As soon as the door was closed, Lightning collapsed to her belly with a low moan. Keen unclasped her belt and hopped down, not worrying about the water she was trailing. She pulled off her goggles and knelt by Lightning’s face. “Are you okay?”
Lightning’s moist fringe was plastered to her face. She peered with one eye at the filly. “I’m just tired, kiddo. And cold.”
Keen looked to the window where the rain was pounding against the glass. She couldn’t help shivering.
Lightning gradually climbed to her hooves. “You would know the Everfree picked today to send a storm through Ponyville.”
Keen nodded as she pulled off her coat and scarf. Lightning had her soaked sweater off at the same time, and the two shook off the water in unison. Lightning went to the counter by the refrigerator and pulled open a container. She turned around and displayed some sandwiches.
“Good thing you thought ahead for tonight, Little Bolt.”
They sat at the table and ate the leftovers, both sagging from weariness after the long flight home. Every now and then one of them would shiver against the chill of the moisture still clinging to their coats. The cold bothered Keen, but her hunger outweighed it at the moment.
Once done eating, the two went to have a bath together. Lightning relaxed on her back in the tub and Keen sat on her belly, which gave her enough height to let her shoulder just graze the bottom of the water’s surface. They both indulged in the warm, soapy water.
Keen studied Lightning face. She had a pleased, relaxed smile, her head lolling back against the edge of the tub and her eyes closed. She was also clearly worn out. The filly fidgeted as she thought on the long flight home in the rain. Poor Lightning had to have been miserable. Keen had been.
Keen’s lips worked. The word still seemed odd when used like this… but good, too.
“…m… Mom?”
Lightning shivered, her smile broadening to a grin and her cheeks burning.
“…yeah?”
Keen smiled. “Thanks for taking me to see my parents. I feel a lot better now.”
Lightning raised her head to beam at the filly. “No problem, Little Bolt.” She leaned up, clearly intending to nuzzle Keen, but couldn’t quite reach without tipping the filly over. Keen giggled at Lightning’s exaggerated straining and leaned forward to bump muzzles with her.
“I’m sorry we got caught in a storm on the way back,” Keen added as Lightning dropped back to her leisurely position.
“Meh, not your fault.” Lightning waved in a random direction, her eyes closing once more. “It’s just wild weather.”
Neither of them were eager to leave the warmth of the bath, but Lightning had work in the morning, so she finally made them both step out. They dried off and went to Keen’s room, Lightning lifting the filly to the bed before collapsing on it with another weary groan.
“I am going to be a zombie at work tomorrow,” she muttered with a weak smile. She shifted around so she was properly on the bed, lying on her belly.
Keen giggled… and hesitated. She glanced back at Lightning’s wings. She’d been thinking about it for a long time. Perhaps this wasn’t the best time, but she’d been holding back for a week.
Even so, this was something she really wanted to do. After all, Lightning had been trying so hard all this time to improve and be a good parent. Keen wanted to do something to be nice back and this was the only thing she could think of.
“Um… Mom?”
A small, happy sound escaped Lightning’s throat as she tensed a little. That big grin was on her lips again. “Y-yeah?”
“Can I… can I try something?”
A single eye half-opened to study her. “Sure it can’t wait ‘till morning?”
The filly fidgeted in place and blushed. “I’m supposed to do it right after a bath.”
Lightning sighed, her shoulders rising up in a shrug that was rather awkward for her position. “Sure, why not?”
Keen smiled and walked behind Lightning. She studied one of her wings. Why did she feel so nervous about this? She reached forward and touched Lightning’s flank. “Um… can you hold out your wings?”
Lightning grumbled indecipherably, but the wings stretched out as requested. They rested on the sheets, the tips just barely hanging over the edges of the bed. Keen studied them, noting how all the feathers were crooked or bent. She chewed her lip and closed her eyes, trying to remember what she’d learned. After a few seconds she was certain she had it.
Lightning’s sleepy voice arose from the dark. “Keen? What are you doing back there?”
The filly opened her eyes and examined the feathers a little more closely. She sucked in a small breath, licked her lips… and set her mouth gently on the first crooked feather. As she began adjusting it, she heard Lightning suck in a small breath of air.
“K-Keen?”
Keen didn’t answer. She worked the feather until she felt it was straight and started work on the next one, being certain not to pull or shift them too much. Carefully, she worked her way along the wing.
Lightning’s head rose to look back at her with wide eyes. Her cheeks were practically glowing. “Keen… are you… preening me?”
The filly blushed and sat up straight. She shifted under Lightning gaze and kept her head low. “Do you… do you want me to stop?”
Lightning shook her head, her eyes not leaving Keen’s. “No. It’s just… where did you learn to do that?”
Keen offered a smile. “I asked Fluttershy to show me.”
“Oh.” Lightning’s face grew an extra shade of red and her smile went lopsided. “I see. Um… yeah… d-don’t stop. I like it.”
Keen beamed and nodded before going back to work. Lighting lay her head back down and gave a deep sigh. Every now and again she would flinch a little, making Keen think she’d tugged a little too hard, but Lightning never spoke up.
Lightning shifted, a tiny moan escaping her lips as Keen reached the end of her wing. “I didn’t know preening could feel so good…”
A wave of pleasure filled Keen at that. Glad to know she was doing well, she finished the last few feathers and stepped back to observe her work. Lightning’s feathers on that wing were all nice and straight. Keen had to stare for a few seconds; she’d never realized how pretty Lightning’s wings could be.
One down…
She worked on the other wing. It went a little quicker this time now that she’d had some practice. She listened carefully to Lightning, hoping to gauge her work by what she said and did, but Lightning was silent.
The wing was finished, and Keen smiled as she sat back to examine the feathers. It felt good, knowing that she was finally able to do something for Lightning.
She covered her yawn and stretched. “Did you like it?”
No answer. Keen tilted her head and stepped sideways to get a better look.
Lightning had fallen asleep, her lips set in a contented smile and her back rising in a slow, deep rhythm. Keen smiled at the sight, feeling incredibly good about herself.
She eyed the wing, realizing she’d never get to the pillow by Lightning’s head without stepping over it. She tilted her head and began to look about for an alternative… and spotted something she didn’t notice very often. She moved closer to Lightning, her eyes set on the small mark in her side. It was usually concealed by a wing…
Keen reached out to touch the scar. She could feel the uneven ridge beneath the coat. She closed her eyes and shivered, remember that scary night the two of them shared. But the moment of fear faded quickly as her mind shifted forward through everything they’d been through together since then. She still remembered how they met, the way Lightning had been so confident and loud.
She understood it now. Lightning had been roaring so nopony would know how scared she was.
The thought made Keen smile.
She dropped to her belly and burrowed under Lightning’s wing. She went in until her head emerged from under the opposite side, then snuggled tight against her new mother’s warm body. She sighed pleasantly, thinking about all that had happened in the recent days, the good and the bad.
There was so much happiness in her. For the first time since that terrible storm, Keen felt… connected. She’d forgotten what that was like.
She never wanted to forget again.
She settled herself down for sleep, delighting in Lightning’s warmth.
“Sweet dreams, Mom.
“…I love you.”