//------------------------------// // First Blood in the Bedchamber // Story: Ace's Spell Shop // by Aceofgods //------------------------------// Chapter Twenty-nine: First Blood in the Bedchamber Twilight shook her head to clear her vision, as well as regain her senses. Even though she was connected to Ace and his magic, traveling through his shrouded beacons caused her to become disoriented. ’Do you really need to teleport us without warning every time?’ she asked him as she looked around the room, realizing they were back in his house. ’What are we doing back here, by the way?’ Within her mind, Twilight could see Ace rubbing the back of his head with a hoof as he smiled sheepishly. ’Right, I forget sometimes… Most times… Anyways, I thought you would be getting tired of me overstaying my welcome up here, so I was going to reform.’ Proper Attitude poked his head around the corner as Twilight and Ace thought to one another, turning his head to call to his sister. “Hey, Rose! The Mistress is here, make us some grub!” Twilight sighed as Proper smiled at her before Prim called back, “You are only saying that because you are too lazy to make your own food, only the young Master can teleport here.” “Okay,” Proper called back, “but if you get us fired, it’s not my fault!” With a slight snicker, Proper bowed before lowering his voice to address the guest. “Welcome home, Milady. Is there perhaps something that we can assist you with?” ’Tell him to bring First Aid Kit 1A to the Master Bedroom. My body has recovered for the most part, but it will still need some bandages to stop the bleeding.’ Twilight relayed the message, was not too happy about the idea. Proper looked stunned for a moment, but saluted with a hoof before flying off to fetch the aforementioned supply. ’Are you sure this is a good idea?’ Twilight could see Ace nodding through her mind’s eye. ’I do not much care for staying in one place for long, and even I feel uncomfortable away from my body for so long. Also, your friends appear to think that I have died, and I do not wish to elongate the misunderstanding.’ Twilight nodded, seeing how that could be a problem as she walked through the mansion of a home on her way to Ace’s bedroom. Along the way, she caught a glimpse of Proper as he flew up the stairs with the medical supplies, his sister Prim watching him fly through the house before she saw Twilight. “Oh my, he was not lying after all!” she said before she bowed in greeting. “Welcome home, young Mistress. Lunch will be served in a couple of hours, or perhaps you wish for me to begin preparing immediately, madam?” Twilight shook her head. “Oh no, there’s no reason to hurry. To be quite honest, I am not quite sure we will be staying for lunch.” Prim nodded with a smile before curtsying her farewell and returning through the large double doors that led to the ballroom. Twilight proceeded up the stairs to head into the library, passing by Proper as she went. She knew she should just pass through the library on her way to the bedroom, but she could not help but admire the books as she went. Twilight still could not get over just how many books Ace kept in his home… Twilight had a large number of books as well, but many of them were actually the library’s books and not her own. In fact, most of her books were actually at her parents’ house. ’These books may hold many spells, my Starlight, but they are filled only with words and diagrams. Spells are nice, but without the knowledge of how to use them, they are meaningless. Many of the books you lay claim to are filled with much more useful information, such as history or alchemical recipes.’ Twilight was shocked to hear such an idea, an idea that spells were less valuable than history lessons. To Twilight, history was of course important, but magic was a far grander matter altogether. Ace chuckled slightly inside of her head. ’After I have recovered my physical form, permit me to show you the Watchers of the Stars passed on their spells.’ Twilight wasn’t sure what she was agreeing to, but she nodded her head in wonder nonetheless. What she did know, however, is that whatever lesson she had could not begin without Ace recovering, so she proceeded past the library and into the master bedroom. Past the wooden doors that bore a carving of Princess Luna cradling the moon, Twilight entered the room and immediately saw the medical kit lying open in the center of the bed. ’Do you know much of first aid, my Starlight?’ Twilight averted her gaze from the kit as she rubbed the back of her hoof nervously. ’Well, um… a little, I suppose. Just what I’ve read about, that is. Blood really make me… uneasy.’ ’Then you will likely wish to be quick in the task, as the wound is on my neck and will be bleeding quite profusely.’ Twilight’s face paled as she looked at the aid kit, as well as all of the tools that lied within. ’Worry not about the other things my dear; you need only bandage the wound.’ ’Couldn’t you just bandage the wound yourself with magic? Better question, would it not be easier to simply mend the injury using magic? I feel as though this a lot of unneeded effort,’ she mentioned, despite already crawling onto the large bed towards the bandages. Ace shook his head within her mind. ’I would have done so had it been so easy. I am afraid that after my body has been restored, I will not be able to use magic for a time. The time is not terribly long, but enough for me to lose a fair amount of blood from such a wound. ‘As for using magic to mend the wound, this is a possibility, but it would have to be you that casts the spell. Bear in mind, however, that I have a high tolerance for magic, though not quite as high as that of mine sisters. It would take a level 5 or higher healing spell to aid me.’ Twilight sighed with a nod, resigning herself to the task as she lifted the rolled up bandage in a hoof as her horn began to glow. Much to her surprise, the bandage actually felt wet. ’Tis laced with a mixture of flaxseed and leechvine oil,’ Ace said as she examined the gauze. Brace yourself, as this may feel a bit… uncomfortable.’ Twilight wasn’t sure how she was meant to brace herself, but she replaced the bandage and curled into a defensive position nevertheless. No sooner than she had, a warm tingling sensation passed over ever centimeter of body, like a warm feather stroking her from every angle. What followed immediately after, however, was a very sharp pain in her horn and a buzzing migraine that was made worse by the flash of black light pulsing around her horn and accumulating in front of her. Another pain radiated in her chest and her core, feeling almost akin to a dragon’s claws ripping the magic from her body. Twilight doubled over, clenching her hooves against her body and breathing heavily. In addition to her own groans, she could hear Ace writhing in a similar or worse pain in front of her as his magic began to solidify. Twilight’s pains suddenly seemed far away as she realized that something was going wrong – Ace’s left hoof wasn’t materializing. Twilight’s breath caught in her burning chest as she watched Ace rise from the bed on three hooves, the missing one spurting blood as he did so, as well as the laceration over his neck. Twilight started to raise up to stop him from moving in his condition, but when she attempted to get up, she fell back over as the pain sent a wave of force through her body. Ace fell to the floor from the bed with a painful thud, coming back to his hooves moments-that-felt-like-hours later. His missing hoof and torn neck leaving a trail of blood in his wake, he hobbled his way to the dresser and opened a drawer. From within the drawer, he seemed to pull something out, but Twilight could not see what before doubling over in another pulsing wave of pain. When she was able to look back to Ace, she saw him crawling on the bed towards her, with a lightly glowing, ornate looking knife in his hoof and what looked like the cover Rarity had made in his mouth. Her eyes went wide as she saw the fatal instrument moving closer to her, her gaze moving between Ace and the knife. She started to scream, but her voice wouldn’t come. She tried to move, but her muscles wouldn’t respond. She tried to use her magic, but when she tried to connect to her magic, she couldn’t; in fact, the effort sent another, larger wave of pain through her body. She doubled over in pain again, cursing herself for her weakness. “I am… sorry… my love… but you must… remain still…” Ace’s voice filled her ears, each passing moment bringing him closer to her, the knife still in hoof. “This will… hurt… but it must be… I am… so sorry…” Twilight managed to control her head once more, moving it up just in time to see Ace laying over her with the knife and the bandages. Twilight opened her mouth to scream, but before she could beg her voice to allow her to beg for her life, a terrible taste filled her palate. “Suck the oil… from the bandages… It will he…he… help to… st…stem the pain…” Twilight’s head was starting to feel light, and her vision was getting cloudy. She could only barely hear Ace’s labored voice over the buzzing in her ears. Twilight’s head fell to the side, nearly rendered unconscious. The oils from the bandages slid down her throat despite her futile resistance. Her tongue and mouth fell numb from the contact. The stench that arose from the chemicals, combined with the large accumulation of blood that spilled over her from Ace’s severed hoof made her woozier. Twilight was about to fade into unconsciousness, her