"Alright, give that a try," Anon said, "Go slow, and stop the very instant you feel pain."
He held his breath as Twilight cautiously lifted her hoof from the cushion, but amazingly, she was able to pick it up and even hold it outstretched toward him.
"And no pain? Not even a twinge?"
"No, nothing. That's good, right?"
Anon chuckled, sounding almost nervous.
"It's better than good, Twi. It's fuckin' incredible. I can't feel even a trace of that hairline fracture, you don't hurt even from the knock test, and you're supporting your own limb's weight all within a few days of the injury." He shook his head in disbelief and continued, "Either your magic's doing a real number on you, or you ponies heal a good deal faster than anything I'm used to."
Twilight giggled and wiggled her hind leg, and he bent over that one in turn. As he removed the cast, Twilight lowered her voice and said, "So, what are we going to do about... her?"
Anon glanced over his shoulder at the airplane cabin door, in the direction that Lizzy sat.
"I don't know. I'm sure she'll have friends waiting for us when we arrive. I can only hope either you can get us past them, or they play nice until we get back with Starlight."
"And then all three of us can hop through the portal, easy peasy. I can even make it up in the air and float us into it, so they definitely can't reach."
"Good thinking."
Twilight sighed, then shook her head sadly.
"What was he thinking, Anon?"
He didn't even have to ask who, she could only mean Daren.
"Probably that he'd find something worth exploiting and a way to bring it back to Earth."
"But who knows where my portal spat him out! He could have dropped right into a manticore's den, for all I know!"
Anon laid a hand on her back, hating to see her like this.
"Twi... It wasn't your fault."
She looked up at him, eyes glistening.
"I mean it. It wasn't your fault. They tricked you into opening that portal, and then he jumped through with no warning. You barely closed it in time to stop the second guy. You did everything you could."
With a little sniff, she nodded and averted her gaze, "I just... I don't want to hurt any creature, even indirectly. I hate using my magic for harm."
Lifting both hooves, she stared at her forelimbs as if they were someone else's.
"Every time me and my friends save Equestria, I always try to do it peacefully first... That's actually worked a couple of times, too." Her hooves plopped back onto the seat cushion and she continued glumly, "But most of the time, we have to pull out our elements and blast them with the raw arcane power they control. And every time, I hate it."
There was a brief silence, then she amended herself.
"Well, except for Tirek. I really did want to kill him for a while there. That was..." She shuddered, "Intense."
Anon glanced up at her as he unwound the cushioning gauze from around her hind leg.
"Want to talk about it?"
She let out a long sigh and said, "No, not really."
"Okay, Twilight."
She grinned sardonically, "Don't sound so disappointed."
He shrugged in response.
"What can I say? I like to hear stories about your adventures. Everything about them sounds fascinating."
"Yes, well, maybe wait until we get to Equestria to hear the rest. Then my friends can back me up and I don't have to dry out my throat talking so much!"
Anon chuckled and slid the foam stockinet off her hoof.
"Alright, just like before, tell me if you feel even the slightest twinge of pain."
"Yep, got it, doc."
Anon took one finger and lightly touched where he knew the fracture had been, and was once again amazed at how smooth the area felt. He rubbed gently, watching her face for any change in her expression, then pressed with a bit more force, sliding his fingers all the way around her leg, making her giggle nervously as he crossed her inner thigh. He grinned at her.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna tickle you again."
Twilight stuck out her tongue at him and he quickly tapped it with the tip of his finger.
"Eugh!"
She immediately began licking her fetlock and Anon gave her a funny look.
"My finger is gross but your fur isn't?"
"I know where my fur has been!"
Anon laughed and resumed his work. He used both hands to pinch on either side of the fracture and applied a tiny amount of shear force to the area, pushing with one hand and pulling with the other. He very slowly increased the pressure up to a safe maximum to which he was trained, then began knocking on her bone with a knuckle, gently at first, then with progressively more force.
When she passed that too, he finally straightened again and shook his head in wonder anew.
"It's as if it was never even broken in the first place. You don't even have a thicker outgrowth of bone mass like normal. It's just... whole again."
He eyed her wing curiously and Twilight, catching his glance, wiggled her good wing excitedly.
"I suppose there's no harm in checking..." he muttered to himself.
Twilight's eyes lit up as Anon laid his hands on her bound wing.
"You think I can fly again!?"
"Whoa there, pony. I'm only checking. That fracture in your wing was a lot dirtier than your legs, so I don't expect much, but with how fast your legs healed, I can't ignore the possibility."
He carefully unwound the bandage from her barrel and disengaged the brace from around her wing, taking care to roll everything up again so he could reapply it without much trouble.
