//------------------------------// // Chapter 20: Kittens, Confessions, and Cutie Marks // Story: Filly Eyes // by Betty_Starlight //------------------------------// “You close yourself off for a long time, and eventually, all you can really do is stare up at the steel walls you built to defend yourself…” - Betty Starlight <*****> I stared at the strange teal green unicorn as she sipped her blond coffee from a white mug on the kitchen table… I sighed and finally asked her, “Jessi, why don’t you trust me?” She eyes me carefully, “What do you mean?” “Well, when I was cleaning up your bed area, you insisted on ‘keeping your friends safe from me.’ Don’t you think that’s kind of odd?” She blinks while continuing to stare at me intently, “I-I know I can trust me… I know I can rely on me… I know I won’t hurt me… I don’t know that about you…” My eyes widen, “Yeah, but it’s been months, now! Shouldn’t we be making more progress than this? I mean, shouldn’t I at least be trusted in your room?” She frowns, “Why?” “Well, you should know I’m not gonna hurt your stuffed friends, honestly!” She raises her gaze, “Why?” “Why what?” Her head leans to the right, “Well, why should I ever trust you?” I frown, “Well, didn’t you once say I was your mother, now?” Her head straightens and nods, “Well, yes! I did say that!” My eyes widen, “Well, right! Shouldn’t you trust your mom?” She frowns, “I don’t know? Maybe?” I stare at this strange small unicorn for a moment before finally saying, “How did you get so disconnected?” She breathes in deep from her nose slowly before letting it back out… “Diamond dogs…” “What?” She raises her gaze to me, “The diamond dogs… I was their slave for two and a half years…” she smiles wickedly. “But that’s all over now…” I keep my gaze wide at this filly, “Well, do you want to talk about it?” She frowns up at me, “Well, what’s there to talk about? I escaped, punished evil, and made it back to my house in Tanglewood!” and nods. “That’s where you found me!” I remain silent for a moment, “Well, you know I love you, right?” She smiles, “Of course, mom!” “And you know you can trust me, right?” Her smile lowers somewhat, “I don’t know? Probably?” I narrow my eyes and groan, “Ugh!” <*****> I trot past Twinkle’s red door on my left and I hear a faint mew coming from her door followed by a familiar squeaky “Golly!” I blink and continue trotting to the kitchen down the hall… Later, I’m trotting back after having had a glass of juice and once again, I hear a faint mew coming from Twinkle’s room… I finally just stop and turn my head to the red door on my right, “Twinkle! What are you doing in there?” I hear a faint, “Oh, golly gee!” and then she speaks up, “Uh, Misty! Would you come in here please?” My eyes are wide as saucers as I suddenly wonder what’s about to happen… I force the doorknob to glow blue and turn before the door goes inward to the left while held in my magick and then, I trot into Twinkle’s little room… I try to suppress a smirk as I stare at this small gray kitten, now firmly snuggle-locked with all of these small equine plushies on Twinkle’s bed… “Twinkle! Why is there a kitten in here?” It stares at me wide-eyed as Twinkle stands to my left and looks at me while calmly squeaking, “Well, I adopted him! Yes!” she nods. “I think that adopting a kitten is a great idea!” I can’t help but get the feeling there’s more to this story, but I dare not ask as I stare up at the wide hazel eyes of this small tomcat as he sits on the bed, nestled atop a the neck of a pink earth pony with a poufy magenta mane. “Well, what are you gonna call him?” “He’s got a Stalliongrad blue coat, and so I decided to name him Boris! Yes! Boris to kitten!” My eyes widen at his kitten as it eyes me carefully, “Boris, huh?” She nods, “Yup! Well, hey! I gotta meet this pony on the other end of town and do this thing, so you and Boris have fun while I’m away!” I turn my head back left to Twinkle, “Wait, what?” She smiles, “Well, he said he could meet me now or never, so I gotta fly! Later, Misty!” I frown and widen my eyes, “Well uh, what do I do with him?” Her eyes widen, “You know? Kitten things! Anyway, gotta run!” before she trots to the door and opens it with her forehoof and trots out into the hallway… I stare back up at this kitten and gulp in fear at this ominous cat from Tartarus… <*****> So, I trotted up the three steps to Izzy’s porch as my dark tan leather saddlebags swayed on my hips and smile as I saw the familiar purple color of her shack. I take