Chapter twelve: Balance
I awoke in the guest room of Twilight’s castle, the blanket wrapped tight around me as I tried to cling to the last remains of warmth from my sleep. Even with my tired mind clinging to the rapidly dying possibility of sleeping in, I found myself quite happy to be awake, and looking forward to the day. The other day had been great, and I couldn’t help but touch my muzzle in memory of the first kiss. Our first kiss.
However, all my thoughts were interrupted by a yell.
“What do you mean CALM DOWN? SHE’S VISITING TOMORROW, SPIKE!”
Yep, that was definitely Twilight.
Drowsily, I untangled myself from the sheets and got up, slowly making my way out of the room and towards the source of Twilight’s voice down in the kitchen. I figured that for the moment I wouldn’t need to get in full uniform in the mornings, at least not until Twilight started recruiting more guards. It still felt like I was there more as a friend than as an employee.
When I got to the kitchen, I could immediately tell that Twilight was in panic mode and trying to get herself under control. She was pacing back and forth in front of the counter, a few strands of her mane popping up in awkward angles, and a scroll held in front of her face in her magic. Spike wasn’t far from her, though he was significantly less panicked than she was, and was currently getting ingredients together for a breakfast of some sorts.
Spike was the first one to notice me, and he snapped off a little wave towards me. Twilight was far too absorbed with the contents of the scroll, likely contents that she had already read and was in the process of re-reading. Figuring that she would probably take a little while to notice my presence, I walked into the kitchen and skirted around her, aiming to put some coffee on.
As I expected, Twilight didn’t seem to notice anything beyond her scroll. I couldn’t help but snicker as I leaned against the counter opposite her, watching her pace and mutter to herself as she read and re-read the scroll. It was funny to watch, at least for the time it took for the coffee to be made. When I realized that she still hadn’t noticed me even after the coffee had been finished, I decided it was probably best to intervene.
Sighing heavily, I walked around the counter and set myself in Twilight’s path so that she’d run into me during her next round of pacing if she didn’t notice. Which of course meant that Twilight bumped into me, causing the scroll to smack the alicorn in the face and her to stumble back in surprise. With the scroll having been dropped in surprise, she looked around as if just waking up for the first time that morning.
“Oh! Night Glider! Where’d you come from?” Twilight asked, her eyes locking on to mine and a look of surprise twisting her features. It was more than obvious that she had no idea that I had been in the kitchen the entire time, so it took a gargantuan feat of will not to laugh at her confusion.
“Twilight, take a breath. You’ve been pacing for a solid ten minutes while I’ve been making coffee,” I explained, setting a wing on her shoulder with a tolerant smile.
She looked at me for long seconds before sighing and leaning into me, allowing my wing to wrap around her. I folded my wings against her and pulled her close, giving her a few moments to catch her breath and recollect herself. Spike looked shocked.
“How did you get her relaxed that fast? It’s usually takes her pacing for about an hour,” Spike explained, looking over the counter at us as he set whatever dish he was working on into the oven.
“Uhh…” I started, unsure of how I’d be able to explain it. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I could calm her down like that, but it was better than letting her just pace.
“Spike, she’s a mare. Don’t get me wrong, but she can understand me in a way… others can’t. You’re too young to understand, my little baby dragon,” Twilight said, trying unsuccessfully to hide her blush as she pulled out of my grip and stood properly. She didn’t look at the little dragon, instead she had her gaze focused solely on me..
She’s so kissable...
“If you two are done staring at each other, can we eat?” Spike asked with a humorous chuckle before placing a tray down the table.
Twilight’s blush deepened, and I found my own blush burning across my cheeks. Just as I was about to turn and join the dragon at the table, Twilight leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, leaving me frozen in place while she sat down across from Spike as fast as she could.
What the hay was that?
“Night Glider? Are you okay?” Spike called out as he climbed onto a chair, looking over at me in what I could only assume was worry.
