--Chapter 25--
Stars
After Twilight disappeared, Revan stayed still for a long while. He eventually let out a sigh and stood up. “They... That was...” He heard Fluttershy saying.
Revan walked over to her and said. “Come on, let’s go.” She nodded slowly, keeping her head low.
“I’m really sorry about what happened... I mean...”
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. Now at least I know she accepts the risks.” He said. “I’m going to have to do something about Applejack though. It’s clear that she won’t allow anything to happen as long as she’s around.” They begun to walk through the path on the side of the cliff, slowly heading back to the town. “I don’t think talking to her will give much though.”
“I really don't know what got into her. I’ve never seen her act like this... Oh, poor Twilight must be so sad right now...”
“Yeah... It must have been really hard for her do this in the first place. Hell, I was sure that in the end I was going to be the one to make the first move.” He sighed again. “But I guess I’m going to have to make the second one, when I looked at her she looked so crushed that I doubt she's going to do anything about it anytime soon.”
“Probably, but I don’t think you should go to her right now.”
“I know. She needs some time to calm down.” He suddenly felt something tugging on his pants. He looked down to see what it was and smiled at the sight. Sennav was climbing on his leg, trying to get to his hand. He lifted the cub up with both hands and placed him against his chest, keeping him from falling with his right arm, while the left hand scratched him between ears.
Revan’ actions were rewarded by silent purring that came from the cat. “I see you’ve gotten used to him.” Fluttershy said with a smile.
“How could I not? This guy is fucking cute.” Sennav begun pushing his head against Revan’s palm. Just like Twilight would if she was in his place. “You know? Maybe you should go talk to Twilight. She may get over the whole thing faster.”
“Oh, I really don't know... I wouldn't like to be get between you two.”
“You won’t get between us, I just want you to listen to what she has to say, while I go look for Applejack. There are few things I’d like to talk with her about...” Moja pięść też ma jej coś do powiedzenia… ((My fist has few things to say to her too…))
“I... guess I could do it then...” Revan placed Sennav back on Mischief’s back as he, the dog and Fluttershy doubled their speed. Fluttershy looked back for a second, looking at the corpse of the hydra. “It’s really a shame I didn’t get to calm him down... But I guess it wouldn’t work anyways.”
“Why s that?”
“He was hungry. I may be able to communicate with animals, but it's almost impossible to make a predator like hydra stop when it is fighting to survive.” She said in her soft voice, looking back again.
“Sorry I didn’t give you a chance, but I couldn’t risk any of you getting hurt.”
“Actually, I was wondering... why? Why did you risk your life like that? You were extremely lucky to get out of this alive, but you barely seem to care. In fact, now that I think about it, why did you push Twilight away from that Timberwolf the night we met? Or risk falling down that cliff to save her? And why did you fought like that when faced with Nightmare Moon? Why do you act like that whenever somepony is in danger?”
He didn’t answer, all he did was look forward with his eyes focused on the horizon. “Fluttershy...” He said after a long while. “What I’m about to tell you, stays between us....”
Twilight laid alone in her bed. Her eyes had huge bags under them, and both of them were red from all the crying she did before. She was hugging her pillow, burying her muzzle in it. The pillow still has some of Revan's smell on it, making the unicorn wish that the human was here with her.
But she couldn't muster bravery to face him now. Not after she run away like that. Another wave of tears came as she thought back to the events that took place only an hour ago. She didn't blame Applejack for it. It was her fears that she allowed to take control over her.
She was so close to actually doing it. And she screwed up everything because she couldn’t get over what others say. More tears washed over her as she thought about Revan. About how he was always there to help her, how he protected her... She loved his way of looking at the world, always looking for positives in everything. She loved how he would always throw away everything to protect those he cares for. Or that slightly dark sense of humor of his...
She loved him. There was no denying it.
She loved him but because of her own cowardice, she was never going to have him.
She was about to let that thought cry her to sleep, but suddenly she heard a door bell. This couldn't have been Spike, not only is it not likely that he would be back from Rarity so fast, but the dragon had his own key to the library, so he could open it without problems.
She wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly got up. She dragged herself downstairs, holding her head down and trying to keep more tears from falling, failing horribly at doing so. "W-who's there?" He voice was still ragged.
