Cloud, I just, I've been having these weird feelings for you, and I-" He froze when he felt Cloud gently kiss him. Eyes growing wide with surprise. "Cloud you... what?" "You idiot, did you never notice?" "N-notice what?!" Stephen said with a bewildered look. "That I've had a massive crush on you since we were sophomores." "Th-that long?! Holy crap man! Well... that explains some things actually." The gryphon said with a blush spreading across his face. He looked back at the pegasus before smiling and giving him a another kiss. "Colt cuddler." Cloud snickered after they broke apart. "Feather fluffer." Stephen shot back. The two shared a quiet laugh before Cloud got serious all of the sudden. "We can never let my family find out. My parents have very strict views. Ponies with ponies, and stallions with mares, and you shouldn't ever change that. Heck, they don't even approve of relationships between pegasi and non-pegasi." "Yeah... my parents would probably disown me too Cloud, but we'll figure something out." -------------------------------- (A couple months later) Cloud lounged on the small purch the two had been sharing for a while now. His head resting on Stephen's muscled chest while the gryphon ran a claw through his mane. He closed his eyes, savoring the steady thumping of his boyfriend's heart and the soothing feeling of his claws. He rolled over and nestled his cheek into Stephen's feathers and slowly breathing in his scent. It was a faint, masculine smell that made his nose tingle and caused him to always feel safe. He gave the gryphon a quick peck before looking back up at the moon. "As soon as we graduate, we'll move to some big city where nobody will ask questions. I'll join the weather team and you'll become a famous chef and musician. We'll get a fancy apartment and live like frikin rock stars. That sound like a plan?" Stephen coyly said. "Sounds good to me, babe." Cloud added with a chuckle. Stephen groaned, "Hey, don't call me that, I'm not a babe." Cloud started laughing and Stephen joined later after a failed attempt at remaining mad. "Hey Stephen?" "Yeah?" "You suck at being mad." "Sure, whatever." Stephen replied through a yawn, before gently hugging the stallion to his chest. ------------------------------ (Two months before graduation) Stephen and Cloud lay side by side in the now enclosed cloud structure. The two shared a long kiss before tiredly resting against each other. "I can't wait to be out of this town." Stephen sleepily said. Cloud nuzzled under his beak before adding. "I... I can't believe how fast this year's passed. I wouldn't trade this for the world." Cloud sighed back, pressing his face onto the gryphon's warm feathers. "Wanna get some drinks?" Stephen weakly said. "Maybe some other night, too tired." Cloud weakly said back before curling into the warm chest he was pressed to. Stephen curled around him as the two tiredly dropped off to sleep. "I love you so much Stephen." Cloud cooed. "You're such a sap Cloud." Stephen said with a laugh. ------------------------------ (Night after graduation) A short distance away from Cloudsdale, a cloud was drifting through the night sky. It was very much cave shaped. Hoots and laughing could be heard coming from within . Around one in the morning, Cloud was flopped on Stephen's chest, breathing in his masculine scent. The gryphon held him in a tight embrace, curling protectively around the smaller pony. Suddenly a bright light shone on the cave. "This is the police! Come out of there now!" ----------------------------- " No he didn't! We didn't even do anything! He did not rape me!" Cloud proclaimed from the witness stand, his parents had been furious and immediately charged Stephen with rape and foalnapping. Despite Cloud's testimony, the court had deemed him "too distraught to give an accurate testimony" after his defense of the gryphon. The jury came back in. "In the case of the charges leveled against Stephen Ironquill, we find the defendant... guilty. He shall serve ten years in prison with no bail. Case closed." ----------------------------- "If what you're saying is true, then you're no son of mine." Cloud's father snarled. His whole family was aghast at his claims that he would willingly do that with a gryphon. "Cloud, what you did was unnatural and wrong. You need serious mental help." Sunny said, sporting her usual self righteous tone. His sister always viewed him as beneath her. "You're all wrong, and I don't even care. I don't want to be on this family if this is how you treat me!" Cloud growled before locking himself in his room. He packed up his few belongings and slipped out through his window. He silently glided towards the prison. Fortunately there was a group of volunteer rehabilitation workers milling about outside. He disguised himself in one of their uniforms before slipping inside. After stealing a key (which was easy given how lax security always was) Cloud entered Stephen's cell. "If you here to 'fix' me then buzz off, I didn't do crap." Stephen snarled to the wall. Cloud set the key beside him. Stephen looked between the two and his eyes widened. "C-cloud!" "Shh, at midnight the guards change, use this to escape. Go somewhere the Equestrian police can't get you. I... I'm so sorry." Cloud sobbed before closing the door and running to the exit. "Cloud WAIT!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cloud sobbed broken-hearted into Pandora's chest. For her part, Pandora was too shocked to move. She couldn't believe all that had happened. But given Cloud's behavior when they'd first met, she could tell it had been eating away at him for years. "Pandora, I-I just d-don't want to r-ruin your life like I ruined his. I-I" "Cloud, I love you and it was not your fault. The court and your family are to blame!" "No! It all happened because I was a freak! Why did I... why did I have to fall in love with him." "Cloud, loving Stephen doesn't make you a freak. I don't care what others thought. I don't care what they think now, all I care about is you." She cooed into his ear, rubbing his back gently. As she stroked his back, Cloud slowly stopped crying and fell back asleep, clutching Pandora like a drowning man clutches a piece of driftwood. "Oh Cloud... why did they do this to you." She whispered before settling his head onto her chest and holding hom tight.