Sky's the Limit Ch.2 -A Handful of Sky

>It's dark.  The air is cool.  Your back is supported by an incredibly firm and comfy mattress fit for a king.
>You hear Luna mumble in her sleep.
>Or a princess...
>Well this was a little weird.
>You decide not to move right now.
>You felt her stumble out of the bed about an hour ago to pull down the moon.
>Her low grumbling woke you up.   It was hard to tell what was going on, since you had a few fractured bones and a concussion that probably required the most immediate of medical attention.
>She was pretty quick about lowering the thing.  Her horn only sparked a little bit.  There was no screaming or loud proclamations that you were expecting.  She must've really been tired, because once it headed below the horizon she clambered back onto the bed.
>From the unfocused look in her eyes you could tell she was not completely awake.
>The fact that she stepped on you and mumbled "nrgh, our apologies," and buried herself beneath her sheets without further comment cemented this.
>The mildly dilapidated room filled with the sound of her gentle snoring quickly enough.
>The importance and possibility of physical and mental danger managed to make its way into your muddled skull.  You screamed silently in your head.
>You were both surfing on an adrenaline high, and she chose to be merciful.  Who knew what kind of humor she'd fall into once she fully awoke?
>Did they have guest rights in this place?  You wonder if the truce between the two of you would be broken at first dawn.  You had no way to defend against her.
>She'd probably throw you out the window, thinking you'd like an overhead tour of Canterlot.
>You turn your head and stare forlornly at the jumbled mass of your wings.
>Exit through window will not yield a desirable outcome.
>No, you were being ridiculous.  Death by window wouldn't be very PR of her.
>Besides, you had a feeling something as simple as that wasn't theatrical enough for her.
>Okay...so you're just going to lay here.
>For now.  Being quiet.
>Luna kicks a hoof in her sleep.
>In a bed.
>With Luna.
>Your eyes bug out in the darkness as your brain experiences a mild seizure of realization.  Oh goodness, you've slept with Luna.
>Well, you didn't sleep-with-her sleep with her.  This reminds you too much of a dream you had in school once.
>You only feel slightly hesitant about this...
>If you were told this would happen two weeks ago, you would've passed out from laughter and choking rage.
>This sort of thing is  why you've stopped trying to make sense of the world a long time ago.
>So here you are.
>Just don't act weird about it.
>You've woken up in strange places before, but never in bed with a pony.  Well, there was the one time that  Boston Terrier wouldn't leave you alone, but this was entirely different.
>You steal a peek at her.
 >The second-half of the Eternal Twin Guard of Equestria is sleeping upon a small mountain of pillows, clutching them tightly.  The princess paws at her comforters and squishes them against her face.  Her hair slips out from under the cover and floats lazily.
>The sun begins to creep over the horizon.
>The Morning Sun.  Your old arch enemy.
>You brace yourself to be assaulted by its unforgiven rays of light.  But somehow the sun did not penetrate the depths of Luna's tower quite as severely as your room.
>The soft light creeps up onto the bed.
>You begin to idly wonder what exactly Luna's sleeping pattern is like.  You assume she's a nightowl, so proba-
>You hear a loud growl.
>There is a sound of broken glass and you find your self flying.
>The tower of pillows and comforters that Luna has adorned herself under explodes in purple sparks and launches you off the bed and into the wall.
>She lifts her self up from the eye of the storm localized entirely on her bad and yawns dramatically.
>She sees you slumped awkwardly against the wall.
"Do you not think we've caused enough damage to this tower?"
>"Good morning to you too, Luna."  She blinks in a mild puzzlement.
"Oh.  Right...yes...a touch earlier than I like.  Yes.  Good morning."
>You lean against the wall and force yourself up.  Good God, your shoulder smarts.
"I would have preferred you not to have witnessed my morning ritual."
>"Not much of a morning person myself.  Tell me, do you anything that doesn't involve gratuitous pyrotechnics?"
>She stares at you blankly.  You see her crown levitate towards her from the other side of the room and place itself snuggly on her head.  As it claims its place on its rightful owner it flashes in a bright wash of violet and you hear the sound of a thousand swords being sheathed.
>Her teal eyes pulse and glow brilliantly.  You can see the dark and contrasting light crosses in disturbing definition.
"That is one of the most ridiculous questions I've ever been asked."
>"Just wondering."
>The Princess stands upon her mattress and hops daintily down onto the floor.  Her horn lights up and the sheets and pillows on and around her bed arrange themselves by dozens of invisible hands.  She walks towards a tall, ornately carved mirror and begins to preen herself.
>Little rags float around her and polish her crown.  Her edges of her fur are brushed by a several flying combs.
>As the Princess works on her image you look around the room.  It's huge.  The walls are painted in subdued blues, silvers, and striking purples.  There are huge paintings hung up in incredibly heavy-looking frames.  Several are of Luna in styles of dress that look archaic by any standards.
>The ceiling is studded with gems, concentric rings, and drapes that divide the room into smaller sections.
