//------------------------------// // Ch 24: Guest Starring Twilight Sparkle // Story: Enchanted // by The Whiskey Spirit //------------------------------// A sigh escaped him as he prepared dinner for himself. He had already brought some food to Ashwyn, who he was happy to find, still resting in bed. He had attempted to offer her some cooked meat this time, in an attempt to see if she could eat that as well. An attempt that bore fruit, as her eyes sparkled marvelously when she tasted it. At least now he knew that it would be to her tastes. If he made her a variety of cooked meats, she’d probably be a little happier about the situation. And if she was happier, she would be more bearable. A small groan escaped him as he closed his eyes. He desperately wished he was back home. Things weren’t so complicated then. His job was to fight and to kill. If all he had to do was kill her, or even capture her and hand her off, then it would be fine. That, sadly, wasn’t the hand that was dealt to him. When he tried to hand her off, she reacted poorly, and aside from the princesses, he was the only one fully capable of keeping her contained when she recovered. So the responsibility fell to him. Still, this wasn’t something he was used to. He had always dealt with problems by either ignoring it, or destroying the cause. The issue was that the cause wasn’t anything physical. The mare was had some mental damage, that was clear. How he would help her with that, he had no idea. Runa would have been better at this than him. Even Shurda would have been able to at least console the mare, if he were alive. For once in his long, long life he couldn’t just make it go away. And that irritated him more than anything else. A gentle knocking brought his attention back to the present. He looked down at his food and frowned. While lost in thought, the meat was put on for too long and had burnt on one side. Sighing, he resigned himself to a less than perfect meal and turned off the stove. He set the food to the side and made his way to the door. He was a little too slow, as the knocking began again, though he managed to open the door in the middle of it. Awaiting him on the other side was none other than Twilight. He was mildly surprised by the surprise visit, but he wasn’t going to complain. He hadn’t seen the mare for a better part of a week, and it’d be nice to get his mind off things. “Hey, Twilight.” He said with a small smile. “Hey, Aurick. You okay? You look pretty tired.” She asked, concern tingeing her voice “I’m good, just been a busy couple days.” Twilight nodded in understanding, her own small smile spreading. “I should have assumed as much. Are you free? We haven’t really seen each other in over a week.” She looked up at him with a hopeful smile. One that he couldn’t really say no to. “So long as you don’t mind coming in for dinner. I really shouldn’t leave the house very much right now.” Aurick told her, stepping aside to let the mare in. “Sure thing.” Twilight smiled and took a step in, making sure to rid herself of snow and dirt before she stepped onto his carpet. “Any reason why you can’t leave?” “I’m sure the princesses told you about what has been going on with the Everfree recently.” The mare nodded as they entered the kitchen. Aurick pulled out a chair for her at the dinner table before he grabbed another pot and made something within Twilight’s palette. “She didn’t tell me too much. Just that a mare known as Inkheart had undergone some… changes and had moved into the Everfree. I was told that you and the guards would handle it and I shouldn’t get involved.” “Doesn’t seem too keen to give you details, huh? They did the same to me, too. I had to stumble onto them. Namely with her trying to eat me, but still.” Twilight blanched at that. “She what!?” She looked over him as if she was expecting to suddenly find parts of him chewed off. “Emphasis on try. I got away. Anyways that’s in the past now. Long story short: I found her collapsed outside my house yesterday, and being the nice guy that I am, brought her in. She’d going to be staying with me for the foreseeable future, and I don’t exactly trust her not to destroy my house, or run into the forest.” He said, adding some ingredients to the broth. “She’s… She’s here?” She hissed, her eyes darting around in a mild panic. He quickly realized why the princesses didn’t bring her into the fold. The mare was like him, but more panicky. At least he could think logically with his paranoia. “Up in my room, resting. At least she better be resting. I swear, if I find that bed…” He mumbled and trailed off before shaking his head. “Anyways, yes. She’s going to be staying here, and I’m going to look after her. Which reminds me. You can tell Zecora and Fluttershy it’s safe to go home now. She can’t exactly attack them if she’s running a fever.” “Are you sure?” Twilight asked, a frown on her face. “What if Inkheart escapes?” “First off, we’re calling her Ashwyn now. She demands to not be called by her old name anymore. Second, if there’s one thing I can trust her on, it’s not attacking ponies. She had been starving for a week when I found her. She could have gone to Ponyville and tried to eat anyone there, but she didn’t. Despite what’s happened to her, she’s not a cannibal.” He sighed as he stirred the stew he was making. “I guess that makes sense. What about food though? Does she solely eat meat?” She asked after a moment’s deliberation. “Not a clue. I’ve just been giving her meat and she’s been happy every time. Maybe I’ll ask her about it next time I bring her some. Not that it matters too much. With the shipment that was delivered to me, I have plenty to share with her.” He waved her off as he grabbed the meat he was cooking earlier and began to warm it