I turned and nodded at Spike before quickly snapping out of my trance and walking over to the table. I took my seat next to Twilight, trying to force the blush off of my face. Rather than focusing on either of the others at the table, I decided that my breakfast was far more interesting, and had a higher chance of pushing my blush away.
I failed as soon as I tried to shove the eggs into my muzzle. Mostly because I missed my muzzle by almost a solid inch. The next thing I noticed was the cute laughter that caused me to look up, seeing Twilight nearly falling out of her chair.
That’s cute.
Taking a moment to set the failed bite down onto the plate, I reached for the napkin next to my plate and quickly wiped my muzzle, trying my best not to satisfy Twilight by giving her anything else to laugh at. Of course, that failed as soon as I pulled the napkin away, revealing my shining grin at the sight of Twilight losing it. Balling up the napkin, I quickly threw the ball of paper at her, which hit her squarely in the nose.
Twilight only stopped for a moment, the silence being broken by Spike trying hard not to laugh. After blinking a few times and visibly trying to process what had just happened, Twilight scoffed and broke into further laughter, the ball of paper only serving to prod her into full-body guffaws. I couldn’t help but join in.
As soon as Twilight got a hold of herself, she turned to Spike, “Spike, what would you say to taking a day off and going to visit Rarity? I’m just going to be in the library with Night Glider for most of the day anyways,” she couldn’t hide a blush at the last sentence.
“Really?” Spike asked with eyes almost as big as the plate he was eating off of, “Thanks, Twilight!” he exclaimed, quickly digging into his breakfast. I had never seen an entire breakfast devoured so fast, I could have sworn that he just inhaled the entire thing in his excitement to leave. He was done before I had even managed to eat my original failed bite.
Watching him scamper off in a rush brought a little laugh to my muzzle, but I focused on eating my own breakfast. As funny as it was to watch Spike run around and probably wind up tripping somewhere, I was starving, and I hadn’t even managed to dig into my food. It didn’t take me long to scarf down my own breakfast, and I had finished long before Twilight did.
Twilight took her time with her breakfast, taking each bite and savoring it. She clearly wasn’t starving in the same way that I had been, which I had to kind of admire her for. I was always so hungry whenever I woke up, so I never actually took the time to enjoy my breakfast like she was doing.
I simply watched her eating, and it didn’t take long before she noticed my gaze and blushed, “Is there something on my muzzle?” she asked, a hoof idly grabbing the napkin next to her plate.
“No, just watching you. I’m sorry,” I replied, a blush burning across my muzzle as I averted my eyes.
“W-why?” she asked, her blush intensifying even more.
“I… Because no matter when I look at you, you're simply… you’re just…” I stopped just to slap myself with my wings, keeping myself from embarrassing myself further, “Sorry,” I muttered.
I felt a feathery embrace suddenly and looked up. I hadn’t noticed her standing up and coming towards me, “You can tell me everything, you know that, right?” she asked while holding me in her wings.
I could be forever in her wings, it would be the best in life.
Before long, she released me from her embrace and took a step back, waiting for me to speak.
“IthinkyoulookbeautifuleverytimeIlookatyou,” I simply blurted out, hoping that it was way too fast for her to get anything of it.
I should’ve guessed that of all ponies, Twilight would understand it.
“You really think that?” she asked as her eyes widened.
“Of… Of course,” I said, betting that my cheeks were burning red at that point.
A small smile crossed Twilight’s features as she took on a look of acceptance. After a moment, she leaned in and set a small kiss on my lips, sending shots of excitement through my body as she held her lips against mine. She pulled back after a moment and gave an embarrassed smile, “You’re cute when you don’t know what to say,” she whispered before turning and coyly trotting over to the sink with all the dishes in her magic.
Oh, that sneaky mare!
Shaking my blush and shock away, I couldn’t help but grin as I walked over to the counter and leaned against it, waiting for her to finish doing the dishes. It didn’t take long; with her magic, it was done almost as soon as they entered the sink. I was waiting for her when she turned around, a goofy smile still on my muzzle.
