//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Always, and Forever // Story: A Grand Journey // by willow_whistle //------------------------------// Twilight had expected to feel the searing pain of huge jaws clamping down on her neck, and of fangs being embedded in her flesh.  That, and, if she heard anything at all, that it would be her own screaming and perhaps some snarling.  What she most certainly did not expect was the feeling of a warm, heavy body on top of her, a snout in the crook of her neck, and the sound of… sobbing? She opened her eyes to see a scuffed-up looking Flitter Flutter on top of her, while Twinkle herself lay on her back.  Were she not still in so much pain, and her friend not weeping atop her, she’d have assumed this to be the afterlife.  Everything was so serene now, even if only compared to just moments before. “I-I’m s-sorry…” Flitter Flutter choked out, tears streaking down her face, wetting both pony’s fur.  “I’m s-s-so.. S-sorr-yy!”  She spouted out between gasps, and hugged Twilight like she was her only anchor to the world. “I l-love you too!  P-please don’t h-hate meee!!”  She seemed to sob harder at this, and Twilight’s heart lurched.  She hugged the pegasus back, and stroked between her wings with a hoof. “Shhhh, It’s okay, she reassured, “I could never hate you.  It wasn’t your fault…” “Y-Yes it was!! I’m a freak, a predator!!”  Flitter Flutter retorted, hiding her face in Twilight’s mane.  “I’m some gross colt who just wishes he were a mare!!  You can’t love me…” “Oh, Flutters…” Twilight cupped Flutter’s chin with a hoof, and turned her up to face her.  “No you’re not, unless I am too.” “T-Twilight…?  But you’re…”  Her eyes, now teal again, go wide in realization. “B-but you’re so pretty!  Th-there’s no way you’re like me!!” “Flitter Flutter,” Twilight adopted a faux-scolding tone, “you are literally the prettiest mare I have ever seen in my entire life!”  Flutter flushed bright red at this, and seemed to have nothing to say, so Twinkle continued. “It hurts my heart that you don’t see that, and that you think who you were in the past means you can’t be somepony else in the future.”  She pulled the pegasus closer, and gave her a very gentle kiss on the nose.  “I love you, and I have for a long time, and I will continue to.  Always, and forever.” Flitter Flutter promptly buried her face in Twilight Twinkle’s chest, and sobbed deeply into it.  “B-but I hurt you,” she wailed, muffled though it was.  “I hurt you s-so much!  And i-it’s going to happen aga-a-a-aaaaain!” Twilight responded by sitting up just enough to rest her chin on Flutter’s head, stroking her mane and back and trying to comfort her through her gasping sobs.  “You don’t know that, Flutters,” she pleaded, “we might find a cure before then.  Please, don’t give up…” “B-but what if we c-can’t?” “Then I’m not going to leave you behind, no matter what!” Twilight had started to cry herself, at this point. “Nopony has ever made me feel so comfortable, and appreciated, and I’ve never met any creature as kind or generous as yourself, and I absolutely, definitely, positively will not give up on you…” She shuddered, and hugged her friend even tighter. Flitter Flutter seemed to calm down a bit, her full-throated keening dying down to a more subdued sniffle.  “O-okay… Thank you…”  She gave Twinkle the most adorable, wet, huge puppy-dog eyes anypony had ever seen.  “Y-you’ve been nothing but kind to me, even when I haven’t really deser-- sniffle--ved it…  I love you.” “You do deserve it, whether you care to admit it or not.”  Twilight remarked, as she looked Flitter right in the eyes, and gave her a gentle, but unreserved, smile.  The two just sat there for a moment, enjoying this closeness they’ve both wanted for so long. “Um,” Flitter Flutter broke the silence, “you should probably unfreeze the town now.” “Oh.  Yeah, I should.” “Wha-- you’re okay??”  Pinky asked in utter befuddlement as-- from her perspective-- what was initially about to become the scene of a mauling suddenly became the prospective victim stopping Pinky’s charge with a gentle telekinetic push, and the other unicorn’s assailant seemed to be… no longer a monster?  Before Pinky Pie was able to properly take stock of the situation-- “Pinky, stop!” Minty slammed into her rear-end from behind, sending both of them tumbling head-over-all-four-heels towards the edge of the tower, requiring the unicorn to stop both of them with her magic.  She did this more casually than Pinky was able to drink water, in tandem with wrapping bandages around her very recent wounds with that same aura. “Hello!” said the purple unicorn, unwary of the pegasus next to her who only moments ago seemed to have been some sort of huge monster about to rip her to pieces.  “My name is Twilight Twinkle, I am a sorceress.”  