private A Breezie's Tale: A private RP between Diverse and Misty

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse clings to her 'steed'. She is returning from a long day of collecting pollen. She rubs her long antennae with aching forelegs, sighing as their luminescence - triggered by the oncoming darkness - flickers and shines against the receding light in the sky. If she were a lone Breezie she would have perished many times over, both on this day and also in the preceding years of her exile, but she had always had companions, such as her current zebra companion, who had saved her from the worst and who, being non-Breezies, would not reject her due to her troubled past.

Diverse's tiny Breezie ears perk up as she hears a suprised shout amidst the thick blades of meadow grass below her. (It had been prompted by the hooves of her lumbering giant friend which had plunged towards an unassuming clump of grass.) On hearing the shout, Diverse calls out in alarm. In a forgotten recess of her breezie brain she felt that one of her small friends could be in danger!

Diverse called out sharply to halt her giant, who obliged - the giant was her business partner, who was a zebra florist - he flicked its tail irritably and waited. Shimmying her wings in the late evening breeze to activate her magic, Diverse lights up her luminescent antennae fully to examine the suspect clump of grass.

Recognizing the dewy filaments of a fellow Breezie in distress, Diverse gulps with anxiety but is unable to quell her natural instinct to help - she calls out to Misty and asks her if she is alright.

----

From Misty's perspective she would see an unfamiliar female Breezie with a friendly pink mane and cyan body. (In the dark of the evening Misty would not be able to see thee surprising pigment)

[Misty]

Misty was collecting pollen and nectar from the flowers in the meadow. She was a pollinator breezie, which meant that she was part of the annual migration to collect pollen. By now, the enclave was almost finished in collecting the amount of pollen needed, and they just needed Misty's group to finish. However, this year had been especially rough. There was significantly less pollen than usual, so the breezies had to travel further than usual to get the amount of pollen needed. Misty and a few others volunteered to be the group to gather the last amount of pollen needed. The meadow that Misty was in was well over twice the distance away from the enclave as the distances that they usually traveled. No breezie had traveled this far before, and none of the breezies cared. It was late in the evening and they just wanted to hurry up and finish the job.

Misty was busy gathering pollen from a flower, her antennae illumining her work, when she heard hoof steps. She paused and took a glance around. It was hard to make out much this late in the evening, but Misty knew that hoof steps weren't a good thing. Whatever it was, it was big, and from the sound of it, it was heading right toward her. Windermare and Breezy Gale, the two other breezies that Misty was working with, noticed too.

"Let's get outta here!" One of them had shouted as all three of them flutter into the air. That is when an unfortunate stray breeze hit them, sending them all spiraling in different directions. Misty let out a surprised shout as she slammed into a tuft of grass on the ground. Her back and wings ached, but that paled in comparison to what was bound to happen. Misty noticed that there was a hoof that was right about to step on her.

Time seemed to show as she got flash backs to a deer encounter she had last year. Last time she went on migration to collect pollen, an unsuspecting deer had almost stepped on her while she was collecting pollen! She had barely flew out of the way in time, the deer's hoof clipping her wings ever so slightly. Misty was mentally kicking herself for volunteering to help collect the last amount of pollen needed. She had cheated death once, so maybe fate would have it that she would die by being crushed under a hoof. She just had to sign herself up to be the group that would collect pollen late in the evening. But if she didn't volunteer, then who would? So she had to volunteer.

Wait, now wasn't the time to be arguing with herself, she needed to get out of the way.

She scrambled out of the way just as she noticed the hoof had froze in midair. Now Misty was really puzzled. Why had the creature stopped? Did the creature notice Misty?

"Hey, are you ok there?" the creature asked. Now Misty was really confused. Why did the creature sound like a breezie? It was  hard to tell what was going on in the dark and Misty's glowing antennae didn't go that far. Misty noticed a glowing pair of antennae and decided to fly over, carefully flying around what Misty now realized was a zebra. 

"Oh thank goodness it's you, Windermare, we need to find Breezy Gale... Wait, you're not Windermare! Who are you?"

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse unconsciously inspects the other Breezie. It was an automatic habit picked up over her three migrations, now long in the past, but one that died hard. At the start of each day’s journey she had been charged with inspecting her team’s filament-wings and with using her magic, and tiny strands of gossamer-coated pollen, to repair any tears before the day’s fluttering.

She sighs with relief on seeing that the other Breezie can move and is able to respond. In the panic she had largely forgotten her anxiety about meeting other Breezies, but with the immediate danger passing, it returns.

“Oh, I am… Diverse.” she says, the name she had assumed ever since she had been exiled from the Breezie village. She closes her wings shyly as she clings to the zebra’s fur. She wasn’t at all sure how another Breezie would react to her – immediately after she had been exiled and had realised that she could somehow survive away from the village she had played over and over in her head the first meeting with her kind. If she had encountered a stray Breezie on her migrations she wouldn’t have had a clue how to react – it shouldn’t be possible… but yet here she was, two whole pony years (a very long time for Breezies) later.  

 

[Misty]

"Nice to meet you, Diverse. I'm Misty. I don't think I have seen you around the enclave before. Also, why are you here? I thought the enclave only sent three breezies to finish up the pollen collection and migration." Misty says as she does her own inspection. Misty assumed that Diverse was a breezie that she didn't know from the enclave. At first, Diverse looked like Windermare, but Misty could tell it wasn't her from subtle clues that only breezies would notice. With a cyan body and a pink mane, she looked very similar to quite a lot of breezies that Misty knew, though she couldn't help but to get the feeling that something seemed off. 