up again. He’d probably dice it up and add it to his own portion of the stew. It wouldn’t really mix too well, seeing as it didn’t boil with the rest of the ingredients, but he wasn’t going to just waste it. “Still. You have to make sure she’d eating a well rounded diet. Her recovery might be hampered if you don’t.” Aurick frowned as he poured the stew into bowls. “You’re probably right.” He sighed as he placed a bowl in front of her. “I really wish we could trust her with someone other than me.” “What do you mean? I thought you said she wouldn’t eat other ponies.” “She won’t, but that doesn’t stop her from attacking them. She’s broken.” He rubbed his temples for a moment before continuing. “Not the best way to say it, but it’s true. What happened to her has… damaged her far more than any physical wound would. To the point where she doesn’t trust anything that has to do with the princesses.” He returned to the table with his own bowl. Little chunks of meat were floating amongst the vegetables. “We don’t know how she’ll react to anyone else. I’m the only one that can handle her if she lashes out. At least until I finish that armour, but she’d be sure to lash out at a group of guards.” “What happened to her?” Twilight asked. He gave her a sad smile and shook his head. If Celestia and Luna had excluded the information, they probably had a reason, and he wasn’t going to be the one to spill the beans. She frowned and tried to glare him down, but ultimately sighed and resigned herself to ignorance. “Fine.” She mumbled before sipping at her stew. Her eyes widened in an instant. Delight playing across them. “This is great!” “Well, when you live on your own for three hundred years, you tend to learn how to cook for yourself.” Her response was unexpected. Her eyes bulged and she began to choke when he said ‘three hundred’. “Thr- Three hundred years?” She asked incredulously, her eyes wide and mouth agape. “How old are you!?” “Don’t you know it’s rude to ask a man his age on your first date?” She grew red in the face and began to sputter. Aurick couldn’t help but smirk at how easy it was. “Anyways, last time I checked I was about five hundred and seventy two. Give or take a couple years.” He said with an idle swirl of his hand. “How long does your species usually live for?” She continued to be shocked with the next question, but at least she had lowered her voice. “Not a clue. No records of an elf dying of natural causes, and we haven’t seen one old enough to grow grey hairs. For all we know, we’re ageless.” He shrugged and casually ate some stew. Sadly, that comment was that straw that broke the camel’s proverbial back. Twilight’s eyes glazed over, a hoof in the air as if she was going to object to something. Her mouth began to move at a rapid pace, words spewing out in a torrent that would have made even Pinkie make a run for her money. She continued this way for a couple of minutes before she blinked, her eyes regaining focus. She looked confused for a second, peering at her surroundings as if she had no idea where she was. “Sorry,” She said after a few moments, “that hasn’t happened in a while.” “I don’t even know what happened.” He admitted, raising a brow. The mare sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as she looked away. “I kinda freaked out. The only species remotely that long lived are the Alicorns. There’s a reason they’re typically in a state of rule, after all. Most ponies believe them to be gods.” She explained, making the elf lean back in his chair and groan. “Fuck, I hope they don’t do the same with me. I already had one insane cult follow me around. I don’t need another.” “Do I even want to know?” Twilight asked, a cautious brow raised. “Perhaps another time. I don’t really feel like getting into my past right now.” Twilight respectfully nodded her head. “Alright, what do you want to talk about then?” He shrugged. “How’s your week been?” The conversation continued for almost half an hour before Twilight had to return home. “Gotta make sure Spike hasn’t accidentally burned the place down.” She said before making her way towards the door. He waved goodbye and turned to head for the basement. He still had another guest to feed after all. ~-~ Night had come and Aurick stumbled into his room. He blinked at the pair of eyes staring back at him. “Right.” He grumbled. During his work, he had completely forgotten that he had moved the mare into his room. A frown crossed his face as he stared at the bed, a sigh escaping him after a moment. This was his bed, and he wasn’t going to let her have it all to herself. So with undignified grace, the tired elf walked to the unoccupied half of the bed and flopped onto it. Cracking open an eye, he saw Ashwyn cautiously looking at him. “I’m just gonna sleep.” He told her. “Nothing more. Just try not to have the sudden urge to tear my throat out or something. I’d be very unhappy.” The elf quickly pulled himself under the blanket, happy to feel the warmth of the enchantment wash the cold away. He had a fire going in the fireplace all day, but it couldn’t compare to the exact comfort of his magic. It wasn’t long before he soundlessly drifted off to sleep. It was a dreamless sleep. Though it could have been because he was woken up a couple hours later by a commotion on the other side of the bed. Turning over, he found Ashwyn in the throws of another nightmare. She was tossing and turning, and he could see the tears streaming down her face once more. With a heavy sigh, he carefully reached out to her and pulled her close. Despite how she acts when she’s awake, she was quick to hug him close, crying into his chest once more. Of course, Aurick did what he does best. He pet the damaged mare, and whispered comforting words into her ear.