The Handmaiden

Blood dripped onto the lightly fallen snow, trickling down despite the pressure applied to the wound. It was quiet, save for the weak crackling of a dying campfire. Pinkie winced and grimaced as she grabbed a fistful of snow and pressed it against the scratches on her shoulder. With nothing to bandage herself with, snow was the best Pinkie could hope for. The pain ebbed and flowed, though it grew stronger and harder to ignore as the snow began to melt into a blood-tinged slurry. Still, nothing to do for it now but wait.

A rustling came from the brush, the sound of twigs snapping underfoot. Pinkie leaped up from the ground and grabbed up a rock from the snow, her eyes trained on the approaching threat. She knew not what lay in the dense cover of the forest, but it was surely nothing she desired to run into. Pinkie gripped her rock tightly, hand trembling as the footsteps grew nearer and nearer. The figure broke through the tree line and stepped into Pinkie's little clearing, and she just barely managed to refrain from flinging her rock and running for the hills.

Pinkie could hardly recognize her. Her face and hair were the same as she remembered, aside from being styled into a neat bun, but there was something wrong. Too clean. Too soft. Such a crisp, posh vest and trousers; a far cry from the rags Pinkie currently wore. And the expression she wore, so stern and harsh, bordering on angry. Of course, that stern, furious expression melted like the snow underfoot when Twilight's eyes fell onto her beloved.

"Thank the gods I finally found you," said Twilight. Pinkie said nothing, watching with her rock in hand as Twilight approached. "You scared me half to death. I was afraid something might have…" She trailed off as she noticed the blood dripping down Pinkie's right arm. "Hurt you… Oh, dear. What happened to you?"

"I was hungry. Had to hunt for food." Pinkie held up a stick from her fire, skewered onto which was the plucked and roasted carcass of some forest rodent. "I think it's a vole. Maybe a squirrel… either way, it fought back."

"Three hells… I'm sorry you had to resort to such drastic measures." Twilight came to a stop beside her beloved, and gently reached for her wounded arm. "Come on, let me wrap you up."

Twilight gently grabbed Pinkie by the hand, and tensely led her to a nearby log that had fallen. After cleaning its surface to the best of her ability, Twilight took a seat and beckoned for Pinkie to do the same. Once they were settled, Twilight began work; With a snap of the fingers, a gentle spray of fresh water washed the scratches in Pinkie's flesh. Then, the handmaiden conjured a swath of linen bandage and carefully began wrapping Pinkie's wound.

"Can't you just snap your fingers and fix it by magick?" asked Pinkie. Twilight paused for a moment, then let out a tense sigh before responding.

"It is better this way. Trust me." Twilight worked in silence for a bit. "I know you must be scared. I'm sorry Cheerilee told you those awful things, but they're not true. You weren't ever going to be in any danger, you were on your way to a smaller, less strict prison in the north for—"

"I know," said Pinkie simply. Twilight stopped again, arching her brow at her beloved.

"You… knew?"

"Of course. Why would we be moved to someplace else if The Empress just wanted to kill us anyway? Didn't make sense. Besides, most of the prisoners with me are here for minor infractions." Pinkie shrugged. "I don't think The Empress would go through the bother of building a death camp and waste it on a handful of petty thieves."

"Oh. Well, of course, that's very sensible of you. But if you knew Cheerilee was lying… Why'd you still run? Why not stay put while the guards retook control of the situation?"

"Because you broke your promise, Twilight."

Again, Twilight stopped in her tracks. Pinkie pulled her arm away and wrapped her own wound, tying off the bandage tightly and securely. Once she was all patched up, she rose from her seat and returned to her campfire, where her dinner awaited her. Pinkie took a great bite of her roasted rodent, chewing the unwashed, unseasoned, overcooked meat with all the zeal one would expect from a starving woman.

"I don't understand," said Twilight slowly.

"You promised me you'd be back for me. You promised that you would never leave me behind. And yet, you go a whole year between visits, you ship me off to who knows where for who knows how long," said Pinkie, a rare hint of fire in her throat. "Not even the decency to come tell me yourself! For all I knew, they were dropping us off at wherever Spearhead is in charge of now."

"I would never—"

"You wouldn't ever have left me alone for so long before, either. Clearly, something changed." Pinkie sat on the ground, and pulled her knees up to her chest, her eyes locked on the weak, dying fire. "Do you have any idea how much I missed you? How afraid I was that I wouldn't ever see you again? I thought something awful must have happened to you. But all this time, you were fine. Better than fine."