It's probably the freckles, Misty thought, Or the fact that the zebra that almost stepped on me is watching her and she doesn't seem to care. Yeah, that's probably it.

"Anyways, let's find Windermare and Breezy Gale get back to the enclave. It's getting dark, and when it gets dark, bats and owls come out." said Misty with a shutter, aware that those kinds of animals eat breezies. "We had just finished collecting enough pollen anyways."

Edited July 12, 2021 by Ocean Wavedream

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse’s little Breezie heart beats hard as the other Breezie considers her. She doesn’t contradict Misty’s misapprehension about her being another Breezie on the migration, preferring to focus on the immediate issue of the missing companions.

“It’s kinda’ a long story – I’ll let you know one we’ve found your companions.” she wipes her Breezie forehead anxiously, flicking away some imaginary moisture She notices Misty throwing the odd curious loom at the zebra and hurries on: “I better tell Gathii here what’s going on and see if he’ll help find your friends.” she gestures to the Zebra, who is looking at the two Breezies curiously. Diverse begins talking in Equestrian – an unfamiliar language to most Breezies – Misty picks up some mentions of her name and Diverse mimes being blown away in the wind. When the Zebra, Gathii, responds in his booming voice he sounds reluctant and shakes his large head – his black and white mane swishes back and forth creating little eddies in the air which swirl round Misty, ruffling her delicate Breezie wings. Diverse remonstrates for a while but it seems to be no use. 

“Gathii says that he is sorry for you and your friends and would like to help but that he must return home since this place is too dangerous at night – even for giants like him.” Diverse translates. “He says that we should look for them in the morning and that you are welcome to shelter at his home.” Diverse considers.  “He is usually right - maybe your friends were blown somewhere they could shelter for the night and you could find them in the morning? We could look for the others on our own, but-“ Diverse flicks her wings up which flutter in the night air, “The night brings stray winds, and without Gathii around to scare off the bats and owls...” she trails off and shakes her head worriedly.

“Anyway, since it was my steed that surprised you, it would be the least I could do to help you find them.” Diverse was not about to leave the poor Breezie in the lurch… even if it meant braving the meadow at night or even… Celestia forbid… meeting the Migration breezies and risking being recognised by the more senior Breezie bosses. “What do you think - want to go after them now or in the morning?”

[Misty]

Misty watched as Diverse turned to talk with the Gathii the zebra. She found it surprising the way Diverse and Gathii acted like they knew each other for quite a while. She had never heard of any breezies that were friends with zebras. All the breezies in the enclave were  Diverse was talking in a language Misty didn't understand, but she was able to pick out some mentions of her name and based on Diverse's gestures, Misty assumed that she was trying to explain the current situation to Gathii. Gathii replied in the same language, but with a booming, yet hesitant voice.

Diverse turns back to Misty to translate what he said. Misty nodded in understanding as Diverse explained what Gathii had to say.

This place is dangerous even for a giant like him? Now I'm really regretting volunteering for this. I guess we will just have to hope for the best and search in the morning. Misty thought. She took one last glance around to see if they were right under their noses. Breezies could light up their antennae, but the light didn't go far. When that came up futile, Misty shock her head in defeat.

"Alright, let's go. It will be impossible to find them now." Misty said, her head hung low. By now, it was almost pitch black and the wind had started to pick up a bit.

Suddenly, a loud screech could be heard. "Owl!" Misty blurted as she darted behind Gathii's ear, much to his annoyance. 

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse sighed, accepting Misty’s choice. She looked towards the moon, reflecting on the many breezies she had known who had been lost to the winds. She said a brief prayer to Tempest, the Mistress of Winds, to guide her lost subject through the mazes of her eddies and always away from the open grassy spaces and towards the damp darkness of the forest that heralds shelter and provides a home for the little-folk.

Diverse could see Misty’s trepidation as she mentioned that her steed was worried about the woods. As a Breezie Boss it had been her duty to shore up the morale of the all too easily worried bands of Breezies, and her heart aches a little with the memory of encouraging recruits just like Misty. Swallowing her nerves, her worry and her doubt, she holds out a chitinous hoof to Misty.  “Welcome aboard!” she says jauntily – trying to buck up the spirits of the younger Breezie. “Don’t worry, we’ll find the others in the morning – just you see. Why when I was a Boss I never lost any-Breezie.” Diverse is too taken with trying to cheer up her new companion to realise that revealing herself as a previous Boss (ie a leader of migrations) would blow her cover…

Before Diverse realises her mistake, Misty is distracted by the hoot of an owl and she darts for cover! Unfortunately, Misty’s assumption that she could shelter on the surprised Zebra is poorly received, and puts her in even more dange: Gathii snorts his annoyance, flicking his ears and shaking himself – as many giants do on encountering little-kin (they call them ‘insects’). Misty is flicked away from him into the air in a dangerous tail spin. An ominous flapping sound in the same direction of the hoot suggests that the night assailant has noticed the vulnerable Breezie and is swooping in for an early snack…

Misty’s vision is spinning. She hears Diverse cry out in fear!

[Misty]

Misty mentally kicked herself again as she spirled through the air, That's the last time I'm ever going to trust that zebra. She thought. She felt talons grab her body and realized it was the owl from earlier. Great. Just great. First, I got thrown onto the ground, then I almost got trampled by a zebra, I got flicked by THE SAME ZEBRA, and now I'm going to end up as some owl's midnight meal, all within the span of five minutes. It's like fate hates me yet I still have to tempt it. What is wrong with myself?

