~~~ CHAPTER FOUR ~~~
~~~ ON THE ROAD ~~~
The three Timberwolves snarled viciously as they backed you and Twilight up, closer and closer, toward the cliff’s edge. Twilight, wincing in pain, leveled her horn at the Alpha and fired a beam of energy. You could feel the heat of her magic as it arced across the space and impacted the beast in a brilliant flash of purple, and for a moment you hoped that the alicorn had vaporized it. The snarls of the beasts faded, and all you could hear were Twilight’s pants and the crackle of magic. However your hopes were dashed as the Alpha emerged unharmed from the miasma of magic, and as it regarded you, sneering and baring his fangs, fear took your heart. It let out a growl that sounded eerily like a laugh, and you found that your feet would not obey you. You could not move.
Twilight, in all her bravery, stepped in front of you on shaky legs. Tired as she was, still she stood tall and heroic, and she once again illuminated her horn. “You cannot pass,” she said, and a brilliant ball of shining light began to form around the two of you. “Go back to the shadows!” the alicorn commanded. “You will not touch me, and you will not touch my friend.”
The Alpha smirked, and reached a massive paw out to swipe at the Princess of Friendship. His claws smashed against Twilight’s magical shield, sending a flurry of sparks and magical energy everywhere. Thankfully, it held. For the moment, you were safe.
Only for the moment, however.
A second attack followed, and then a third, and Twilight’s shield began to crumble. You wanted to call out, you needed to tell her. She could do this! You believed in her! But the words caught in your throat, and all you could let out was a hollow croak.
Twilight stopped then and looked over at you at the same moment her shield wall came crashing down. “I…” she began, but she never had the chance to finish as the Alpha suddenly charged and the alicorn was caught in his jaws.
“No!” You screamed at last, helpless, as the mare you loved was thrown from the cliff to her doom, and the three towering, snarling Timberwolves turned their full attention toward you.
“No!”
~~
“No!” You roared as you jumped to your feet, your heart pounding in your chest. For a moment, just for a second, you could hear the growling of the Timberwolves as thought they were right next to you, however, as you spun around, you quickly came to realize you were not on the top of a cliff, nor were you in the middle of a battle. You were still at the edge of the woods, and it had all been a horrible, horrible dream.
“Just a dream,” you murmured shakily and ran a hand through your hair. “It was just a dream.”
Still, you could hear Twilight’s scream echoing in your mind , and as you looked around your small clearing, you realized the mare was nowhere to be found. “Twilight?” You called. Your only answer was the chirping of birds and the early morning breeze. “Twilight!” You cried out again, more urgent this time, more panic in your tone.
A twig snapped and you quickly spun around, only to find the Princess of Friendship emerging from the woods. In her magic, she carried some more twigs for the fire, as well as a few flowers which she was happily munching on and two small bottles.. “Good morning,” she chirped, and you gave a quiet nod in response, hoping she wouldn’t pick up on how panicked you had just been. “Are you okay?” She asked, care coloring her voice. “You don’t look well. Did you sleep okay?”
So much for hiding it. “Bad dream,” you answered her, sighing. “Real bad dream.”
Twilight frowned, and her ears flicked back. “I remember Princess Luna once told me that she usually has a hard time finding you in the Dreamscape due to the fact that you aren’t, well, from here. I know she would help you more if she could though.” She paused. Was it the Timberwolves?”
Images flashed in your mind. The Alpha’s dripping fangs. The claws. Twilight’s panicked eyes. Her screams as she fell. “For the most part.” You sighed.
“Want to talk about it?” The mare asked, and a purple hoof reached out to touch your hand. Mindlessly, you took it and gave it a small squeeze. “Not really,” you said. “Not right now, I mean. Just… I’m glad to be awake, and I’m glad… I’m glad you’re okay.”
Twilight paused for a moment, and then nodded slowly. “I’m okay, I promise.” She smiled up at you. Her purple eyes glimmered in the early morning sun, and you smiled back as you committed the sight to memory. From her bright and wide eyes to the fuzz on her cheeks, from her flicking ears to the way her snoot scrunched as she smiled,, you took it all in. You never wanted to see Twilight like you had seen her in your dream.
You would happily drown in the presence of this pony. She was so pretty, so adorable, so beautiful. You wanted to tell her. God, how you just wanted to confess. If you could fall asleep every night like the last, cuddled up against Twilight’s chest floof and wrapped in her wings, you would be able to die a happy man.