three steps towards the door and knock on it with my right forehoof. BAM BAM BAM! I hear a faint feminine murmur from inside that I can’t readily identify, before the door quickly opens and I see the wide green eyes of a blue unicorn staring at me intently underneath a swept over curly dark blue and neon green mane, “Jessi! I’m glad you’re here! You gotta help me! Twinkle and Izzy are gone and there’s a kitten!” I widen my eyes at this statement, “Uh, what?” She nods, “Get in here, now!” I trot in and see a small gray kitten playing with a blue toy mouse on the floor. It bats the mouse left and right and tries to grasp it in its foreclaws while standing on its hind legs, “Uh, it’s a kitty! It seems to be having a good time?” She frantically says from behind me, “Yeah! I found these toy mice on Twinkle’s floor and I’m guessing they’re for the cat? Uh, he’s been batting it around and playing with it for about an hour now! I’m just not sure what to do?” I turn around and ask her, “Well, have you tried petting the kitten?” Her eyes widen, “Petting?” I smile, “We’re gonna have fun, today!” <*****> The gray kitten formed a little loaf in front of me on the bed as I sat there on my four hooves with my body lowered on the mattress in a prone position. The head of the bed was behind me as well as a big pile of pony plushies that we had gathered, so as to have room for this operation… I hear Jessi behind me say, “Okay Misty! Now, gently put your hoof on the cat's back and lovingly rub it back so the kitty feels good!” I keep my eyes wide and peeled on this feline as I slowly move my right forehoof to the kitten’s soft neck and lightly stroke his back… I’m soon rewarded with an engine-like noise now emanating from the strange small gray creature as his soft body begins to vibrate… Jessi asks me from behind, “What did you say his name was?” “Twinkle said she was calling him Boris… Boris the kitten…” I can almost hear Jessi chuckle, “Well, I’m glad I got here when I did, honestly! You sure were freaking out back there, Misty!” I continue to pet the kitten like Jessi told me as I say back, “Well, I’ve never had a furry companion like this before!” “Um, you said Opaline was mean to you and didn’t let you have any plushies or friends, right? Maybe something like this could be good for you?” I frown, “What?” “Well, yeah Misty! You gotta admit, some love, affection, and comfort would be nice, right?” My mouth straightens, “Well, yeah?” and I continue to stroke the fluffiness of the kitty’s back coat as he continues to stay in his loaf position and make his engine noises… Jessi is silent for a moment before she asks me, “Well, how are you doing up there, Misty? Do you like Boris, the kitten?” My mouth begins to curve upward in a slight smirk as I calmly say, “Yeah, petting him is kinda nice…” “Which reminds me, Misty! I had something for you!” “Oh?” I say as my eyes widen and mouth goes agape as I continue to stroke the furry little loaf of love in front of me… I hear a gentle rustling noise to my left and I look over to see a stuffed toy of a blue pegasus pony… It’s roughly a third the size of my body and has about five to seven different colors in it’s mane I’d say and a distinct multi-colored lightning bolt cutie mark… I frown, “What’s this?” “Well, I’ve been calling her Rainbow Head, because I can’t think of anything better? I brought you a stuffed friend for comfort, Misty!” I mouthed out the word slowly, “Comfort?” “Yeah, Misty! I mean, I already got Twinkle addicted to plushies! Now, it’s your turn!” My eyes widen, “Oh, gosh! You’re trying to get me into some kinda weird freaky snuggle cult, aren’t you?” “Well, even if we were, it’s still better than what Opaline was doing!” My eyes narrow somewhat, “Okay, you got me there! Uh” I look down at the furry mammal there, vibrating in its loaf. “I guess I should keep petting the kitten?” I can hear her voice say whimsically, “Yes! Pet the kitty! Love the kitty! MWAHAHAHAA!” I giggle slightly and try in vain to suppress a smirk on my face, “Stop it, Jessi!” She chuckles slightly, “But hey, Misty! You’re doing alright today, right?” I sigh, “Yes Jessi! I’m fine!” “Well, we worry about you, you know? You brutally murdered an evil alicorn and now, you gotta restart your life! I mean, that takes a lot out of anypony!” I roll my eyes, “Uh, yes! Worry about me! Apparently!” and then look down and continue petting the furry gray thing on the bed… Suddenly, the filly behind me bluntly speaks up, “I had to get used to that