Misty heard Diverse cry out. "Help!" Misty cried back. It was already too late. Misty watched as Diverse's glowing antennae shrunk as the owl further and further away. Misty considered trying to wrangle herself out of the owl's claws, but it was all in vain. The owl was gripping onto her too tightly. Misty watched as they flew through the night. She tried raked her way through her mind, trying to think of any other way to escape. None of them worked. She also thought she saw some a pair of breezie antennae part way through the flight and she tried to remember if that was the same direction where the other two breezies ended up. She called out to them but they didn't get a change to respond. The owl was flying too fast.

The owl suddenly came to a stop outside a tree hollow, throwing Misty inside first before flying in. Misty got thrown into the far corner inside. She instinctively curled herself up into a ball and started crying. Surprisingly, the owl didn't immediately eat her, it just sort of stared at her.

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

 

As soon as the owl snatched Misty, Diverse leapt into action.

Diverse spread her filament wings wide to capture the breeze. Unseen by Misty, moonlight seemingly bent through Diverse’s strange filaments producing a rainbow-like fractal for a second as she activated her Breezie-magic.

Unbeknownst to Misty and as a result of Diverse’s spell, a gentle force captures hold of Misty’s Breezie form [Diverse’s magic is not unlike the telekinesis of a unicorn] and draws Diverse to her. Diverse lets go of her perch on Gathii – yelling a torrent of high-pitched Breezie epithets at him and allows herself to be carried by her magic at a pace beyond that of any Breezie towards Misty, whose magical signature she is locked into.

As the owl nest comes into view Diverse mutters a Breezie prayer for herself and begins to dance, trying to make her wings catch the breeze – all the while listening for the yelps of pain or even crunching of beak on limb that would signal the worst. She thanks the Mistress of the Wind that this owl does not seem to be hungry – perhaps it just wanted to store Misty for later? Eventually, the night breeze filters through the forest and Diverse’s spell catches – she shapes it into a sleep spell to lull the avian predator to sleep. The effort of producing another spell nearly exhausts her, but she is driven by her sense of obligation towards the poor Breezie, now doubly endangered by her Zebra steed L, and her frenzied dancing in the light of the moon ignites a dark magic from Diverse’s wings – shadows creep into the owl’s nest and clutch it darkly.

From Misty’s perspective the owl calms, then its lids close. Diverse lands in the lair and calls out to Misty desperately in a voice laden with exhaustion but also sorrow that she had brought new danger to Misty. “Are you ok? I’m sorry about Gathii!”

 

[Misty]

Misty watched as the owl fell asleep. It was the strangest thing, one moment, the owl was wide awake, the next moment, the owl sleepily closed it's eyes. This confused Misty, because she was pretty sure owls were nocturnal. Before she had a chance to pounder why, Diverse flew in, apologizing about what happened earlier. Misty dabbed the tears from her eyes as she looked towards Diverse. 

Then, she looked at herself. when the owl had grabbed her, it had bent her wings into unnatural positions. She pulled them back into their natural positions, but they still hurt. She was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to fly tonight. She hoped that this problem would be gone by tomorrow.

"I don't think I will be able to fly well tonight. What should we do?" Misty asked. As for what happened with Gathii, she tried to argue with herself saying that any zebra would have done that and she barely knew him, but still felt a bit salty about it. She wasn't going to say that to Diverse though, considering that it seemed that Diverse knew Gathii for a significantly longer time than her.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Ocean Wavedream

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse’s heart leapt as she heard Misty’s voice. She creeps cautiously into the tree hollow – eyes peeled for any other sources of danger. Fortunately no tell-tale rustle heralds an attack by any other night creature. For the moment her instinctual Breezie fear at being out and alone at night is overridden by concern for Misty.

Diverse lands on the tree, furls her wings, and creeps, insect-like, along the top of the hollow around the now somnambulant owl. She puts a warning hoof to her lips to indicate that they need to speak quietly – the owl was only temporarily put to sleep, not like the awful incantation for which she had been exiled, from which her victim had never awoken.

Diverse casts a critical eye over Misty, checking her frail body and thanking the Mistress that she is not more badly hurt– she already felt terribly guilty about Misty and didn’t want to be responsible for any more misfortune befalling her new Breezie acquaintance.

She could tell that Misty would not be able to fly tonight, and her wings would no doubt need repair in the morning… that meant gossamer and magic, neither of which were available nearby, but that was an issue for later - the immediate problem was safe shelter and escaping the lair of this predator!

She whispers for Misty to follow her out of the lair before continuing the conversation. Once they are outside she whispers, “The owl will wake up soon. We must go. I can carry you a little distance.” (Diverse was a strong flier for a Breezie and could even flutter a short distance without the breeze, but after her spell-casting was now in no condition to fly far, even if she was only carrying herself.) “We can shelter away from here, high up, camouflaged.” She unfurls her wings and flutters then in the evening breeze briefly – thankfully there was a breeze or they would have been trapped on the tree with the owl!

In the gloom of the evening neither breezie could make out much around them, but there were forest trees visible which could provide a temporary breezie-birth. Hopefully none harboured any more predators…

She holds out her teeny hoof to Misty. “Let’s go.” She hopes that Misty trusts her enough to be carried by her.  

