//------------------------------// // Chapter X: The Platypus Stared // Story: I Would Give to You // by Jet Howitzer //------------------------------// (Another chapter? Yes, good readers, another chapter. This one's for you, Platypus.) With a shudder you felt Twilight’s magic begin to flow through your wings. Every few moments the tingle that pulsed along your wings would intensify for a moment, and a sharp spike of pain would rush through your mind. You felt sweat run down your brow, and you had to fight to remain still through the process. After what seemed an inordinate amount of time the mare’s horn finally stopped glowing. You looked to the mare with eyes wide, as she was shaking on her hooves. You dashed forward as she began to fall, and you winced as your body protested the sudden burst of motion. You reached her just before she hit the ground, and you gently lowered her to the ground. She was shaking in your grasp some, and she felt a bit warm to the touch. She smiled at you, though, and you smiled back at her. For several minutes you simply gazed at her, content for the moment to bask in her happiness. The moment couldn’t last, though, as your body started to ache. The lances of pain that had flown through you mere minutes ago were taking their toll on you, and you found your smile growing harder to maintain. A particularly painful jolt shattered your smile completely, and it was only by the grace of Celestia that you managed not to shout out in agony. However, as the pain flew through you, you felt a strange sense of happiness pass through you. You glanced over your shoulder to see that your wings were both standing outstretched, without Twilight’s aura surrounding them. The pain, you now recognized, was one of an intense cramp. You could remember these from when you first started the long distance exercises from training. You felt a laugh escape your lips, and you attempted to move your wings, eliciting another pang of pain, but the reward of seeing your wings move was worth it. You flapped several more times, the pulse of pain diminishing with each pulse of your outstretched wings. You picked up speed in your flaps, the adrenaline flowing through you pushing the pain from your awareness. Soon you felt the familiar sensation of lightness reach your hooves. With a triumphant shout you lifted off of the ground, hovering just above the wooden floor of Twilight’s home. The finer degree of control that you remembered escaped you, but you knew that that would come with time. You allowed your pace to slow some, and with elegance you touched down. The mare, through all this, had moved into a sitting position, and she was smiling at you. You lunged at her with laughter echoing through her home. You had her pinned in a massive hug, and for several minutes you just embraced her. “Twilight, what you’ve given to me… I don’t know how I can repay you.” The mare pushed you back some, and she looked into your eyes. Within her eyes you could see a small spark. As you looked at her you felt lost within her gaze. Her lips brushed against yours, and they retreated a moment later. You wanted more from the mare, but you also didn’t want to force her into anything, so you contented yourself with just looking at her. “My books told me that a teasing kiss like that would make you take the initiative, and then you’d kiss me.” Twilight’s lips were curved down just slightly as she continued. “Did I do something wrong?” You stared at the mare for several moments, trying to process what she had just said. “No, Twilight, you didn’t do anything wrong. I just figured that if you wanted to kiss you’d just have at it, rather than taunt me with feather light kisses.” You gave her a quick kiss, and then you pulled back. “Besides, books are only right some of the time. In something like this you have to let instinct control where you go, and what you do.” Without another word, you planted a long, passionate, kiss on the mare’s lips. She reciprocated in time, and soon the two of you were dueling in your mouths. However, the mare soon pressed a hoof into your chest, and you reluctantly backed off. Her breathing was rapid, and her cheeks were flushed. You even thought you saw a faint glow about her horn. “Please, not yet.” You smiled down at her, and with a large degree of reluctance you moved off of her. She stayed there for a few minutes as her breathing slowed to a normal pace, and you did the same in that period of time. “Maybe in a few days, but… Just, not yet. I’m not ready.” You nodded in assent, and you offered a hoof to help the mare to rise to her hooves. She stood slowly, her hooves still shaking somewhat beneath her. You folded your wings back to your sides slowly, fearing a stab of pain or a creak of joints, but there was nothing. It wasn’t resting quite right at your side, and you quickly put it back in place properly. While you had been messing with your wing Twilight had put away the massive tome she had pulled out, and then she looked at you. When you finally finished with your wings you began walking to the door. The mare looked at you with a trace of doubt in her eyes, and you paused when you noticed it. “Is something wrong, Twi?” “You aren’t upset with me, are you?” The question seemed a bit off, at first, but the context clues quickly came together, and you realized just what she was asking. “No, Twilight, I’m not upset. I would’ve liked to go further with you, but if you aren’t ready, that’s fine by