view fading to black, when she felt a sudden pain in her exposed side. She raised her head, and she saw Ace holding the knife in her side, working it and twisting it before turning to look at her. He pulled out the knife, causing another source of blood to begin flooding the bed. “You mu…mu…must remain… still… The ru…ru…runes must be… precise…” Twilight tried to scream through the bandages again, not wishing to move her body for fear of furthering the damage. “I am… I am so… so sorry…” Twilight could see that Ace’s cheeks were almost as wet with tears as the bed with blood. “This was… not… meant to… happen…” Ace drove the knife into Twilight’s side once more, making her jolt in pain again. Ace removed the knife and laid it aside, his hoof coming up to head as he stroked her mane. “Please… you must… remain still… I… I know… it hurts…” Twilight no longer had enough energy to even raise her head. She felt the blade of the knife drive into her side once more before everything turned black. Ace drove the enchanted glyph/rune carving knife into Twilight's side one last time, rotating the knife in a circular motion to form a period, completing the passage as he read the words aloud: “Na…suja… dra a…jem… fe…dreh…” As he read the Al Bhed script aloud, the wounds he left on the side of his beautiful Starlight began to glow, each letter carved at an exact, precise depth and with delicate, loving care. The glow brightened, and Twilight began coughing and spluttering, the medicine soaked bandage falling from her mouth as a black sludge that pulsed with vibrant white lights overflowed from her body. The sludge began accumulating in front of Twilight’s mouth as Ace reached for the spare cover he had Rarity deliver to his home, fortunate that he requested it when he left the anti-magic stones at the boutique when she was making the ropes. As Ace managed to grasp the anti-magic cover, the sludge – now fully formed and no longer leaking from Twilight - leapt onto the necklace that laid around Twilight’s neck. Fortunately, this is exactly what Ace had expected, his hoof already carrying the cover towards the accessory. As soon as the cover and the sludge collided, a violent hissing sound fell across the room. A gray mist started forming around the sludge as the lights faded, slowly coalescing around Ace’s missing hoof. Once the hoof had fully formed and all of the lights on the dark sludge had faded, Ace moved the cover away and placed his left hoof onto the sludge. Putting a slight stream of magic into his left hoof, the pre-magic greedily clung to the limb before Ace replaced the cover over it, eliciting another screaming hiss from the material. His vision blurry, Ace hastily groped around the bed for the bandages. His left hoof radiated pain throughout his whole being as the nerves reattached themselves to his central nervous system, but he had one last thing to do before he could rest. Finally finding the bandages as he fumbled around, he quickly lifted Twilight shakily to her hooves, leaning her against his side as he gasped in pain beneath her weight. With one hoof holding the start of the bandage against her side, he started wrapping her in the gauze. The wounds that made a circle around Twilight's side were deep and bled hard, but fortunately were not large. After wrapping the bandages over her wound, he pulled the gauze tight and used the metal clasp to assure it stayed in place before easing her back onto the bed. Ace pulled the second wrap out of the first aid kit, starting to wrap it around his neck. He managed to wrap it twice before falling over, finally losing consciousness from the loss of blood. Twilight awoke from her nightmare with a bitter taste in her mouth, and her entire body being completely soaked. Before she could even open her eyes, her head felt like it had exploded from the pain she felt, her horn had a dull pain as well while her side felt like she had slept on a cactus. To top it all off, there was a powerful, nauseating smell filling her sinuses. Opening her eyes, she immediately found the cause of the smell, and the soaked feeling: the bed she was sleeping on was covered with blood, forming a pool around the pit caused from her weight. Not only hers, but Ace’s as well. Looking around the bed, she concluded that her nightmare had been reality, – or she was still asleep – except that she was now bandaged and could feel her magic. In addition, Ace had his hoof back, though the cover was not on all the way – likely because Ace was unable to put it on properly by himself. Spitting out the blood as she rose up, Twilight nearly froze when the knife slide towards her shifting weight, the blade coming to rest harmlessly against her stomach. Looking closely, she realized where she had seen