 

[Misty]

Misty grabbed onto Diverse's hoof. They carefully skirted around the sleeping owl and headed outside. Misty felt kind of nervous about trusting Diverse to carry her. She seemed kind of skeptical that Diverse would be that strong, but considering there weren't any better options, Misty let Diverse wrap herself around Misty and carry her. Using the breeze, they flew a short distance to another tree. They settled in an area between the branches that was well hidden away from both the ground and the sky.

When Diverse let go of Misty on the branch, Misty started massaging parts of herself. They still hurt after the way the owl had grabbed her. "I have so many questions. What made you decide to do all that to save me? Why did the enclave send you here? How do we find Windermare and Breezy Gale on the morning? How were you able to do such powerful magic and put the owl to sleep? And what about your friend Gathii?" Misty asked. Even though Gathii had left an awful first impression on her, now that they were out of danger, (for now,) Misty couldn't help but to felt bad for Diverse. They appeared to know each other quite well.

She heard hoof steps from underneath the tree and she peered over the edge instinctively. She immediately noticed unmistakable pattern of black and white stripes.

"Well that answers the last question. How do you know him?" Diverse asked as she shifted back to the middle of the branch.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Ocean Wavedream

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse pants in the quiet of the branch hollow, truly spent from the recent exertions. Her wings droop and even the light from her antennae is dim. (If Flutters could see Diverse she would order her to bed :p ) Diverse anxiously looks upward to see if there was moonlight, knowing she would feel better if she could bask in its rays a while.

As Misty asks about Diverse’s background and nature Diverse flutters her wings nervously – she would have to tell Misty eventually. She is especially nervous about revealing her spell casting to Misty – normal Breezie magic was used for collecting pollen or repairing a wing and never telekinesis or affecting the minds of creatures. In her two pony years of exile, Diverse had been forced to develop her magical abilities – she had found out that on a moonlit evening and in the breeze her innate breezie magic was much stronger and she eventually learned that specific dances and gestures while praying to the moon gave her the ability to cast some minor spells. That was why she had been out with Gathii in the evening to collect pollen – Diverse preferred to face the dangerous outside world when she could use her magic to protect herself.

Fortunately Gathii turns up just in time to save her from the difficult questions! The big dumb giant-kin zebra could be useful for some things afterall, she thought. “Gathii!” she calls out to him, pulsing her antennae and waving her hoof to get his attention. The zebra, who had been sniffing the air, stops and looks around uncertainly. “He must have been following the smell of the pollen we’d been collecting.” Diverse laughs with relief. She had been dreading a night outside in the dangerous woods without her magic to protect them, even in their little shelter. Misty and Diverse’s polleny wings were shedding a little, sending motes of dust into the atmosphere.

Diverse carefully begins to descend the tree towards the zebra, motioning for Misty to follow. “Oh I met Gathii many moons ago.” she replies to the last of Misty’s questions. “He’s more of a co-worker than a friend.” she adds. “When the moon is right I collect and enchant pollen for the flowers he sells to the other non-stripey giants.” She explains. “He’s alright for a giant, but us little-kin like us are never truly safe around them.” Diverse thinks of the many, many times she has almost been stood on, eaten or lost to the wind over her two years of life away from the magical breezie enclave. What had just happened to Misty illustrated why Breezies needed their magical home - and why her exile had been so painful.

Gathii’s ears are down with anxiety and he is looking about warily for danger. Eventually he sees the luminescent antennae of the two little Breezies as they clamber down the tree and he motions for them to hurry onto him. He calls out to them ‘quietly’ (to a Breezie it was still very loud - like a giant trying to whisper). He gestures to Misty and says something in his strange language.

“He asks if you’re ok and says he is sorry and not to be frightened.” Diverse translates quickly. She would very much like to be angrier with Gathii for what he had done, but now wasn’t the time and she was exhausted. “He promises not to be a big clumsy giant and asks for you to ride on him back to his home so we can get out of this dangerous wood.”  She adds: “You can trust him, he’s carried me safely this far.” Gathii places his large furry zebra head against the tree so both Breezies can climb aboard. Diverse hops on, before offering a hoof to help Misty on board, mindful of her damaged wings.

[Misty]

Misty reluctantly agreed to get on the back of Gathii. Gathii had left an awful first impression on her, but she was still arguing with herself that it wasn't completely her fault. Gathii started trotting, somewhere, Misty still wasn't exactly sure where, but after almost being eaten by an owl, just about anything seemed better than spending the night out in the woods. She desperately wanted to get back to the breezie enclave where they didn't have to worry about giants attacking or trampling them. 

Riding on a giant like Gathii was unlike anything Misty had ever experienced before. The surroundings were practically flying by yet Gathii wasn't even breathing heavily. Then there was the noise and vibrations. It was loud, and Misty was gripping Diverse's hoof so tight Diverse's hoof was turning white in fear of falling off. However, Misty noticed that she wasn't the only one that was nervous. Diverse was friendly, but she seemed to be avoiding Misty's questions ever since they first meet.

"Well? Are you going to answer my questions? Why are you avoiding my questions?" Misty pressed.