"Pinkie… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… you have to understand, I have a lot on my plate these days." Twilight winced a bit at that, trying not to meet Pinkie's hungry eyes as she continued eating her burned rodent. "What I mean is… I've been busy."

"Too busy for me."

"Pinkie. You know that's not true. I flew across the country because I heard you might be in danger," said Twilight firmly. "Every waking moment of my life since I last saw you has been dedicated to ensuring that the next time we were together, it would be permanent."

"Then why not say something? Why not see me? Why not tell me that you still cared?" demanded Pinkie. "I was starving in that tree, scared for my life, and you couldn't tear yourself away from your potion girl for even a day just to—"

"Don't." Twilight winced slightly as the word left her mouth, a bit more forcefully than she had intended. "Just… this has nothing to do with Sweetie Belle. If anything, she was a big supporter of my plan to release you. She wanted you to be with me almost as badly as I did." Twilight reached for Pinkie's hand, and, after a tense moment of thought, Pinkie slowly laced her fingers with her beloved. "Pinkie… I know it's difficult, and I know that I've been a bit evasive. But I need you to trust me for a little while longer."

"It's not you I don't trust. Maybe you don't see what's happening, but I do," said Pinkie, a bit stubbornly. "The Empress wants you to forget about me. Send me some place out of sight, out of mind. Then, by the time you remember me, it's too late. Some inmate stabs me with a nicked dagger, or Spearhead gets me, or—"

"Will you stop with the Spearhead nonsense! I've told you, he's never going to hurt you again, he is not something you need to worry about!"

"But how can you know that? How can you know for sure that he won't slip back into our lives and—"

"Because I killed him!" Just like that, with four short, simple words, Twilight turned the atmosphere of the conversation as frigid and cold as the air around them. Pinkie slowly pulled away, locking her trembling eyes with her beloved's. Whereas Pinkie was stunned, unsettled, frightened, even, there wasn't a drop of any such emotion in Twilight's expression. Only cold, unforgiving truth. "He's dead, Pinkie. I made sure he would never hurt you again."

"You… You killed him? But why?" squeaked Pinkie. "You'd never hurt a soul, Twi. Why would you kill a man? Did he… did he hurt you?"

"He did. But that is not why I killed him. I killed him because of what he did to you." Twilight was confused, confounded, concerned by the fear in Pinkie's eyes. What did she have to fear now? The danger was gone, Twilight had made sure of that. "He told me. How he starved you. Forced you to… prostitute yourself for scraps. How he had his way with you. So I split his belly open, and burned him alive as his guts spilled out onto the floor."

"He said… What? Twilight, I never did anything of that sort. I swore myself to you, and I'd rather starve to death than give that up to someone else," whispered Pinkie. "Spearhead, he was a cruel, blackhearted bastard, but he never touched me."

"But if he didn't… why would he lie? Why tell me he had hurt you?"

"To make you angry? Ashamed? To…" Pinkie trailed off, her eyes narrowing as she processed the information she had been given. "Wait. So the reason Spearhead has been gone all this time is because you killed him?" Twilight nodded. "But… that was two years ago now, that he went missing from Golden Oak."

"Yes. I told you even then, he would never hurt—"

"So you thought I had been raped and you not once spoke to me about it in two whole years?" demanded Pinkie. Twilight went still as a stone, unable to formulate a proper response in the face of her increasingly furious lover. "How could you do that? How could you leave me alone to suffer that trauma without you by my side?"

"I… I did not imagine that you would want to discuss—"

"No, Twilight, you didn't want to discuss! It was never about what I wanted or what I felt, it was about you!" Finally, Pinkie erupted in a bubbling fury the likes of which Twilight had never seen before from her. "You thought the bastard had defiled me, and you just… left me. Why? Was I no good to you anymore, had I been used up?"

"Do not put words in my mouth," said Twilight sternly. She fought and struggled to keep her temper in check, and she succeeded, though barely. "It is far more complicated than that. I would never leave you, and whether or not you'd been 'used up' is…" Twilight shook herself firmly. This was not the conversation she planned to have. "Look, we can discuss this back home. Come along, we have to get you back."

"After all this, you'd still put me back in shackles?"

