//------------------------------// // A Little Kindness // Story: Little Keys // by Skijarama //------------------------------// The return trip to the castle was, thankfully, uneventful. Twilight escorted Spiracle out of her campsite and into some more open space, allowing the changeling to use her as a crutch for the duration of their trek on hoof. As soon as they had a sizable opening in the forest canopy overhead, though, there was no longer a need for Spiracle to lean on her, as the two of them spread their wings and took to the air. Twilight kept close to Spiracle the whole way, just in case. Her wings weren’t injured, but Twilight knew, first- and second-hoof, that enough physical pain in other parts of the body would easily distract one from their flying. She hovered a few feet to the changeling’s side, ready to reach out and catch her at a moment’s notice. Spiracle’s face was contorted into a perpetual grimace of pain the whole way, but she bore it well. Twilight was genuinely impressed by Spiracle’s resilience and composure. She must have been allowing herself to appear so vulnerable before because she was all on her own, a notion reinforced by how quickly she had sprung into a defensive stance when Twilight had stumbled upon her camp. Soon enough, the Castle of The Two Sisters came into view. They passed over the chasm that surrounded it, affording Twilight a momentary opportunity to look down at the cave where the Tree of Harmony resided. She could just make out the faintest hint of the blue glow the ancient growth gave off. “Twilight!” Twilight jumped as somepony called out to her, and she looked down and ahead to the speaker. Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw Fluttershy and Thorax flying up to meet her from the castle’s entrance, with Spike riding on the former’s back. It had been Spike that called out to her, his eyes wide and his face painted with relief. Twilight smiled and waved down at him. “Hey, guys!” Her smile became strained when she saw the disapproving look in Fluttershy’s eyes. Thorax was more shocked-looking than anything, but really, it wasn’t his ire she was afraid of earning. Twilight slowed herself to a halt, holding out a hoof to make sure Spiracle did the same. She took a deep breath and forced her smile back onto her face as the others came up to meet her face-to-face. “Where have you been?!” Spike demanded the moment Fluttershy came to a stop. Without waiting for a response, he leaped from her back, undeterred by the many yards of empty air that separated him from the ground. Twilight yelped, drifting back before reaching out and catching him as his arms wrapped tightly around her neck in a bone-crushing embrace. “I was so worried about you! We all woke up and you weren’t there! I thought… I th-thought you’d run off again, like… like…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. Twilight’s blood went cold when she felt him shudder in her grasp, burying his face deep into her chest fur. Her ears folded back in regret. She had hoped she could get back before they had a chance to really worry about her, but evidently she had not succeeded. Resisting the urge to sigh, she pulled Spike closer and nuzzled him affectionately atop the head. “I’m sorry, Spike. I would have said something, but, well… I knew you’d all try to stop me.” Spike looked up at her, his eyes shimmering. “Of course we would have!” he exclaimed, balling up one of his hands into a fist and thumping it against her. “It’s really dangerous out there, especially at night! And after everything that’s happened, I just-” “Shh,” she soothed him quietly, pulling him closer and resting her chin on his head. “I know. I’m sorry. I just had to take care of this… I’m sorry I scared you.” Spike shook his head but didn’t say anything else. Twilight gave him a reassuring squeeze before lifting her eyes to look at Fluttershy and Thorax. They had drifted back a little bit to give the two some room. Fluttershy was smiling at them, although the faintest hint of disapproval was still in her eyes. Twilight winced. She was probably due for a Fluttershy scolding here in the next little while. Thorax, on the other hoof, wasn’t even looking at her. His eyes had instead locked onto Spiracle, who had similarly drifted back to afford Twilight and Spike their little moment. His eyes were wide, and his jaw was open. He eventually noticed Twilight looking at him and clamped his jaw shut before speaking. “You… you found her,” he said quietly. Twilight nodded slowly and turned to gesture at the changeling beside her. “Yeah… I had to make up for what I did wrong, so I came out here to look for her. And I found her…” Fluttershy’s eyes drifted from Twilight to study her company and immediately locked onto Spiracle’s bandages. Her eyes flew wide as saucers. “Oh my goodness! You’re hurt!” she exclaimed, flying in to get a better look. Spiracle squirmed slightly, emitting a quiet squeak of surprise as the pegasus drew into her personal space to inspect the injury. “How bad is it? What did this?” “U-uh, a