Ashwyn followed the Alpha into the Library, a slight frown on her face. She still didn’t like the idea of leaving the confines of their home, but she did not wish to be without the Alpha’s presence. As much as she hated to admit it, she was still afraid. She held onto the irrational fear that he would somehow recapture her. A scene she knew to be impossible to play out, as he was currently rotting in the royal dungeon. Despite the fact, it brought her no respite. She would not feel safe until he was dead. Until then… there was always a possibility of something happening.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she returned her focus towards the present. Twilight had seemingly gotten up from her place in one of the arm chairs, the book she was reading having a marker in it and placed aside. She had approached the Alpha, ending up a little too close for Ashwyn’s comfort. Luckily the purple pony didn’t notice the scowl that appeared on her face. The dragon child, however, wasn’t so oblivious. He had given her a cautious gaze with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing. A fact she was grateful for as she did her best to replace the scowl with a neutral expression.
“Not today, Twilight.” The Alpha stated firmly. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what the mare had asked. Especially with the clear levels of disappointment on her face. “I actually came to the Library to read. A crime as I’m told, but fear not, the Princesses will be sure to pardon me.” The joke served to cheer the mare up, replacing the look on her face with amusement after she snorted and rolled her eyes.
“Careful, Spike, we got a criminal on our hooves.” Said dragon simply shook his head and refocused on the comic that was held in his claws. “Alright, need any help finding the book you need?” The Alpha quickly shook his head and pointed over towards one of the many bookshelves.
“I’m good. I think I remember it being over there somewhere.” He told her before patting her on the head and walking in that direction. Twilight was left blushing with a small frown on her face. The mare’s eyes flicked to Ashwyn for a moment.
“How do you get used to that?” The mare asked in a hushed tone. Ashwyn simply shrugged in response. Letting out a small sigh, the purple unicorn shook her head and returned to her armchair and picked her book back up. During the process, Ashwyn was able to get a peek at the cover. Enchanting: A History. It was a book she found herself surprisingly familiar. Why was that?
It took only a few moments for her to realize the reason. Inkheart had perused it at one point. After looking at it, she thought of writing a book with an Enchanter as the main character. The vernacular in the book was enough to scare her off from further research. Ashwyn was inclined to agree, as simply talking to the Alpha about the subject made her head spin.
A frown crossed her face as she glanced back to the book once more. She still wanted to be able to speak with the Alpha about it. He was always so excited about testing various enchantments and combinations. He had so many moments that she couldn’t be a part of because she didn’t understand. Perhaps she would let her borrow the book? It was a library after all.
Letting out her own sigh, she looked back to the Alpha. He was still looking through the books in an attempt to find the one he needed. She took a step forwards to join him, but her thoughts returned to the previous night. Of the Princesses saying she should make some friends. While she didn’t see the point in the act, something in Princess Luna’s eyes told her that it would be best to give it an attempt. At the very least, she could say she tried if the pair confronted her on it again.
Her gaze drifted towards Twilight, a slight frown crossing her features. If there was anyone to start with it would be her... Perhaps this could work? Twilight was a bookish mare, and though she wasn’t her anymore, Inkheart was similar. Even going so far as to write her own. So they would certainly have a point to talk about. It was just… was that even being truthful?
She wasn’t Inkheart anymore. She was Ashwyn. A mare that ate meat and wouldn’t think twice about hurting ponies to survive. Hurt but not eat. She reminded herself. A point of pride for her. Even on the brink of death she had resisted the urge. She had succeeded in proving a point to him. He could make her look like a monster, but that didn’t mean she had to act like one.
The aggressive snort that escaped her had once again drawn the attention of Spike. She simply waved him off, finding a smile grace her as he acquiesced and returned to his comic. A small part of her like the small dragon as well. Perhaps it was because of his status as a predator, even a baby one, that he hadn’t shown any signs of being afraid of her? Either way, she was grateful for his apathy in that aspect. While not nearly to the same degree as her home, she was starting to find the small Library comfortable. A place where she wasn’t judged for what she looked like. Glancing back at Twilight, her smile faded slightly.
Mostly.
A sigh was let out once more. She knew that Twilight was a long ways from giving her the fearful glances that were present during their first meeting. In fact, she was mostly neutral to her now. It was just the occasional look in her eye when Ashwyn would move to fast, or if she popped up where the mare hadn’t been expecting her. Closing her eyes and breathing out through her nose, she cleared her mind and prepared herself before shifting to face Twilight. A moment later she took the first step forward.
~-~
Twilight was forced to look up from her book as she heard someone clear their throat next to her. Taking a moment to insert the bookmark and close her book, she looked up, expecting to see Aurick. So when she found a white face instead, she was more than a little surprised. Especially seeing as she knew whose face it was, as well as the yellow slitted eyes that bored into her.