Edited July 15, 2021 by Ocean Wavedream

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

 

Diverse guided Misty to the middle of Gathii’s broad back. Gathii’s strong shoulders and level haunches lurched in a rolling quadrupedal gait. Diverse motioned to Misty to tuck her wings in and stay low to Gathi’s frame to avoid losing her balance and falling off (something that had happened to Diverse often when she first tried to ride giant-kin). When Misty pressed her to answer her questions she hesitated a while. Diverse was worried that if she gave full answers Misty would be frightened and flutter away – she felt that she had to be as revealing as she could be, without losing this fortuitous connection to home. Initially she fobbed Misty off with small talk about the migration – the pollen harvest, winds etc, but eventually she began to talk...

 

First she elaborated on her companion Gathii. She met him collecting pollen in the very same fields that Misty was farming when they met, about one pony year ago. She had hidden from him at first – him being a strange stripey giant-kin, but she had seen that he avoided trampling the bees and butterfly little-folk who tended the flowers and he was also respectful of the flowers themselves. Once she had revealed herself to him he was fascinated. He had never heard of seen one of her kind – just as she had not seen his. He was very knowledgeable about flowers and he told her about many kinds of flowers that lived in the giant-world which she had never seen – in turn she told him of the magical Breezie fauna, native to Breezie village, which no giant-kin had ever seen (to her knowledge – she doesn’t know about Twi and the Mane 6’s transformation which occurred after the annual migration detoured through Ponyville). If their conversation had ended there then they would have parted ways – it was when Gathii revealed that he was shunned by giant-kin ponies that she felt she could trust him enough to stay with him. Gathii agreed that if she kept him company, collected pollen and agreed to infuse his blooms with her Breezie magic, then he would protect her and let him stay with her. He was a fairly gruff zebra – he didn’t about his past much and resented questions about it (Diverse was similarly reticent about her past to Gathii – although she doesn’t tell Misty that) and Diverse was happy to leave it like that. During the conversation about Gathii, the zebra would occasionally interject when he heard his name, and Diverse would respond, translating the breezie conversation for the benefit of the Zebra.

 

Secondly she explained her magic. She was a bit more coy about this… leaving out the details of the spell she cast on the pony which lead to her exile. She explained about the wind and moon and her dancing which allowed her to cast magic. She says proudly that she had first learned how to cast magic in Breezie village when she had been threatened by a spider and that ever since then when she prayed to the moon and danced in the breeze she had been able to cast minor spells which allowed her to influence simple minded critters and create minor telekinetic effects – enough to pull things to her or push her to them without the breeze. These abilities had been invaluable in allowing her to exist in giant-lands for periods between giant-kin help. She explained that using these abilities and her knowledge of existing in this challenging environment was how she had been able to save Misty from the owl.

 

Thirdly, in relation to Misty’s companions, Diverse placed a sympathetic hoof on Misty’s shoulder. She recited a familiar Breezie lament when a fellow Breezie is lost to the winds, and hope that they will be soon be returned. She said that she hoped that they might have been blown back to the Breezie enclave or that the boss of their team might have organised a Breezie search party for them (and Misty) and they might be found. She said that they would all head to the forest first thing tomorrow morning, when it was safest for Gathii and would try to look for the others, but that it would be difficult to track them. As the two Breezies were nattering on Gathi’s back, Diverse having appraised himself of what they were talking about, the zebra offered to approach the local pony villagers and ask them for help. He didn’t like trying to talk to the ponies, who seemed to be frightened of him, and Diverse liked the idea even less – but Diverse and Gathii accepted that they could possibly help.

 

Finally, in terms of why the enclave sent her here, Diverse became very reticent. Eventually she said that the enclave sent her here because she was different and it was best for her not to be around the other Breezies. She admitted that she hadn’t even been on the migration and had in fact left Breezie village two pony years ago. She did not say that she was exiled, nor the reason why she was exiled.

 

During all this Diverse had many questions of her Breezie home which she interspersed among her responses to Misty’s questions. It had been a long time since Diverse had been able to talk to any of her kin and she was eager to find out how things were back home. She asked after her mom and dad. (Diverse’s mother would be known to Misty – she was called Blossom Swirl and, though now an elder, had led migrations and was a respected figure of the homely Breezie community – often consulted on important matters; she was in good health although now in her later years. Diverse’s father, Sea Mist, was a reclusive Breezie and Misty may well not know him. If she had a good memory for Breezie faces then she might recognise his description - he was healthy.) And her best friend Sea Breeze? (he is the leader of the group of Breezies from It Ain’t Easy Being Breezie) – Sea Breeze had been a young rival when she was an older Breezie Boss on a migration 3 pony years ago.

 

She also had questions about Misty’s immediate migration: Had there been any incidents in the long migration this year? Especially when crossing giant-kin lands safely?

[Misty]

"So let me get this straight, you got kicked out of the enclave for being different, so you survived by cooperating with a zebra florist and using magic from the moon? Interesting... Well that explains why you seemed to be hiding something ever since we first meet." Misty said. When Diverse asked questions about the enclave, Misty filled her in. Not much had changed in the breezie enclave since she left.

Blossom Swirl was still in the group of elders, making sure that the enclave was running smoothly, which it was except for the pollen shortage. Misty vaguely remembered that she had an incident with her daughter when Misty was quite young, and she got banished because of it. Realization dawned on her. "You are Blossom Swirl's daughter? The one that got banished? That explains so much. She says that she is the only breezie that still remembers what happened and she refused to say why. I guess your explaination explains it. Sometimes, when she thinks no breezie is looking, she sobs in a corner."

Misty admitted that she never heard of Sea Mist, so she couldn't say anything about him.