"It's me Twilight. Is everything alright?" She heard Fluttershy's voice from behind the door.
As much as she wanted to have somepony to talk with, she was still too afraid to face anyone right now. "Y-yes! Everything is f-fine!"
"Twilight, we both know it's not alright. Can I come in? I want to talk with you."
Twilight remained silent for a while, eventually releasing a silent sight as she hesitantly moved the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door. She turned around and dropped her head down as the pegasus entered the library. "Twilight..." She said in a silent voice. Fluttershy walked over to her friend to look her in the face, but Twilight turned away the moment she walked over. "Twilight, please... let me help you."
She didn't say anything, but at least she didn't move away when Fluttershy approached again. "Were you... crying all this time?" She said when she saw her wet cheeks and bugs under eyes. One more tear run down her face as she said that.
"I-It's all my fault..." She said as another tear appeared. "It's m-my fault that Applejack hates me right now... a-and...." She closed her eyes as her face was covered by tears. "And it's my fault Revan will never love me!" She burst out crying on Fluttershy's shoulder as she embraced her and hugged her for a dear life. “I-I’m pathetic… H-he would never want a coward like me! I j-just had to do one thing… a-and I was so close… but t-then I…I…I screwed up everything!
H-he was right… Nopony will ever care for me…”
At first Fluttershy was surprised at unicorn’s outburst, but she embraced her nonetheless. “Shhhh… It’s alright Twilight…” She said softly. “Don’t blame yourself on what happened. Applejack’s behavior was inexcusable and you shouldn’t justify it.”
“B-but… what am I supposed to do now? I-I should have…”
“No Twilight. Don’t beat yourself over it. So what if Applejack doesn’t approve? It’s none of her business. You shouldn’t hold back just because she says so. None of us minds it. Me, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity… and Revan too.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “Yes, Twilight, he cares about you, just as deeply as you care for him.”
“B-but… how could he ever love such a coward like me? I can’t even tell him how I feel…”
“So what? He’s afraid too.”
“W-what?”
“We’ve been talking about this few times before. He couldn’t get over how interspecies relationships are viewed in the society. That made him worried about you, and that’s why he hadn’t done anything for so long.”
“He’s… worried about me?”
“Yes, he’s afraid that other ponies may treat you badly because of it. From what he said, I think that’s the only reason why he hadn’t asked you out himself. He fears it may be too much for you.”
At first Twilight said nothing, she looked away and closed her eyes. “I… I need to be brave… I-I have to… tell him…” Her breathing got raged again, and few tears appeared in corners of her eyes. “…e-everything. Even i-if A-Applejack…d-doesn’t approve, I-I need to… d-do it… f-for him, a-and for me…” She begun to cry again. “I-I’m so scared Fluttershy. W-what if you’re wrong? What if he d-doesn’t love me? I-I can’t do it…”
“Then you will never be able to move on with your life, and your fears will win over you.” Pegasus said as she embraced her friend. “Now, come on. Let’s get you ready for that date.” Twilight smiled softly as she lifted her head off of Flutershy’s shoulder. “Applejack might have make some changes… but that doesn’t mean We can’t make few ourselves. Now, let’s wipe that tears off, shall we?”
The sun has set down below the horizon as Revan walked towards the hill behind the library, he was unfortunately unable to find Applejack, which was good in retrospect. With how angry he was before, he doubted in his self-control being strong enough to stop him from beating farmer’s face down into the ground.
Now he was more interested in the reasons behind her behavior. He still remembered overhearing Big Mac’s talk with his sister. He couldn’t get much out of the conversation, other than that Applejack hadn’t gotten over something yet, but it seemed like the whole thing may be somehow connected with Apple family’s history.
He spotted Rainbow Dash flying in the direction of the hill, carrying a basket in her hooves. She was too high to hear him, so he didn’t bothered himself with that. On the hill he spotted Pinkie, Twilight, Spike and Fluttershy. Rarity was approaching the hill along with some stallion. He guessed this was Noteworthy, Rarity’s coltfriend, as suggested by the way they leaned against each other while walking.