too…” My eyes widen, “What?” I hear her exhale from her nostrils, “Other ponies caring about me, I mean… But yeah! We really do and if anything is ever wrong, we’re all right here, okay?” “Well uh, thanks Jessi!” “Heh, no problem Misty! It’s kinda weird though? I mean, I helped Twinkle get past how standoffish she tends to be and while that made me feel good, with you, it’s different somehow?” I frown in confusion, “What do you mean?” I hear her slowly exhale from her mouth, “Well… When you talked about how mean and nasty Opaline was to you, I kinda felt bad for you and like I could relate, you know?” at this point, I can almost feel the other filly smiling from behind me. “I care about you!” Suddenly, my body is encased in white light as it lifts maybe a foot and a half from the bed! I can see a bright glow coming from my right side as my eyes remain wide as they can go and I say in astonishment, “W-what’s happening?” My body stops glowing and abruptly falls back down to the bed causing my knees to buckle before rising again to support it and Jessi says in an amazed tone, “Uh, Misty! You just got your cutie mark!” I keep my eyes wide and turn my head around to look at my right flank… And where I used to see the little face I’d always draw there instead of a cutie mark, I saw something else… I saw a red heart with white wings on either side of it… I somehow just knew what this symbol meant, “Empathy is my special talent, Jessi…” “What?” I turn my body around on the bed to face her behind me, “I connected to this kitten by petting it and loving it… And I just connected to you when we both took care of Boris together… I connected to Izzy and Sunny at that party earlier and when I came here looking for help… I connected to Twinkle when we started sleeping in the same bed together and hanging out during her smoke sessions… Empathy is my special talent!” She’s silent for a moment before finally admitting, “Well, that is a good point! I mean, a lot of times, I feel forced to tell the truth because of my curse, but with you, it just seemed so natural?” I finally smile and say, “Because you wanted to connect with me, right? You felt safe?” Jessi smiles back, “Well, right! I mean, Twinkle can be a little rough around the edges, but you’re so gentle and understanding?” I smile warmly at this wonderful green unicorn, “Right!” <*****> I land on the porch of the purple cottage and while I’m pretty sure Izzy isn’t back yet, I know I left Misty with Boris and so I didn’t want to be too long. Of course, I still sampled a bit of my pony’s product and was a tad lightheaded from that, but it wasn’t awful… At least I didn’t think at first, until I almost failed to land and ended up skidding on the porch after my hooves hit it with a resounding, clack! I shake my head and quietly curse to myself, “Oh, golly!” I then stare up at the red front door and take the necessary two paces towards it and open it with my right forehoof and it soon swings inward to the left… I see the dimly lit foyer area of her cottage before me and I trot in towards my room in the back… I open the same red door inward to the left with my right forehoof, yet again and I see Misty there… Giggling while holding a toy mouse in her blue glow and wiggling it in front of this gray kitten, batting and swatting at it with his paws while desperately trying to balance on its hind legs to reach the false varmint… I raise my head to speak, “Hey, I got some stuff in my right saddlebag! Uh, you doing okay in here with Boris, Misty?” She turns her head back left to stare at me and I see a bright beaming smile on her face for the first time since I’ve known her, “Hey, Twinkle! I think I made a new friend?” I keep my eyes wide, “I guess so, huh?“ I raise my head towards the other unicorn. “Jessi! Would you talk with me in the hallway for a moment?” Jessi turns her head right from the opposite side of Misty in my room, “Oh uh, sure Twinkle.” and she begins trotting towards me in the doorway… I back up to give her enough room and she turns her head right to magically close the door to my room while I smile and say, “I take it we were successful?” Jessi frantically stares back at me with wide eyes and a big smile on her face, “Oh, better than that Twinkle! Our kitten gave her her cutie mark!” I widen my eyes as my mouth begins to straighten, “Say what now?” She nods, “Yeah! I guess giving her the kitten gave her empathy and that caused her mark to appear on her right flank!” “Oh, golly!” (To be continued...)