Ashwyn sat on the couch, a heavy frown on her face. Every continued moment she regretted her decision. When they woke up, the Alpha had informed her that the princess of the night would stop by in the afternoon. It was far earlier than Ashwyn had expected. She had anticipated that the Alpha would need to send a letter or something. She did not think that the Alpha would be able to call the lunar diarch to his dreams.
She knew the speed at which this had come around was so that she didn't change her mind. Something she knew and supported. That didn’t mean she liked it. Panic welled up inside her, threatening to make her run from the house, her tail between her legs. The reason she didn’t was because she did not want to feel the embarrassment such an act would cause. Her Alpha’s presence also helped.
No. It helped considerably.
As the time ticked by, and her fear grew, he sat with her. She swallowed her pride and grew physically close to him, allowing him to try and sooth her as best he could. Her head rested in his lap, as a hand gently ran through her hair. An experience that comforted her far more than she thought it would. If she was not terrified for her life, she might have fallen asleep. As it were, however, she was barely resisting hiding her head between his legs. If only for his own comfort, and her dignity.
Someone knocked at the door.
Her hair immediately stood on end, her claws digging into whatever was beneath them. In this case, the Alpha’s leg. It didn’t register in her mind, however. As it was in the middle of a fierce battle between fleeing and following through with the plan. Locked in place, her body tense, she felt the Alpha use his other hand to massage her back.
“It’s open!” He called out, not moving from the spot. Then the door opened. She knew because she could smell the outside air blow in through the new entrance. With that air came a scent she did not recognize. She did not dare move her head to check. She was still fighting her own mind, and any distraction would make her run.
She cursed the carpet flooring at that moment. It silenced the visitor’s hoofsteps, so she could not hear the approach, only smell it. Closer and closer it grew until she could see her. Moving to the front of the couch was a tall blue mare. Her mane blew in a wind of its own power, and she possessed both horn and wings. Her claws dug deeper into her Alpha’s leg. He made no sound of complaint, though his hands tensed for a moment.
She needed to run. To hide. She shouldn’t be here. She couldn’t trust them. Why did she think this was a good idea? Why won’t her body move? She- No. She needed to face this. Even if everything about her told her to run. The Alpha wouldn’t let her do anything, right? No. He had no chance. This was a princess. He was strong but he would die in an instant. This was a bad idea.
“Ashwyn.” The mare said in the gentlest, and friendliest of tones. It was neither gentle not friendly to the recipient, however. Her heart was beating so hard she practically missed it, but upon reaching her ears, her mind interpreted it as wrong. It was a falsity. The princess was trying to lure her into a false sense of security. That she was safe. Then she would… The mare clenched her eyes shut and cowered before the diarch.
“I doubt, words will work, Luna. She’d probably be gone right now if her claws weren’t so deep in my leg.” The Alpha told her. The pain from the said action was clear in his voice.
“Perhaps so.” Luna replied with a sigh. “Miss Ashwyn, I understand you are afraid, but I must ask you to remain still.” Why did she need to be still? What was she going to do!? What… What was that!? Something touched her mind. A presence that was not her own. Not Inkheart’s either. Her mind shied away from it, but the presence forced itself in.
Ashwyn clenched her teeth as she felt Luna’s mind touch her own. Tears ran down her face as she feared for her safety. She did not want the diarch in her mind. She did not want anyone near it. It was her’s. Not anyone else’s to mess with as they wished. She tried to push back, but found her mind too weak to resist. She was helpless. Once again, she was helpless.
Terrified eyes drifted up towards the Alpha’s. He was looking at her with resigned concern. She knew he would not help her. Her heart ached. Was this a betrayal? She thought he was supposed to be a friend. Why would he just watch as Luna messed with her mind?
Wait, that’s not it. This was her decision. She wanted this. Luna was helping. She was trying to find the problem.
No she is the problem. She needed to run. To get away. To…
She paused, her eyes wide as she stared at nothing. The fear in her heart… disappeared. Not all of it, but she wasn’t about to flee the room. Slowly, her claws started to retract from the Alpha’s leg. An act that made him sigh with relief.
She looked over at Luna. The mare was biting her lip, her eyes closed as her horn glowed brightly. A thin line of magic connected that horn to Ashwyn’s forehead. She blinked at the mare. She didn’t want to run away. After that, she allowed the mare to go through her mind with no resistance. She didn’t like it. Not in the slightest, but now she knew that the mare was trying to help. That her fear was not her own.