Rainbow landed on the ground next to Twilight and Fluttershy, who were adjusting the telescope. Fluttershy said something to her, to which Rainbow reacted with a smirk that Revan learned to recognize as 'I'm ready'. He didn't hear what they exactly said since he was too far away. When Rarity and Noteworthy came there she said something to them as well, resulting in a similar reaction.
Soon after that, he was spotted by Pinkie. The pink mare waved to him and then grabbed Twilight’s head and pointed it at the human. From the overly exaggerated movements of her lips as well as the fact that she was yelling, Revan was able to guess what she said. “Look Twilight! Your boyfriend’s here!” Twilight’s visible blush was enough of a conformation for him.
He felt a blush approaching too, but unlike Twilight, he managed to get it under control quickly. “Heya Revi!” Pinkie yelled and quickly run over to him. “Don’t worry, everything is under control.” She whispered into his ear.
“What?” He never received the answer, as Pinkie run back to Twilight and pushed her toward Revan.
“Come on! Say hello.” She said.
Twilight barely stopped herself from crushing into Revan’s crotch (which would be very unfortunate, considering the fact that she has a horn on her forehead) and looked up at him with a serious case of red face. “Umm… H-hi?” She squeaked much like Fluttershy would. She was visibly shaking, and Revan decided to kneel down and hive unicorn a comforting hug.
“Hi.” He replied. Twilight was at first surprised by his sudden action, but she was happy nonetheless. A smile appeared on her face as she hugged him back, her face also became a bit more red. This didn’t bother her however, and she happily rubbed her face over Revan’s back. “Twilight, mind if we talk for a bit?” He asked, just loud enough for her to hear.
“O-okay.” She said, as Revan begun to get up.
However, they suddenly heard a voice from behind. “Howdy ya’ll!” Applejack said as she got on top of the hill. “Ah hope ya didn’ start anythin’ without me.” We were about to, but you changed plans. Revan thought.
“Hi AJ!” Rainbow stepped in front of the farmer as she approached Twilight and Revan, who were still holding each other tightly. “Mind coming with me for a sec? There’s something I want to do, but need help with, and you’re just the pony I need!”
“Umm, sorry but Ah need to talk with Twilight for a bit.” She walked around Rainbow, only to be stopped by Pinkie. By now Twilight and Revan have let go of each other and looked at the scene before them. “What is it Pinkie?” She asked in a bit annoyed voice.
“I just wanted to ask if you brought the punch?”
“Oh yeah, right.” He gave Pinkie a barrel she was carrying instead of the saddlebag. “Here you go.” She attempted to leave, but Rainbow stopped her again.
“Oh come on, AJ. Don’t tell me you’re going to pussy out.” She mocked the farmer, pushing her back with her hoof.
Suddenly, another hoof joined that of Rainbow. “Please Applejack, I really want to see that new trick Rainbow was bragging about." Fluttershy said as she pushed Applejack back as well.
"But I don't want to-" Suddenly, a cupcake was showed into her mouth. The incredible taste of this godly treat, almost made the farm pony forget about the world beyond her mouth. This moment of distraction gave the two pagasi a chance to overpower the earth pony and her far greater strength. Especially when Pinkie added her strength to the mix.
"You coming too Rarity!?" Pinkie yelled in excitement.
"No, I'll just stay here and make sure everything goes nicely." She smiled as she looked at Twilight and Revan. "Besides, Notey is far too nice to snuggle with to leave now." She lied her head back down on her coltfriend. The two were lying on the ground pretty much since they arrived, lazily watching as the moon rises.
"No arguing from me." Noteworthy said, planting a small kiss on Rarity's cheek, making Spike mad in the process. The young dragon looked away with a frown on his face as he walked behind the rest.
"You two are acting pretty huggy, you know that?" Revan noted.
"Do you mind?" Rarity asked.
"Not really, I just wonder why."
"Well, why don't you ask Twilight then?" She smirked as Revan looked to his side, only to notice that Twilight was not there. He saw her adjusting the telescope in the middle of the hill, awkwardly biting her lip.