"Now Twi, it is very important you do not move this wing except exactly as I say, okay? Normally you would be unconscious for this."
Twilight nodded, but added, "Just be careful at the joint... I'm ticklish there too, okay?"
Anon grinned, then nodded seriously as he began his examination. This time there was clear bone outgrowth, but it was much less pronounced than he'd been expecting. It also only seemed to be present on the two worst fracture points, not on the three cleaner ones. The four pieces of shattered bone certainly felt solid now, but Anon began the tedious test procedure once again. He made it all the way to the knock test before Twilight let out a little whinny.
"Ah, I was afraid of--"
"No no!" She interjected quickly, "That wasn't pain! It was just--the knocking kept reverberating down my spine. Felt really weird is all."
Anon gave her his most serious expression, "Twilight, even the slightest bit of pain could result in the bone snapping the moment it takes your weight. You must not cut corners here."
Her ears flattened determinately, "I mean it, Anon! There was no pain at all, just that weird reverberation."
He leaned closer and peered into her eyes.
"Pinkie Promise?"
She inhaled sharply, clearly surprised he remembered her 'stronger' promise, then nodded.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Then she added in an undertone, "Literally hope to fly this time..."
Anon chuckled, then nodded.
"Okay, Twi. I believe you. One final test."
Gripping her wing in both hands, he tried to actually bend it laterally as if it was taking her weight for flight. He started off extremely gentle as usual, worried about doing any damage, but Twilight said nothing so he began steadily increasing pressure. Twilight shuffled her other wing a bit.
"Still okay?"
"Mmhmm."
He slowly increased the pressure to the point that his arms began to shake, then released her with an explosive exhalation of breath.
"By God, girl. I can't explain it, but you're fuckin' healed."
She gasped, tears springing to her eyes.
"Really!? You mean it! I... I had hoped, but was trying to keep my expectations low."
"Really, Twi. I officially release you as my patient."
Twilight leapt up and wrapped both hooves around his neck and extended both wings around his shoulders, squeezing him in a unique double hug that felt amazingly cozy.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
He wrapped his arms around her barrel and pressed his face into her mane, somewhat surprised to find himself enjoying the sensation--enjoying it a lot. He inhaled deeply and they pressed closer together as her wings curled further across his back and up the back of his head.
"Anon..."
She shifted slightly, pulling back her head without releasing him and looking into his eyes with a somewhat nervous smile.
"I... I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I can't thank you enough."
Anon stared into her eyes, so close he could count the eyelashes, and found himself utterly lost for words.
She held his gaze for a few more seconds, eyes shining in the light, then she blinked, shook her head lightly, and began to withdraw her limbs. He leaned back again, feeling somewhat dazed.
"Alright, well," she said, "Time for the ultimate test, right?"
He nodded dumbly and she spread her wings to their full extent. They were the same color as her coat, but they shimmered with an iridescent quality not present anywhere else on her body. They were fascinating and beautiful to see.
Twilight let out a little cough. He jerked his attention back to her, blinking and smiling sheepishly.
"S-Sorry, what?"
"I'm going to hover here, so I need you to back up against the wall. It looks like there should be just barely enough room."
Dutifully sliding backwards, he gave her a thumbs up and she took a deep breath. Then she leapt into the air and--promptly landed square on her hooves.
"What?"
She looked down at her hooves, then back up to Anon, looking totally bewildered. Anon burst out laughing.
"W-What's so funny? It's not funny!"
Looking a little hurt now, Twilight folded her wings away and Anon struggled to get his laughter under control.
"Sorry! Sorry, it's just I just remembered... lower air pressure! The cabin must not have thick enough air for you to fly normally. But you were just like... THUNK!"
And he mimed her leaping and dropping abruptly to the floor as he suppressed another giggle fit. Twilight frowned, then spread her wings again.
"Well, I'll just have to try harder, then."
"Careful, you--"
But she wasn't listening to him now. Her wings beat furiously, ruffling his shirt and blowing back his hair as she cycled the limited amount of air within the small room faster and faster.
She remained firmly on the ground.
"What? Why!?"
Anon shook his head, still grinning but most of his mirth expended.
"Probably something to do with the limited airspace."
Just then, there was a knocking at the door. Anon shared a glance with Twilight, then slowly opened it.
"Hello, would you--" Jayna saw Twilight and gasped, "Oh my...!"
Twilight hurriedly folded her wings away, saying, "Sorry! I didn't mean to--"
"No no, they're beautiful!"
Twilight hesitated, wings half folded, "Oh. Um, thank you. They're... actually kinda matted right now. I need a good preen after so long in the bandage."
Jayna smiled at Twilight, then stepped to the side and gestured to a cart behind her.