"Of course not. We're going back to Canterlot. The castle is awaiting you." Twilight stood up and pointed to the treeline, where she had emerged from in the first place. "I can get us there in a matter of hours. You'll have a proper meal and a warm bed waiting for you. Everything we ever wanted, and—"

"Twilight. I want you to understand that I am deathly serious when I say this." Pinkie rose up from her seat and stared her beloved directly in the eyes. "I would rather die hungry in the cold snow than go with you to the castle of the monster that killed my family."

"Pinkie, please. I understand your position, truly I do. But try to understand mine," said Twilight. "These last few years… Everything I've ever done in Celestia's service, I've done it to achieve this. To get you out of that cell and by my side where you belong."

Pinkie didn't respond. In fact, she gave no indication that she had even heard Twilight. All of her attention had been dedicated to the consumption of her charred rodent, a feat which did not please the handmaiden. She leaned forward a bit, as if to get Pinkie's attention, but again received little more than a sideways glance in return. Twilight frowned, her fists tensing slightly. She hadn't come all this way, grown so powerful, just to be ignored.

"Pinkie. I can get you someplace nice and warm. A soft pillow to lay your head on. A proper meal, all you can eat and more." This time, Pinkie's response took the form of a skeptical snort, and she turned away from her beloved. "Do not turn your back on me, Pinkie."

"You turned your back first, Twilight. When you left me to dine and make merry with that monster."

"Has it ever occurred to you that, with a snap of my fingers, I have the ability to bring you to Canterlot with me whether you wanted to join me or not?" said Twilight, her frustration mounting with each passing moment. "With a few words and a wave of my hand, I could make your body go stiff, grab you by the wrist and drag you back to Canterlot. And yet The Empress, the cruel monster as you insist on reminding me she is, explicitly forbade it. I can only return with you if you come willingly."

"Oh, my! You never mentioned that part, forgive me!" snarled Pinkie. Just as Twilight's voice grew in frustration, Pinkie's tone began to blossom more and more with animosity. "When you say it like that, she's a saint! Praise be to her Excellence, for not snatching me up and imprisoning me against my will." Pinkie turned her head and spat out a hunk of gristle, though Twilight suspected it was equally meant to disparage the High Queen. "For a second time, that is."

"This is not the same. She's a different person now, and you will not be a prisoner. You'll—"

"Twilight, I know you've always been the clever one between us. But even I can tell what she's trying to do." Finally, after having picked her rodent clean, Pinkie tossed the scavenged carcass into the dying flames of her fire. She breathed heavily, unable to turn and face her beloved Twilight. For what, Twilight herself was unsure. Fear of showing her tears? Or perhaps Pinkie was afraid of what she would see when she looked at the woman she loved. "If you can't see that she is doing all of this to torture me… She killed my family, but spared me. She allowed me to be beaten, but never killed. She let me meet you, allowed me to fall in love, and just when I thought it might be okay, that I might survive her cruelty… She takes you from me. And then she sends you out after me, to drag me back to her so she could enjoy my suffering firsthand."

"You've got it all wrong, Pinkie. The Empress isn't perfect, far, far from it, but she has never expressed any malice towards you in particular," said Twilight, making a gentle reach for Pinkie's shoulder; It was unsurprising, yet no less disheartening, when Pinkie shrugged away. "She was… is… troubled. I'm helping her now, she's already grown so much. I give you my word, you will have nothing to worry about if you'd just—"

"She is a murderer! A madwoman! A savage beast who watches starving children fight to the death for her own amusement! How could you possibly stand by her side when you've seen firsthand what—"

"Because she cares about me!" No longer could Twilight restrain herself. She was sick of it, the interruptions, the blightful remarks towards the Empress, and worst of all, Pinkie's constant, stubborn refusal. After all Twilight had done, for her, for them, and Pinkie refused to even meet her half way. The frustration boiled over, and whether she intended to or not, Twilight simply erupted. "Because she sees to my needs, she ensures that I am fed and warm, and that no harm may befall me! Because before I knew Celestia, I was no one, nothing! If I died in that tree, those damned guards wouldn't even bother to tell you about it! But Celestia, she saw something in me. She made me something special. Now, if I were to die, the kingdom of Equestria would weep in my name for years! I stand by Celestia because she made me more, more than just a poor farm girl, more than a dirty slave, more than just a pathetic whore that sucks cock for bread!"