With the dishes done, Twilight walked past me, reaching a wing out and dragging it across my barrel to guide me along. I didn’t need to be told a second time, I followed right behind her on the way to the library, almost close enough to smell her. Not that I’d really have a problem with smelling her, I thought she had the best aroma. And she seemed to enjoy having me close.
At the entrance she set up the cushions as always before attempting to settle down. I was faster and laid down on the cushions, but slightly on my side and raising a wing. It was a clear invitation and I had to admit that I was a bit surprised as Twilight snuggled against me without hesitation. Lowering my wing, I held her against me, enjoyment clear on both of our faces.
She sighed softly before powering up her horn once more and floating the book from last time to us. With how much we were reading together, we were getting very close to the end, and then we’d have to move on to the next book. Considering just how many books Twilight seemed to have, I didn’t think that finding another book would be all that hard.
And the thought of continuing this endlessly isn’t an unpleasant one.
Before we started, I couldn’t help but ask. Poking her in side before she could open the book, I spoke, “What was in that letter that Celestia sent you, anyways? I heard you yelling about her coming to visit,” I said, lifting my head so I could look down at her.
Twilight jumped at my poke, then gave a little giggle and shook her head, turning slightly so she could meet my gaze. She spoke after a moment, “She heard about what happened from Luna. I thought she’d be absolutely furious at us for that, but she seems okay with it. She just wants to meet you, make sure that you’re the right material for a guard,” she said, trailing off into a nervous silence after a moment.
Giving her barrel a squeeze with my wing, I gave her a gentle smile, “Hey, it’s gonna be alright. Celestia will think that I’m the best pony around for your guard, and you two will have tea and cookies, and everything will go perfectly,” I reassured her, trying my best to assure myself. While Luna was terrifying, and I was sure that she would have killed me if she had the chance, Celestia was the more powerful of the two.
Celestia had banished Luna with her own two hooves, and had quelled the rebellion without breaking a sweat. If there was anyone that I was more afraid of than Luna, it would be Celestia. So, having her come to the castle and conduct what was the equivalent of an inspection was something of a nightmare.
Of course, I wouldn’t say anything to Twilight about that. I had to be strong for her, to make sure that she didn’t panic anymore. So, I gave her my best smile, and kept the pressure around her barrel to make sure that she knew I was there for her, and that there was no reason for her to panic.
Twilight gave a soft sigh and leaned into me, pressing her forehead against my chin and being careful of her horn while she did so. She was silent for a long moment before speaking, “I know, I’m just worried. I don’t want her to take you away from me,” she said, finishing in a whisper as she nuzzled me.
I blinked a few times in surprise. Of all the things she’d be panicking about, I never would have expected she was worried about me getting taken away. Taking a soft breath, I nuzzled her and hugged her tighter, “No one is ever going to take me away from you. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere,” I said, turning my head slightly to kiss her forehead.
Giving a content little sound, Twilight pushed into my neck, “I certainly hope not. I haven’t given you leave, yet,” she said, and I could hear the grin on her lips. Giving a little chuckle of my own, I shook my head and held her close. At least I had managed to calm her down a little and distract her from the upcoming visit.
Pushing her with my chin, I turned her attention back towards the book, giving her a last reassuring smile, “Yeah, yeah. We should get back to my duty assignment, shouldn’t we?” I teased, a small laugh escaping her lips in response. She nodded her agreement and turned towards the book, shimmying back against me so that we were comfortably cuddled yet again.
We continued where we left off and she pointed out new words and how they affected friendship as a whole. Most of the words were things I had already known, but hadn’t ever actually understood as being important to friendship. I had to admit that I mostly listened because of her voice. It simply calmed me, made me all warm and fuzzy.