"Do you want any in-flight snacks or drinks? Business class snacks?" She smirked at Twilight as she emphasized the word.
"Um... what do you have?"
Jayna held out a small menu and Anon reached for it, "Here, I'll order."
Twilight's magic snatched the menu out from his hands and she waved him away with a hoof.
"Nuh uh, I want to do it!"
He slowly sat back down again as Twilight began studying the menu.
"Well, while she's reading that, I'll have a fruit bowl and some apple juice."
"Of course, sir."
Then, after a couple of moments' silence, Twilight looked up and said, "Can I get a blueberry bagel and a slice of pumpkin pie?"
Jayna nodded again, "Absolutely! Any drink?"
"Oh. Um, just water."
"Just a moment."
She turned around and fussed with the cart for a moment and Anon glanced at Twilight.
"Preening? How does that work without a beak?"
Twilight giggled, "Couldn't wait to ask that one, huh?" He shook his head with a grin and she continued, "It's not that different really, I just use my teeth and tongue instead of a beak."
"Why not just use your magic?"
"Well where's the fun in that?"
"Fun?"
Twilight nodded happily, "Preening is very calming and relaxing. I'm honestly looking forward to a good preen, it's been too long."
Jayna turned back around and handed out their food, then slid the door shut with a polite smile, and they began to munch away.
Anon swallowed a bit of fruit then looked up at Twilight and said, "Do you want any help preening?"
Her eyes widened and she quickly averted her gaze, muzzle reddening slightly, "It's, um... it's kind of personal."
"Oh!" Anon waved his hands quickly, "Sorry, I didn't know. Forget I asked!"
"W-Well..." Twilight shuffled her hooves awkwardly as her muzzle darkened further, "I wouldn't exactly mind having some help."
Anon raised his eyebrows and her ears folded back as she quickly added, "It's just a lot more relaxing when somepony else is doing it, that's all. Being able to just lay there and relax, not think about what you're doing with the feathers... besides, I'm sure you'll be faster because of your fingers."
Anon resisted the urge to smirk, "I see. Perfectly logical."
"Yes."
They both hesitated.
"M-Maybe after we finish eating."
"Yeah" Anon agreed.
They munched on their food in awkward silence for several minutes. Then Anon sighed and said, "Ah, screw it, I'm not really hungry."
He stood up, crossed the tiny room, then sat down beside Twilight, earning a surprised squeak from her. The chair was intended for one, but it was large and cushy enough that both of them kinda fit if they scrunched together a little. Twilight shuffled around and laid across his lap, her ears folded down in embarrassment, and Anon scooted back deeper into the seat to give her more room.
"Just, um..." she said nervously, "Just run your fingers from top to bottom, tugging each feather lightly to see if it's loose, then smooth out the vanes and straighten the feather relative to the wing."
"Okay, sure. Simple."
"Yes. Just do it like a hundred times," she said with a giggle.
Anon smiled, then placed both hands on her wing, which shivered lightly at his touch. He began methodically working his way down the wing, going left to right, then top to bottom, just as if he were reading, beginning with the downy soft feathers along the top ridge.
Twilight initially tried to continue eating her bagel while he worked, but clearly she was having trouble focusing on her magic and, after a couple of bites, she gave up trying to hold it steady enough to eat. She set the bagel down and simply closed her eyes to revel in the sensation. Her head sunk slowly down and down until it was eventually tucked in against his side, her snout pressed into the side of his hip.
It was then Anon knew that he loved her.
The hug from earlier had been lurking in the back of his mind, and now, with her curled up around him and trusting him to this intimate task, he realized he wanted nothing more than to just stay like this with her forever.
Problem was, she hadn't made any moves on him. Not even a hint of attraction. The hug had simply been her showing her gratitude. After all, she'd already explained that ponies were much more touchy-feely than humans... and letting him preen her was certainly nice and trusting of her, but hardly proof of returned love. She had had solid enough reasons for it after all.
He thought back to earlier and... no, there was nothing, really. There had been that little nose brush last night, but that was clearly an accident, and she had been cuddling him this morning, but it made perfect sense--he did keep the bedroom quite cold after all, and he doubted she knew where the spare blankets were.
Nevermind that--they were completely different species! Of course she didn't love him, and how in the hell could he love her? But he looked down at her, splayed across his lap and curled around both sides of his torso, and his chest burned with the need to care for and protect this mare.
...This mare who wielded fantastical powers and was literally royalty and probably had no use for him whatsoever. What could he possibly offer her? He couldn't even offer his skills as veterinarian since she mentioned they have healing spells.
Anon let out a low sigh. There was nothing for it. He'd just have to brace for her inevitable rejection.
It was only logical.