As for Sea Breeze? He had changed the most. Breezies gradually stopped tolerating his condescending attitude toward his followers. He eventually changed his attitude, but by then, the breezies had moved on, opting to follow other leaders, or even pioneering a group without a leader. Like the group with Misty, Windermare, and Breezy Gale. 

Misty explained how the migration this year was significantly harder due to the pollen being thinner. They had to travel significantly further, but the giants weren't as much of a problem as they thought, especially the pastel colored ones. Misty said that the winged ones usually helped by providing the breeze needed for the migration, but even the non-winged ones have tried to be helpful.

Apparently, she had heard that a light yellow winged giant was spreading around messages called kindness and friendship. Misty couldn't remember her name though. Sea Breeze claimed that it was Fluttershy and she helped him realize the importance of kindness, though nobody else believed him and they all thought it was Shutterfly.

Misty mentioned the kindness and friendship that was going around the enclave, but didn't mention the giant because she dismissed it as grapevine gossip for why all the ponies have been acting so kind recently. There had to be a different reason, Misty argued with herself.

"Also, where are we going?"

---

Misty was part of a different group lead by a different leader when the events of "It ain't easy being a breezie" happened. It was Misty's first migration and Misty flew through Ponyville and arrived back at the enclave uneventfully. Some of the details appeared fuzzy because for Misty and most other breezies, it was a very long time ago.

Edited July 16, 2021 by Ocean Wavedream

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse relaxes a little when she hears that her mom and dad were healthy. She has a brief pique at her mom sobbing for her - thinking that if it wasn't for her mom's ideas she wouldn't have cast that spell and would have just been a normal pollinator Breezie like Misty. On the other hoof, she misses them and loves them and the thought of them continuing with their Breezie lives tugs at her heart.

Diverse struggled to hear about Sea Breeze. She had always admired his spirit, if not his attitude, and the fact that he led his team to safety. But she was glad to see that his attitude had changed and that others had succeeded him and was all the more eager to find Misty's friends.

Diverse raised her eyebrows on hearing that feathered ponies had helped Breezies, and she noted the idea of a yellow feathered giant - it rang a bell.

As Misty asked where they were going Diverse pointed to a large jungle tree that had just come into view, "Oh to Gathii's place... here."

--

(Diverse was a year before that migration.)

[Misty]

Just as Misty brought up the question of where they were going, Gathii started slowing down. It appeared to be a very large jungle tree with a door in it. Misty couldn't help but to draw similarities to the three hollow that they were in earlier. She was a bit suspicious about entering a confined space with creatures she just meet with what happened earlier, but on the ride over, Gathii had apologized for what happened when they first met. Misty figured that she could trust them. Plus, she was exhausted. A normal migration was tiring enough, but she had volunteered to do another, and that was before the whole incident with Gathii and the owl.

Gathii opened the door and Misty got her first look inside. Since it was a tree, the walls and the floor were made of wood. However, there were flowers everywhere, in pots with soil, in vases with water, hanging to dry, and being arranged in bouquets. Then there was the pollen! It had practically snapped Misty awake again. When the initial shock faded away, Misty's tiredness set back in again. 

"Oh... I'm so tired, where could we hit the hey?" asked Misty with a yawn.

Edited July 17, 2021 by Ocean Wavedream

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse sensed Misty’s trepidation and gave her hoof a light squeeze to reassure her. Gathii;s tree-interior was warm and gloomy and the air was thick with the scent from the many flowers.. Some of these would be familiar from Misty’s migtations but many were strange and exotic. One in particular would stand out: a gigantic basket of fleshy white petalled plants (hyacinths) which dominated a central table. The plants emitted a luscious perfume which fought with the smoke coming from a gently burning wood-stove which was casting a warm glow over the interior. As could be expected for a giant-kin house, everything was huge: plant pots the size of garden sheds, a bed the size of a large Breezie house and a cliff-like staircase that ascended round the outside of the tree to an unfathomable height.

“Oh you can kip on my bed… since you’re my guest.” Diverse said sleepily in response to Misty;s query. Diverse stifled a yawn as she returned to the now familiar house of her Zebra companion – also eager for sleep. As Diverse said this, Gathii looked over his shoulder and said something in Equestrian, giving Misty a rare smile. The words didn’t need translating – it was clearly a welcome. Diverse responded to Gaathi in Equestrian – gesturing at the window and at the table. Gathii nodded and gently placed Misty on his giant table next to the basket of strongly perfumed white flowers. Next Gathii trotted up to the window where there was an adorable tiny Breezie bed. Gathii moved the bed from the window and, lifting the large basket of hyacinths out of the way, placed the bed in its place -  in the centre of the table, where it would catch the warmth of the stove. The bed was simply made and sported a little duvet with tiny hearts and clouds sewn into it and a dandelion seed stuffed mattress and pillows.

“Night night Misty.” Diverse called out, once Misty was snuggled up in the little bed.

Gathii placed Diverse in the window where the bed had been and trotted up the stairs. If Misty is looking, she will see that Diverse is lit up in the moonlight, her wings spread fully which seem to sparkle dimly as the moonlight hits them. (Misty may see the dark pigment in them but it is hard to spot against the dimness of the room) Gathii returns shortly with a large floppy red woolen thing (a woollen hat he wears in winter) and places it in the window next to Diverse – careful not to disturb her delicate wings. Diverse hops into the hat, which envelops her, and she lies tummy down, wings still spread wide so that they spill out of her little improvised beanie nest. It is noticeable that as the moonlight envelopes her wings, the luminescence of her antennae begins to increase – like a torch battery being recharged…

[Misty]

Misty fell asleep watching Diverse's glowing antennae. She thought that she would have a harder time falling asleep considering she was in an unfamiliar place and all, but there was something calming about all the flowers everywhere and Diverse's glowing antennae. Plus, Misty was absolutely exhausted.