the knife before… It was the knife that Ace used to carve the runes on his arm! Taking the knife in hoof, she could tell it had powerful enchantments both on it and on the sapphire crystal embedded within the strange light-blue blade. Not letting go of the tool, she looked more closely at Ace’s hoof, but noted that the runes carved upon it were scarred over, not new, when an idea struck. Testing her theory, she spread her magical senses around herself, focusing on both her and Ace to feel the wounds he had left on her. Sure enough, she could tell that the injuries she had were in the shapes of Al Bhed letters. Focusing on them more closely as she ignited the Sense of Tongues, she read the runes aloud: “Nasuja dra ajem fedreh?” As she spoke the words, the Common Equestrian definition flew into her mind: ‘Remove the evil within.’ In that moment, she realized a couple of things: First, something had gone horribly wrong when Ace tried to form his body. Second, the pre-magic had been inside of her, leeching Ace’s strength from him as he was an entity entirely made of magic. Third, he wasn’t trying to kill her, but rather remove the pre-magic from her body the only way he knew how before it killed her. Fourth, the bandages around his neck were done with far less care than the ones around her side, and she should stop analyzing everything and start trying to save his life, instead. Panicked, she turned him over onto his back and started feeling around his chest to be certain he was still breathing. Fortunately, he was – but it was labored and becoming more and more infrequent and shallow. Knowing that time was short and the bandages would do nothing to help right now, she threw them aside as her horn lit up in her magic as she recalled the forbidden tome from Ace’s library. With a hoof against his chest as she straddled his stomach, - the other over her mouth to keep from throwing up all over him, - she pulled the tome from the library to the bed with her magic. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the spell she had glanced at before. The spell she had laid witness to was a lethal spell that drained all of the blood from the victim’s body, then turned it into solid spikes that would then impale the body and hang it from a nearby wall or pin them to the ceiling or ground… Twilight swallowed the bile that threatened to spill from her mouth as she read. Disregarding the spikes, she inverted the spell as she pulled the blood from the covers and mattress, holding it all around her in her magic before trying to clean it as best she could, as well as groping the neck wound with her magic senses. Turning her head, averting her eyes and covering her mouth, the blood was slowly introduced to Ace’s body through the reversed spell. Twilight was careful to introduce the blood only a little at a time, unsure how much of it was her own and how much was his. Twilight could feel Ace’s breathing becoming more rapid, his chest heaving beneath her hoof. She turned her head to check on the progress, sneaking a peek only long enough to see the color returning to his features as his eyes were winced shut in his unconscious pain before turning back the other way again. The process carried on, Twilight feeling Ace’s blood level with her extrasensory magic to be sure not to give him too much. When he had the appropriate amount, she cleaned the bandages with her magic and wrapped it firmly around his neck to cover the wound. Still, Ace’s breathing was better, but still uneven and labored. Twilight shook him and slapped his face lightly several times, but he still didn’t awake. Out of options, Twilight did the one last thing she could think of – cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Using one hoof, she started beating pressure into his chest with enough force to indent two and a half inches into his chest at a rate of almost three times per second. As she did this, she started to gather an electric charge in both of her hooves – one negative, one positive – using her magic. Once she had a sufficient amount of electricity in both hooves, she pressed them against his chest, causing them to spark slightly as his body jolted under the shock. Nothing happened. Not wanting to give up, she continued stimulating his heart with the pressure as she prepared to jolt him again, this time storing just a little more power in her hooves. Once the power had charged, she brought both of her hooves down upon him again, his body lurching before he started coughing loudly. Twilight was beaming, only now noticing the tears that were falling from her cheeks as Ace coughed violently, one hoof on his chest and the other covering his mouth. The action flooded the bandage with blood, but the fact was that Ace was still alive and, for