“Do you want something to drink?” Twilight asked, and she illuminated her horn and brought over one of the two bottles you had seen her carrying back to camp. “Fresh from the creek, nice and cool!”
You thanked her and grabbed the bottle, drinking deeply. You were always parched in the mornings, even more so following a nightmare; tossing and turning was hard work. Twilight also offered you breakfast in the form of the rest of the magical banana bread from last night, which you happily accepted.
While you were munching away, Twilight began to pack up the camp, explaining the upcoming journey to you as she did so. You were to travel up past the forest and toward the border of the Crystal Empire, then East across the River Harmony and over Neighagra Falls, and then finally downhill to a small seaside village called Maretime Bay where you could book a ship that would take you to the Kingdom of Griffonstone. You had no idea where any of these things were, of course, and you told Twilight as much. Thankfully, you were more than happy to just follow the egghead wherever she decided to lead you; no doubt she’d memorized Equestrian geography down to the name of every last settlement.
As it turned out, you weren’t wrong.
As you and Twilight traveled along the road, the alicorn would perk up any time a small town or wayside inn would appear, and she would tell you some fun fact or piece of trivia about it. This inn was run by a descendant of Clover the Clever, that town was known for a famous battle a thousand years ago, that ruin used to be a temple where ponies worshiped the Mare in the Moon. In many of these places, Twilight insisted that you take a small detour to explore. So long as you got to spend more time listening to her talk, you sure didn’t mind.
It was in one of the older ruins that something caught your eye. Twilight had been leading you through the long-abandoned halls, happily scrawling notes on a scroll she had brought along and explaining some ancient lore to you that you had seen it: a small flower growing in a crack in the wall, bright pink against the dreary gray. How it was growing you had no idea, there was very little sunlight in the ruin. Still, there it was. An idea crossed your mind. It was a little corny, sure, but hell, you wanted to do it. You plucked the flower from the wall and called out. “Hey Twilight! Come here a second!”
The alicorn gave you a quick and curious ‘hmm?’ as she turned back and came around the corner. Smiling, you extended your hand, offering her the flower. “Here, I found this. Thought you might like it.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I’m not really hungry, and we still have a few hours ‘till lunch.. I guess I could go for a snack though.”
You paused. Ah, of course. Ponies liked to eat flowers. Maybe the symbolism was a little different for them than it was for you. “Actually, I was hoping to just, y’know, give it to you?” You offered. “I saw it and it was pretty and it reminded me of you, and..” Ugh. Way too corny. “It’s just a present. I thought you’d like it.”
Twilight’s eyes widened a little, and you swore you saw a quick blush splash across her muzzle and tinge the tips of her ears. Adorable. “Oh. A - a present? For me?” She asked. You nodded, and she took the flower in her magic, turning it over and examining it closely. “Thank you,” she said, so demurely it was as if she had been possessed by Fluttershy.
“I just thought it’d look good, maybe in your mane,” you said, rubbing awkwardly at the back of your neck. “Here,” you reached out and took the flower back and then fumbled for a moment as you tried to get the damn thing in place. It took some work, but eventually you got it, and as you stepped back Twilight conjured up a mirror and eagerly examined your handiwork.
“It’s nice!” She exclaimed, using a hoof to fluff her mane. “I love it! Thank you so much! I… I wish I had one to give to you, but…”
It was your turn to blush. “Ah, no, no, you’re okay.” You laughed sheepishly. “Just seeing you smile is good enough for me.
Twilight gave you a look you couldn’t place, just for a moment, before she stepped in close to you and leaned in, nuzzling against your side. “It’s… hard not to smile when I’m with such a… a good friend.” She murmured. You sighed and pulled the mare closer to you, and she happily accepted your hug. A good friend. A small tug at your soul; you wished the two of you could be more than that. You stood there for a few seconds more, content to enjoy her embrace, but eventually Twilight spoke up again. “We should probably keep going, I think. We’re a little behind schedule!”
You nodded, and the two of you gradually made your way out of the old ruin and back to the trail, Twilight happily humming a song you didn’t know the words to while you remained a few paces behind, examining the small pink flower in her mane. She looked nice, you thought, gorgeous, and you were beyond happy that you had been able to make her smile. At some point in your journey, you knew you would have to tell her about your feelings, but for the moment these small tests would have to be enough to gauge if the mare would be open to the idea of something deeper than friendship.
