//------------------------------// // 8: The Air and Sky // Story: Misperceptions (v2) // by Winter Quill //------------------------------// Misperceptions v2 By: Winter Quill Adapted from the original "Misperceptions" by Arbiter Balemead 8: The Air and Sky Gilda took a step back from Twilight, rubbing a talon along the underside of her beak and fanning out her wings, her gold eyes glowing intently as she looked over the unicorn. Slowly she cocked her head to the side and for a flash of an instant she had the look of a predator about her. “I hope you’re not shy,” she finally said, moving behind the pony, her tail flicking slowly from side to side. “N-no, I’m not,” Twilight said as her ears twisted to the side, not sure what was about to happen. Without another word Gilda reared up onto her hind legs and then carefully lowered herself onto the pony’s back, slowly adding her weight until it was bearing down on the equines legs. The griffon wasn’t as heavy as she had expected, but she still had to brace herself to hold both of them up. “This might feel weird,” Gilda said, slowly sliding her arms under Twilight’s forelegs, the rough scale like skin on her avian limbs pulling at the pony’s fur. She pulled her talon’s up against Twilight’s chest, lacing them together and locking them in place. It wasn’t the most comfortable grip, but it felt like she couldn’t easily slip out of it. Gilda lowered her head down until her beak was against the pony’s ear. “Ready?” she asked. “I’m ready,” she said, her ears twitching back and forth, betraying just how nervous she really was. She tried to hold them in place but couldn’t quite manage it. The griffon responded by lowering her beak down to nuzzle softly at the top of Twilight’s head before spreading her winds out as wide as they could go. Her full wing span was impressive, reaching out far larger then it seemed when they were closed at her side. She thrust them down, sending a gust of wind across the ground and cause a cloud of dirt gathering up around them. She flapped again and again, the air swirling about the two women as they slowly started to rise, paws and hooves breaking free from the ground until they were hovering a few inches above it. Gilda adjusted her grip slightly and then started moving, climbing slowly upwards in a large lazy circle, the trees rising about them until they were over the very tops of them. Once clear of the trees they started to pick up speed, wind blowing across Twilight’s face making her squint her eyes for a few moments before she cast a quick spell to cover them like she was wearing goggles. She found the wind was pressing her back up against Gilda’s chest, a feeling that wasn’t at all unpleasant. The rose higher into the air, the land shrinking below them as the sky seemed to grow bigger by the moment. Soon she could see all of Ponyville, as well as Applejack’s farm, but they were getting smaller with every passing moment. She was higher than she had never been in a hot air balloon or chariot, and they were still climbing. A layer of scatted clouds was getting closer by the moment and what from the ground looked like fluffy balls of cotton took on a different texture up close. They edges were rounded in places, but had small wisps of vapors trailing from them. Not a single part of the cloud was smooth, it was a fractal, never getting simpler no matter how close she looked at them. And close was exactly the right term as they flew right towards one of the clouds, then dove head long into it. Suddenly the whole world turned bright white and cold, she hadn’t expected it to be so cold against her fur. She shivered as they kept rising up through the dense haze, the light growing dimmer before starting to brighten up again. Then just as fast as they had entered it they broke free of the cloud, coming out into a deep blue sky. She found herself letting out a joyful ‘woop’ as they rose up even higher into the air, the clouds sinking down below them. It seemed like the whole world was mapped out under her, she could see almost make out the far edge of the Everfree forest, as well as Princesses castle in the distance. The land under them seemed like a mash of different sorts of farmlands outlined by winding roads and the railroad track. “Enjoying yourself?” Gilda asked, lowering her head down so Twilight’s ear. “This is amazing! How high are we?” she asked back, the words being stolen from her lips by the fast moving wind. Even so her date was able to hear them. “Around seven thousand feet.” Twilight’s eyes went wind as she looked back towards the ground. They were over a mile in the air! There was nothing between her and the ground except a thin layer of clouds; that and Gilda’s arms, but those arms seemed stronger strong enough for the job. No matter how high they might have been, she