>You sidle towards a long desk that was probably carved from wood countless years older than you are.  It is immaculately polished.  It is filled with many drawers.  One with a very large, very intricate looking lock.  You are compelled to touch it.
"Do not touch that."
>Her wings popped open hard enough to move a few curtains.  Her voice dropped and was sharp enough to send sparks flying.
>"Okay."
>You place your hands in your pockets hard enough to nearly rip them off.
>"You have a very nice room."
"It looked even better before we crashed into the south end."
>You look at the south end.  Curtains have torn.  Some chairs are broken and a book shelf is utterly demolished.  On the floor's heavy rugs you see books bent and pages torn and skewed around at painful angles.
>Twilight would pass out at the sight of such an atrocity.  She would accuse you for being a war criminal.
>"I hope nothing was too priceless."
"Those books are one of a kind.  Scholars of immense talent and ingenuity penned those pages.  Their words have long withstood the passage of time.  I was friends with several of them."
>"Oh."  She sighs as she carefully sets her brushes away.  You pick up a book on the floor and open the cover.  There is a dedication scrawled behind the cover.
>"To my dear pupil Luna -The immense volume of thine voice is only surpassed by thine immense capacity for the discovery of the unknown."
>Oh Great.  Now you're a jerk.
"Fear not.  Nothing a little magical application can't fix."
>You place the book down on a table.
>She brushes pass you quickly and out towards the balcony railings.  You follow and place your hands along the edges and take in the fresh air.
>The morning air is cool and the sky is awash in bright golds and clear blues.  The clouds undersides are painted in soft violets and creamy whites.  The cityscape of Canterlot below is likewise lit in soft glow.  You can see the streets move with a few carts as p0nies get ready to start their day.
"There are days when I wish my dear sister would not raise her charge so early.  Or perhaps somewhat less illustriously."
>The banners that stand atop the many spires of the city wafted invitingly.  If your wings were working you'd strap them on and jump off the tower without hesitation.
>You were already fighting a worrying urge to climb on the edge and leap off.
"But I am compelled to admit she crafts her mornings with sterling flair."
>"She's good.  Nice mornings are probably the only reason why I don't completely hate waking up early.
>You lift your arms and stretch your back, groaning.
>"Way better than how the nights look at any rate."
>A silver slipper taps slowly but sharply against the floor of the balcony.  Her lips purse.
>You take a step back from the railing.
"Perhaps a jester hat would suit you better than a pair of wings, Human."
>"Can I wear both?"
"I believe I am duty-bound to protect the kingdom from a sight so outrageous."
>"So you have to defend the realm from things like chaos, dragons, diamond dog raids, and me flying after raiding the costume shop?"
"Highly demanding tasks."
>"My respect for you knows no bounds."  You turn around from her and walk back into the room.
>"Do we have to start cleaning now?" She chuckles a little more quietly than you'd expect her too as she enters the tower again.
"Why in the name of my sister's rule would I wish for you to touch and disrupt my personal quarters further?  Do not concern yourself.  There are more carpenters and smiling caretakers than I care to count who would beg to repair this room and more."
>"I can take a few off your hooves if you have too many."
"No."
>Worth a try.
>God, you need a shower.  And a change of clothes.  Your face feels stiff and wind burnt after last night.  Your stomach is also demanding immediate attention.  Late night break-neck races against magical royalty consumes a lot of calories.
>Your belly growls with the ferocity of a small bear.
"Hmm..."
>Her stomach rumbles as well.  Her eyes widen in momentary embarrassment and her hair even comes to a standstill, but she raised her head high as if her hunger was an announcement instead of a slip of bodily demands.
"Much exertion was made last night.  We must recover."
>You clap your hands.  "Oh that sounds great.  What do they serve for breakfast here?" Her head falls to the side and her large eyes narrow.
"You seem deluded over your status as a guest."
>Your chest heaves in a grand huff.  She's still trying to wave her fancy supernatural royal position over you.  "Are we starting this again?  Do you want to race down to the kitchen to see who has to cook oatmeal and crepes?"
"The idea of you preparing me crepes is a pleasing thought, but no.  The sight of you wandering the halls as a barely-tolerated guest would require much explanation and energy that I simply do not wish to spend at this hour."
>That almost makes sense.  Being ogled and questioned while you're trying to eat sounds like the least appealing thing possible.  But still.  "Barely tolerated?  I haven't been that rude this morning."
"Your standards for etiquette is stunning.  But I am not a wholly unkind host, despite what some may say.  Go ahead and gather your things."
>"Are you going to cover me in a blanket and sneak me out the back door?"
"If only I could, but no, this way will be much easier."
>You decided to stop arguing with the blue alicorn who harbored a fireworks fetish.  You put on your boots and carefully pick up the tormented frames of your wings.  The creak sadly in your arms and pull at your heartstrings.
>"Alright, awaiting orders, your highness."
"I am going to assume your are not being derisive."
>Her horn began to crackle.  Little sheets of paper began to flicker up towards the air.  It started to smell like someone left the oven on.
"YOU MAY WANT TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH!"