c-cragodile, I think,” Spiracle mumbled out, seemingly not sure how to take Fluttershy’s proximity. “At least, that’s what Twilight called it.” “I bandaged her up as best as I could,” Twilight explained. “But I’m not a doctor, or even really any good at first-aid. I brought her back not just so we could talk this out properly, but also so you could treat her better.” Fluttershy nodded. “Right. Can you walk?” she asked, all business. Spiracle hummed, wiggling her injured leg a little bit. “I can… I might need some help, though,” she acknowledged. “Okay, let’s get you to the library, then,” she said, gesturing down at the castle. “Follow me, please.” With that, she took the lead, flying down for the castle. Spiracle lingered for a moment before following after her, casting a glance at Thorax. To Twilight’s pleasure, she actually smiled at him before vanishing into the castle after Fluttershy. Thorax stayed behind with Twilight for a little longer, his expression one of relief. He turned to face Twilight, his lips twitching up into a smile. “...It was kinda stupid of you to go flying off on your own like that, but… you found Spiracle. I appreciate it, Twilight, really. Thank you.” “I was just doing what I thought I had to,” she replied, glancing down at the ground far below with a solemn frown. “...I couldn’t wait for you all to get her and apologize then. I had to make things right on my own terms.” Thorax nodded. His eyes drifted down to Spike, who had fallen silent in Twilight’s embrace. His brow furrowed, and his smile fell away to be replaced by a worried frown. He didn’t say anything, though. Instead, he turned and flew down after Fluttershy and Spiracle. Twilight held back for a few more seconds before gingerly placing Spike on her back and taking off after him. A short time later, everypony was back in the library, comfortably nestled on the various pillows that were scattered about the secret room. Fluttershy was seated next to Spiracle, tending to her wounds with a first-aid kit on hoof, while Thorax sat in front of them, eagerly talking with Spiracle. Both of them had warm smiles on their faces, and it was pretty apparent that they were happy to see each other. “So Pharynx really started vying for the throne?!” Thorax asked, his wings giving an excited buzz while his eyes lit up. Spiracle nodded. “He did. And by the time I left, he was really making some progress. Although, uh, I don’t think it’s going to be easy on him…” “Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Thorax agreed, glancing to one side with a fond look of remembrance. “But Pharynx is tough. As tough as changelings can be. He’s strong, he’s smart, and he doesn’t take anypony else’s nonsense…” Fluttershy smiled at Thorax as she finished applying a new layer of bandages to Spiracle’s leg, much better than Twilight’s previous haphazard attempt. “I’m sure he’ll do just fine,” she said sweetly. “So am I,” Thorax agreed. “And when it’s all over, with any luck, maybe Equestria and the Hive can finally be on peaceful terms! Make all the other drones finally see just what they’ve been missing out on!” Spiracle hummed at that. She gave Fluttershy a thankful smile before turning back to Thorax. “Maybe… I’m not sure it’ll be that easy, but I guess you can hope,” she said, not sounding quite as enthusiastic about the idea as Thorax. She quickly sobered up, though, giving Thorax another friendly smile. “B-but enough about me, for now. I want to hear about you, Thorax. It’s been such a long time, and from the sounds of it, you’ve been busy.” Thorax smiled sheepishly while rubbing a hoof along his shoulder. “Eheh, well, I’m not sure if ‘busy’ is the right word. I’ve just been living in Canterlot with a family of thestrals, working at a local theater—sometimes even as an actor—but mostly I just move stuff around on set.” Spiracle tilted her head. “...What’s a theater?” Thorax blinked. “...Oh, yeah, that’s right, we don’t have those back at the Hive, do we?” “Not really, no.” “Okay, well, a Theater is this big stage where actors come on to put on a performance, telling a story to an assembled audience by acting out the events in the story,” Thorax explained, pausing here and there as he tried to find the best way to explain the foreign concept. Spiracle listened with fascination as Thorax went on and on about his life, his work, and the various misadventures and instances of culture shock he had been through since arriving in Equestria. All the while, Twilight looked on from the other side of the room with a big smile. Spike was still leaning against her side, with one of her wings draped lovingly over him like a blanket. The two hadn’t said much since they had gotten back. Eventually, though, Spike shifted to look up at her, his face still showing his relief from earlier. “...I’m really glad you’re okay,” he mumbled, pressing closer to her side. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Spike, you make it sound like I was going off on some dangerous odyssey. I’m sorry I scared you, but it wasn’t really that bad, was it?” she asked lightly, hoping to ease his concern. It did not work. Spike’s expression hardened with disapproval, and she felt him tense up under her wing. “Twilight… the last time you flew off after being angry like that, you turned into Midnight.” Any mirth Twilight had been feeling in that moment was immediately squashed like an ant under a buffalo’s hoof. Her ears drooped, and her smile fell away. “O-oh… I…” “I was scared it might have happened again,” Spike went on, closing his eyes. “You need help, and for a minute there I was scared that we should have gotten you that help sooner. I mean, if you had gone back to being Midnight, then what would we do? What would you do? I mean, you have your memories back…” “Spike…” “Would you go after Spiracle? Or the Hive itself?” Spike continued, getting lost in his paranoid hypotheticals. “Or would you go after the Tree for rejecting you?” “Spike, please.” “What would Rainbow have thought? Would she blame herself again?!” Spike screwed his eyes shut. “Spike, that’s enough,” Twilight finally cut him off in a low but firm voice. She leaned down and nuzzled him on the head, pulling him as close against her side as she could with her wing. “It’s okay… I’m fine. And I promise I won’t turn back into Midnight. She’s gone.” “Lies.” Twilight did her best to ignore that snarled whisper. She leaned back and smiled down at Spike as widely as she could. “And I won’t go running off like that again without telling you where I’m going, either. That’s also a promise. So chin up, okay?” Spike stared up at her for a few moments before smiling and nodding. “O-okay… if you’re sure.” “I am,” she assured him. “Pinkie promise.” “Do the chant.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Alright. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” That seemed to be enough for Spike. His smile grew, and he gave off a satisfied hum as he snuggled up against her again. Soon enough, his breaths became slow and rhythmic, and Twilight realized he had fallen asleep against her side. Twilight closed her eyes and took the chance to get a little rest, basking in the warmth of Spike nestled up close to her, and the happy voices of Thorax, Fluttershy, and Spiracle talking not far away. She took in a slow, deep breath before letting it out with a gentle smile. She had scared Spike, yes, but it had all turned out alright in the end, hadn’t it? And she could do better next time something like this came up. “I told you,” she thought, her smile turning ever so slightly smug. “I told you I had this handled.” “Even a broken clock is right twice a day,” the voice remarked dismissively. Twilight’s smile became strained. For the moment, she elected not to pursue that discussion any further. As it was, it would be better to take it as a compliment and carry on. Eventually, though, her moment of rest and inner reflection came to an end. A hoof tapped her on the shoulder, drawing her attention. Looking up, Twilight was greeted by Fluttershy’s face. Spiracle and Thorax were still happily chatting in hushed voices on the other end of the room. “Hey, Fluttershy. How’s her leg?” Twilight asked in a hushed voice as the pegasus settled down beside her. “She’ll be just fine,” Fluttershy replied with a simple nod. “It might take a while to heal, but she’ll be okay. Changelings are very strong creatures.” “Heh, tell me about it,” Twilight replied. “Thorax turned into a dragon once.” Fluttershy’s eyes drifted to the changeling in question, a far off look coming over her eyes. “Yeah… he did. I wish I had gotten a chance to see it…” she said quietly, her lips curling up into a soft smile. Twilight observed Fluttershy from the side for a few moments, one of her eyebrows taking a trip up north for the summer. A few seconds passed before she smiled and lightly nudged the other mare in the side with her elbow. “So… are you and Thorax… you know, I’m not surprised.” Fluttershy’s ears shot straight up, her cheeks turning a faint shade of red. “W-wha-?! I, uh, um… How did you... well, but, uh, I uh…” she babbled before withdrawing behind her mane, a series of embarrassing squeaks slipping out. “How obvious is it?” Twilight giggled quietly, placing a comforting hoof on Fluttershy’s back. “Not super obvious, actually. Really, my big clue was how quick Thorax was to fly down here and help out after he found out about your house. That, and, well, everything with you two over the last two years: the letters, the way you sometimes gushed about him, how you spent most of your time with him at my brother’s wedding. Although I didn’t catch on until Rainbow gave him an evil smirk at your cottage. She only ever gets that look with me when she’s messing with me, and she knows she only gets away with it because I’m her girlfriend.” Fluttershy let off another withering squeak before slowly poking her face out from behind her mane. “Um... okay,” she murmured sheepishly. “Just… don’t go telling anypony else, please. I mean, unless you have to.” Twilight’s smile faltered. She tilted her head to one side curiously. “Huh? Why not?”  