Later that night, Aphirion lay near the fire place, the only part of the house that wasn’t made of wood or leaves. His eyes watched the fire flick into the air, the tongues licking the soot covered stone. Looking around the room, a lot easier task than his previous visit inside, he couldn’t help but notice how unique the library was. The entire place was round with all of the rooms varying in height from the floor and completely open to the main room. Books lined the entirety of the external wall, covering from the base of the floor to the ceiling. Aphirion noticed the statue of a unicorn bust, pondering on how out of place it was. A bronze plaque shined dully but was unreadable on the base of the bust. The fire felt warm against his body, a severe difference from the cold water needed to fix the tree and he basked in the pleasure of the warmth. The dull sound of hooves coming down the stairs caught his attention.
Twilight walked down the worn steps, eyeing the stallion lying near the fire the entire time. Her thoughts raced from the damage to her house, the stranger lying there in her house, that awful creature that had literally crashed through the solid tree and finally what was she going to do about all of this. Still not knowing anything about the pony, she made sure that a small array of blunt objects was within reach in case he blocked her magic again. How did he manage to do that anyway she thought. Coming to the base of the staircase, she turned towards the stranger but not before sitting down several hooves away from him. Wanting to talk but not sure how or where to start, Twilight sat there in silence, she shifted her gaze to the fire and back at him.
“Wonderful fire, isn’t it?” He said after a few minutes, “I may prefer water but I enjoy the warmth more than a cat does.”
Twilight smiled, what a silly comment she thought.
“Sitting by the fire and reading a good book is one of my favorite hobbies.” She replied.
“I can see why Twilight, but I prefer hoof on experience.” He stated with a smirk, “hey, um about that kiss. I’m very sorry. It was an accident, I stumbled over something and I fell into you. It wasn’t intentional.”
Even in the dim light, Aphirion could see her blush. She brushed her mane back before speaking.
“I know it wasn’t on purpose. I’m just not use to that kind of physical interaction and might have overreacted. Being a full time librarian and having other responsibilities I, huh, don’t get out much,” Twilight, “But I really don’t mind. I love reading and learning and where a better place than a library?”
“Very true, now I believe you had some questions, such as what was that creature.” He said, “It’s called a Felnidpod, a creature found in the forests of my home country. They are insect-like creatures that were created years ago by mistake. The story changes from village to village but it’s along the lines of that the White Order’s ruler was neglecting his son. Bored and angry, the colt found companionship with the insects in the grounds around the tower. Young and unable to control his power, the unicorn experienced a surge of power that affected the creatures he was playing with. The insects were torn apart at the cellular level and reconstructed into one new species. Fearing for the creature’s life the colt whisked the insect away to the Ice forest, an area that is impregnated with corrupted power from an event that was well before my great grandfather’s time. The colt died sometime later but the creature didn’t. It grew into a gigantic size, developed a hive mind and has been killing since it left the forest.” He finish as the fire snapped through a log.
“I noticed that it became hard to hear. Like there was a constant buzzing in my ears or an absence of noise. It was really strange, plus I didn’t even see it go through the wall or while it was attacking you until you managed to injure it.” Twilight responded with a slight concern in her voice. She had heard of several dangerous beings in her life but this one was so foreign that it worried her.
“It’s not a natural creature,” Aphirion replied solemnly, “It’s a being filled with corruption. The Felnidpod can release several pheromones that can hamper our senses. We rely on sight and sound more than the others and as such those are attacked first. When I entered your house, it was filled with darkness that even our magic would have had trouble seeing through. Once it was outside, I still couldn’t see it but I could hear.”
Twilight just sat there, listening to him as he explained this horrible creature as if he was discussing the weather. Rubbing her hooves against each other, she tried to think of what else she wanted to know but there were dozens of questions flowing around her mind. Where did he come from? Who was he? And why did he say he had been looking for me were just a few of the questions that she could think of. Breathing deeply she stared into the fireplace, trying to focus her mind.
“Focus Twilight, focus on the priorities. Who is he, why is he here, and where did he come from,” she said over and over in her head.
“Um, I apologize but what is your name again?” Twilight asked ashamed that she had forgotten.