>She raises her voice over the tumultuous sound of her charging her spell.  She really did enjoy overdoing things.
>The corners of her lips curled up a little too high and her eyebrows curved downward in a way that looked outright sinister over her pitch-white eyes.
>Her enthusiasm was making you very nervous.
>"If you're trying to scare me th-
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>It felt like you were turned inside out, shoved in a fax machine, squeezed into a tube the size of a pinhead, pulled right-side out through your ear and then punched in the stomach for good measure.
>Grass greets your forehead as you fall because your brain tried to scramble out through nose out of pure terror like some wounded guinea pig.
>You really don't like teleporting.  You can hear Luna laughing very loudly.
"Oh stand up.  I know you're made of sterner stuff."
>She nudges your sides.
>You dry heave on the ground but luckily nothing comes out.  "I better not find anything put out of order later."
"You already look a confusing mess.  No one will take notice."
>You stand and look around.  Your eyes adjust to your surroundings -bright colorful houses and shops that look like they should be made out of gingerbread.  So she teleported the two of you to P0nyville.
>How thoughtful.
>Several mares are standing in shock at the sudden appearance of you and the local demi-god.  She notices the staring passerbys and nods quickly.
"Ah, of course, the citizenry."
>Luna clears her throat politely.  She shakes her hair out and raises a silver hoof.  You scramble to bury your head in the ground and cover your ears.
"GOOD MORROW TO THEE FINE CITIZENS OF P0NYVILLE!  DO NOT GIVE HEED TO THE UNEXPECTED AND SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF YOUR GRACE!  SIMPLY GO ABOUT YONDER BUSINESS AND YOUR PRINCESS WILL BE MOST DULY PLEASED!"
>She closes her eyes and smiles wide enough to show off her straight, shiny white teeth.
>The surrounding p0nies hold their heads as they try to walk away from the unrelenting barrage of audial force that is the Royal Canterlot Voice.
>Luna is very pleased at her display of royal authority and crowd control.  She nudges you again.
"Now get up.  It is early and I am hungry.  I wish to sample the local cuisine."
>"You're not going to just warp back to your house and eat there?"  She trots away from you and looks as though she's reading the signs off of the shops.
"I grow weary of the pomp-and-circumstance the servants must make of every meal.  I would prefer to dine under a different atmosphere this day.  Something...simple, less convoluted."
>She turns towards you.
"I desire pancakes."
>You huddle your things together and stand on two legs without falling over.
>"Pancakes? I'm not gonna make them for you, but okay..." You run over your sides with a free hand to make sure everything is in its proper place.
"And Orange Juice."
>"Vitamin C is good for you."
"I desire much vitamin C."
>Alright Anon, she wants pancakes and fruit juiced, as part of this balanced breakfast.
>Well, there was one place in town you were willing to put up with at such an early hour.
>You tell her to follow you.  Luckily the Sugarcube Corner was close enough that trudging your things along wouldn't be a problem, and the food would be 'straightforward' enough to satisfy the Princess's itch.
>You kick open the front door to the bakery.
"Morning guys!  I'm hungry." You nod behind you. "And so's the glowy space-chick."
>She become suddenly flustered and stammers.
"I am NOT a space-chick."
>There was the usual early-morning line of p0nies there to pick up something quick before they went to work.  Pinkie was running the counter again, and you could see the Cakes busying themselves in the back.
>Everyone froze at the sound of Her Imminence.
>She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.
"GOOD MORROW TO THEE-"
>You cover her mouth with your hand, blocking off the Princess's concentrated Yell from the Yell Dimension.
>"Never mind her.  She's just stopping by for a bite.  Please don't stare at her too long or she'll get loud and scary," You remove your hand and her jaw drops.
>"Hey Pinks, we're going to take the seat in the corner.  No rush."
"I do not get loud and scary," she hisses.
>"You're right.  You get really loud and really scary."  She's like all Friday the 13th movies rolled into one.  You plop down on a table by the wall. There's a window that offers a nice, simple view of the town outside.
>Luna takes her seat opposite from you.  She catches a few other p0nies staring at her and whispering to each other.  She turns her head away from them and instead chooses to focus on the table and starts edging a napkin roll around with her hoof.  Her wings are pulled in tightly around her.
"When will they come to take our or-"
"HEY ANON, HI PRINCESS LUNA!"
>The Princess is startled enough to jump in her seat, tilting her crown ever-so-slightly.  It glows as it rights itself.
"Oh stars above.  The Pink One."
>Pinkie Pie fails to note the not all-to positive tone of the Princess and squeezes her hooves together.
"You DO remember me!  Wow, that was a fun night, wasn't it?  You're coming again this year, right?  You have to come again this year.  We're gonna have this huuuuuuge haunted house and Rainbow Dash is gonna paint herself red and she's gonna drop down from the ceiling going 'RRAAAAAAAGH!  UUUUGHGHHH AHHHHHAHAHAHHAHHHAAAAA!!!"
>She's standing on the table waving her hooves all over the place with her tongue flopping around her mouth.
