Aurick sat on the Library’s couch, a book in hand. Ashwyn was with him, though she wasn’t lying in his lap, seemingly still embarrassed about that incident in the bathroom. Though she did sit directly next to him, so he was still able to idly pet her as he read.
It had been a couple days since he had given the diamond to Twilight, and he decided he’d cheek in on her. She had failed to make much progress. To her credit though, she was controlling the mana somewhat. She had managed to push a bit of her mana into the stone, but it was like moving a lake and coming out of it with only a cup of water. It wasn’t enough.
He wasn’t sure what method she was using, but whatever it was, it wasn’t working. It was getting to the point where he was tempted to take the gem away and tell her to give up. Sadly, he knew the look in the mare’s eyes. She was going to try until she decided she had had enough. Taking the gem away would only be a minor inconvenience, as she’d just go out and find another one.
“A week until she gives up.” He said offhandedly, his eyes returning to his book.
“Three days.” Ashwyn replied, glancing at the mare with a slight frown.
“You give her too much credit.” Spike said from behind them. “She won’t stop for at least a month.” Turning back, he saw the little dragon carrying a drink for each of them from the kitchen. Aurick was quick to grab the coffee that was offered to him, letting out a pleased breath as he took a sip.
“You’re probably right.” He chuckled. “Unless she manages to figure it out before then.” The dragon shrugged as he took a sip of his juice.
“If anyone can, it’d be her. I’m going to make some breakfast. You guys want anything?”
“Nah, we had our own before we came. Thanks though.”
“Whatever.”
~-~
Ashwyn followed the Alpha through the market. The ponies around town had seemingly gotten used to her presence, as they no longer stared at her as they passed. That did not mean they trusted her, however. They were clearly giving her a wide berth, something that irritated Ash far less than she had thought it would. In fact, it had started to please her.
She did not want to deal with these ponies. In fact, she did not want to deal with ponies in general. She only cared to converse with the Alpha. It was clear now that this was not something that he had done to her, but rather was a holdover from being Inkheart. She just didn’t like talking to people.
The Alpha was the only one she was interested in talking to. Not just because he was the Alpha, but because he was her friend. She rather enjoyed it when he started to talk about his work. The passion in his voice was palpable, especially when he was making something for himself. The hours before his expansion in the basement was filled with excited ramblings about what he would do with the space.
It amused her greatly when compared to how he acted when completing the task he talked about. When he got to work, he was focused on it completely. The excited joy disappearing until he was done. Then he’d look back at her with that smile. The thought of his smile brought one to her face.
That feeling in her chest returned. The feeling she had dubbed as friendship. She glanced up at the Alpha as they stopped at a stall. It was a small vegetable stand. He inspected the offerings and picked one up before turning towards her.
“You wanna try some vegetables with the next meal?” He asked her. She wasn’t exactly sure if she could eat greens anymore, so she shrugged. He frowned slightly and looked at the item in his hand. “Well, let’s try it and if you can’t eat them, I’ll make you something better.” He told her, a smirk replacing the frown.
“Bacon?” She asked, already knowing the answer. The Alpha’s smile widened as he let out an amused snort.
“We’re having dinner, not breakfast.” He informed her as he pulled out some bits to purchase some vegetables.
“So?”
“You’re gonna get fat if you eat nothing but bacon.” He told her with a smirk, one that she mirrored.
“Is worth.” He snorted again and waved her off as they continued on. The smirk remained on his face as they walked. A fact that pleased the mare that walked beside him.
~-~
Aurick laid down in bed, Ashwyn pressed against him as usual. He couldn’t sleep that night, feeling restless for some reason he could not explain.
As he rested there, his mind drifted towards the mare that was cuddling him so closely. Thinking about it, the fact that they had been sleeping together like this every night was a little strange. In fact, he might have stopped doing so when Luna found Ashwyn’s dreams. That way she’d be able to sleep on her own without threat of breaking things.
Now that they had been doing this for so long, he had grown accustomed to the arrangement. It certainly didn’t hurt that the mare was so damn soft. A strange fact for someone with all the claws and teeth that could easily rend his flesh.
If he hadn’t known her for so long, he’d be more wary of having her snout pressed into his neck. All it’d take was for her to bite him and she’d probably tear his throat out before he could even realize she was doing anything. He trusted her, however.
Ashwyn had shown herself to be worthy of that trust with each night they had slept together. There was no reason for her to turn on him now. She had even claimed that she accepted him as her Alpha. A fact that continued to confuse him.
He wasn’t exactly sure why she insisted that there needed to be an Alpha. Was the pack mentality that deeply ingrained into her mind? It very well could have been. She mentioned that she would obey the Alpha, so it only made sense that Test Tube would try to exploit it. Instead she had decided he was the Alpha. That she would obey him.
A small frown crossed his face.
He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that. She had relegated herself to essentially be his obedient servant. He had experience with those before. Namely that cult that sprung up around him. It was a weird experience, no doubt, and now he had to deal with it again.
At least Ashwyn wasn’t spending every waking moment in an effort to please him. That had gotten annoying fast. The cult members would do things they thought he would like, and more often than not ended up causing trouble that he would have to fix. Maybe he could eventually get over the pack mentality. Either way, she seemed happy. A significant difference from when they had first met. If she was happy with the arrangement, then he’d leave it be.
Hugging his friend close, he closed his eyes and attempted to sleep once more.