“My name is Aphirion and no I do not have a second part to my name like the ponies in this land do.” He stated, “and I know what you are about to ask, I’m from Stiar. It’s far to the west of Equestria. We don’t have a monarchy like you do where one rules all. We have providences that separate the land into seven somewhat equal parts. Each one of the providences are ruled by a Grand Lord and his counsel. A trivial title that is more for show than anything else, it just sounded powerful with words like lord and grand.”
Twilight laughed at his comment, but managed to hide it meekly. She stretched her legs out and walked over to the pantry. Grabbing a small cloth bag and plate, she walked back over to Aphirion, dumping the contents onto the plate. A dozen or so cookies dropped onto the ceramic plate until there was no more in the bag. She folded the cloth neatly and laid it under the plate.
“Raisin oatmeal cookies, Pinkie baked them for me today. They’re my favorite but please help yourself and oh one moment,” she went over to the refrigerator and pulled a few jars of apple ciders out, “here’s something to drink.”
“You are too kind Twilight.” Aphirion said cheerfully as he accepted the jar, “now do you have any more questions for me?”
“Oh where do I begin? What’s it like in your home? Do you have a family? But I think the one that is really bugging me is, why are you here?”
“I don’t know honestly. I’m a soldier Twilight. I’m given orders and I execute them. My Lord came to me for a mission here. I was told to guard a unicorn that was important to the ruler of this land and after a few mishaps with a blacksmith, I’m here now.” He said as cheerful as ever, “As for a family, I’d rather not talk about them” he finished with a hint of sadness in his voice.
She just sat there in silence.
“Me, need a guard? I’m one of the most capable ponies in all of Equestria? Why do I need a guard? Does the Princess not believe in my abilities? Ugh, this is going to be horrible. Him following me around everywhere I go, watching my every move and everything I do.” She stared deep into his eyes, “at least he’s easy to look at.” She finished thinking with a smile, letting the mention of his family pass by without notice.
The two ponies talked throughout the night about magic, Twilights friends, the adventures she had with them. They talked into the early morning about Aphirion’s journey from Stiar to Equestria, his life as a soldier, but Twilight made sure to not ask about his family. Birds chirped beautifully, their voices creating a serenade as the sun rose over the tree tops. Muffled voices from outside showed signs that other ponies were starting to get out. Twilight, with slight bags under her eyes, finally took notice to the light pouring through the windows. She looked back at Aphirion who sat wide awake, something he attributed to his years in the Lord’s service, she stood up and made her way towards the stairs that lead to her bed.
“Well I’m going to bed Aphirion, I’m so glad that it’s Saturday, I don’t have to open the library today or tomorrow.” Twilight yawned, “I’m glad we got the chance to talk, I don’t have another bed but make yourself comfortable anywhere you want until we get you a place set up here. Good night, well actually good morning.” She giggled before going up the stairs.
Aphirion shook himself awake. Standing up, he could feel the tiredness pulling his eyes closed. He walked over, threw his bags over his back and started looking for a place to sleep. Spying the stairs that led into the basement, he swayed over to it and down went down. Opening the door, Aphirion again shook himself awake again. Looking over the lit room, he found the perfect spot. Flopping down on the pile of clothes, he kicked and rolled around until his makeshift bed conformed around his body.
Thinking about last night, the conversation he had with Twilight, his new ward, and how his mind kept returning back to her. The stories she told him, the friends she had, and the way she just seemed so easy to get along with. He could feel the sweet calls of sleep getting stronger, he thought of Twilight once more and that giggle she did right before going upstairs. His eyes drooping with each passing second, Aphirion could fight the coming rest no more and finally succumbed to sleep.
Twilight took shaking steps as she reached the top of the stairs, her eyes also having difficulty saying open. Stumbling over to the soft plush bed that sat near the window, she mustered her strength and dove onto the mattress. Shuffling under the blankets, feeling the cool sheets beneath, her thoughts drifted from the fact that Spike was still over Pinkie’s house to the mysterious Stallion that she had gotten to know over the course of the night. Twilight’s mind raced around him, trying to figure out why she felt this way about a pony that she had just met. Stretching her limbs, she felt the tugs of sleep finally win and she fell fast asleep.
The sun continued its accent into the sky, Celestia never failed to perform her duty. Birds, large and small, flew high in the sky, casting small shadows across those below. Ponies made their way to and from their homes. Hoof steps where muffled by the amount of voices that echoed in the market place, most being about the damage to the area.