felt safe in those arms. “It’s amazing,” she reiterated. “Ready for some fun?” The unicorn nodded her head. Gilda let out a laugh, twisting her wings and tail as she started to dive towards the distant ground, picking up speed as they descended. The layer of clouds rushed up towards them at an incredible speed, but this time she turned her body slightly, sending the pair through a small gap between two of them. The space was so small that the edge of her wings and Twilight’s hoofs passed through the clouds, sending swirls of white trailing behind them. They continued down out of the sky, the ground spreading out under them as the world grew larger with every passing second. Finally she leveled out just above the tallest trees of the Everfree forest, skimming over them before lifting back into the air. Rising back up to the now distant clouds, flying lazily around them until she was just above the wispy surface… and then Gilda started to dance with them. She flew around the clouds, spinning about prominences and down through the valleys. She moved from cloud to cloud with an amazing amount of grace. Every move was controlled and precise as she skimmed along the surface, sometimes diving into the clouds for a moment before coming back above them. Twilight found herself reaching out with one hoof, letting it brush across the surface of the clouds and creating a small wake in them. They felt so thin and insubstantial, hardly like they were real at all, yet they were there. She could see them, she could feel them and while she couldn’t hold them, she could still touch them. With a smile on her face she turned her head to look up at Gilda. The griffon was concentrating on flying, her eyes wide and her beak pulled into a look a pure joy. Lifting her head up, she rubbed the side of her head against the feathers on the underside of the other woman’s neck, her ears flicking forward at how nice it felt. Gilda teased one of the pony’s ears as she started to glide down towards the surface, slowly circling over Ponyville as they sank towards the ground. They took their time, letting the air carry them and sometimes lift them back upwards. Finally they came back towards the park, the ground growing closer with every moment. As they neared it Gilda reared back and flapped her wings hard, halting their forward momentum and slowly lowering them until Twilight’s hoofs returned to the ground. Gilda sank down onto of the pony’s back as her wings hung lazily from her side. She slowly unclasped her talons and pulled them away as she rolled of the pony and landing back first onto the trimmed grass of the park. Twilight dropped down at her side, listening to the woman pant, her chest rising and falling quickly. They had been in the air for almost an hour, and it had tired her out. “Thank you,” Twilight said, looking up at her date. The griffon returned the smile, then rolled over onto her belly and lifted up one wing, offering it to Twilight. A blush crossed over her face as she looked at the offered wing, but she still slipped under it, pressing her flank to Gilda’s and allowing the heavy wing to drop down over her back. She looked up at Gilda, right into her bright amber eyes, and smiled happily. A small part of her was unsure of whether or not they were being to physical for a first date, but soon decided that wasn’t the case. They were both comfortable being so close to each other, and the griffon’s fur was warm and her feathers very soft. Soon she found her eyes drooping closed… Gilda could hardly hold back a soft laugh when Twilight started snoring softly under her wing. * * * Gingerly Gilda lifted the lid of the stew pot, the smell of it rolling out from under the lid and across her face. She took in a long breath, smiling a bit as she dipped a spoon in and pulled it free, allowing it to cool a moment before she tasted it. Stew was one of the few things she knew how to make without burning down the kitchen, and while a vegetarian stew wasn’t quite what she was used to it tasted pretty good to her. She added a bit of spices to the stew, stirring it in and putting the lid back on. “Is it ready yet?” Spike asked, looking into the kitchen from the main part of the library, a frown on his face. “It will be ready when Twilight wakes up, you can wait to eat until then,” she said, moving back to the table and sat back down. The young dragon snorted and started towards the stove. “I don’t see why I have to wait, I’m not going to be eating with you.” She made a show of rolling her eyes and flicked her tail towards him, keeping it low to the ground. Without even breaking stride he jumped over the feline appendage and then pulled over a small step stool. Scampering up it he lifted the lid on the pot and took in a long breath. “Hey, this smells pretty good.” “It would be better