It went quiet as the night just then, as the weight of Twilight's words only then seemed to occur to her. She had never spoken of her favors to Spearhead, not with Sweetie or Celestia and certainly not Pinkie. She was ashamed, naturally, of how far she had to stoop to keep her and Pinkie alive, and the memory alone was enough to make her feel ill. However, Twilight could not deny that it was somewhat liberating to finally speak it aloud. She did not need to carry her deeds alone any longer, and she would never need to do such debased acts ever again. And, if the worst came to pass, if Pinkie continued to refuse her, Twilight could at least take solace in knowing that the weak girl who whored her body out for food was dead now. In her place stood someone to be honored, respected, and loved. There was pride to be had in that. Twilight stood up, and now it was she who turned away. She realized only then that she has been acting like her old self, the bread whore. But Twilight knew that she was not that person any more.

Stand like a queen, and others will soon bow.

"Empress Celestia has asked me to marry her," said Twilight plainly. No more gentle nudges or trepidatious diplomacy. Now, Twilight would speak in simple, perhaps cruelly honest, terms. "And I said yes."

"You… What?" The heartbreak in Pinkie's voice nearly brought Twilight's queenly demeanor tumbling down, but she held strong. This was what needed to happen. For Pinkie's sake. "But… how could you…?"

"By marrying Celestia, I will become a princess. Amongst my new privileges as the Princess of Equestria would be the right to a handmaiden of my own." Twilight slowly turned to face Pinkie, not surprised to see the tears flowing down her cheeks. She attempted to look past her, to shield herself from her partner's pain in the hopes that she would be able to end it soon. "And I wish for that handmaiden to be you."

"A handmaiden.” Pinkie’s lip curled up in disgust, her eyes alight with disdain. The way she recoiled at Twilight’s suggestion said all that was needed regarding her opinion on the idea. “You mean your slave."

"No, no, no! I don't have to treat you like a servant, I don't have to make you fetch tea or any such nonsense! It will be exactly like we always wanted. You and I, together, with more food than we can eat and more wine than we can drink," said Twilight. Her voice softened as it appeared as though she was getting through to Pinkie. Perhaps now she would finally see that this was the best option, for all of them. "Celestia has given her word that she will not interfere in our relationship. Do you not love me enough to put your differences with the Empress aside?"

"Differences? Our differences?! She butchered my entire family, and she made me watch!" Tears raced down Pinkie's face, but this time not just with sorrow. Now, her tears were backed by fiery, bubbling, frothy rage. "I watched her cut down my mother, my father, my sister Maud, my—"

"Maud was not your sister."

It went quiet after that, a deathly tense and uncomfortable silence between both parties. Twilight certainly did not want to be the one to say it, but it needed saying. Pinkie narrowed her gaze at Twilight, her beloved partner, but said nothing for nearly a full minute. Then, slowly, hauntingly, Pinkie spoke, just one question, a singular word.

"What?" she said. Twilight sighed, but soldiered on just as she always did.

"Do you recall some time ago, when I was reading you letters from your clan?" asked Twilight. "There was one letter in particular, between Holder and your father. Holder condemned your father's choice in wife. He said that Limestone and Maud wouldn't approve."

"We said that doesn't make sense. Ma and Pa were married long before any of us were born," said Pinkie. "How could Maud and Limey be opposed to it if it's already happened?"

"Because he wasn't referring to Cloudy Quartz Pie. He was referring to you."

"Twilight, what are you saying? How could he be talking about me? That's my father, and I was a little girl then. You're talking nonsense!"

"Your father married Cloudy Quartz, and sired two daughters. Maudeline and Limestone Pie. Then… I'm sorry, Pinkie, but your father never wanted any daughters. He wanted a son, to be blessed by the Gods and to carry on the clan's ways, and if Cloudy couldn't give him one… your father looked into alternatives. He made wives of Maudeline and Limestone." It was a harsh, unhappy, disturbing thing to say, but it was the truth, and Twilight believed that Pinkie needed to hear it. Even if The Pie didn't want to. "He… Impregnated them. Both of them, right after the other."

"No… No, you're wrong…" Pinkie nearly doubled over, disgusted, pained, disturbed by what she heard. "Why would you say such terrible things?"