She recoiled on instinct, attempting to get as far away from Ashwyn as she could in the chair she sat on. It wasn’t much, and the act made the mare frown at her. A small flower of guilt flared up in Twilight’s heart. She had grown to dislike her own instincts as time went on. Ashwyn had been… well, not friendly, but certainly not aggressive in any way. There was no reason for her to react with fear when confronted by her. She frowned, herself, even as she met Ashwyn’s gaze. She tried her best to maintain a neutral expression.
“Did you need anything?” She asked. A part of her mentally berated herself. That sounded a bit cold. Like she didn’t want Ashwyn there. That wasn’t-
“I want…” The mare’s words stopped her thoughts. She realized that this was the first time that Ashwyn had directly spoken to her. “...talk.” The mare’s eyes had drifted away from Twilight’s. The unicorn couldn’t help but raise a brow.
“You want… to talk?” She asked uselessly. She knew she heard her right, but was genuinely surprised by the request, she felt like she had to repeat it. Of course, Ashwyn simply nodded, her gaze still off of Twilight’s. “Okay… What do you want to talk about?” She asked awkwardly.
This situation felt incredibly strange to Twilight. She had seen a lot of her old self in Ashwyn. The reclusivity. The distaste for interaction. Her typically silent demeanor around others. Then again, Ashwyn had a leg up on the old Twilight. She had Aurick after all.
Perhaps… She glanced at the elf, who had found his book and was skimming through it by the bookshelf. Maybe he told her to be more social? That didn’t seem likely. Aurick, while not as bad as either her or Ashwyn, did seem rather anti social. She briefly wondered if he had any friends either? She certainly would have counted herself as a friend, and she believed Rarity considered herself one too, but was there anyone else? She was brought out of her thoughts when Ashwyn decided to speak up once more.
“You… ever write book?” Twilight raised a brow at this, her gaze returning to the mutated thestral.
“Well that depends on your classification of what a book is.” Twilight told her. “If you’re interested in research texts and publications, then yes. If you mean books meant for entertainment, then despite some attempts, no.” Ashwyn seemed to frown slightly at that, though her gaze seemed to return to Twilight’s.
“But… make attempt, though?” It took only a moment for Twilight to realize she was speaking of the failed novels she had tried to write. She nodded after that moment, unsure of where this conversation was heading. “Do still… want write?” After those words, she saw something strange within Ashwyn’s eyes. A tinge of hope. Twilight couldn’t help but wonder why she held such a feeling for her answer. She knew what Ashwyn wanted her to say, and luckily, she didn’t have to lie, as it was the truth.
“Well… Yeah. I’ve got a bunch of ideas it’s just…” Twilight trailed off as she thought of the best words to describe it.
“Words hard to put on page. They no look right, or not flow good. Right?” Twilight blinked at the mare in surprise before nodding slowly. “Maybe… I help?” She asked, the hope once again present in her eyes. “Not Inkheart, but… She still here.” She tapped the side of her head. “Can help.”
Twilight suppressed the urge to face hoof. She had forgotten who Ashwyn used to be! She had even read a couple of Inkheart’s books. They were really good! Perhaps… Maybe with Ashwyn’s help, she could actually make something worthwhile? A smile spread across her face as she looked at the mare.
“I’d like that.”
~-~
Aurick closed the book with a smile. He had found what he needed. Funnily enough, most of the materials were waiting for him in the Everfree Forest. Go figure.
He placed the book back into its place on the shelf with a pleased hum. He certainly hoped it helped Ashwyn feel more comfortable. Even if it didn’t, more defense certainly wouldn’t hurt. Luna had all but confirmed that evil lurked in the shadows. He didn’t plan to be caught unaware by it. Turning around, he prepared to alert Ashwyn to their imminent departure. He paused, however, when he saw what she was doing.
Ashwyn and Twilight were sitting together on an armchair, a massive stack of papers sitting on the coffee table before them. Twilight was holding a couple sheets up in her magic, while Ashwyn was pointing to something with a claw.
Twilight wore a curious expression. As though she disagreed with whatever Ashwyn was saying, yet agreed at the same time. The conflict brought a trace of amusement to the elf, as he watched her face shift between frowns and smiles.
Ashwyn, on the other hand, was a completely different story. One her face was a smile. A genuine smile that he had only seen a few times from the mare. Whatever they were doing, Ashwyn was truly enjoying herself, and Aurick wasn’t going to disrupt that. With a small smile of his own, he turned around, grabbed a random book off the shelf, and went to the couch to read. He would stay there for however long he needed to.
It wasn’t long before something brought his attention back to Ashwyn. A sound she was making that Aurick found himself a little jealous about. Twilight was able to pull that out of her before him! After only one interaction!
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Despite his jealousy of Twilight’s achievement, he was happy. A small sense of gratitude made its way to the purple mare, for bringing Ashwyn a little bit more out of her shell. The mare was poking one of the papers that Twilight was levitating, a deep blush on the purple pony’s face as Ashwyn attempted to hide the sounds behind a paw.
She was laughing.