He took a deep breath and walked over to her, sitting down nearby. Without a word he raised his head up and looked at the stars. Twilight noticed him as he sat down, and more importantly, an empty spot next to him. She looked around to make sure Applejack was not around. The only ones on the hill except her and Revan were Rarity and Noteworthy, who were too busy making out on the ground to have anything to say. She watched them go at it for a second more before she turned back to Revan.
She sat on the spot next to him, and looked up at him. Even though he was sitting down, Twilight was still noticeably smaller than he was. "You know, I really like watching stars." He said. "When I was a kid, I had to go back home after school on foot because my father was in job with the only car. We've been living on the outskirts of a small town, and I had about five kilometers to go through.
The school I was going to was rather small, so half of the classes had lessons in the morning, while the rest started after noon. When It was my class' turn to go after noon, my lessons would end around 7-8 PM. During winter it was already dark, and though as long as I was in the city I had street lights to lit up the way, but as soon as I was out... well, let's say it was pretty dark.
There was one part of the way in particular that I hated to go through. A small forest that run along the way. I never liked nights... well, not nights themselves, but the darkness they bring. It always creeped me out when I was young, still kinda does. I guess I can blame that on that time I got lost in the forest and had to stay there for the night.
Anyways, I was always scared to go there, but it was either that or waiting two and a half hours for my dad to bring me home, so I always went there anyway. But... as much as this placed was scary to me, there was always one thing that always, calmed me down. The stars. I may not know much about the constellations, but I was always fascinated by astrology. You remember how I told you about how my universe is built." She nodded.
"Yeah, you ponies don't know the feeling of being so small. Your night sky is like a painting that can be changed every night. But in my world we're just a tiny piece of space dust, practically nonexistent. I really liked to think about it when I watched the stars..."
Twilight sat in silence as he talked. Allowing him to finish before she asked unavoidable question. "...W-why... did you tell me this..? N-not that I'm complaining." She suddenly realized that his arm was wrapped around her. And furthermore, her tail was wrapped around Revan.
"Because lately..." He took something out of his pocket. "I've had one more reason to watch the stars." He showed her an item in his hand, making her gasp. It was a wooden six-pointed star. A replica of her cutie mark. "You." He said, looking directly into her eyes.
That was it. The last push she needed.
She quickly moved her face forward and closed the gap between their lips. She expected something will stop her, that Applejack will run in screaming and separate them or something. But nothing like that happened, and any thoughts about it were silenced the moment their lips touched. Her heart pounded in her chest like crazy, for a second almost reaching Revan's heart rate. However she quickly calmed down, and with a blush burning on her face she melted into the kiss along with the human.
Revan's lips were much different than that of a pony. The differences standing mostly from the lack of extended muzzle on his face, and other then that she could feel a tiny scratchy hair on his beard. She had kissed few times before, but that was long ago and she wasn't really keen on going back to those memories. Now however, she felt like never stopping.
Especially, when Revan moved his second hand to her neck while the one that was embracing her pushed her closer to him. Twilight moaned lightly as she wrapped her both hooves around the human's neck. His hand moved from her neck to her ears, giving them a quick scratch on the outside before proceeding to rubbing her right ear on the inside.
She immediately responded by moaning as she opened her mouth and invited Revan inside. He did just that, and soon enough their tongues met. She immediately noticed more differences. Revan's tongue was much more bold than hers and much wider. While her tongue was longer, she quickly realized that this didn't matter at all, as Revan quickly overpowered her without even trying and gained unrestricted access to her mouth.
She expected him to use that opportunity to dominate her mouth (she wouldn’t mind), but instead he slightly pulled his tongue out and allowed her to catch up. She moaned again as they slowly kissed, and she sat on his lap, pressing herself against him as much as she could.
Revan’s hand left Twilight’s ears for a moment to help the other one adjust Twilight on his lap, and then slowly made its way back up, stopping for a moment to lightly rub her neck.
It was in that moment that Twilight fully realized what was going on. She felt tears running down her cheek, as she smiled and pressed her lips against Revan’s as hard as she could. For a short moment she pulled out to catch her breath, but kept her lips very close to Revan’s.
She opened her eyes, meeting his glaze. “I love you.” She said without thinking, and before Revan was given a chance to respond, pressed her lips against his again.
I know… He thought. I love you too…