The next day, Misty woke up gradually. She felt like she had never slept that well in her life. At first, she couldn't understand why everything around her was so large, but then it all came flashing back to her. She noticed that Diverse was just waking up too. By now, it was mid morning. Misty opened her wings and tried to fly, but couldn't. It only hurt slightly when she tried to move her wings, but didn't hurt when she kept them still.

Shoot, it looks like I won't be able to fly. I hope that Diverse or the Breezie enclave would have something to fix this, or that it is temporary.

Suddenly, she remembered that Breezy Gale and Windermare were still out there. She shuttered to think what could have happened to them last night.

"Hey, Diverse! We have to find Breezy Gale and Windermare and get back to the Breezie enclave as soon as possiable!" Misty shouted.

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse had been having a familiar nightmare that she’d had ever since her first migration. Sea Breeze, then a young fledgling flier, was flailing helplessly in a gust and Diverse – who in her dream lacked magic – was crying out for some-Breezie to help her. Then Sea Breeze became Misty and the creature became an owl and she was crying and crying out for help – just as its evil beak bit down she woke up with a flutter. “Nooo!” She said, jerking out of sleep.

 

As Diverse fluttered up in shock, Misty could see her lit up in the sunlit window where her improvised giant hat bed had been set up. Her wings were fully displayed in the sun-beams: large black stripes patterned them. This would come as a bit of a shock to Misty as the stripes had not been visible in the evening gloom of yesterday.

 

Diverse flutters over to Misty, and the two Breezies greeted each other. She looked over Misty’s wings critically. From a brief query it was clear that Misty’s wings were in no condition to fly. Diverse nodded seriously at Misty’s urgency about finding her friends.

 

Diverse explained that they might need Gathii and so she flutters upstairs to wake the Zebra, who soon returned, yawning, with Diverse on his back. After the zebra greets Misty, and has a quick breakfast, they discuss what happened to Misty’s companions, going over the options Diverse had mentioned yesterday as they travelled back to Gathii’s home.

 

As they discussed a few possibilities emerged:

1. They might have been blown back to the Breezie enclave or be found already by a Breezie search party for them. Diverse adds that the enclave would be wondering about Misty too.
2. They could set off together to search for her companions, starting at the pollen field where Diverse and Misty met. If there was a breezie search party looking for the lost pollinators then we could join forces with them and search together.
3. Gathii could approach the local pony villagers and ask them for help. Neither Gathii or Diverse liked the idea very much as they had difficult experiences with ponies, but there were prepared to try for Misty.

Diverse and Gathii look to Misty for the final say on which option to go with, or whether she has a better idea about finding her companions.

[Misty]

"Hmm," Misty thought, mulling over each of the options thoroughly, "Well the first option definitely could have been a possibility. I would assume that if there was a Breezie search party, they would start in the meadow. It would make sense for us to start there too. I think I might have saw them somewhere in the meadow when the owl was flying me to her hollow, though it has been almost twelve hours since then."

Misty also expressed her dislike for the third idea. She nearly died three times because of giants, so she planned on avoiding them if she could. Misty also knew that there was the possibility that they wouldn't be found, and just thinking about that made her want to throw up, but she hoped that it was a bridge that they wouldn't have to cross.

"I think that if we can't find them by the time the sun sets, they are either gone, or found their way back to the enclave. By then I should probably head back to the enclave too and hope it's the later rather than the former. Do you have any plans for searching the meadow?"

Misty noticed the black striped wings on Diverse for the first time. She decided not to ask immediately, preferring to focus at the task on hoof. She would bring it up when the opportunity arises.

Edited July 19, 2021 by Ocean Wavedream

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

With the plan settled they all prepare to leave. Gathii trots around tending to his flowers. As Gathii is tending to the garden flowers Misty sees a flower that is familiar and yet strange – a giant white and purple tulip-like plant that she would recognise from the Breezie village. As Gathii tends to this exotic flower Diverse dances above it, shedding some of the pollen she had gathered, which glitters with a little of her Breezie magic – activated by the light morning breeze. As her magic catches, the clear parts of her wings sparkle a little – although it may just be the noon-day sun. Seeing Misty’s anxiety to get toing both Gathii and Diverse hurry along the ritual and both Breezies are soon on Gathii’s back.

 

As they journey towards the meadow, Diverse small talks about Breezie village: her house and garden (one of the bigger toadstools – now home to another Breezie family), some of her school friends other than Sea Breeze, Sea Breeze’s mate and family etc. She will discuss her life with Gathii if Misty is interested, but is reticent about times before that.

 

After a while, Diverse’s conversation turns to Misty. She praises her for volunteering for the Village and thanks her for not being too shocked by Diverse’s appearance. She asks after Misty’s family, why she became a pollinator, and whether she had a special some-Breezie back in Breezie village waiting for her (:P)

 

By the final leg of the journey Diverse’s questions turn to the important question of Misty's companions and the temporary Breezie enclave the Breezie’s were camping in on the migration. In relation to the companions, Diverse wanted to know how capable they were and if Misty thought they knew how to survive in giant-lands eg to hide in the trees overnight? Diverse asked after their personalities – were they shy or bold, kind or hard? In relation to the enclave, Diverse wished to know where it was this year and whether there was an overall migration leader or collective leadership and who they were and whether there were any older Breezies among the migration (ie Breezies who might remember Diverse before she became Diverse).