the most part, well. Once the coughing had died down enough that he could speak and his vision cleared, he looked at her for a moment before he spoke. “Twilight?” he managed before his eyes went wide, then started to rove over her entire body slowly as she was straddling his stomach. “Twilight… Twilight, I’m so sorry… Are you okay? Does it hurt? You’re still bleeding – covered in blood – we need to change those ban-“ Before he could say another word, Twilight bent over and kissed him deeply. His eyes remained wide, his mouth still attempting to work at his words before he relaxed and returned the kiss, wrapping his hooves around her in a caring embrace, though he was mindful of her wounds. Once their lip-locking came to an end, Twilight laid against Ace’s chest, too tired and too sore to raise back to her full height. Ace’s horn lit in his black glow as all of the blood on the bed and in the floor pulled together to form a sphere, then solidified into a crystalline ball half the size of her head before falling to the floor. All around them remained the stains of the tragic experience, as well as the blood in their coats, but at least she could stomach the color now that the source had been dealt with. Ace ran a hoof through Twilight’s mane before bringing it to her side, gently allowing it to pass over her injuries as it glowed. She winced in pain at the contact, a short, sharp gasp crossing her lips before the soothing touch of his magic eased the pain away. “Are you sure you are okay, my Starlight? We should –“ Twilight brought a hoof to his muzzle, silencing him before he could say anything further. “What we must do is rest, my Wolf. You scarcely fare any better than I, and I know my pain is nothing compared to yours. Sleep now, and let me worry about myself.” A sad look fell across his face before Ace nodded. “I am… I’m sorry, Twilight… Because of me, you-“ Twilight only shook her head as she brought a pair of pillows for them to rest their heads on. “I know what has happened, and everypony makes mistakes,” Twilight said as she rested her head against the pillow to the side of him as she gently rose herself off him to lay at his side. “I’ll admit… when you were coming towards me with the knife, I… I was scared – frightened. At first I thought it was dream, but then you –“ this time it was Ace’s turn to raise a hoof and silence her. “I could never hurt you without reason, my Starlight. I made a mistake, a very large one, and you were hurt because of it… I-“ Twilight silenced him back with another, lighter kiss as she brushed away his hoof with her muzzle. “I know, and I accept your apology a thousand times over. Nopony else would have even tried to help me,” she said as she stroked his left hoof, feeling the pre-magic once more before helping him straighten the cover. “Anypony else would have taken the chance to be rid of this curse, but you risked your life for me instead. Thank you.” Twilight and Ace embraced one another once more before falling asleep in each other’s hooves. Though it was still midday, the two were exhausted from the bloodied endeavor. Despite his slumber, through his magical senses, Ace was able to feel the knocking at the door to his bedroom as somepony called his name. “Young Master? Mistress? It is Primrose. As per instruction eighteen, addendum three, of the Master’s House Rules and Regulations form, I am required to check on you precisely one hour and fourteen minutes after the request of an unopened first aid kit. I am entering your room as per this easement.” Ace raised his head before the door started to open in an attempt to protest, but the sudden pain and moisture he felt at the base of his neck bade him return to a reclined position. The door opened, and Prim craned her neck to peer inside politely, her features dropping at the sight. The door thrust the rest of the way open as her hoof came to her muzzle, covering her gasp. Twilight rose her head up to peer over Ace, her hooves draped over his chest as she was nestled against him. “What’s going on?” she asked blearily, unable to see well. Prim’s cheeks started to flush as she started to back away from the room. “A thousand pardons, milord and lady! I had not known you would be, erm, having ‘intimate relations,’ or I would not have barged in…” Twilight started looking around the room, lingering perhaps a bit too long on Ace and herself. Her cheeks started to match Primrose’s as Ace sighed, unable to properly turn his head to speak for himself. “If you would please excuse me,” Prim called as she started to turn away. “Lunch will be served soon, so um… I am glad to see you both have worked up an appetite… Take care!” she managed nervously before hastily walking the opposite direction, not wishing to run or fly