The trail went on and on, and as evening approached and the sun began to dip once again below the horizon, Twilight decided to make camp. You weren’t near a forest tonight, and thankfully you didn’t need any firewood since you had Twilight’s fire magic. By the time the golden sunset had faded and the moon rose, the memories from your bad dream had all but disappeared, and Twilight seemed as happy as ever. The warm summer air had cooled during the day, and a cold breeze was slowly kicking up, sending the occasional chill throughout your body. You were getting close to the Equestrian border, the alicorn explained. The closer you drew to the Crystal Empire and the Frozen North, the less Princess Celestia’s magic and the Magic of Harmony would affect the land, and the more wild and untamed it would become.
“Hey, thanks again for the flower.” Twilight plopped down next to the fire, a flask of cider in her magic.. “It’s really pretty!”
“No problem,” you answered and took a seat next to her. “Almost as pretty as you,” you thought.
She smiled at you, almost as if she had read your mind. Her purple eyes seemed to glow in the dim, flickering light of the golden flame, and your heart thumped in your chest as Twilight scooted in to be a little closer to you. She gave you a small hmm while wrapping a wing around you, and she tenderly placed her head on your shoulder. “It’s a little cold,” she offered. You gave a shaky nod in response, and the two of you relaxed, basking in the warm glow of the fire. Her mane smelled of lavender and carried the faint tinge of sweat, and you had to try not to drown in the bliss that came from simply being this close to her.
More and more you were realizing just how deep the feelings you held for Twilight ran. Two days on the road had more or less erased the worries you had held about her being, well, a pony. In fact, you were beginning to realize just how much the equine aspects of her appearance appealed to you; The hooves, the tail, the gossamer coat that was so easy to rest your head against. The snoot that was so easily boopable, and her lips, different from a human’s but still so… kissable. She wasn’t like a horse back home, she was so much more than that. You knew it was probably best not to dwell on those thoughts. Besides, behind the adorable horsey appearance there was a kind soul, and wasn’t that what mattered the most?
You weren’t free of your worries, though. You weren’t ashamed to have the feelings you did for Twilight, but you still weren’t sure that she harbored the same feelings for you. Sure, she had been more touchy-feely than you had known her to be ever since the two of you had battled the Timberwolves, as evidenced by the fact that she was now pressed happily against your side, but ponies were like that. It had taken time to get used to the hugs and nuzzles back home in Ponyville. Ponies weren’t like humans, they were far more physical, and mere touching didn’t necessarily mean a pony was looking for romance.
“Damn, Twilight. I wish you would just tell me how you feel.”
As if she sensed the tension in your muscles, the alicorn rubbed her cheek against your arm. A sign of trust and friendship. Maybe more (you hoped), but unless she was willing to tell you, that wasn’t a risk you were willing to take. Not yet, anyway.
You almost didn’t feel pressure as Twilight placed her hoof on top of your hand.
“Do you think we could snuggle?” The mare asked, and you almost choked on your tongue.
“What?” You sputtered, pulling away just enough to look at her. “Snuggle?”
“J-Just because it’s so chilly!’ Twilight exclaimed, ears flattened against her head. “I don’t think a sleeping bag would be enough to keep me warm, and… and ponies snuggle all the time!”
“This isn’t helping matters,” you thought. If God was sending you a sign, it wasn’t a very good one.
Slowly, you nodded. Even if there wasn’t the prospect of romance, would it really be so bad to snuggle? Twilight was warm and fuzzy, and it had been a long time since you’d had anyone next to you as you fell asleep. In response, Twilight’s smile widened, and she let out an adorable, almost inaudible squee as you rolled up your cloak and put it under your head and patted the ground next to you, allowing the mare to snuggle in close.
She lay there for a moment regarding you, a serene smile on her face. “This is much better. Much warmer,” she whispered, and you swore she was blushing as her wings enveloped you. Not that you’d ever bring it up. If you were to bring it up, she might look away, and you didn’t want that. If you could keep her close like this for the rest of your days, you could die happy. “Thank you,” she offered.
Realizing she been doing most of the holding, you decided to risk making a small move. “Can I hold you too, Twi?” You asked, and when she nodded, you gingerly reached your arm out and placed it over her side. She did the same, and you could feel her hoof pulling you closer. Soon, your chest was against hers, and she lowered her head, laying against your neck while your forehead came to rest just under her horn.
“Sleep well, Twilie,” you murmured as sleep began to take you. Thinking back to the previous night, you remembered what she had done for you as you had fallen asleep. Tenderly, as your consciousness rapidly faded away, you lowered your head, and allowed the sweet scent of the pony’s mane to envelop you as you placed a small, sweet kiss at the base of her ear.
To your surprise, the hoof around your back pulled you a little closer.