It was ten minutes later that Luna cut off the link. Her head dropped as she exhaled. A bead of sweat dropping to the floor as she did so. After a moment, she lifted her head, looking back at Ashwyn with a small smile.
“It’s been some time since I’ve done that.” She admitted.
“What’d you find?” The Alpha asked her, a raised brow. The princess glanced at him, a small frown.
“A number of things that were cause for concern. Among them were various dormant commands to kill any sapient race that was not a pony. Each race had separate rules, each with different instructions on how to deal with them.” She sighed, looking back at Ashwyn. “It would appear that he was not capable of complete domination of your mind, so he placed commands that you would think your own thoughts in certain situations.” The idea appalled her. He had been successful after all. She was made to obey him, and she wasn’t even aware. Rage welled up inside her, but she forced it down. She would deal with him later.
“What make do?” She demanded through grit teeth.
“On top of what I’ve already said, and the fear of us princesses. He made you not want to seek help from pony kind. That meant you would have been bound to seclusion, as you would not be able to talk to any race on the planet. Of course, he didn’t know about Aurick.”
Ashwyn blinked at her. “Who Aurick.” Luna and the Alpha looked at her in shock, before realization dawned on the Alpha’s face.
“Holy fuck, I never told you my name!” He exclaimed. Luna looked at him with a frown. “What have you even been calling me?” She blinked at him confused. She hadn’t really thought about it before, but it made sense he had a name. It mattered not. He was the Alpha, and he would continue to be so.
“You Alpha.” That made him raise a brow.
“Alpha?” That is what she said.
“Yes, I believe we went over this, Aurick.” Luna told him.
“No, I think I’d remember talking about a scenario where I’d be called Alpha.” He told her firmly. She blinked, shaking her head.
“Test Tube used wolf dna in an attempt to make her think of him as the Alpha. To make her obey. He failed, of course.” Ashwyn frowned at that. He had done this to make her obey him. She did not. She chose who she would obey. She would obey her Alpha. The one known as Aurick and only him. Everyone else would receive no tolerance.
The Alpha didn’t say anything for a long moment, before he looked down at Ashwyn. “Why am I the Alpha?”
“House yours, is not mine. You Alpha. Wanted fight before, I be Alpha. Not want anymore. You Alpha. I fine with obey if you.” He blinked at her. “You not him. You nice. I trust. Not want fight become Alpha. You Alpha. Is final.” He blinked again, before a hand came up to massage his temple.
“What if I suggested that no one was the Alpha?” Ashwyn hadn’t thought of that. A frown crossed her face as she thought about it. A paw tapped against her chin for a moment before she shook her head.
“No. Is wrong. Need Alpha or be Alpha. You better Alpha. I obey. Is final.” She told him firmly.
“Looks like you’re stuck with her.” Luna smirked, causing the Alpha to roll his eyes.
“I guess so. So everything else with her mind is normal?”
“Yes…” Luna’s smile faded slightly. “Well, in the sense that Ashwyn’s mind is normal.” She faced the mare once more. “Now that your fear has been dealt with, I can ask you. Do you… want to return to how you were?”
“To… pony?” Ashwyn asked, her head tilted to the side. “...To Inkheart?”
“Yes.” She frowned, her eyes lowering to her paws.
“No.” She told the mare with a frown, her word leaving no room for questions. “Am not Inkheart. Am different. Inkheart pony. Am Ashwyn. Am not pony. Am monster.” She looked up with a small smile. “Is okay. Monster okay.”
“Very well, Ashwyn. Just know that if you ever change your mind, or if you need help, I am willing to do so.” Luna told her with a smile as she stood.
“Thank.”
“Of course.” Luna’s smile lessened as she peered out the window. “Sadly, I can not stay. There is much work to be done, and I have been here for longer than I had thought.”
“Alright.” The Alpha replied, scratching at his beard. “Thanks for helping.” Luna nodded as she made her way towards the door.
“Farewell.” And with that, the Lunar diarch was gone. The Alpha and Ashwyn remained on the couch for a short time before something interrupted their silence. A loud growl rang out, originating from Ashwyn’s stomach. A faint tint of red filled her face as the Alpha smirked at her.
“C’mon. I’ll make you some bacon.” Any sense of embarrassment was quickly surpassed by excitement. The pair were quick to hop off the couch and make their way to the kitchen.
For the first time in a long time, Ashwyn was happy.