indoors. Twilight’s face flushed deeper at the misunderstanding as Ace only sighed, unable to move his head without reopening the wound in his neck. Twilight looked around the room at all of the bloodstains, her stomach starting to feel uneasy after realizing she had slept in them. “We should probably use more protection next time,” Ace said as he saw her looking around. Twilight nodded. “They say a Primrose is a sign of fertility, after all.” Twilight’s blush increased threefold, spreading to her ears as she realized he was not talking about their injuries. Despite her embarrassment, Twilight could not help but share a laugh with him as she so easily walked into his little trap. Once the laughter had ended, she started to climb off the bed before she remembered that Ace would need help to do the same. She offered a hoof to help him up, which he gladly took with a toothy grin. Twilight nearly dropped him when she saw his teeth – rather than being normal, square-and-flat teeth, his third and fourth teeth were sharply pointed while the rest beyond them were smoother, but still pointed as well. Ace rose an eyebrow to her odd expression before he realized what was wrong. He shot a hoof to his muzzle before his horn lit and he shied away sheepishly – as best as he could without moving his neck. “Surprise, I can eat meat…” Twilight could only manage to gasp again as she covered her muzzle and backed away a step. “Since when- how long have you- how did you-“ she had so many questions, they were unable to come out right. Ace lowered his hoof, his teeth being the two flat rows every normal pony had. “Um… Since birth – well, since I was old enough to eat solid food, I suppose. As long as I can remember, and genetics,” he explained in reply to her incoherent questions. “The typical Al Bhed diet consists primarily of fish and hunted game… ‘Tis quite difficult to grow healthy vegetables and wheat in a cave, I fear.” Ace started towards the bathroom, the two of them still covered in dried blood, as he motioned for her to follow. Twilight, however, was still under shock and awe. “So… you eat meat?” she asked, fearful of the answer. “Please note that I said ‘can eat meat,’” he called from the bathroom as Twilight started to enter as well. “Typically, I only eat meat when I am gravely injured and need the protein – like now – or when I am travelling and there is nothing more to eat.” Twilight nodded nervously, guessing that that would make sense. “How come we never saw your teeth before? I mean… You overloaded a number of times… How come they never showed up before?” Ace nodded before he pulled a hoof-held mirror from the countertop and held it in his mouth, tilting his head as best he could while injured to provide the best view. Through the reflection, she saw Al Bhed script carved into the roof of his mouth before he replaced the mirror on the counter. “It says ‘Luhlaym,’ or ‘Conceal.’ Since ‘tis a physical magic, ‘tis not affected by my overload,” he said as he began to draw the bath water, stoppering the drain as well. “The reason you saw them now is because I was in dire need of protein to mend my damaged muscles, as well as replenish my blood.” Twilight still had a number of questions, but the thought of a number of them made her a bit woozy. “Can anypony start to… eat meat, or… is it just certain ponies? Or only the races who eat meat, or-“ Ace nodded as he checked the temperature of the water. “Anypony could eat meat, though their body would not know how to digest it at first. For a few weeks, their body will suffer a number of symptoms, depending on the meat and the pony. After a month or two of steady intake, they will be able to eat it without problem, though it would be another few weeks after that before their body learned to use the nutrients properly.” Twilight did not feel well as she contemplated such a practice, but had one last, simple question to ask before letting the topic drop. “Can I… Can I feel them – your… your fangs?” she asked as Ace adjusted the water. Ace smiled at her with a nod as his mouth and horn glowed black. “Of course, my Starlight, but they are called Canines,” he said as he closed the short distance between them. Twilight started to lift a hoof, but Ace instead greeted her in a deep kiss. Twilight’s eyes went wide for only a moment before she caught on, her tongue gliding gracefully into Ace’s open mouth. His tongue greeted her at the entry, politely guiding her to one of the four canine teeth. Twilight was worried at first, thinking they would be sharp or dangerous, but instead they were no sharper than the teeth she had – the point of the tooth was actually wider than she first thought, likely unable to hurt anything without actually meaning to bite. The heat of his mouth