//------------------------------// // 101. The Librarian's Family // Story: Azure Edge // by Leaf Blade //------------------------------// The first thing Twilight noticed was the smell of a burning fire, and she panicked because she thought the library was burning. She bolted up and instantly regretted it as her vision blurred and the world spun around her, her stomach reacting violently to the sudden movement. As her head fell back down onto the ground with a massive thud, she remembered she wasn’t in her pony disguise anymore, nor was she in the library, and everything started to come back to her. Rarity. The last thing that Twilight wanted to spend her time thinking about now was Rarity. It was almost funny, how Twilight spent her whole painful flight into the mountains thanking her luck that Rarity wasn’t in the library, that she was halfway across Equestria instead, and there was no way she could have seen Twilight’s transformation. Twilight remembered falling to the ground at the foot of the mountains, and though she wasn’t safe yet, she let herself believe that everything would be okay, that she’d somehow make it to the mountains to recover her strength, and all she would have to lose would be the library. But of course that’s not how it went. Of course Rarity would find her, and of course she would attack. Twilight didn’t begrudge Rarity attacking her, she knew that there was no other recourse Rarity could have realistically taken. But the mental image of Rarity charging at her, sword drawn and screaming with anger… it wasn’t something that would be easily shaken. Twilight tried to focus on what was in front of her though. Even though she wasn’t in the library, if there was a fire nearby, that couldn’t have been good, right? She opened her eyes and found the source of the smell; a cooking fire, where Spike was roasting some fresh vegetables, a little menagerie of animals like rabbits and squirrels watching him warily, but he didn’t seem to mind their presence. Twilight smiled, seeing that her son was safe and sound. She dreaded having to talk to him about what happened at the library, she hated that he had to see her not only in her forced transformation, but bleeding half to death as well. Then Twilight remembered the extent of her injuries, and while she felt very sore, she didn’t feel like she was dying anymore. She also didn’t feel the heart pains of magic exhaustion, though she also didn’t feel rested enough to test her luck with magic yet either. Someone must have taken care of Twilight while she was unconscious, and if Twilight was still in her dragon form, there was only one person who would’ve done that, which let Twilight breathe a sigh of relief, because even in her delirious, exhausted, half-dead state, she still managed to get Spike to safety and reach their destination. The only question now was ‘where is Fluttershy?’, but that question didn’t require much searching as Twilight scanned the cave and found a curled-up dragon resting by Spike’s fire, eyes nearly fully closed, but fluttering open every so often. “Spike,” Twilight groaned. Before she could continue, Spike spun around and ran over to her, hugging her muzzle and nuzzling her. “You’re awake!” he said, tears wetting his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay, I was super worried about you!” “I’m sorry,” Twilight said, nuzzling Spike in return, her body still too heavy to move a paw or a wing around him. “I’m so sorry.” Twilight didn’t know what else she could say other than that, over and over again. “Don’t apologize, Twilight!” Spike huffed, trying to look brave even through his tears. “Please, don’t apologize.” “Okay,” Twilight sobbed, massive tears running down her cheeks. “Spike, I promise, I’m gonna fix this. Somehow. I’m gonna fix it.” Spike looked up at Twilight with a bitter scowl on his face, and she worried that she’d said something wrong, but before she could ask, Fluttershy interjected. “I think the two of you should get some sleep,” she said. “Spike’s been up all night worried about you, and now that we know that you’re going to make it through, I think both of you could use a little rest.” “She’s right, Spike,” Twilight said weakly. “Do you wanna get some sleep?” “I’m not tired!” Spike yawned, and Twilight held back a laugh at seeing him trying in vain to keep his eyes open. “C’mon, big cat,” Twilight forced herself to move so that Spike could curl up with her like he used to, and he nestled himself against her side, using a wing and her tail as cover, “let’s get some rest.” By the time morning came, Spike was still sleeping but Twilight had barely rested at all. She managed to worm her way out from under him without disturbing him, and returned to the hill near the forest, where the snow was still stained by her blood. As if she needed it, seeing her blood on the snow was just more proof to Twilight that what had happened last night wasn’t some horrible nightmare. That this was her reality now, and she had to face it. “How are you feeling?” Fluttershy asked as she gently flew behind Twilight. Twilight turned to look at Fluttershy and found herself smiling; seeing Fluttershy in her true form filled Twilight with a strange sense of peace. Her serpentine body and enormous, feathery wings were beautiful, and she moved with a sense of grace that warmed Twilight’s heart. Or perhaps Twilight was just happy to still have someone who she could talk to, and that was causing her to overdramatize. “I’ve been… better,” Twilight mumbled. “Thank you, for taking care of me. You didn’t have to do that.” “That’s an odd way to put it,” Fluttershy landed delicately on the ground, careful not to disturb the nearby animals, and cocked her head. “You speak as if taking care of an injured friend is some kind of burden.” Twilight’s cheeks flushed and she turned her head away from Fluttershy. That’s exactly how Twilight thought of it, to be honest. If it hadn’t been for Spike, if he hadn’t been with her that night, Twilight would never have come to Fluttershy. She would have probably just let Rarity kill her if that’s what Rarity really wanted, but she certainly wouldn’t have travelled all the way to the forest for help. She would have just lied wherever she ended up, and whatever happened to her could happen, and she wouldn’t fight it. But Spike was there, and Twilight wasn’t going to leave him without a mother. “Thank you, again,” Twilight turned to Fluttershy and nodded her head, trying to act confident. “I appreciate your help, and if there’s any way I can return the fa—” “No, Twilight Sparkle,” Fluttershy held up her paw and shook her head, “I don’t want you to consider yourself indebted to me, that will only make me feel stressed. Can we just say I did a nice thing for a friend, and call it even?” Twilight smiled bashfully and held out her paw, “I guess we can.” Fluttershy smiled back and put her paw on Twilight’s, and for a moment Twilight was able to find some inner peace, like she could see the light at the end of the tunnel. But she still had to finish walking through that tunnel. “I guess you were right,” Twilight hummed, looking out at the horizon. The hill by the forest also overlooked the nearby town of Ponyville, and Twilight could see the railway that led to the place she used to consider her home. “There was no use trying to hide who I was. It was always going to catch up to me eventually, wasn’t it?” “I’m sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy sat beside Twilight, covering Twilight’s back with a spread wing. “I know how it feels to lose a home, to lose family, and I wish there was anything I could do to ease that pain.” “Are you kidding?” Twilight chuckled, and Fluttershy looked at her confusedly. “Fluttershy, you not only healed my injuries and saved my life, but you looked after my son when I couldn’t. If you’re not going to accept my debt, then I at least don’t want to hear you selling yourself short.” “That’s fair,” Fluttershy giggled, a paw up to her mouth. Fluttershy sighed, and Twilight groaned under her breath. It was nice to have someone to talk to, but Twilight couldn’t avoid the inevitable forever, especially as she saw the train rolling toward Ponyville, and got a very sharp feeling in her gut. Her horns faintly glowed with a raspberry aura as Twilight confirmed her instinct, and she grit her teeth. “That train,” Fluttershy said quietly, almost cautiously, “it’s carrying—” “My family,” Twilight said instinctively, but that wasn’t quite right anymore, was it? “Or at least—” but what could she call them other than that? Twilight drew herself up and sighed. “No more hiding,” she turned to Fluttershy. “I won’t let them bring danger to your forest.” “Twilight Sparkle,” Fluttershy hesitated, biting down on her lip for a second before exhaling sharply and giving a determined nod, “I trust you.”