She points to herself, then to her yellow companion.  “This is Flitter Flutter, my close friend.”  Twilight seemed, to Pinky, to have said that last word with a hint of uncertainty. “U-um… hi?”  Minty queried, looking at both of the strangers wearily.  “Are you… not eaten?”  Flitter Flutter seemed to pale at this, understandably.  Minty also noticed that Flitter Flutter was very possibly the most gorgeous pony to ever exist-- aside from Pinky Pie, or herself, of course!-- so much so that all of Minty’s attention was directed to this pegasus for the next several seconds.  “Puh… Pretty?”  Pinky had these same thoughts, but was able to maintain composure, and joined Twilight in giving Minty quite the sideways glance, as Flitter Flutter surreptitiously scooted slightly behind her friend. “I think what she meant to say, was, eh--” “--Pretty odd welcome to town? I’m sure.”  Twilight replied.  “Terribly sorry about that.” “That’s alright.  You seem to have everything under control.” Pinky responded in turn, and gave an apologetic glance at Flitter Flutter, who blushed. “Um, you’re a werebat, right?”  Minty asked Flitter Flutter sheepishly.  The pegasus responded only by nervously shifting and squirming in place, which Minty took as a yes. “Hey, it’s alright, girl.” Minty said to Flitter Flutter, and approached her slowly, hoof outstretched for a shake.  “I used to know a werebat, a long while back.  I might be able to help you, um, Flutter, was it?” Flitter Flutter nodded, and eased up a little.  “Th-that’s awfully kind of you, but I-I think Twilight and I can figure it out on our own…”  Flitter Flutter did believe that, didn’t she?  She looked to Twilight Twinkle for approval, and received a failed attempt to hide uncertainty. “I think that, maybe, having somepony around with direct experience with your affliction is a good idea.” Twilight said, much to Flutter’s disappointment.  She was really hoping to just keep living with Twilight, especially with their recent admissions.  But, she supposed, Minty and Pinky seem nice enough-- even if Minty was a bit of a flatterer.  She thought it unlikely that the little molly really thought her that beautiful.  She wasn’t even a real mare, after all… “Minty, when did you have experience with a werebat?” Pinky asked, genuinely intrigued. “When my mom was still with the wagon train…” Minty began, less reluctantly than she felt.  Pinkie shot her a glance as if to say ‘you don’t have to,’ but she continued anyways. “She, um… Let’s just say she was a magician doing some studies?  And, well, one of our neighbors started to shift during a stop one night, and she, um…”  Minty looked thoughtful for a moment, eyes red with unshed tears, which Twilight failed to notice, but Pinky held her, and Flitter Flutter nodded slightly in understanding. “You don’t have to talk about it if it’s so upsetting, Minty.” Flitter Flutter said, and approached her.  Minty gave her a very genuine smile, and sniffled. “No, no, it’s important! You two oughta know,” Minty said, seeming more chipper, but Pinky could tell this was hard for her, and held her tighter.  The other two looked on with rapt attention.  “I, uh… I took care of a werebat when I was a filly.  Mom had me make him this tea-- silverwort-- that didn’t do anything bad to him when he wasn’t shifted, but made him smaller and weaker as a werebat.  It seems to me like you two could really use some of that.”  Twinkle looked unsure, but Flitter Flutter stood up right away. “Do you have any?” She asked, looming over Minty.  Who tensed up a bit, clearly flustered.  Pinky, noticing this, stifled a chuckle. “Uh, um…” Minty began, and Flitter Flutter backed off a bit, seeing she had made the molly uncomfortable.  Minty continued, “I do have some, but--” “Give me the maximum dose you can tomorrow night.  I shouldn’t shift again tonight, I’ve never done it twice in 24 hours.  Though, it was pretty odd that I did it in the middle of the day today…” “Yeah, sure!  Also, maybe we could go to the market together-- tomorrow?  A-after, y’know…”  Minty said nervously, gesturing broadly to the town surrounding the tower.  “I’ll prolly need more than I have right now, and you oughta learn how to spot it.” Flitter Flutter flushes again, and stops being quite so imposing, slouching back over as she usually does to obfuscate her height.  “U-um, sure…” She meeped, “I-I might like that…” Pinky and Twilight looked at one another knowingly, and shared a smirk. “I should probably unfreeze the town, but, um… I am properly exhausted.”  Twinkle stated.  “There are three bedrooms in the tower, but I don’t expect we’ll be using more than two.”  Flitter Flutter sputtered some sort of flustered gibberish at this, at which the other three had a light chuckle. “Right, Pinky and I will start dinner!” Minty said, and began to rummage around in her wagon. END OF ACT I