>You and Luna are leaning back heavily in  your chairs.  You look at each other in mild fear.
"Erm.  I will consider making an appearance at the festivities.  I was most amused and greatly enjoyed the revelry you brought forth."
>Pinkie flips off the table giggling.  She pulls out her notepad and pencil.
"Yay!  Alrighty then, what can I get the two of you?"
"Pancakes.  With blueberries.  And orange juice.  With generous amounts of syrup."
"You want the syrup in the orange juice or on the pancakes?"
>"Just bring the bottle."
"Okie dokie.  What do you want, Anon?"
>"I'll have the same, actually."  She scribbles something on the notebook that you are ninety-percent certain has nothing to do with your order.
"Neato. Alright, give me a sec.  I'll make them super light and fluffy for you. Extra Royal."
>"Hey Pinks, that line looks a little long, who's working the counter?"
"I am silly!"
>She waves from behind the register.  You turn towards Luna.
>"You're not picking up any magic when she does that sort of thing, do you?"  She shakes her head stiffly.
"I am equally confounded."
>Well that just further confirmed your suspicions.
>"So you've been here before?"
"Only for one night.  The citizenry was holding a festival molded after a...bout of unpleasantness on my part."
>"Nightmare Moon."
>She winced at the mention of the name.
"Yes.  That."
>"But I guess everything went well?"  She looked down and stared at something.  Not so much the table, but something that was miles and miles beyond it.
>"Luna?"
"Hmm?  Yes.  Yes, much joy was had that night.  I find this entire town most endearing."
>She twiddled with her napkin and started to giggle.
>It sounded entire without any hidden malice and you very nearly found it cute.
>Then it grew into a full-on city crushing gale of laughter that made you want to board up windows.
"There...there was this one moment with spiders..."
>She told you about the spiders.  And the apples.  And a host of other things.
>And soon you sharing stories of the town's absurdities and struggling to breathe.
>The line of p0nies stood as far away from your table as possible.  You paid little enough attention.
>And soon enough Pinkie Pie appeared before you with a huge stack of blueberry pancakes and a pitcher of bright orange, cold orange juice balanced on her head.  She set the plates before you with an uncanny ease.
"Bon Appetit!"
>Luna looks at her pancake with some uncertainty.  You lean forward and whisper.
>"Pinks is crazy, but she makes killer pancakes."
>Your reassurance is all she needs.  Luna unfolds her napkin and gazes over her breakfast greedily.  Her eyes are absolutely glinting.  She hungered.
>With dainty magic, she cut into her pancakes with reckless abandon and piled on the syrup.  Steam rose up where she cut them into tiny pieces and the bounced against her fork.  The blueberries were dark and shiny.  They smelled rich and decadent.
>You separated your own meal and watched the princess.  She brought a forkful of the fluffy pancakes up to her mouth.  They slipped inside and she chewed slowly.
>She closed her eyes and her shoulders shuddered as the sugary meal slid down her throat.
"Mmmmmm...."
>You took a bite of your pancakes.
>"Sweetest of Jesuses."  Pinkie Pie was unpredictable and borderline insane, but knew breakfast better than anyone else on the planet.
>Luna drank some of her orange juice.
"This is worlds better than breakfast at home."
>You agree with her by making sounds through a full mouth.
"I will pretend I understand what you are trying to say."
"If we were dining at the castle I would have to eat in rotation.  One bite of apple.  One spoonful of oatmeal.  Nibble of toast.  Forkful of salad.  Mealtime takes forever.  And that is assuming we have no dignitaries for the morning."
>Her levitating fork picks at a lone blueberry.  She twirls it around midair, watching it glint in the morning light the window offers.
"It is nice to take things at an easier pace."
>She places the blueberry in her mouth.
"This tastes far too good."
>You swallow.
>"I'm going to need two orders of these things."
"Hah.  I could finish off three servings of these pancakes."
>You took a drink and wiped your mouth.  "Four."
>Luna set down her fork.
"Six."
>Your eyes narrowed.  "Seven."
>The princess raised her wings slowly.
"Ten!"
>A small flash of lighting sparked between the two of you.
>You stood up from your chair and pointed towards the register "PINKIE!  We're going to need fifteen orders of pancakes!"
"Okie dokey."
>Luna jolted her fore hooves onto the table.  Her eyes were glowing and her voice started to come out of the walls.
"YOUR PRINCESS DEMANDS THIRTY ORDERS, PINK ONE!"
"Yeah, they are pretty good, huh?"
>Several dozen bags of batter mix and enough syrup to fill an Olympic pool later you and Luna are dragging yourselves out of the Sugarcube Corner.
>"How was that a good idea?" you groan.  Your stomach is now overtaking room that rightfully belongs to your lungs.  Breathing hurts. "What were we trying to prove again?"
"It was worth it.  For all the treasure in the griffin kingdoms, it was worth it."
>"Who won?"
"I do not know.  I was blinded by blueberries.  Remind me never to go into a war of attrition with you"
>"Urrghh."
