Runes

by Ink Will

Nice

Time passed. The man didn't know how much, but it did. It could have been hours, with the chirps and hums of night or morning, but his head swirled far too fast for an essence of time, so he just listened to the night birds and peepers and crickets. He snuggled into his covering, something of felt or cotton below and warm quilting above. It couldn't have done the greatest job, however, because he still couldn't feel his hands or feet and his face telt numb in some places while bloated in others.

Bruises, maybe? I fell at some point, I'm pretty sure.

He went to turn his body, having grown stiff, but yelped in pain instead. His stomach grazed the wrong way on his perch in what felt like a stretching action on his flesh. It was not pleasant. Tenderly, he rested back into his older position, resting on his presumed tact side.

"...!"

The man opened his eyes to see a few things; first off, it wasn't so much night as it was dark, with the shades drawn over windows around the round room. Afterwards, there was the room itself, having bookcases across the walls with novel upon novel stacked and organized neatly. There was a desk with a pillow in front, a staircase to one side...

And a purple unicorn with straight bangs wrapped in a blanket staring at him like a rescue dog with two legs.

She didn't take a single moment to consider any words to say: "Oh, dear! Oh, are you alright? I was using a long-rang summoning spell for an experiment and I must have used read the texts wrong because they're really old and cracked and then you just appeared and you landed on that glass on your stomach and on your side and it almost hit your neck or throat and and and I I I don't I can't e-even- I mean, I don't even know you and I almost killed you and I'm so sorry! I should have asked Celestia before I tried the spell!"

"...One more time?"

The man was surprised with himself for how calm he was.

Meh. Roll with the punches. Too much blood loss a fatigue to deal any differently.

The unicorn breathed in, slowly, looking at the floor. Evidently, for all the anxiety he should be holding, she was trying to let go of as much.

"I brought you here."

He pondered that for a second. "And what's here?"

The unicorn blinked.

"U-uh, Ponyville, Golden Oaks L-Library."

He blinked.

"Usually, you start with a name or something."

She blinked. Again. "Well, I'm the, well, librarian here, um... Tw-Twilight Sparkle."

He blinked. Again. Because he could.

He didn't say anything, though.

"..."

"..."

"Sorry, I forgot my name for a second."

"Oh...Kay..."

"... I'm pretty sure its Inky... Ink Will..."

The unicorn, now put to the name "Twilight" nodded fast, flopping her bangs up and down, sporting a small smile. She look relieved and proud all in one go.

That's a nice color... There's a streak of pink... It's nice.

She stopped her headbanging. She tightened her grip around her blanket as she looked to the side. "I'm glad you're okay. I feel terrible for just flinging you so far from who-know's-where. I couldn't imagine if you... weren't okay..." Her last words trailed off into the abysmal silence seeping through the room.

"Um..." Twilight's voice cracked the quiet. "It's early, still, but, uh, my... assistant will be down soon. He could make breakfast."

"Is that Spike?"

Twilight went aback. "H-how... Do you...?"

Inky shook his head, slowly from the hour. "I remember you calling him. That's it. Just a guess."

"Oh..."

"...Sorry. I'm all out of my head right now. I don't mean to be, like... this. Breakfast would be really nice."

I always had a terrible vocabulary when I'm tired.

A handful of hours passed. A minute or so after their conversation, Twilight Sparkle climbed the stairs Inky had seen a while back with a worried look, leave him some time for rest. Instead, he put the time for thought.

Am I a horse too? He reached up to his face. Immediately, he noticed his hands, or lack thereof. Replacing his digits and palm was a stump of white, brimmed with a sheening hoof. Touching it with the other, he started mapping out points and neres, feeling for muscles and veins. He was entranced for at least a half hour.

Face?

He brought his new hooves to his nose which had grown out and wide. Snout... He quickly flexed up his hooves. No glasses... Upwards, he felt his hair, and noticed the subtle differences. It was tied back and roughly the same length as before, going down past his shoulders, but it was held with twine instead of his usual rubber band. Running a hoof through it, he learned that it was also just as greasy as before.

Should've taken a shower last night...

Inky groped at his neck and trunk, gathering a feeling for the new body.

...Anything else...different?

---

Twilight Sparkle was in her room, gathering some miscellaneous items; the doctor had left lotions and soaps galore special for the stallion below. Her baby dragon assistant and honorary brother, Spike, was on the side of his basket, sheets strewn about. He looked here to there at the toiletries and blankets with a nerved face.

"Um... Twilight?"

The unicorn stopped her rummaging quest to turn her attention. Spike could see a small twitch growing in her eyes.

"Is he... uh... normal?"

