Snuggle Me, for I am Not a Wraith!

by Michael Hudson

Time for Tales

Twilight breathed in with her mother, the foal now being of about the age of five. It had not been long since her fifth birthday that she began to be taught by her mother, and today, they practiced meditation. These were some of her favorite lessons, as she usually got to snuggle right into her mother’s barrel, and feel every up and down that came with the breaths.

A crash interrupted her peaceful thoughts, and the slow rhythm of her mother stopped as he breath caught. A shout from across the lawn entered the filly’s ears as Night Watch shouted, “I’m okay!” Of course, Twilight couldn’t help but open her eyes, and giggled as she saw her father’s long, black legs kicking at the air. She then felt her mother shudder, and looked up to her.

“Mommy? Is somefing wrong?”

“Um, uh, something darling. What you’re looking for is something.”

Twilight nodded as she jumped onto her mother’s side, trying to get her to look at her now. “Okay. Is something wrong?”

Ghastly looked from her back to her father a few times before softly smiling. “It… It’s nothing. Just something your mother doesn’t understand and worries about. That means it’s definitely not something for little foals like yourself!” She put her nose into the air, and soon Ghastly let out a yelp as Twilight pounced onto her neck.

“Tell me!”

Night Watch had recovered by now, and was chuckling to himself as he walked over. His walk was not nearly as steady as it had been some years ago, but it did not betray his pain, at least most days. If it did, the smile he almost always wore would banish the thought. “Now, if I recall the rules correctly, aren’t I supposed to be the one who was loud and rambunctious, while you two stayed quiet?”

Ghastly tossed her head a bit more, trying to get Twilight to let go, but not trying to launch her across the yard. “Honey, can’t you get her off?”

Night raised an eyebrow. “Can’t you?” He then raised a hoof to tap his horn, just to make absolute certain she got what he meant. Unfortunately, the little, purple filly had noticed it too, and soon was trying to use her own magic to fight her mother and stay where she was. This was the point that intervention was necessary, and Night Watch soon nuzzled against both. His terrible muzzle came hard and fast, making the sound of a motor as he tickled both his little filly, and his wife. The results of such a nefarious tactic were well rewarded though, as both mare and filly soon were rolling on the ground. “So, does this mean I win?”

That earned him a half hearted glare from Ghastly, just before she found a filly crawling onto her stomach. Twilight smiled at her mother for a moment, before stretching out her mouth wide for a mighty yawn. The two parents exchanged a glance, and Night Watch lowered himself to just beside the two. “Is someone becoming a sleepy filly?”

She took a half hearted swipe at Night as she tried to stand tall. “No!”

“Oh, well that’s a shame, because a sleepy filly would have gotten a story.”

The little filly froze in her tracks, before leaving one eye open as she faked about the worst yawn either had seen. “Well, I might be a-a little sleepy.”

Ghastly rubbed the soft mane that on top of the small pony’s head as she chuckled. “I don’t know. Honey, do you have any little stories for fillies who are a little sleepy?”

Twilight began to bounce up and down, and only a magical barrier stopped Ghastly from launching Twilight because of pain. “Do you, do you, do you?”

Night rubbed the bottom of his blackening muzzle, before nodding slightly. “I believe I do. It’s a story of a handsome, charming guardsmen, a stubborn, but beautiful, scholar, and a demon. How does that sound?”

Twilight’s tail moved in a blue as she crouched down low, her giant, purple eyes staring him in the eyes. “That sounds amazing!”

Ghastly raised her hooves, gently wrapping them around her precious gift, before pulling her down. “Then the sleepy filly needs to continue acting sleepy, doesn’t she?”

Twilight’s eyes went wide, just before she tried yawning again. This earned her a chuckle from her father as he jostled around to make sure he was comfy too. “Alright, I suppose I should begin than, and we begin in the small town that the guard was stationed at.” His horn flared to life, a mix of gray and black magic covering it, just before a small diagram of a town appeared before them, complete with yawning pony guardsmen. “The quaint little village had seen some excitement recently, but he had been unable to participate like he had wanted.”

A mare in robes, her nose stuck firmly within a book, appeared by the guard, whose eyes became hearts. “The scholar came to see about the fright, hoping to catch something for her,” he glanced over to Ghastly and grinned, “demonic studies. It was love at first sight for the stallion, but for the mare,” he paused, letting the stallion be smacked as he tried to compliment her, “it was not quite reciprocated.”

“Days passed with nothing happened, and the two continued to talk. Both had their duties, but in such a remote, peaceful town, it was hard to say they actually mattered. It was the first time the mare got to shed her robes and try to be with others, and the guard was more than happy to help her discover what she had missed. It wasn’t the fastest friendship, but,” he paused as the two images hugged, “it was a strong one.”

Clouds came over the town, and Twilight gasped as she saw a large, dark mass flow into it, but not reveal its form. “Unfortunately, while they were enjoying each other’s company, the demon had been preparing his next strike. The mare was no fool though, and had been ready. Or at least, so she thought.” It quickly showed the mare bring up all of her spells, before a pony three times the size of a regular one screamed, its fangs making Twilight snuggle tighter into her mother as the spells were stripped away.

“No matter what she did, she could not stop the demon’s rampage, only distract it. However, she could not run forever, and eventually,“ he stopped, the demon now cornering her in an alleyway. “It was almost certain doom for her as death came closer and closer. One scream though, and a beam against it, “he paused as the stallion emerged and caught the demon’s attention, “was just what was needed.”

“Working together, the two tried long and hard to put it down, until finally, the scholar’s master’s found them, and vanquished the demon. The price was large for the two, one having been scarred, never to seek the public again after what had happened when she did not protect herself, and the other cursed for having helped. Both needed to be watched, and it within the wards of that hospital that they were rewarded for their efforts.”

The two ponies appeared by each other, now nuzzling the others necks as the two parents looked down at the end of their tale. The little filly though, was not impressed. “That’s it? What about the masters? Or where did the demon come from? What did the curse do? Why didn’t our heroes beat it?”

Ghastly bopped Twilight on the top of the head to stop the questions. “Weren’t you happy to see them together at all? That they still succeeded, even against odds that were so far against them?”

Night Watch crawled over before nibbling into Twilight’s neck. “Or would you rather he have eaten them both up?”

“No, no! Anything but that!”

Ghastly smiled, rubbing Twilight’s hair as the filly moved about. “Then I suppose you did get an ending you could want. However,” she put a hoof t her own muzzle, “I suppose if you disliked it so much, I should make up for it now. How about cookies?”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she simply stared at her mom. She was merely a smoke trail the next moment, a faint scream of, “cookies,” echoing in the air. Night Watch laughed a little bit, before looking to his projection, and looking to the ground. “She needs a chance you know. To make friends like you did.”

Ghastly stopped smiling too, looking to Night before joining his gaze to the ground. “I… I know. It’s just frightening.”

“It’s for her though. For our little filly.”

Ghastly bit into her cheek, before letting out a heavy sigh. “Alright. When she turns ten and is strong enough to take care of herself, she may, okay?”

Night nodded, before being unable to hid his smile. “Deal.”

Comments

[dragonjek]

[Fireeaters]

Cool.