"Limestone named her daughter Marble. And Maudeline… her daughter was Pinkamena. Maud was your mother, but as young as she was, you and her were raised by Cloudy as sisters," continued Twilight. "But, still no sons. Your father was hoping that you and Marble would be the ones to finally give him what he wanted. Marble was too frail at the time, a bit sickly. She wouldn't survive bearing a child. So… He chose you."

"No! That's not true!" shouted Pinkie, through eyes filled with tears. "It's not! My father loved us, never did anything to harm us!"

"In his mind, he wasn't harming you. He thought that this was the best thing for you, for the clan. His holy child, blessed by your old Gods. And when the Empress learned of what he was doing, she came down to intervene." Twilight reached a hand out to touch her beloved's shoulder, only for Pinkie to shake her off and turn away. "She gave him one opportunity to cease his degenerate ways, and he refused. So the Empress did the only thing she could do—"

"She murdered a happy family! My sisters, my mother, me, we were all happy! Pa never hurt us, always took care of us the best he could," said Pinkie defiantly. Even as she spoke, Twilight could sense that it was more to convince herself than the handmaiden. "Even if what you say is true… Why would she kill them all? Why spare me?"

"Celestia's intention was to simply kill Igneous, to put an end to this whole messy ordeal, but she didn't account for your grandmother's continued loyalty to him. Cloudy attacked The Empress, as did Maudeline and Limestone. Marble… Marble unfortunately got caught in the middle of the skirmish. It was never Celestia's plan to harm her, and I suppose she felt some measure of guilt regarding her. So she let you live, put you in Golden Oak for a bit." Twilight slowly approached and, once more, reached out for Pinkie. "And Pinkie, I am honestly, truly sorry that I had to tell you this, but it is of paramount importance that you understand. The Empress does not hate you. She hates what your father represented. He was a despicable man."

"He was my hero! My Pa loved me" shouted Pinkie defiantly. "He took care of me! Taught me our ways! I loved him, and your monster of a wife took him away from me, like she took everything else!"

"The only monster here is your father!" rebutted Twilight. "And if you ask me, the Empress gave that child-raping bastard exactly what he deserved!"

A sharp slap echoed throughout the woods, reverberating against the many trees so loud that were she able to focus, Twilight would have guessed it could be heard all the way back at the guard's camp. But Twilight was not able to focus. Instead, she clutched her cheek, stumbling through the snow from the sudden impact of her beloved's hand against her face. Tears stinged at Twilight's eyes and, behind those tears, was an angry flame that threatened to engulf her. She looked up at Pinkie, still holding her face and scowling venomously at the woman she loved. Pinkie stood her ground, as defiantly as she could with hands that trembled like a leaf in the wind.

"Do not ever speak of my father again," whispered Pinkie. "Or by the Gods I will make you regret it."

Slowly, Twilight stood up a bit straighter, and finally let her hand drop from her face. Her hand trailed down to her hip, to grab at her belt. Pinkie's face went pale and tepid when she realized what was happening, when she saw Twilight's fingers wrap around the handle of her dagger and she slowly pulled it from the loop on her belt.

"This is the knife that I used to kill Spearhead, so that he would never harm you again," said Twilight through her teeth. She took a step forward, and Pinkie took one back. "Then, when I learned that Luna's plan would endanger you, and the rest of Equestria, this is the very dagger that I gave to Celestia in order to kill her. Two people died from this blade, and it was all to protect you. It is Canterlot tradition to grant a blade to your betrothed upon your union. I hoped to give this dagger to you as a wedding gift one day."

"T-Twilight. Don't—"

"It is enchanted. Slice your palm with it, and smear its face with your blood. Then, close your eyes and say my name aloud." Twilight stalked her way to Pinkie, paralyzed in fear, and slowly pressed the weapon into Pinkie's palm. "The magick of the dagger will take effect. When you open your eyes, you will be by my side. Where you belong. Use it when you change your mind and wish to join me in the castle."

Twilight watched as Pinkie analyzed the situation, turning the dagger over this way and that. For a moment, the handmaiden was hopeful. For a moment, it looked as though Pinkie was finally seeing sense. But that moment passed when Pinkie slowly turned away, reared her arm back, and flung the dagger, blade over handle, as deep into the woods as she could manage. She watched it fly until it disappeared into the brush, landing amongst the twigs, leaves, and snow someplace she couldn't quite see, and turned to face Twilight with a disgusted snarl spread across her features.