enveloped her senses as she felt her own heat spreading across her cheeks in a deep blush. The wet smoothness of his tongue danced with her for a moment before she wrapped her tongue around his in a wet, slippery grip. Their tongues grappled one another, filling each other’s tastes as the tiny bumps mingled together. Twilight’s tongue retreated back into her mouth, followed swiftly after by her partner’s as it briefly greeted her before feeling, probing all around her mouth – her lips, her teeth, her cheeks, above and below her tongue before they mingled and danced together once more. Twilight exhaled the deep breath she had not realized she had been holding as Ace’s tongue departed from her mouth, leaving it feeling almost cold and lonely before she swallowed a little harder than may have been necessary, tasting him one final time. Twilight’s blush spread to her ears as Ace slowly backed away from her, having to take steps rather than moving his neck as his horn and teeth glowed one last time. “A-actually,” she stammered in her shy nervousness, “you can k-keep them o-out… I-if you w-want to, I mean!” Ace smiled as his horn glowed again as he stepped into the not-quite-full bathtub. He smiled a toothy grin that showed off the unusual pointed teeth. “Then I think I shall. ‘Twould be nice to eat with them again, honestly.” Twilight dipped her hoof in the water, nearly yanking her hoof back out again before adjusting the faucet accordingly with a sheepish smile. “Does that mean Prim and Proper know about the fan- canines as well?” Ace nodded, his smile fading a bit, but not enough to diminish his usual, natural smile. “Did something happen?” Ace nodded again. “I was hurt pretty badly during an expedition, so I came back home with a dee- with some food since they were supposed to have the day off as per a request. I started to bring my meal to the kitchen, carrying it in my mouth and making a terrible mess along the way, when Proper saw me.” Twilight cringed a bit, but was grateful he at least tried to censor the memory. “What did you tell them? I mean, they are not exactly in on your secrets, right?” Ace nodded his head with a smile as he leaned onto the edge of the tub. “That’s right. As far as they know, I can eat meat because of an experiment – whether they believe it was a successful one or a failed one, you would have to ask them,” he said before pointing to the bandage around his neck. “Would you be so kind? I have a terrible time with these things on the best of days.” Twilight nodded with a smile as she kneeled down to assist him. As she did so, Ace started to undo her bandages as well, tickling her sides by mistake as he did so, making them both laugh as she gently tried to squirm without hurting either of them. “Well well,” he said as he laughed, “I am going to have to remember this for some time when we are not hurt.” Twilight laughed a bit as well as she discarded his bandages, Ace doing the same with hers, before she leaned over him and tickled his sides, making him laugh and squirm as well. “Treat others the way you wish to be treated, or so they say.” Ace squirmed a bit before grasping both of her hooves with his own and pulling her into the bath – using his magic to lift her other end to be sure not to hurt her side. She cringed at first, the water still being quite a bit hotter than her tastes, fearful that the water would hurt her wound more than help it. However, as the water lapped against her, it started to feel much better. “Enchanted faucet,” Ace said. “The spell is meant for small injuries, but it helps a bit for others too.” Twilight turned her head to examine the injury, having only seen it in her magic until now. Ace drifted a little closer as well, causing a small wave to wash over her back. “Right, sorry about that… I did it as small and as shallow as I dared, not wanting to risk needing to do it again… Does it still hurt?” Twilight nodded her head, running a hoof over the intricate Al Bhed letterings as Ace turned off the water. “Fifty-two,” Ace said quietly, making Twilight look at him expectantly. “Twenty different characters… Nineteen letters, one punctuation… Fifty-two marks in all…” Twilight looked over the characters that went in a circle on her side, admiring them. “I’m sorry, Twilight… If I would have waited to fight Discord, or if I had been more careful – if I had been stronger…” Twilight wrapped her hooves around his middle, avoiding his neck for fear of harming his injury. “It’s okay, really. You did more than anypony else could have, and what is done is done. Besides,” she said as she pulled up his left hoof, stroking the glyphs that kept the pre-magic at bay. “We're a pair now, right?” Ace only managed to nod with a smile before he took her into another embrace.