“This is a bad idea.”

“No, it’s a great idea, don’t be a scaredy-cat!”

“…I am part cat.”

“Oh, shush now and just try to keep an eye out for any guards.”

Moony stuck her head out the window, looking down to the ground. Felix hovered nervously outside, glancing in between her, the ground and the roads and windows for anycreature who would catch them.

They were pretty far up. But no fear; Moony leaned back into her bathroom and picked up the make-shift rope she’d constructed. It was study enough, made from blankets and actual rope tied together, the entire thing anchored around the door handle leading out to the rest of her room. With the flick of her head the rope was flung out the window, and she leaned out to try and see how far down it reached. It was way too dark. She motioned to Felix, who rolled his eyes but still flew down and up again quickly.

“It stops about two barrels from the ground,” he whispered to her. “So long as the rope holds, you should make it.”

She grinned, and carefully turned around to edge her back-legs out the window. Winding the rope around one leg, and pressing her other hoof against it to keep it in place. She could do this; she’d seen it done in comics all the time! She just had to keep pressure on it to keep it winded around her leg, and let it drag along as she went further down. (How she’d get up again was future Moony’s problem.)

So far so good. She slid further down the rope, lifted her entire barrel out the window, and… grabbed onto it with her front legs. For a second she just hung there, right outside the window.

She shot Felix a grin over her shoulder.

Then a loud “crack!” rang out. She just had time to feel the rope starting to go slack as her limbs acted before her brain had caught up and flung her front legs over the window-sill again. Pain erupted in her head as the door-handle shot out of the room, bounced on her head and fell down the long way to the ground behind her. The rope trailed after it, and she just had the presence of mind to shake her back-legs free of it before they got too tangled up.

Felix fluttered nervously around her where she hung outside the window, reaching out but not knowing how to grab her; he wasn’t strong enough to carry her and fly, so he couldn’t grab her front legs, lest she lose her grip and put all of her weight on him.

But he’d just had time to fret for a few seconds. Pony legs are not designed for gripping; she started to sliiide, slowly but surely, from the ledge. Her back hooves scrambled for purchase, but, well, the walls were made of crystal. Her hooves might as well have tried to find traction on ice.

Just as she was about to scream, something sharp grabbed onto her legs and flank, and pushed her upwards. She glanced behind her; Felix’ eyes were shut tight and his wings beat like a hummingbird’s as he tried his best to shove her back into the room. In his panic he accidentally dug his sharp claws into her side, but at this point she didn’t much care.
She turned back to the window and tried to reach out further; if she could just get her fetlocks over the edge…

Then she slipped. Tumbling down head-first, Felix also lost his grip, and Moonstone experienced free-falling for the first time.

Once he realised what had happened, Felix snapped his wings shut and dove after her. He managed to grab onto one of her front legs, wrapped his talons securely around it and tucked his legs up close to his body; his talons automatically gripped as the tendons were pulled, so he wouldn’t be able to let go by accident. It also meant that if he couldn’t lift her, he was just as much falling as she was.

He then beat his wings. Faster than he’d ever beat them before

They were still falling. Faster.

They were still falling! But he couldn’t flap any faster –as it was, his muscles burned and shook and threatened to give at any second. He strained, forced his wings to keep pumping despite how much he wanted to collapse. They were falling, but he couldn’t give–

They landed.

Not exactly softly, as Moonstone’s hooves still made a loud Thump as they hit the grass. She balanced, precariously, on two legs for just a second… and then Felix finally let himself relax, and pulled them both flat on the ground in a heap.

They laid there, Moonstone flat on her back, Felix slumped over her stomach –still gripping onto one of her forelegs– for a few minutes, dazed and trying to catch his breath respectively.

“Please don’t make me be a living parachute ever again!” Felix finally gasped.

“Can’t promise anything, but I’ll do my best,” Moony said, still staring up at the sky with pupils blown wide. “Let’s figure out a better way of getting out next time.”

“Next time?”