"If you expect me to share you with the creature that ruined my life," said Pinkie plainly. "Then you and your wife can toil in Chaos for all I care."

A thousand words entered Twilight's head, and a thousand words fizzled away into nothing. There was no point, Twilight finally decided. There was no convincing Pinkie. Which meant there was nothing Twilight could do. Instead of wasting her breath attempting to plea with Pinkie, or sling incendiary words at her, Twilight simply let out a tired little sigh.

Twilight turned away from the woman she loved, who once loved her in turn, and slowly walked away, leaving all of Pinkie behind but the angry red imprint of her hand against Twilight's cheek.

It was with a great purpose did Twilight march through the grand corridors of Castle Canterlot, ignoring the call of any staff that attempted to greet her. She did not care for them. She did not care to say hello to Fluttershy at the gates, nor Gabriella, on her way to the barracks. Twilight simply continued forth until, finally, she arrived at her destination. She could tell by the voices coming from the other side of the throne room doors that the Empress was in the middle of a meeting of some sort. Considering how infrequently Celestia spoke directly with her subjects, this meeting was likely of great importance.

Twilight pulled the doors to the throne room open and strode forth, simmering with anger, frustration, regret, and something else. A hatred that lacked a name. The voices came to a stop, and the three men standing before the High Queen's throne jumped in surprise upon the handmaiden's return. The quartet of guards overseeing the meeting reached for their weapons, lowering their alert when they realized just who was intruding. Celestia herself sat forward in her chair, brow arched and an obvious concern etched onto her face, and she made to speak, though Twilight managed to do so first.

"Get out. All of you," said Twilight. There was a hesitance amongst the men, a pause that the handmaiden had no patience for. "I said get out!"

"You heard her. Leave immediately," said The Empress, not once taking her eyes off of Twilight. Her trousers were still damp from the snow, and her hair was a mess from her flight home. She shivered and shuddered, though it was unclear if this was due to the cold or the tears that still stained her cheeks. "You may finish pleading your case to me tomorrow. Begone."

Twilight said nothing as the men walked past her, followed by Celestia's guards. In fact, she may have been content not to say anything at all, if not for Celestia's expectant gaze. Still, Twilight could not find the words immediately. It was not until the doors were closed and the footsteps had disappeared did Twilight gather herself to speak, but still she waited for her Queen's order.

"So?" inquired Celestia. "The riot?"

"Quelled. The prisoner responsible was problematic," said Twilight bitterly. With all that had occurred, she nearly forgot about Cheerilee. "She is now dead."

"Hm. And… Judging by your demeanor, I don't imagine things went well with the Pie." Celestia stiffened her jaw when Twilight did not respond, instead slowly approaching the throne. "Twilight… I'm sorry that she refused, but if you are going to ask me to—"

"She's dead too. She didn't last long in the woods, just as I had feared. I found a wolf gnawing on what remained of her skull." Twilight did not stop her approach until she was standing directly before the High Queen, close enough to touch her. Much to the Empress' confusion, Twilight began to undo her jacket, then the blouse beneath it, tossing her clothing to the side. It was not until Twilight had kicked off her boots and begun undoing her trousers did Celestia truly process what she was seeing. "And respectfully, my Queen, I do not desire to think on it a second longer."

"What in three hells are you doing?" asked Celestia. Twilight clambered into Celestia's lap, straddling her Queen as though they were in their own private chambers. "Twilight, are you—"

"Pinkie is going to stay dead whether you fuck me or not. So are you going to keep me distracted from my grief?" asked Twilight, almost threatening in the way she spoke. "Or am I going to have to raid your wine cellar and drink myself blind instead?"

Celestia looked up at Twilight, examining her face for several moments in silent contemplation. Twilight did not waver her expression, hardly even a blink as her owner, her wife-to-be, her Empress and her Goddess inspected her. She waited patiently, her eyes locked with Celestia's until, almost as though entranced, the High Queen leaned forward to plant her lips onto Twilight's. The handmaiden watched her Queen's eyes flutter shut, and guided Celestia's hands up to her chest. Celestia's hands squeezed gently as she opened her eyes, and she sensed a quiet contentment within Twilight that was not there before. Twilight pulled away first, and when she did, she wore a bittersweet little grin.

"Good girl," purred the handmaiden. "Good girl…"