Despite the amount that she spoke about the book and how much she went off on subjects, I noticed that there were a lot of awkward silences and quiet moments that usually weren’t there. I was already afraid that it was because of me, because of the closeness between us. While cuddling on the pillows was a fairly normal thing, the way we cuddled today was entirely different.
Looking to my side, it was clear how it was different. I laid on my side, exposed belly and right on that warm, soft spot laid Twilight, rubbing her fur against mine while my wing snuggled her closely against me. The one thing I hadn’t noticed yet was her tail entwined with mine, and it made my heart flutter like nothing else before. How she had managed to wrap her tail around mine without me noticing, I’d never quite understand.
It was incredibly comfortable, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with her. She was incredibly warm and soft, and every moment spent with her was spent in enjoyment and comfort. I was happy to be with her, even if we were only reading a book. Feeling her breath against my barrel, and the soft movements of her arms whenever she took a moment to gesture with her hooves to illustrate something, I couldn’t help but grin with my enjoyment the entire time.
With each and every passing minute, it seemed to me as if Twilight stumbled on her own words more often, and made more breaks in her explanations. It was weird, to say the least. I had never known Twilight to be so distracted whenever a book was involved. Something was definitely wrong.
“Twilight?” I asked softly as she stopped explaining something in the middle of what should have been a well formulated rant.
I regretted saying something immediately. She looked up at me and her ears folded back while her gaze turned. It wasn’t really describable. Like a kicked filly, “Y-Yes?” she asked, clearly trying to avoid my gaze as she did so.
“Are you alright?” I asked, “You seem distracted,” I said, the question trailing off into silence as I hoped for her reply. I thought it had something to do with me distracting her, making her uncomfortable or something along those lines. She hadn’t complained once, but she wasn’t able to focus, which was something of a give away.
Twilight bit her lips, looking at me in silence for a few moments. It looked like she was searching for something, an answer hidden in my coat or something. I briefly wondered if I had something left over from breakfast somewhere on my coat, but quickly dismissed the suspicion after a moment.
"It’s nothing, Night Glider. I’m just thinking about something. Worried,” she said, quickly switching back to biting her lips as she moved to turn her head away. When she went to move, I quickly brought my wing up and cupped her chin, pulling her head to look at me again. She didn’t struggle, but a blush painted her cheeks a vibrant red color at my touch.
“Is it about me?” I asked as she stared up at me with those inquisitive eyes of hers.
“No,” she answered. I was just about to say that I didn’t believe her, but she surprised me by speaking again, “It’s about us,” she said, meeting my gaze for the first time since we started reading.
“What?” I asked, about to continue before she stopped me by placing a hoof on my muzzle.
“I’m not a romantic pony. I was always the studious one, if not for Celestia, and later my friends, I wouldn’t even have come so far in friendship. But this… of course I’ve read some books on the subject, and I’ve learned a bit through some friends and ponies I know, but it’s all so complicated,” she said, her voice picking up slightly as she slipped into her rant mode.
“I don’t get it,” I said, my ears folding back. I figured that Twilight would make me understand, she had a way of explaining things that I didn’t understand in a way that made sense eventually.
She sighed before looking deep into my eyes, “Night Glider, I trust and like you. Like I said earlier, I really, really like you,” she paused again and breathed in, as if she had to collect all her strength, “Would you like to go on a date with me?”
My jaw really dropped at that. It seemed so unreal, and it seemed uncommon for her to ask such a thing. I hadn’t really thought about that yet, I had to admit, but there wasn’t a reason to not do it now.
I really do like her, and she likes me, too. What harm could there be?
“And it is okay that I, as your Captain, go on a date with you?” I asked simply.
She smiled, “Actually, in the past it was a common thing for the Captain or any other high ranking officer and their protected to share a deep relationship,” she explained, her smile turning slightly coy as she explained.
I smiled back, “I would love to go on a date with you,” I said, honestly and fully meaning it as it escaped my muzzle.
She didn’t answer with words, but she really didn’t need to. As soon as I felt her lips on mine, my world drifted away into paradise.