with meat, but I don’t want to make Twilight ill,” she replied. “Better with gems too,” he replied as he set the lid back down. “Listen dweeb, I’m not putting jewels in my stew.” This time Spike rolled his eyes. “Why not, they taste great! You should try expanding your pallet to more exotic foods.” She was about to reply with what she was sure was going to be the perfect sharp retort when they both heard the sound of hooves walking down the stairs. Spike quickly climbed on the counter top and opened one of the cupboard. He pulled out a pair of bowls and handed them over to Gilda who quickly place them on the table, a moment later Twilight came into the kitchen, her mane quite the mess sticking out all over the place with a pink cowlick jutting up over one ear. “Did you bring me home?” she asked, the sleep still in her eyes. Gilda nodded, carefully lifting the stew pot off the stove and walking awkwardly on her hind legs to carry it to the table. “I also made dinner,” she said. Twilight blinked and walked over to the table, using her magic to lift the lid on the stewpot. She took in a long breath and smiled. “Oh, I was dreaming about this. Thank you Gilda,” she said, giving the griffon a smile. “Well, you seemed to tired after our flight, you didn’t even wake up when I carried you back to the library,” she said as Spike brought over a large wooden ladle, dropping it into the pot before the lid was returned to it. A pleased smile crossed over the unicorn’s face, her ears turning forward and her tail flicking slightly. “I had never even imagined the world could look like that.” Gilda smiled and started to ladle out the stew into the bowls. “I can’t wait to see what you have for me.” Suddenly Twilight’s face fell as she slumped slightly in place. “What time is it?” “About an hour after sunset,” Spike replied. Twilight let out a long sigh. “Good, we didn’t miss it.” “Did you have something planed for tonight?” The pony blushed a bit. “I wasn’t counting on falling asleep before I could make us a dinner and something warm to drink for a starlight picnic. I don’t have time for that now, we have to go without it.” Gilda carefully placed the ladle back in the pot and looked at the unicorn. “Oh, this is one of those ‘short lived, but still special’ things?” she asked, hoping there was something in the cupboards could be used to store the stew. “Yeah… you could say that,” she said with a hint of a blush. She looked down at the stew, then back over to the pony. “We could take some of it with us, and eat under the stars.” Twilight thoughts for a few moments then quickly nodded her head. “We’ll have time for that, but I just need to get something. Spike?” she asked. “I’m on it,” the young dragon replied, turning to the cupboards and starting to pull out some ceramic containers. With that Twilight turned and rushed out of the kitchen, running back of the stairs, leaving Gilda holding a single bowl of stew in her talons. She debated pouring it back into the pot, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead she set it on the kitchen table and turned to the pantry. It only took a moment for her to find a small container of gems, tucked up high here the dragon couldn’t find them. She took it down and pulled out a handful of the small jewels, amused at just how common they were in Equestria when they were incredibly rare in the Empire. Holding the jewels in her hand, she put the container away and walked back into the kitchen. Spike was in the process of moving the stew from the pot into a container with a screw on lid, not even looking at her. “Hey dweeb,” she said. He made a show of rolling his eyes as he turned to look at her. “What?” Gilda lifted of her hand and dropped the jewels into the bowl of stew, enjoying the look on his face as they fell from her talons. The way his eyes slowly opened wider, his jaw dropped down far more open then she had thought possible. As the last one fell into the stew she gave him a knowing smile. “Thanks for helping me with dinner.” He nodded, gulping a bit as he snapped his jaw closed. “And don’t tell Twilight,” she whispered, giving him a wink. Spike nodded again, his eyes wide and a hint of drool forming on the side of his mouth, at least until he heard Twilight coming back down the stairs. He shook his head, cleaning off his face and then screwing the lid on, setting it on the table just as the pony came into the room. “Everything ready to go?” she asked, a saddle bag hanging across her back, the cutie mark prominently displayed on the side of it. “All ready,” he said, setting out a pair of bowls and spoons. The unicorn smiled and used her magic, picking up the items from the table and levitating them into her saddlebag. She turned to Gilda, almost dancing on her hoofs in excitement. “Shall we?” “Of course,” she said, and