"Thanks you two!  Wow, what a show THAT was!  I think I won sixty bits from all the bets going on.  See you later Anon!  Have a good day Princess Luna!"
>You turn to wave goodbye to pinkie.  She points to Luna and smiles and winks.
>Okay...
>"Well, I'm gonna go home and try to digest everything for the next three days. You have a good...whatever you want to have, Princess."
>The Princess gives a forced, short laugh.
"Do I look like I'm in any state to teleport?"
>She struggled to open her wings.  You weren't going to answer that.
"I'll need some time.  Besides, I'm not quite ready to return home."
>"Don't you have duties or royal something-or-others to attend to?"
"To Tartarus with those duties. I've nothing pressing today.  I will do as I please."
>"So what does the majesty wish to do?"
>Her eyes wander to the wings you have bunched up under your arm.
"Let me see your home.  I presume your workshop is there?"
>You nod.
"I wish to see how exactly you made so...impressive a device."
>Oh.  Impressive are they?  Well, isn't this progress.
>Wait, she wants to see your house.  Is it clean?  Is it actually clean-clean and not just what you think passes for clean?
>You decide not to care before your heart rate climbed to high.  You left her room a disaster area.  She can't say anything about your place.  And she won't let you borrow any house-servants.
>You step through the front door of your home.  The living room doesn't look...bad.  It's nothing spectacular, but you doubted that anything you could have in your home would impress a princess.
>"And here we are.  Gaze in wonder."
>Luna hung momentarily at your front door..  She sniffed at the air and quietly took note of the things you had on the wall.  The tv in the corner.  Finding nothing immediately offensive, she entered your home.
>She headed towards your couch.
"We are going to re-appropriate this for state use."
>She collapses heavily onto its cushions and growls.  Her wings are splayed over the side.
>"That's not very Princessly behavior."
"Do you see an audience?  I can behave how I please."
>"I don't count as an audience?"
"You're a presumptuous animal is what you are."
>You carefully place your wings and boots onto a table.  "I won't disagree with you."
"I'm a Princess.  You're not allowed to."
>You stick your tongue out at her.  She returns the gesture and stretches out on your couch.
"Far...too delicious.  But at what cost?"
>What WAS the bill anyway?  You assume Luna covered the tab.  You didn't want to walk into the Corner next time and have pinkie hand you a slip of paper with a lot of zeroes scrawled onto the bottom.
>You fall into a recliner.
>"I don't know if I can get back up."
"I have servants who would beg to carry us."
>"We're gonna need them."
>She laughs from the couch.
>You sit in pleasant lethargy for several moments.
"So why did you do it?"
>"Eh?"
"Decide to forge wings and curious metal boots.  Take to the air and be knocked out of it by the likes of me?  Why did you wish to fly?"
>That was a heavy question.  You drummed your fingers on the recliner.  Why did you want to fly afterall?
>"Why not?  I wake up one day in this place and see a bunch of crazy things that I had no idea could even be near the realm of possibility.  Things I could never even imagine existing."
"Such as?"
>"Well, talking colorful p0nies to start with.  Ones with super-strength, the power of magic and even some with wings."
>"Small little things that somehow managed to carve a place for themselves in a world full of dragons and minotaurs and chimeras and...and stuff that I still can't quite wrap my head around."
"We're a very stubborn people."
>"And you seem more stubborn than most."
"Keep that in mind."
>She curls her legs underneath her and stares in attention, allowing you to continue.
>"I just find myself in the middle of all this.  A world and a kingdom that works against all odds.  I felt -felt pretty overwhelmed in the beginning.  How was I supposed to measure up against everything?"
"You were afraid?"
>"Terrified.  I didn't know how to center myself for a long time.  I did what I could to keep myself busy, helping out around town, taking up jobs, making friends and hanging out.  It wasn't bad.  In fact, it was all pretty damn good."
>You were talking more than you were used to.  But you found yourself oddly at ease with the alicorn sitting quietly on the couch.  You must've strained yourself more than you thought last night.
>"But I still needed something to let me...I don't know, match up with the rest of the world.  So I thought.  I walked around, watched other p0nies and then I looked up and saw the sky and all the pegasus that flew around in it."
>"I take it you fly around every day, right?"
"I do."
>"Well then it's probably not quite as amazing to you by this point.  Where I come from, humans can only fly by the use of special machines.  Most of them are big, bulky and loud.  Here the rules are different.  I decided to do something that would be impossible anywhere else."
>You count to three inside your head and force yourself off the chair.  "Come on, let me show you something."  Luna gets off the couch as you lead her to your workshop.
>It's a mess, but the good kind of mess.  There are tools everywhere.  Leather strappings and locks are hung up on the walls.  You have a table covered in pegasus and bird anatomy books, sketches and schematics are tacked onto your wall.  There are empty coffee-stained cups on benches.  Errant feathers are tucked into all niches.
"So this is what ingenuity looks like."
>Luna is honestly smiling.  Her silver slippers tinkle as she walks around the room, examining the models of your frames and boots.  Her eyes are wide and drink in the sights and small wonders of the room.
