Ashwyn sat on the couch, a deep frown on her face. It had been a week since she had accidentally walked in on the Alpha while he was taking a bath. The sights she had witnessed were still stuck in her mind. It was an issue, but not the primary issue she was experiencing.
She was confused.
Everytime she would think about it, or have one of the images flash in her mind, she felt something. A familiar feeling in her chest that she had initially dubbed as the feeling of friendship. This incident made it clear that was not the case.
Now she had no idea what this feeling was, nor why she felt it so strongly for the Alpha. A fact that irritated her greatly.
If the Alpha had not gotten the Princess to clear her head, she might have thought that he was behind it. As it was, however, it was clearly not the case. This was a feeling that was her own. One that she, nor Inkheart, had felt before.
The subject of this feeling was in the basement, working on some project or another, giving her the perfect opportunity to try and solve the issue herself. Channeling a bit of her old life, she decided to investigate it. What did this feeling do to her?
It made her feel warm, certainly. Not hot, but a pleasant warmth that permeated throughout her body from her chest. Her cheeks would feel a little warmer too, but that could very well be due to the images in her mind now. Her heart rate would increase whenever he looked at her.
She frowned as she scratched her chin. It was in situations like this where she wished that Inkheart was more extroverted. Ashwyn was sure she would understand what she was feeling if Inkheart had just been more social. Who knows, she might have even had this feeling before if that were to have been the case.
Sadly, that was not who Inkheart was. Nor who Ashwyn was. Leaving her without any conclusion. She didn’t understand what those symptoms meant, so maybe she had to look at the cause?
In all cases, it had to do with the Alpha. Why? What was so special about him that made her feel this way?
Images flashed across her mind, bringing a red tint to her cheeks. She furiously shook her head to rid her mind of the thoughts.
Barring that, what did he do to make her feel like this?
Probably chief among them was his smile. She didn’t fully understand it. She didn’t feel it wrong to liken that smile to a drug. Every time he would do so, she couldn’t help but mirror it. She felt happy when she saw it. She felt even happier when it was directed at her. She had even found herself acting in ways to pull said smile out of him. Such as with her repeated asks for bacon. He seemed to find it amusing, and everytime he would smirk, filling her with the warmth she was now desperate to figure out.
It also seemed to crop up whenever she got close to him. Which was often, because of the feeling. The most prominent being when they would sleep. The Alpha would wrap his arms around her and hold her close. A grip she could easily break out of, but never had any intention of doing so. Resting there in his arms made her feel safe. The small smile on his face as he went to sleep certainly helped.
She greatly enjoyed the closeness of the situation. It was an experience she had shared with very few others. Namely her parents. Or Inkheart’s parents. Either way, it made her happy.
Of course, that wasn’t the only thing she did. The newest development being her resting her head in his lap. While not the same as being in his arms, it was still a pleasant experience. Especially when the Alpha would run his hand through her mane.
A small part of her mind told her that it was degrading to be pet like a cat. A far larger part of her mind beat it up and informed it that it felt amazing. Whenever those fingers would run through her mane, she just felt herself relax.
Being so close to him had, obviously, quickly made her intimately familiar with his scent. The effects of his scent were the most confusing. It made her feel safe, warm. She inhaled as much of it as she could with every breath. While not as effective as his hand, it did wonders to relax her as well. A sudden thought came across her mind.
It was the scent of home.
The Alpha was her home now. Perhaps that was what the feeling was? She thought of him as family?
No. That felt close, but it was wrong. It was something different than familial love. Something that…
Love.
Her face grew red as realization washed over her.
She was in love with the Alpha.
How could she be so blind? Of course she was in love with the Alpha! All the signs pointed towards it.
Had she truly never been in love before? No. She hadn’t. She barely interacted with ponies, let alone stallions. Could that have affected this? Could these feelings of love be because he was the first male she had let in?
Something told her that wasn’t the case. That this was genuine. That begged the question, then.
How was she going to deal with this? How would the Alpha react? Would it affect their friendship if he rejected her? Would she have to leave?
She swallowed a lump in her throat as she remembered something the Alpha had said when they first met.
“I’m not about to fuck a horse.”
Was he saying that to calm her down at the moment, or was he against relations with ponies? Perhaps that didn’t matter? She wasn’t exactly a pony anymore. She frowned as she looked down. She still mostly looked like one though.
She ran a paw down her face as a sigh escaped her. What was she going to do?
BRING IN THE BUG QUEEN! cause you're talking about love and what way to have those feelings truly grow is when the queen buggy herself shows up and tries to steal it!
Also as long as you don't leave this story I don't care how long you take to make it. Diaries of a madman updates like once a month I think and I still love that damn story. So do what you must to bring us the product you feel should be shared
Obligatory "Baby don't hurt me, dont hurt me, no more."
I love that the moment she appeared in the story, every single person reading simultaneously agreed that this chapter would happen at one point or another.
Lo and behold, here we are.
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You should have seen the shit eating grin I had as I read those comments.
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Glad to see I'm not the only one who heard that song upon reading today's chapter's title.
Its happening
Waiting for updates now. And seeing the frequency of them I feel I'm gonna be a happy reader.
Angsty wolfpone
Lol
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Not necesarily the queen but a drone coming to shop and Aurick just seeing through the disguise somewhat.
Stuff being awkward and no idea the result. (Is what'll possibly happen [since changelings were mentioned in a book])
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You must have never tried bacon.
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I'm a drone
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The best drone
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A drone that loves to study magic and other magic related items! And the talk of an enchanter would catch this changelings ear
She should try asking luna.....
Only to be directed to a fangirllng cadence.
Amazing story so far can’t wait to see more!
Very well done with Ash's introspection. The oblique, rambling way she came to her realization feels like a genuine flow of thought. Like others have mentioned, this chapter's eventuality has always been clear, but you've done a good job of showing Ashwyn's growing feelings and the pace of it feels natural.
I may get a couple dislikes for this, but I don't care, CUE THE HEADBANGING!
Well, I’m going to have to admit. I didn’t see this coming. But I’m glad it happened. Great job!
*See chapter name*
WHAT IS LOVE!? BABY DON'T HURT ME!~
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I don't have any idea how you could get any dislikes for this. -3-
If only the elf was a Drow we wouldn't be having these problems
We would have a completely different host of problems, but not these ones
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I see your youtube link and raise you a gif...
i.pinimg.com/originals/1d/db/09/1ddb09e5e3e7dfce54cdd7e0645ee3af.gif
Said every deeply-infatuated teen ever.
Or, to put it another way - "love" is a feeling you grow wary of as you grow older, because the only way to properly tell infatuation and love apart is time and intensity. And yes, adults also get infatuated, almost as easily as teens sometimes, so it's not like it's a problem you don't have to deal with later... ;)
Or, to put it yet another way - it's not love if it's not nurtured and made sacrifices to.
As for saying "I love you", I've always considered it "the other 'L' word", to be honest... :)
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I'm so glad I wasn't the only person.
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Of course Ponk would be Jim in that situation