 

After the long journey on Gathii’s rolling back, the breeezies arrived at the field. They see no signs of the patrol Misty saw, nor of her companions, but as Gathii trots over to where they found Misty last evening both Breezies pick up a persistent wind blowing into the nearby forest and have to clutch tightly to Gathii to avoid being blown away themselves…

[Misty]

On the ride over, Diverse and Misty talked about a wide variety of subjects. It seemed that Diverse was a pretty popular leader before "the incident". Most breezies just seemed to accept that she had magical powers. But then again, the same could be said about Sea Breeze before his downfall too. Misty talked about how she thought it was her duty to be a pollinator for the enclave, but it seemed like fate hated her, so she hated fate back. She mentioned how it felt like she tempted fate by volunteering to go on the extra migration to get the amount necessary, yet she simultaneously felt obligated to for the enclave.  Diverse brought up Windermare and Breezy Gale, so Misty talked about them.

"Windermare and Breezy Gale are pretty bold. I mean, it does take a certain kind of breezie to volunteer to do another migration to get the pollen needed. They are certainly bolder than me, because they were the first two to volunteer. I only joined in because they needed one more breezie and there was that minute of silent torture where no breezie even dared to move a muscle. They are pretty nice though, because nobody wants to be like Sea Breeze. Breezies don't know how to survive outside, which is why nobody wants to volunteer and why everybody is despite to get back to the enclave as soon as possible. Speaking of which, the portal closes tonight! I guess that puts a hard deadline on finding them."

Misty also mentioned how the enclave used to have a really strong hierarchy, lead by the Council of Elders, and there would be a team leader for each team, but recently, they started pioneering groups with collective leadership. Misty clarified that migration had already finished because their group was the only group left and the portal was closing soon.

"So no, unless if there is a search party, you won't run into any other breezies other than Windermare and Breezy Gale. In fact, once we get this basket back to the enclave, we would have enough pollen dispute the shortages this year." Misty said, gesturing to her baskets, which somehow, were still full of pollen. By then, they had arrived in the meadow.

"Oh dear, the wind is awfully strong today, what should we do?" Misty asked, while hanging onto Gathii for dear life, "I remember seeing a pair of breezie antennae somewhere in the meadow when the owl grabbed me. I think they might have been Windermare and Breezy Gale, but I can't be sure. Do you recall which way they flew? I doubt it would have been the search party given that it could have only been two breezies and they probably wouldn't have sent out a search party so soon. I don't remember which direction the owl flew though. It was quite dark." Misty shuttered when she recalled what happened last night.

Misty sighed. Despite her not really knowing the other two Breezies that well, it was still pretty distressing that they could have gone missing. She desperately hoped that they would be found. She looked around. This was indeed the meadow that they were in yesterday. The only thing different was that Breezy Gale and Windermare are nowhere to be seen.

[Diverse/Petal Swirl]

Diverse was interested to hear about the council of Elders, butt was also a little concerned – Breezies could be flighty and she had been in groups that would rather have fun fluttering about than do the hard work of the migration. Perhaps the new collaborative model helped motivate every-Breezie? She admired Misty’s can-do attitude and sacrifice for the Breezie enclave. She knew it was tough trying to brave the giant-lands.

 

Diverse was also glad to hear that Misty’s companions were courageous Breezies – hopefully they would not have panicked like other Breezies would and had tried to find some shelter. Diverse agreed, however, that the sooner they were found and returned to the enclave, the better. The urgency to return to the enclave was all the more acute given the portal – once that closed it could not be opened again for many moons and Misty and her friends would be trapped in the giant-lands! Furthermore, if that happened, then all the pollen collected by Misty, Windermare and Breezy Gale would be lost to the enclave which would in turn damage the harvest for the entire enclave.

 

Diverse understood that they would be alone on this task, given the lack of a patrol, and began the search proper. She looked around the meadow for any sign of an antennae, but she hoped that Windermare or Breezy Gale had not sheltered in the open meadow. As Misty had seen last night, thee meadow at night was no place for a vulnerable Breezie, where hunting birds and other nocturnal creatures could easily spot them and carry them off.

 

“I think they may have been blown into the forest by this wind after Gathii startled them!” Diverse cried out over the wind which was whipping at her vulnerable wing filaments and causing her antennae to fly about. Diverse crouches low to Gathii to get out of the worst of the wind. “We’ll start the search there, unless you think they might have sheltered elsewhere?”

 

The giant forest loomed ahead of Misty. In the night its size had not been apparent to the little Breezie but in the day-light the trees reached into the sky like green-topped mountains. She could see vines hanging from some of the taller trees, and a miscellany of forest bushes, some with bright-white berries – brilliant in the afternoon sun. She had seen the forest when collecting pollen with Windermare and Breezy Gale and all breezies had avoided it – forests harboured so many dangers for little-kin, even during the day. Not owls, of course, but wasps, spiders and their tricky webs, and even amphibians with their sticky tongues – always ready to trap an incautious Breezie.

 

If Misty agrees to search in the forest, Gathii will trot into it at Diverse’s direction.