Night Fire

A couple, or maybe a few months had passed. It’s hard to recall at this point, but the months were certainly passing by, and quickly at that. I’d say the reason for this was the ponies and the relationship I was developing with both of them. I was feeling our bond strengthening with every day, that they were a part of my life. Along with that, by this point, I was thinking of them less and less as just another form of entertainment like I had originally planned on them being, and instead more as people, or as close to people as they could be. I guess the best way to put it is that they were beginning to feel more like equals than just a fun way to pass the time. This change in my thought process was something I had really never planned on happening, but that was before I realized how real Spitfire and Night Glider really were.

I was also beginning to better understand that because these ponies were so real, they also had just as many wants, needs, and desires as I did, and that it would be cruel of me to keep them from such things. The many laws that had been instated for droids like these were making more and more sense to me. If it weren’t for their programming and synthetic parts, these ponies were just like you and me. I was sure that all those months of catering to my every desire and following my every order was tiring to them. Even if it pleased them to do so, and was as much a part of them as their personalities, I still figured they needed a break, and some kind of reward as a thanks.

It would be a well-deserved reward at that. Those two ponies were making me the happiest I had been in my entire life, and I’m not just talking about the, well, sexual pleasures they were providing for me. It was more than that. Yes, before I got those ponies, I figured that my life was pretty set. I had almost everything, and with such a solid job that was always providing more than enough, I could always get more. Everything seemed perfect besides the occasional loneliness and the very obvious lack of sex. These ponies though, were making me realize that there was much more to life than working and making money. You also have to life it to its fullest while spending it with those who are important to you, and Spitfire and Night Glider, well, they were becoming pretty important to me.

Another thing that had been on my mind those days was the thought that even though I had already established my ponies to be more human than they were droid, I was also almost positive that they had a more animalistic side to them as well. They were half equine after all. I had seen hints towards this in their personalities, but it was only on rare occasions and rather hard to determine whether it was truly the cause or not. This nature had to be in their programming somewhere though, or they wouldn’t be the authentic ponies that they were, and instead just the average human modeled biotech droid with a less human appearance. These thoughts of mine played into exactly how I was going to go about rewarding them as well.

There was a certain pair of appendages that I almost never saw either Night Glider or Spitfire use. Appendages that I figured would see a lot of action considering both of their personalities. On occasion, I had seen them use their wings to glide or simply lift themselves up into the air, but never had I actually seen them fly. Being pegasi, I was sure that flying was absolutely natural to them, and being such an innate part of their makeup, a desire to be in the air had to be in their programming somewhere to make them authentic. Along with that, as I had noticed plenty of times before, the physical appearance of their wings did not seem to be just for show either. The wings upon both of their backs were so detailed and real from their many layers of velvety feathering to the synthetic muscles that lay beneath their skin.

“Spitfire, Night Glider,” I said with a smile as I approached the two one morning after finishing my breakfast and following routine. They both acknowledged me with a yes, Night Glider’s a bit bubblier and less serious than Spitfire’s. “I’ve never really seen either of you flying before. With wings like yours, I’m sure you want to, right?”

“I guess we’ve both sort of tried it before, but it’s normally a pretty short flight,” Night Glider said with a shrug.

“Don’t want to be gone if you need us,” Spitfire added dutifully.

“That and with these buildings and homes, there’s really not much space for too many aerobatics. I’m sure flying isn’t all that appreciated around here either,” Night Glider continued.

I couldn’t help but grin, knowing that what I had in mind for their reward would be absolutely perfect. Night Glider giggled and Spitfire smirked before giving me a shake of her head. “What’s that smile all about, Kyle?” she asked in a teasing tone.

“Well, since both of you have been doing such a great job for me, and doing so much to keep me happy, I figured you deserved a bit of a break and a reward.”

“Oh?” Night Glider asked curiously, the smile on her muzzle growing wider.

“Yeah, I was thinking maybe we could take a little trip up to the mountains today, and you two could fly. It’ll be a pretty great place for it I think, plenty of open space and a scenic view.”

“Doesn’t sound bad at all,” Spitfire said with a nod, giving me just as wide of a smile as Night Glider’s.

“Sounds awesome!”

“I figured you’d be working today, though.”

I gave Spitfire a rather calm and contented shrug. “Yeah, I would be, but what the hell, right? Who else is going to take you up there, and besides, I want to see those wings in action.”