>She frowns at a drawing that is not quite like all the others?
"What is this one supposed to be?  With the wheels?"
>"Oh. Um."  You scratch the back of your head. "That's something we had back on earth.  Called it a bicycle.  That's a project for another day." Why did you still have that sketch lying around? A bicycle in this countryside was a silly idea.
>She sets the drawing aside and instead examines the large and detailed graph you have of your wing frames.
>"Anyhow, where I come from, humans have always wanted to fly.  Always.  We have a lot of stories of angels sent from Heaven to help people, or men who built wings to fly to far-off places, or just to see how high they could go.  Kind of a race-wide fantasy."
>You open up a sketchbook and show it to Luna.  There are pages and pages of drawings from such stories.  Angels with with a thousand wings.  Men who tried to fly towards the sun.  Horned folk with wings like bats.  Men who flew with jet packs, or flew with nothing at all.
>She turned through the pages covered carefully with paint, watercolors, graphite and charcoal.  Wings of all shapes and sizes, and every conceivable way they could be grafted onto the human form.
"You have a very practiced hand.  These pictures are fascinating."
>You blush a little bit.  "Thanks.  I've got more free time than I care to say."
>You gesture towards your wall of bottled cloud.
>"So, here I am in a place where flying is commonplace.  The natives here actually take it for granted.  The idea was mind-blowing.  They had the sky all to themselves to soar in.  So I woke up one day and decided I wanted it to.  I wanted to go up into the air under my own power with no engine or huge metal can surrounding me."
"The road to the sky was not a simple one, I see."
>"God no.  There's no way I could even get a tenth of the way through without Twilight's help."
>Luna shook her head and smiled.
"I am familiar with and indebted to that one.  She is truly a great friend."
>"Not a doubt in my mind, Princess.  So me and her get to work and a few months too many high falls than I care to count I was up in the sky."
>You sigh and hold the back of your head.  "I can't tell you how amazing that was.  There I was, way, way, waaayyy up and running along the clouds with the whole world beneath me.  I could see everything.  Houses, fields, forests, even the mountains started to look small."
>You chuckle, "Ah, tell me when I start to go on too long."
>She shook her head, her mane bouncing smoothly.
"No, go ahead. I am interested, truly.  I never took the time to consider that flying could be seen as such a lofty goal instead of something one simply does."
>"Oh yeah." You pointed to the ceiling. "I found something up there.  Perspective.  From that height Equestria and all of its...I guess I'd call it oddities, no offense, finally seemed like something I could hold in my mind and learn how to handle."
"I am glad it worked out for you."
>"Oh it was great.  Skating up in the sky and gliding from cloud to cloud.  Awesome.  Then I ran into you.  Threw off my balance a bit."
"I already apologized for that."
>"I'm joking."
>She looked at your large chart.
"Do you have any more schematics of your current design?  I need to see everything concerning the details of your wings."
>You pick up a roll of diagrams. "Why's that?"
"You'll see."
>You shrug and hand them to her.  She opens them and pours over the details.  You see her eyes darting around every scratch and mark you've made on the papers.  If something wasn't clear to her she would ask questions.  You explained every screw, every inch of weight tolerance and yield and composition of the entire frame.
>It took around two hours.
>She rolled up the charts and closed the books.
"Go get your wings."
"Yes ma'am."
>You carry the twisted, damaged frames and spread them out carefully over your central work table.
>She scanned the feathery piece of engineering and magic.
>She looked once more to the master graph on the wall and looked at you with open eyes.
"This...SHOULD work."
>She focused.  Her horn began to glow.  A small bead of white light traveled up and around the curving ridge of her horn.  There was a low buzzing noise that built in intensity as it reached the tip.
>Her eyes began to glow as well.  Not an complete glow, its was as though the highlights of her iris lit with green fire that flashed with streaks of yellow.  Your wings began to jerk and groan.
>Slowly, carefully, the bends and twists began to right themselves.  Screws traveled from drawers in your workshop and tightened themselves into realigned slots.  The feathers preened themselves as they fitted back into their careful pattern and the leather straps reattached and whined as they turned taut once again.
>Several minutes of intense effort and concentration later they looked as good as the day you first finished them.  You mouth didn't want to close.
>"Wow."
>Luna sat down on a bench and started to breath laboriously.
"That...took a little more effort than I expected."
>Her horn was still white and hot with the heat of her magic.  She was sweating.  Alicorn or not, that sort of sustained magic required a lot of endurance.
>You get her a cold glass of water which she accepts gratefully.
>"You didn't have to do that."
"No," she caught her breath, "I did not."
>"Just making sure you knew."
"I am allowed to respect the results of hard labor."
>She stood from the bench and wiped her forehead from a towel you had in hand.  Her mane hung a little more heavily around her shoulders and appeared more liquid-like.
>"You okay?"
"I will be fine.  Check your wings.  Make sure I did everything correctly."
>You pick them up gingerly and look them over.  You lift the feathers and examining the underlying webbing.  You test the prehensile strength, make sure the joints bend in the right way, and give the strappings a good tug.