Twilight looked down in brief thought. "Well, Spike. I don't exactly know yet, but once... he gets better - or even if he just feels up to it soon - I'll make sure to ask what exactly he experienced." Twilight was trying to come off as confident. Spike felt her come off as alienating.

"You talked to him, right?" Spike's voice held tinges of what could've been hope. "He's not very different from, y'know, normal ponies, right?"

"Well," Twilight paused for a sigh "He was a bit more forward than I'm used to, but that could just be a behavior aspect."

"Or stress from the spell."

"Right-"

"Or maybe something else happened during the spell."

"I-"

"Could just be delusion brought on from blood loss or fatigue."

"Spike!"

Both parties flinched from the yell. It was much louder than the librarian intended. She counted to ten and breathed. "While I'm decently impressed with your deduction skills on the matter, now isn't the time to talk about that kind of thing, I don't want you thinking like that, and for the last time, I know."

"Eh, hehheh..." The little dragon rubbed a claw on the back of his head. "Sorry. It's just that I guess I'm trying to, uh, 'cope'?"

This hit a nerve deep inside of Twilight. She had been lifting a small mass of blankets with her magic that she dropped upon her brother's words hitting her ears. Her eyes grew into stones, wide and blank. She turned back to her dragon companion. Quickly.

And wrapped him into a hug.

"Woah! Twilight! What-"

"Little dragons shouldn't have to cope with something like this... I'm sorry Spike. I put you through this. You and that stallion." Spike could feel a small pool of tears well on the scales of his shoulder. "I did that spell, I ignored you, I put so much - so much - stress, on you! I feel horrible!"

"Twi-Li-I-Ight!" His voice was choked.

"Don't cry, Spike, it's not your fault."

"I'm - Not - C-Crying! You're ch-ch-choking me!"

Twilight practically lept backwards from his companion. "Oh! Uh, sorry? Heh..." She loosed a nervous laugh, the water still in the corners of her eyes pairing awkwardly with a small smile.

Spike didn't see Twilight like this very often and he didn't like it; being as frazzled as she let on, Twilight was appearing to be absolutely broken. Her eyes were red, both from lack of sleep whilst watching the summoned stallion and the toll of candlelight among ravaging darkness. Her mane stuck up along one side of her head where she laid her face on the couch. There were a few small cuts along the sides of her hooves and one on the bottom from a shard she stepped on that gave her a small limp. Twilight had gotten it wrapped by the doctor that came for the "guest" as she explained. When he first saw the taped leg, Spike asked if she was okay only to receive a distracted hum of confirmation.

And then here she was. The dam had fallen.

"Well," Twilight broke the quiet, lifting the bundle of cloth in an aura. "I'll bring these down to Inky." Spike raised in his seat, confused. Twilight caught on quickly. "That's his name." The small sentence was enough. Spike nodded as his sister made towards and out the door.

---

Oh my...

Twilight had carefully trotted down the stairs not seconds before, trying not to make a sound in case of a sleeping Inky below. Now, she stood dazed, a tinge of rose in her face, and holding a very, very different view of this new stallion in her home. Her mouth was agape ever so slightly. Her ear fluttered on reflex. Pressure seemed to build behind her eyes and in her nose. All while transfixed on the stallion on the couch.

Inky was sitting up on the futon he was left on, the bandages and his hooves exposed. He was looking down, almost strained, between his legs, where Twilight saw the most beautiful, voluptuous, giant, leathery book.

Inky flipped between a few pages at different parts of the book, scouting the words and context with sharp eyes. Twilight couldn't help but stare. It was obvious of his attention and fascination that he was deep into the girthy, borderline sensual volume in his lap and all the sweet knowledge held within the tome.

"Oh. Hi. Uh, Twilight?"

The unicorn almost broke her neck with how fast she threw the stack of blankets before her face. "Hi! Sorry, I didn't expect you to be, uh, well, up and about like that..." Twilight couldn't see his reaction to the outburst - something she was decently torn about - and took the moment to try and breath out as silently as possible. Evidently, she had been holding one in. "These are for you. You looked cold earlier."

---

Ok, that's neat. Don't need glasses to read anymore.

Comments

[Twilight_the_spy]

Inky was sitting up on the futon he was left on, the bandages and his hooves exposed. He was looking down, almost strained, between his legs, where Twilight saw the most beautiful, voluptuous, giant, leathery book.

From here to the end of the chapter I was almost crying. When I first read it I actually dropped my phone.
You are good, man, and I need more of this.
I'm still smiling like an idiot just rereading it.

Edit: Twilight likes what she sees
Edit 2: by changing 3 letters...

[ponyheart07]

I CAST RAISE DEAD!