She asked. Fluttershy emerged fully from her mane and tapped her hooves together in front of her chest. “Um… it’s just that… I’ve never, you know, been with somepony like that before. It’s all really new to me, and I’m still trying to figure it all out. And, you know, it’s a little private.” Twilight’s expression softened with understanding. It made sense. Fluttershy was, true to her name, the most socially reserved out of the entire group. Out of all of them, she would probably want and need the most space to herself to sort through it on her own and get used to it, and sharing the details of her love life with everypony else wasn’t really something Twilight could see her doing. At the end of the day, though, it wasn’t Twilight’s business. She withdrew her hoof and nodded. “Alright, I understand. Really, I’m still trying to figure out how Rainbow and I are supposed to do this.” Fluttershy blinked at her. “Really?” “I had amnesia for two years,” Twilight reminded her, shuddering slightly at the memory. “Our whole relationship was put on pause for that entire time. Now that my memories are back, though, it’s back on, but… well, I mean, she and I already live together, and we have been living together since we came to Ponyville… I mean, do she and I start dating now, or are we past that point already?” “Um… I don’t know?” Fluttershy said weakly with a very useless smile. Twilight gave off an exaggerated groan of dismay. “Ugh, neither do I! It’s weird. My love life is weird.” Fluttershy giggled at that before leaning over to give her a reassuring nuzzle. “Well, even if your life is weird, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You and Rainbow have so much chemistry, and I know you two love each other very much. I know you’ll figure something out together.” “Heh. Yeah, I guess we will,” Twilight agreed, taking a deep breath. She looked ahead, her eyes finding Thorax as he and Spiracle both suddenly broke out into laughs over something one of them had said. “Heh. Those two seem to be happy.” Fluttershy nodded. “Mhmm… Thorax talks about the Hive sometimes, you know. I think he really misses it…” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? I mean, after everything I’ve learned about him, I thought he’d never want to go back.” “Oh, he doesn’t,” Fluttershy clarified with a shake of her head. “He was treated horribly there. But, at the same time… it’s home to him. He was born there, raised there, and before he met us, his entire life revolved around there. All of his old friends are still there… He gets this really sad look whenever he talks about it…” She looked down, her ears drooping. “I think, more than anything, he just misses being with his own kind. As much as he loves Wind, Squall, and the rest of us, he just… I don’t think he feels quite right, yet. Like there’s something missing...” Twilight hummed, looking at Thorax again, more closely this time. Now that she was really looking, the depth of the happiness in his eyes was far more profound than she had at first thought. His every movement was laced with ecstatic energy, the big smile never once left his face, and his wings just could not hold still. He was like a kid bouncing around with excitement at getting to go into the candy shop. Fluttershy watched him, too, a deeply pleased smile on her face. “But now look at him. He has another changeling to talk to again, after all this time. Somepony who will get it when he starts going off about how emotions taste, or who can understand how he sees the world…” Fluttershy turned to Twilight, and her smile grew. “And you made it happen, Twilight.” Twilight blinked. “Huh? O-oh, well, I mean…” she cracked a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of her head. “I mean, kinda? I came dangerously close to messing it all up…” Fluttershy hummed. “Maybe… but in the end, you didn’t. You did the right thing, you showed her a little kindness, and now we can all help her,” she whispered. She then closed her eyes, and when next she spoke, there was something to her words, something deep and distant. “I’m proud of you, Twilight… thank you.” Twilight blinked, her heart skipping a beat. All at once, a pressure on her heart and soul that she had not been aware of was lifted, at least partially. She gave off an instinctual sigh of relief, her entire body relaxing all at once. A pall that had been hanging over her ever since she had gotten her memories back began to thin, though it did not disperse entirely. Twilight closed her eyes and smiled, leaning over into Fluttershy’s side. “Hmm. Thanks for saying that, Fluttershy. It’s the least I could do,” she said softly before falling silent, allowing the happy chatter and laughs of Thorax and Spiracle to echo in her mind. Come to think of it, she had gotten very little sleep over the last few nights, and their joy was soothing… With a content sigh, Twilight relaxed entirely into Fluttershy’s side, allowing herself to follow after Spike into the world of dreams. This time, for a mercy, there were no nightmares awaiting her.