>It's flawless.
>"You're a show-off, but you do good work, Princess."
"Your candor is appreciated.
>"But really though, thank-you.  Starting to think I should've paid for breakfast."
"We'll discuss compensation later.  Now go outside and make certain they work."
>You set the wings down. "I'm still full.  I might get a cramp."
"Consider it a royal order.  I wish to see you fly during the day."
>Ooh, royal order.  You have your hands and put on the boots.  You clank towards the wall full of clouds.  You decide to keep it simple and take a jar of cumulo to give you that first lift.
>She follows you outside.  You tighten the straps around your chest, arms and shoulders.  Despite its size, the wing frame is incredibly light.  A result of the materials and ambient magic that weaved throughout them.
>You flick them wide open.  You snap them shut.  You lock them onto your arms and then test how fast they come loose to hang out behind you.
>They were as graceful as ever.
>Luna scanned the sky and nodded.
"A fine day, yes?"
>"Gorgeous," you say as you latch the cloud onto the bottom of the boots. You bounce on them to get adjust to their vaporous pressure.  "You don't have Celestia up there waiting to ram into me, are you?"
"Not today."
>"Alright, cool."  You stretch your arms.  "Get ready for a show, Princess."
>You take off running.  You raise your legs high and edge slowly off the ground.   It's hard to keep your center of gravity and not tumble head over feet, but you've had practice.
>You start to move the wings in rhythm with your stepping .  The ground began to fall away. You can hear a few p0nies recognize you and cheer.
>You stomach turns into butterflies.  Oh this is great.
>You hop higher and higher.  The brisk wind catches you and carries you along.  You think you should've brought a jacket or your leather cap at least, but you weren't planning on turning this into a full-scale airshow.
>Thin while cloud trail follows your path as you ascend.
>You spread your wings and bank slowly in the air.  The town is spread out beneath you.  You decide to be a little bit daring.
>You fly around the town's clock tower, arcing your wings and circling it.  You dive in between alleys and barrel out through the other side.  The wind whistles in your ear as you weave between houses and shops.
>A few shocked gasps are elicited below, but the townspeople have become somewhat acclimated to your outings by this by now.
>You swoop out of P0nyville and press your boots against the air a little harder, pushing yourself for greater speed.  The ground below begins to blur.
>You skirt over the forests, scaring the birds below who shoot out of trees and trail behind you in confusion.
>You circle around find yourself over the fields of Sweet apple acres.  The endless expanse of trees dotted with red apples stream below.  The plowed fields roll along in much the same way the Morning Glories did yesterday.
>Can't go underneath these rows, however.
>You think you see Applejack walking across the fields.  But she's little more than yellow smear along the ground so you can't be too sure.  You try and wave anyhow.
"And you call me a showoff?"
>That takes you by surprise.  Your arms jerk and you tumble in the air a second before righting yourself.
>Luna is floating directly above you.  She's levitating more than actually flying, keeping in perfect synch with your speed.  Her eyes are bright and the sun filters through her mane, making the stars inside glitter brilliantly.
"I can have a little showmanship too."
>She rolls her eyes.
"I suppose I cannot have it all for myself."
>You twist your body skyward facing Luna and detach your wings from your arms and set them in a spread position to keep altitude.
>You cross your arms behind your head.
>"They seem to be in good order."
"Yes.  You demonstrate very fine control.  But I expect the one who would make such a device would demonstrate skill in its operation."
>"Which you have seen first hand."  She smiles warmly and places a hoof on your chest.
"You are about to hit a tree."
>"Wha?"  You hurl your body around and scramble to lock your wings again as a huge apple tree approaches rapidly.  You flap desperately and pull up.  Your legs brush against the top of the tree.  You lose some speed, but at least you didn't ram into the thing and get another concussion.
>You've head enough of those for one week.  Luna thinks it's the funniest thing she's seen all month.  A score of birds are scared from her amplified laughter and take off high into the air.
"The look on your face!  I didn't know you could move that fast.  You nearly cried like a newborn foal.  And to think you have yet to kill yourself doing this!"
>"I'm a man who has much to be thankful for."
>She clutched herself in joy.
>"Some bird is about to drop his business on you."
>Her eyes explode in searing white.
"WHAT!?"
>She turns towards the air and sees the offending missile mere yards above her.
>A purple ring emanates from her forehead as her horn explodes in a concentrated laser that turns it into ashes.  The trees below bend from the force.  The air displacement buckles you as well.
"THIS CONDEMNED AIR-BORN PESTILENCE CONTINUALLY SEEKS TO FORCE OUR HOOF!"
>The wind blows away the raging light from her horn and eyes.  The birds scatter away from the living aerial defense platform as fast as they can.  Satisfied she turns towards you.
"We will claim our victory over the birds."
>You don't know whether to laugh or scream in terror.  You settle for both. Luna shakes her head and facehoofs.
"We hate birds.  Utterly.  Completely."
>You howl in the air.  Oh wow.  She has brain problems.