Moony nodded. “Just because the first experiment failed, doesn’t mean the basic theory was bad.”

“‘Failed’, as in, ‘Almost made you into a pancake’!? Also, what theory??”

“The theory of my parents being stupid.” She sat up, with Felix still on her. He ended up sitting in her lap. “And overprotective. And I’m going to go mad if I have to stay under guard all the time. I’m almost an adult, I can go out by myself.”

“You’re not even old enough to go to Twilight’s school yet!”

“I have my cutie mark, few hundred years ago I’d be considered old enough to move away from home and start apprenticing!” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Also, can you get off of me? Or at least let go of my leg.”

Felix stuck his tongue out at her too. “No, we’re stuck together!”

Moonstone jumped up as best she could, and stood on three hooves, shaking the offending leg. Felix still hung on.

“Sto-o-o-p!” He shouted. “Or I’ll vomit on you!”

She paused, glaring at him.

He glared back. “I’m serious! I can’t let go, I’m too stressed to make my claws relax.”

“Oh.”

Moonstone plopped down again. She held her leg out awkwardly in front of her, letting Felix sit more naturally as he gripped it.

After a few tense minutes of silence, Felix finally could focus enough to try and let Moony go. He pushed the leg out from him, so his automatic grip didn’t interfere, and tried to relax.

Relax.

His claws opened slowly, and he hoped Moony knew to not try to pull away as soon as she felt them open a little, or he’d just grip again and they’d be back to square one.

She didn’t, and soon they were sitting across from each other; Moonstone rubbing her leg where Felix had gripped and Felix flexing and clenching his claws.

“Stars you got a strong grip,” Moonstone complained. “Pretty sure this is gonna bruise.”

Felix’ ears lowered, and his shoulders hunched. “Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t, I mean–” He looked away. ”I was just trying to not drop you.”

Moonstone immediately reached out and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay! Think I much prefer a bruise over being a pancake.”

She looked away, and removed her hoof to rub it against her other leg sheepishly. “And… I’m sorry.” She hung her head. “You were right, this was a bad idea.”

Felix just looked at her.

“Annnddd…” she finally added in a grumble. “I won’t…do it…. again.”

Moonstone’s ears slicked back as she said it, and she kept not meeting his eyes.

Uugh, why did everything have to be so hard?

Felix didn’t want to do this again. He didn’t want to do it even once! Going out at night without anyone knowing was a bad idea. They could get robbed or assaulted or- or worse! Or if their parents found out, they’d be so disappointed. His momma would look so sad, and mum would be so mad, and that’s not even thinking about Moony’s moms. Twilight would explode! Maybe they’d even not let Felix see her any more? And how are they supposed to get inside again!?

But Moonstone had been feeling sad lately.

Oh, she hadn’t said anything, of course. She never did. Except complaining about her parents being overprotective –but Felix couldn’t shake that there was something else too. Her smile had been fake and she’d seemed worried when she thought he wasn’t looking. Not to mention her sudden desire to be a rebel, considering how much she always followed every rule Twilight and Rarity gave. He remembered when they were kids, she’d cry because she forgot to do her homework, and now she wanted to sneak out? It was just such a big change so suddenly…

“Any ideas on how to get back in?” Moonstone asked quietly, interrupting his thoughts. “Or maybe it’s best if I go in by myself, and you go home, so only one of us–”

Ugh.

“Why should we go back now?” Felix interrupted. “I mean, we’re already out here, so might as well not waste it.”

Moonstone looked at him, surprised. “You- you still want to come out with me?”

He shrugged. “I just spent all my adrenaline for the night just to get you out of the castle, best to not waste it.”

It was stupid. They couldn’t go to the movies, or bowling or even be in town without being caught so they’d probably just spend the evening walking around and looking at trees. He’d have to deal with new places and he hated not knowing where he was, so it’d probably be boring or scary, or–

Moonstone beamed at him, a genuine smile for the first time in weeks.

Fine, he could deal with it.