followed Twilight out of the door, pulling it closed with her leonine tail. The night was dark and clear, the stars shining high above them. The moon wasn’t visible and there were only a few scattered clouds allowing for perfect stargazing. The heat of the summer day had already started to fade leaving a slight chill in the air that would only grow throughout the night. Gilda moved up to walk side by side with Twilight, allowing their tails to brush against each other as they trotted along the road. Soon she found the pony moving closer and closer to her so she lifted up one wing, allowing her to cuddle up under it. They walked like that, side by side, all the way across town and to the a small hill away from any houses. They arrived at the top of the hill just as the moon started to peak over the horizon, a small sliver of silver light rising over the distant mountains and glowing across the sky, glittering off the top of the distant peeks and the scattered clouds. Twilight opened her saddlebag and used her magic to pull out a large blanket and carefully spreading it out on the ground. She pulled her bag off, setting it to the side as laid down and the motioned for Gilda to join her. The griffon sank down next to the pony once again spreading out a wing to cover her back. “It’s very pretty out here, you can hardly see the stars where I grew up. There were always too many clouds,” Gilda said, leaning up to look at the sky, then back down at Twilight before lowering her head to gently nuzzle along her cheek. Carefully she pulled the stew out of the bag, opening the container and pouring it out into the bowls. They snuggled together and ate at the stew as the moon rose above them. Its light was growing brighter by the second, casting a warm glow over the ground around them and making Twilight’s mane sparkle softly. Then without warning a shooting star streaked across the sky above them, moving quickly and leaving behind a glowing trail of light. As it neared the horizon in burst into a bright ball of amber light, glowing against the firmament of the universe. A moment later a second shooting star followed after the first, streaking in a parallel path before bursting next to the first one. Strangely the light from the shooting starts didn’t seem to fade, they just hung in the ai, bright gold next to the other stars, yet they didn’t seem out of place with the constellations. Gilda squinted, turning her head slightly to the side as she looked closer at the sky’s above them. The constellation was one she had never seen before. She traced the shape of the bright stars, finding the outline of first a head, then a back, and even wings. It took her a few moments to realize it was a detailed constellation of a griffon. One with a suspiciously similar built to her own, and the glow left by the shooting stars were placed perfectly to be a pair of amber eyes. She felt an intense heat across her face as she started to brush brightly through her feathers. Slowly she lowered her head down and whispered into Twilight’s ears. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one before.” “It’s a special, only for tonight,” she replied. Gilda leaned closer, nuzzling gently at the unicorn. “How?” “Oh, Luna owed me a favor so I asked her to make it for me,” she replied, saying it like it wasn’t a big deal. She froze for a moment, her mind rolling in surprise. Luna, the now returned Princess of the Night, Guardian of Dreams and the Keeper of the Night Court… and Twilight just… asked? “You called in a favor… for me?” she asked , hardly believing that the unicorn would use a political boon on her. That made her head spin, she had never thought anyone would do something like that for her, let alone the lavender pony tucked under her wing. “Too much?” she asked, starting to sound nervous. Gilda shook her head. “Maybe, but I don’t care. I’m just flattered you would do this,” she answered, pulling her close with her wing, then lowering her head down and touching her beak to the pony’s lip. There was a moment of hesitation between them before they kissed. It only lasted for a few moments, but it left them both panting for breath. They sat together in silence, watching as the moon rose over head as they finished off the last of their dinner. Eventually Twilight lowered her head against the griffon’s neck, pressing up close and nuzzling into the warm feathers. “Hey, Gilda?” “Yes?” she replied, looking down at the pony. “Do you think this will last?” the unicorn asked, using a fore hoof to gesture between them. Gilda thought about it for a few moments, then smiled down to her friend. “I don’t know, but I hope it will. I hope...” “So do I,” Twilight replied. Smiling as they looked into each other’s eyes. For the first time, neither one of them wanted look away, and they didn’t try.