>"I have to land.  I gotta wipe the tears from my eyes here.  That was priceless."
"Very well."
>You glide back towards your home.  You flare your wings open and let them cushion as much as they can.  You angle towards the ground and hit it in a long skid.  The clouds on the boots smooth out your landing.  You slow to a stop and finish off with a little flourish on your legs let your wings do as they please.
>In your head the whole thing looked really cool.
>Luna lands beside you as you free the cloud from the boot's latchings. They float upwards a little bit before dissipating.
>"So what do you think?"
"I am not disappointed.  You have managed to avoid breaking anything valuable."
>"Yeah, that was pretty fun."  Luna walked around you and looked at the sky and then at you.
"Yes.  Fun.  I did have...fun."
>She smiled and raised her head high.
"Well, Anon.  It would seem that everything is working as it should.  I am glad our encounter is turning out for the better."
>She takes a few steps away from you.
"Just do not hurt yourself."
>You cross your arms.  "Why the sudden concern?"  She looks at you in mild surprise.
"Because how can we do this again if you break every bone in your body?"
>"Say what now?"
>Her gentle eyebrows are thrown up in amusement and annoyance.
"Take care, Anon.  I believe I will see you again soon."
>She spreads her deep blue wings far and wide and launches herself skyward like a firework.
>There is a bright flash of purple light as she clears the height of houses and she's gone.
>"Um."  Well that was certainly a thing.
"Dude, she totally has a crush on you."
>You turn towards the slightly rough voice.
"What are you talking about Rain?"
>The blue pegasus leans against your front door.
"Oh...nuffin'."
>She blows some red hair out of her face.
>"Just that if you saw what I saw then you'd know.  You have some style Anon, but a princess, wow.  Good on ya."
>You undo your harness and fold up your wings.  "You're talking crazy.  I just needed her to not want to murder me."
"Yeah, yeah.  Looks like you pulled a full 180 with her.  She's gonna be making lovey dovey eyes at you next time."
>"I don't want to hear this."  A shiver went up your spine.  "Besides, Princesses don't have crushes, they have...I don't know, courting and serenades and then write huge memoirs to be dictated on balconies or something."
>The idea of an enamored Luna filled you with dread.  You knew what it was like to have her hate you.  Imagine if she actually LOVED someone.  Rainbow Dash giggled.
>This train of thought was getting to weird for you.
>Abort, abort!
>You start to open your door.  "What...what exactly DID you see?"
>She swings her hooves idly.
"Oh.  Everything.  Weather Patrol, remember?  It's my business to know what's going on up there."
>She nods upwards and smirks.
"And oh boy was there a lot of business going on last night."
>"Oh God, you saw that?"
"Only up 'til you put that crazy stuff on your shoes and pulled all that crazy wonderbolt-level stuff.  I'll admit, that was, totally intense.  Real shock-and-awesome tricks you showing off."
>Your face turned red.
"I didn't keep up after that, though.   I COULD have, but then I'd have to use some of my flashier moves, and the two didn't look like you needed the distraction."
>She followed you inside.
"Wow, it even smells like her in here."
>"What are you -?  She was only in this room for ten minutes!"
"Must've been a pretty intense ten minutes then."
>"I'm going to tell everyone your real name."
"They won't believe you.  I told you that name is for total lamewads."
>She plops onto your recliner and leans it back.
"So the two of you were totally having a blast out there.."
>"I don't see why you want to make a big deal out of this."
"Princess, Anon.  Big, Loud, laser-shooting Princess shows up in P0nyville, I thiiiiink that can be filed under big deal."
>She's right.  You frown.
>"Do you think therp0nies won't start to say anything?" You didn't want to be the center of that sort of gossip.
>"Who cares.  Let 'em say what they say.  As long as you're having a good time, right?"
>She leans over the back of the chair and watches as you go into your kitchen for a glass of water.  You come back to your couch that Luna spread herself on earlier and sat back.
>You drank deep.
>"You know what Dash?  I think I did have a good time."
>She nods knowingly.
>"In fact, I think I had a great time."
"Uh-ooohhhhh."
>"Be quiet.  Now are you here to watch a movie or what?"
"I dunno, got any romantic comedies?"
>"You think you're funny."
"I think I'm awesome.  You're turning all red, Anon.  Put on a movie before you catch on fire."
>Her comments only fueled the burning sensation in your ears.  "I'm just...irritated from all the wind."
"Sure thing Anon.  Whatever you say."
>You walk towards your pile of DVD's and pull one out.  Yeah, this'll do.  Something loud and violent and full of crazy special effects.
>You and Rainbow get a lot of kicks out of it.
>But it doesn't take your mind completely off what she said, and the events of the preceding weeks.
>A blue face with bright green eyes framed against the stars  themselves flashes in your mind.
>You clasp your hands together in slight worry.
>Luna couldn't have a crush on you.  That was just dumb.  And if she did then you didn't like her that way.
>Nope.  Not at all.
>The face flashed again.  Smiling this time.
>But she certainly did leave a special kind of impression.