It was quite the journey to the Cascade Mountains, and I don’t mean the length, considering that the range was so close to Seattle. Instead, I’m talking about the experience in itself. Normally on a journey like that one, one where we weren’t doing any off-roading and instead using the best paved route, I would’ve taken one of my sports cars, but because I had two passengers, I wanted to make the trip comfortable for both of them. Coming to a compromise, I chose my sports sedan, the perfect combination of comfort and speed. The roads had recently been redone, making for an even smoother and relaxing ride. I loved speed, but drove at a good pace, wanting to enjoy the beautiful scenery around us rather than focusing on the wheel and pedal. The view, even through the tinted glass of the windshield was absolutely stunning. Patches of dark, heavy clouds hung in the sky, casting shadows that were even darker down onto the deep green, rocky, and mountainous landscapes around us. Whenever the sun made its way out from behind these clouds, the pines and the grass in the valleys between them was illuminated with a heavenly glow and glinted in the intense rays. As we climbed higher in altitude, I began to see patches of snow and the forests of pines were growing sparse, along with other plant life. Although this landscape was vastly different from the one I had just been viewing, it was still just as beautiful. Feeling the winding, sharp turns of the road, I was becoming happier by the minute and growing more content with every second. As I looked back at Spitfire in the mirror, her eyes facing the window to admire the moving landscape, and felt Night Glider’s hand rubbing gently against my thigh, I hoped that they were just as happy as I was, or at least would be once they were able to fly.

It wasn’t long after that when we came to the top of a hill’s peak where there was a nicely sized pull-off with an incredible view of the mountains and hills that surrounded us. I decided at that point, it would be as good a place to pull off as any, and considering the fact that it had been miles since another car had passed us, we were far enough away from the city as well. Parking the car and stepping outside, I was greeted with a strong, cold wind that rushed through my clothes and hair. It was only a matter of time before I had to put on a jacket to keep myself warm. After doing so, I took in breath after breath of the fresh mountain air. I then watched with a smile as Spitfire and Night Glider climbed over the barrier which surrounded the edges of the pull-off and approached the rocky cliff that it protected cars from falling off of.

I moved closer so that I could get better view. Warming my hands in my pockets, I watched as they stretched their wings to their full length, admiring their perfect structure and soft, smooth feathers. Night Glider turned back to me with a smile, her eyes wider than I had ever seen them before and her mane flowing with the wind. After sliding a pair of bronze goggles over her eyes, she said something, but I could not hear it over the loud buffeting of the fast moving air. I simply smiled back at her and nodded. I already knew what they were about to do, and there wasn’t really a need for talking at that point anyways. Even though I wasn’t graced with near as much excitement as they were, my heart was still pounding as I watched them lift themselves up into the sky and then glide as the wind rushed over and beneath their wings.

As they rose into the air with the currents above the hills, the intricate feathers upon their wings glowed in the sunlight. Then they plummeted down through the valley beneath us, wind rushing through their fur and manes. I grinned in appreciation of the stunning sight. As the distance between us increased, they seemed to grow a part of the landscape. Even with their bright, pastel coloring which was a stark contrast with the deep greens, grays, and whites, they still seemed as much a part of it as a hawk or eagle doing the same. It was at that moment that I began to realize how hard it was growing for me to think of them as droids. Instead, it was as if they truly were the anthropomorphic beings that their appearance and personality portrayed, as if they were natural.

Both of them flew together for quite some time. I’m not sure exactly how long as I hadn’t checked the time before we left the car, and decided to leave everything that connected me to my job back there as well. It didn’t bother me either, I was so taken by the beauty of their flight, something that seemed so odd for a human body structure to preform, that I could have stood there watching for hours longer. The way they spiraled through the air, dived down into the lower valleys, and even the simple elegance of their gliding was absolutely stunning to me.

I could tell by the position of the sun in the sky that it was late afternoon or early evening by the time they returned. As they drew close to the cliff from which they had originally left, I could see an odd combination of calmness and what seemed to be fierceness in their faces. It was perhaps from a combining the natural sensation of flight with the thrill that it provided them as well. At least, that’s all I could think of. They landed as smoothly as they had taken off, and walked towards me with smiles on their faces. I could tell that they were talking to one another excitedly and laughing as well, even though I could not hear it over the wind. I began to wonder why they didn’t look more exhausted after all the exercise they had received, but soon remembered their true technological being.

I was greeted with a rather long and passionate kiss from both of them and then received a hug as they thanked me. “You can always stay out there longer if you want. I could tell how much you were enjoying yourselves,” I suggested.

“Well, we didn’t want you getting too impatient with us,” Night Glider said.

“I don’t think I could. You two looked incredible out there, and I could watch something like that all day.”

“I’m sure we’ve been here long enough, Kyle,” Spitfire said. “You want to get back home in time for dinner, don’t you? You do realize you have been watching us for most of the day, right?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I replied, giving a soft shrug, “but it’s your day and your choice.”

“It’s pretty enjoyable serving you anyways,” Night Glider said with a smile.

“I’d consider it our duty, but it doesn’t feel close to that at all. I couldn’t even consider it a job,” Spitfire added.

“Well, in that case, let’s go then,” I said, pulling the car’s key from my pocket and heading in its direction. I was actually looking forward to the drive because of how relaxing it had been on the way there. It didn’t disappoint either. With the ancient pines and jagged landscape casting large shadows from the lowering sun, the sights seemed new and foreign. It provided a whole new experience as well. Along with that, I was also looking forward to the relaxing evening at home I had awaiting me. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do, maybe just sit down and watch something, but I did know that whatever I did, it was going to be with my two favorite ponies, and that was beyond comforting. They seemed excited as well, maybe even happier to head home with me than they were for their flight earlier.