me. I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” A chuckle escapes you as you begin putting together the pieces in your head. “I mean, we are moving a bit fast, now that you mention it. Some more time to get to know each other would be a good thing. Anyway, I need to get back to Flutters.” “Right. Well, I need to go and make sure that the town is fully prepared for the arrival of the Princess tomorrow.” Her voice seemed to trail off, and you could tell that there were things she hadn’t said. “How about we get some dinner together tonight? Spend some more quality time together, and just mingle some.” The mare nodded quickly in response, and her cheeks flushed a bit. “I’d like that. Quite a bit, actually. How does seven o’clock sound?” This time you are the one to nod, and within minutes you were making your way back to Fluttershy’s cottage. You had a noticeable spring in your step, and the only thing that kept you from taking to the skies was the lack of knowledge about just how damaged your wings still were. It’d been months since your last flight, you figured that you could wait a few more days. Still, the excitement came out in every step, and you didn’t care who saw. Soon enough you had cleared the edge of town, and you were happily bouncing along the road towards Fluttershy’s cottage. As you neared it you spotted Fluttershy moving amongst the trees, her motions indicating that she was likely speaking with several birds. As you crossed the small bridge before Fluttershy’s home you had to stop while the platypus stared at you for a moment. He met your eyes, and for just a moment there seemed to be far more to that platypus than you could ever hope to know. You gently reached out a hoof, and you prodded the creature along. With that obstacle cleared, you headed towards Fluttershy. She was elegantly hovering near the tree, and as you grew closer you could see the birds she was speaking to. Her voice was too quiet for you to make out, but you didn’t really think it all that important. You sat down on the warm grass and you waited for Fluttershy to finish with the birds. After several minutes the mare finally lowered to the ground, and she turned to face you. As she spotted you she froze for a moment, before she relaxed. “Oh, you startled me for a moment. How was your visit with Twilight?” Rather than answer her with words, you opted to show her. With a rustling noise your wings quickly stretched out to either side of you, their impressive span casting a large shadow. Fluttershy gasped in surprise, and then she jumped forward giving you a large hug. “I’m so happy for you! You can finally fly again.” You let the hug linger for a moment, before you gently broke the embrace. “Well, actually, I can’t fly just yet. Or, I don’t think I can. I don’t know how much Twilight managed to get done with my wings, and I still can’t control them fully. So, I don’t want to risk it until I know just how much control I have over them.” Fluttershy nodded, but her smile didn’t fade at all. “But still, this is a huge improvement. You can move them, and that’s the biggest obstacle.” “Yeah, and I even managed to advance my relationship with Twilight. I’m certain that there’s something there, now. She practically said so. And now I’ve got a date with her for tonight.” “That’s great! But, um… How will you pay for it? You still don’t have any bits.” You just look at the mare for a moment, and then you bring your hoof to your forehead slowly, and you close your eyes. “Wow. Way to go me.” “Um, if you need some money, I could loan you some. I don’t really need that much, and so if you need some, I could let you have some.” Despite her ability to speak to you without her shyness showing through, this offer was still a bit off for her, and her shyness manifested itself once again. “That’d be great, actually. But I won’t accept it as a gift, I’ll pay you back.” Fluttershy smiled back at you. “I know you will. Now, how much do you think you’ll need? And where will you be taking her?” Again, you stared at her dumbly, not having an answer to either question. The yellow pegasus chuckled softly, and she shook her head. “That’s kind of what I thought. I’ll get some bits ready for you, but since it’s not even noon yet why don’t you find something useful to do with your time. Go and help some of the others with what they’re doing to prepare for the celebration. I’m all done here, so you’ll have to spend some time around Ponyville.” “I guess I can do that. I’ll be staying here for a while, anyway, so I might as well get used to it.” “That’s the spirit!” You grunted with effort as you balanced the massive cake on your back, its immense weight threatening to crush you. The pink mare had enthusiastically accepted your help, claiming that with your help things would be ‘Super-duper-extra-easy-peesy.’ Now that you realized what helping her entailed, you felt like you should’ve gone with helping Rarity with her frilly designs. Would’ve been easier than this… “Pinkie, I really hate to rush you, but this cake is exceptionally heavy, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep it up for much longer.” “Oh, don’t worry, silly. We’re almost to our destination. Just a few more blocks to go, and then it’s just right up Mane Street!” You fight the urge to drop the cake, and you simply plaster a smile on your face. Better to just grin and bear it than to try and explain just how hard this was. Despite your complaints, it didn’t actually take that long to get the cake to the town hall, and soon after you arrived the massive confectionary creation was taken off your back, and placed atop a massive pedestal. Even with your newfound hatred of the cake, and heavy things, you had to admire its immense beauty. Apparently the Cakes had been working on it for several days now, and it paid off. “Thanks so much for your help.” You turned at the voice, and you saw Mr. Cake approaching you, a smile on his face. “Pinkie would’ve been able to get it here on her own, but we’re still quite appreciative of your efforts.” You were about to respond, when the stallion produced a small pouch from his saddlebags. “This is for you, as a thank you from our family.” You took the proffered bag, and you smiled as you felt the coins within the bag. “Thank you, Mr. Cake. If you ever need some help, let me know. I’m always happy to lend a hoof.” A few pleasantries later, and you began making your way through town once again. This time you resolved not to pass up any job offered, since it didn’t turn out so well last time. Sadly, there didn’t seem to be much that you could help with, so you simply roamed the town. The streets were bustling with ponies rushing to and fro, each one offering a smile or a greeting as they went about their business. You soon found yourself near a park in the town, and you decided to cut through it, and head to the Carousel Boutique, to see if there was something you could do for the fashionista. You walked through the park happily, but a chilling tune caught your attention, and you searched for the source for several minutes before you found the source. Standing before you, in the midst of a small clearing, was a mint green unicorn, a lyre suspended before her. But that wasn’t what caught your attention. What really caught your eye was the lithe white dragon curled up in the clearing, watching the mare. You froze in place as the creature shifted its head to look at you, before it snorted once and rested its head on the ground once again. The mare stopped playing as the dragon snorted, and then she looked around, before she noticed you. She simply smiled and waved, before she resumed her playing. You backed away from the dragon slowly, not quite trusting it not to do anything. When you were well away from the dragon you resumed your trip to the boutique, hoping to avoid any more strangeness along the way. As you reached the edge of the park you spotted Twilight walking down the path, a piece of parchment floating before her. You pause as you wait for her to reach you, and then you fall into step beside her. She doesn’t notice you, as she is too busy with her list, and so you glance at what she still has to do, and you notice that you’re both headed to the same place. She begins muttering to herself, and you get an idea. “Make sure Fluttershy has the birds ready to sing when the Princess arrives: Check. Snacks, cakes, and other pastries supplied by the Cakes: Check. Make sure that decorations are both tasteful, and prepared: Not check.” She continues down her list for several more items, before you see that she is on the last item. “Make sure that weather for tomorrow is properly planned and prepared: Not check.” “Do your hair nice for the date tonight: Not check.” The mare frowns at her paper for a moment, and then she pulls out a quill and she begins writing on the parchment, before she stops writing, and walking. “Wait, that’s not supposed to be on this list.” Her confusion is apparent, and you burst into laughter. This snaps her out of her stupor, and soon after she is laughing with you. “What brings you around? I thought for sure you’d be helping Fluttershy with something.” You allow your laughter to die down before you respond. “Yeah, that’s what I thought too, but she told me that she was already done with that, so she sent me into town to help out where I could. Now I’m here, having helped the Cakes to move that monster of a cake to the town hall.” “Well that was nice of you. I’m certain they appreciated the help. Where are you off to now?” “I thought I’d see about helping Rarity, since I don’t think I want to lift any more cakes of that size. Honestly, I was opposed to the idea initially, but now I think that working with some fabric will be far easier than lifting cakes.” Twilight shook her head and she chuckled as the two of you began making your way towards the boutique. “If that’s what you think, then you don’t know Rarity that well at all.” The mare was right. More right than you could imagine. When you got to the boutique the alabaster unicorn was storming about as the ponies helping her were operating at a rate that was clearly not fast enough for her. Everything was the worst possible thing, and nothing ever seemed to go the right way where this mare was concerned. You stood back in silent awe as Twilight approached, and spoke with Rarity. When she finally came back she had a small smile on her face, and you watched as she put a small note next to the decorations on her checklist. “So, how about we go and see about that weather. Storm and Rainbow are pretty relaxed when it comes to the weather, and I could certainly do with something relaxing after talking with Rarity.” You nod, and the two of you head off towards Storm’s home, since, Twilight reasoned, they were both incredibly lazy, and they’d simply rush the job last minute. Still, it was on the list, so it needed to be checked. (Now then, you can fly (Sort of) once again. Where will this take you? Read on to find out!)