//------------------------------// // Busted // Story: Not a Cloud In the Sky // by OutOfTheBlue //------------------------------// Aqua yawned as he stretched, pushing his way out of Gilda's death grip. Before he could move more Gilda pulled him a bit closer. After months of no company she was not about to waste the little bit of time with her "teddy bear." He shrugged before cuddling into her fluffy feathers. Gilda yawned, "We can sleep a few more minutes." Aqua nodded happily. "Yup. By the way, your feathers are super soft and fluffy." Gilda managed to hold in a squeal, she was lovable! She contained her excitement and wrapped a wing around him. She had a friend! A tiny, underage friend... that sounded better in her head. She shrugged and stifled a laugh as he squirmed into a more comfortable position. Dammit, now I'm contemplating keeping him. Anyway, his parents can wait a bit. ------------------------- "Mirror Shift!" Cloud shouted as he knocked on his kinda-friend's door. The unicorn in question opened the door and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "What do you want?" He said through a yawn. "Can you help me look for my son? He went missing." Mirror nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll meet you at the sign near the forest. We are looking near the forest right?" Cloud gave him a skeptical look. "Yeah, how did you guess?" Mirror shrugged. "Basically everything that happens wrong here comes from there." Cloud shrugged and ran off towards the town. -------------------------- "You ready to get away for the weekend?" High Keep asked while wrapping a foreleg around Scyllia's disguised shoulders. She nodded before they both heard a yell. "Wait! Keep? High Keep!?" Keep looked over and saw a very familiar looking pegasus stop in front of him. "Cloud? Cloud Nine! My old guard buddy! It's been so long." "It's been less than two weeks since I left Canterlot. But anyway, I need your help! I'm looking for my son and your help would be appreciated." Keep saluted before turning to Scyllia. "Can we?" She nodded shyly and scooted a bit closer. Keep gave Cloud a smile and a nod. "Thanks Keep, good to see you again!" ------------------------------ Cloud paced in front of the assembled search and rescue squad. Assembled before him were Fluttershy (she was the only sane one of her friends), Pandora (in her disguise of course), Keep and his marefriend, and Mirror Shift. He turned to face them. "Well, I guess we just start searching and try to be back before dinner." He turned and marched off followed by the rest of his friends. Unnoticed by the others Pandora and Scyllia walked up to eachother. "You and Cloud?" Scyllia asked. "You and that Keep fellow?" Pandora responded. Scyllia nodded before sighing, "Stallions are so much nicer than drones." Pandora nodded in agreement before rejoining her fiancé. They made it about thee feet before a shadow blocked out the sun and something landed in front of them. "Hey dweeb, this them?" Said a gruff voice. Cloud opened his eyes to see a gryphon standing in front of them. On her back was-- "Yup! Thanks Gilda! You're the best." Aqua said as he hopped off her back. He was immediately rushed by his parents who began bombarding him with questions. Cloud paused and looked at the gryphon who had started to cut a quiet retreat. "Thanks for bringing him back. If you ever need anything just look me up." He said. The gryphon paused before nodding to him and started preparing to take off. Aqua lept up and gave her a hug. "Don't go Gilda! You can stay with us!" Gilda ruffled his mane before saying, "Maybe in a bit if your parents are fine with it, but I gotta keep my home in order too. See ya later dweeb." She called before flying off. She managed to make it far enough away that nobody noticed the dampness in her eyes while the family started catching up. The rest of the search group stood awkwardly by. Keep cleared his throat. "Um... this was anticlimactic. I was at least expecting this to take a few minutes." The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Cloud and his family rejoined them and began thanking them for their help. Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Well, I'm glad that that was taken care of swiftly, but I would still like to talk to the five of you Cloud, 'Honey,' 'Aqua,' Keep, and 'Citrus.'" The aforementioned ponies and changelings turned and saw, to their surprise, Princess Celestia herself. Cloud gulped Welp, we're screwed. ----------------------- The walk back to town was rather uneventful. Nobody talked. The ponies not named politely excused themselves and left the five in the company of the princess. As they reached the outskirts of town, they stopped at a carriage pulled by several guards in full armor. Celestia opened the door and motioned for them to enter. Inside was an oval shaped space with a long, continuous bench built into the wall around an oval table of polished wood. They each sat down; Keep, Scyllia, Pandora, and Cloud at one end of the oval; Princess Celestia at the other, and Aqua near her side but basically forgotten. When the door was closed Celestia lit up her horn and erected a glowing barrier inside the carriage. "Now that nopony can eavesdrop, please be aware that I know your little secret." The four adults glanced among themselves. Keep spoke in a shaky voice. "W-what s-secrets your m-majesty?" Celestia smiled and rolled her eyes. "Relax, after the incident with Cloud prior I have decided to speak with any changelings before passing judgment." This prompted panicked expressions from the adults. Celestia laughed politely. "Oh come now, did you really think I wouldn't devise my own spell for detecting changelings? And besides, your son going missing the day a changeling was spotted. A changeling that, in the words of a certain Miss Fluttershy was, 'very polite and sweet.' So rest assured I know you are changings, at least, three of you are." The other occupants looked around before sighing. Three flashes of green flame later and two changelings were snuggling two stallions while a nymph continued looking around the carriage in wonder. Celestia nodded to them and said, "Now, before I make my decision, please tell me your stories. How you met and so on." Cloud sighed before wrapping his wing around his changeling and beginning. "Well, it started out like any morning..." (A few hours later) "And there you have it." Cloud said. It had taken a while for both couples to complete their narratives and the sun was reaching the horizon. Celestia nodded before pursing her lips in thought. "I have reached a decision." The four adults perked up. "I believe you--" she paused before glancing down beside her. She smiled and said, "Well, I hadn't even noticed." Upon seeing the confused expressions of her guests she lowered the table revealing a sleeping Aqua, who was snuggled up against the Sun Princess' side. She silenced Pandora with a preemptive hoof raise. "No, let him sleep. Although it is funny that despite the species foals will be foals. They don't care about differences nearly as much as adults do. Perhaps it would be better if we were all as trusting and accepting." She smiled as she curled her flowing tale around the small changeling eliciting a quiet murmur. She looked back up at the waiting adults. "Now where was I? Oh yes! I have decided you may stay given you continue to peacefully coexist with my little ponies. And in regards to your identities, as requested, I will keep them our secret." Pandora tilted her head. "So you're not going to have your scientists study us?" Celestia gave her a warm smile. "Given your predisposed dislike of that idea, I don't think that will be necessary. Now then, I have wasted enough of your time, and I believe this little one needs his bed." She floated Aqua up in a small cloud of magic. She gently nuzzled his cheek before returning him to his parents. She smiled at them all as they exited the carriage with many bows and "thank you"s. She sighed as they walked out of sight. "Well that went better than I expected. And that Aqua was such a cutie." She chuckled before knocking on the carriage wall, signaling her desire to depart. As she looked out on the town as it shrank away she laughed quietly. Despite their promises of being on their best behavior, I can't help but feel like Ponyville will be even more interesting than before. And that's saying something!