Nothling

“Alright Kix, I’ll see you in a little bit.” I say, saluting him with one of my wings as he stops next to the rear backstage exit, cart-full of drum equipment in tow.

“You sure you don’t want me to stick around with you?” he asks cautiously.

“Hmmph,” I exhale, “I can handle myself. Plus, there’s a fit bird I wanna mingle with for a little bit, and I know you don’t care too much for any of that.” I give him a knowing look.

“Alright, just be careful on your way home,” he says.

“I always am,” I assure, as he makes his way out.

Once he’s gone, I make my way over to the backstage doors, wondering if the mare I had spoken with earlier was still there as I push the doors open with my shoulder.

I spot the lone bird quickly, still seated at the bar on the last stool towards the back. I flutter my wings and tuck them at my sides neatly before trotting off in her direction. She doesn’t seem to notice my presence, more interested in staring at the grains in the wooden bartop with a sullen expression, at least until I take the seat directly beside her.

“You know, you should’ve found a spot a bit closer to the front,” I point out, making her jump. “It isn’t everyday that you can find a good place to sit in here.” When the bar-hop passes, I wave her down.

“Oh! I, uh… I just didn’t want to intrude,” she says, looking back down at the wood. “I-I don’t really know anypony here.”

I look down the bar towards the group of five ponies at the end, talking to each other with relaxed smiles. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind,” I say, looking back over towards the mare. “I’ve seen them around here a lot; there’d be enough room for you.”

She looks back at me through her long purple hair, the bangs covering the left side of her face, one turquoise eye peeking out at me from the right. “I’m just…” I notice her hoof moving to her stomach ever so slightly. “I’m just really shy is all,” she says, looking away again. “I still heard all of it though. The- the music, it was very good.”

“Well-” I start, pausing as the bartender drops my usual off in front of me. I grasp the glass in my talons, saying, “Well, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it.” I take a sip of my Red Negroni, closing my eyes and savoring the cherry, wine flavor.

After a while, I open my eyes back up and look over at the mare once more, still with her hoof gently resting against her belly, watching the condensation run down the side of her glass.

“You seem like you’re hungry, could I offer to buy you some dinner?” She perks up almost immediately upon me asking, sitting up straight and opening her mouth to respond, before she blushes and places a hoof over it.

“Um… N-no thank you,” she says quietly. “I’m a… a very messy eater.” She hides behind her mane and deflates, fiddling with her hooves.

Strange, I think, before speaking up again. “I’m sure you aren’t nearly as messy as you think you are. Especially being a Unicorn,” I say. Curiously, she flinches at the last part.

She turns her head, ever so slowly looking me up and down before stopping at my chest, responding. “...I could maybe go for just a bite,” she says, still staring.

I smile at that, finally getting somewhere. “Well, there’s plenty to eat here. What do you like?” She looks up surprised, before her ears fold back in thought.

“Oh, uh… uhm, waffles?” she asks quietly.

The corner of my mouth pulls up slightly at that, revealing the point of my fangs. “Huh, odd. A bit early for waffles don’t you think?” I tease, causing her to hide. “Hmm, I like your style.” I laugh softly before waving down the bartender once more, who stops in front of us. I lean in “You think you can cook up a four-stack of waffles?” I ask. She nods happily and starts trotting off to the back. “Oh,” I add, “Heat up some maple syrup as well!” The bartender turns around and nods again in affirmation.

I glance back to my left, and the mare looks away from me.

“Two for me, two for you. Sound fair?” I ask, causing her to make eye contact.

“Yes, that sounds fair to me,” she says in her soft voice.

It’s quiet between the two of us for a good while, though I notice the mare has a tendency to peek out of the corner of her eye and look me over when she thinks I’m not paying attention. I’d be lying though if I said I didn’t enjoy it -- if this mare thinks I’m attractive enough to ogle, I’ll take that as a compliment.

“I uh… I’ve never seen anypony other than a Unicorn play the guitar before,” she says, grabbing my attention.

I smile. “Bass guitar. Made that one myself, you know.” I flex my wings out, bending them to show off my talons, which she takes notice of. “And make no mistake, these babies allow me to play just as good as any Unicorn. Heh, maybe even a little better.” I take another sip of my Negroni.

“Ponies don’t bother you?” she asks with intrigue. “B-because you’re a Thestral I mean,” she elaborates, shying away a bit.

A brave question for her to ask, it actually catches me off guard a bit. Las Pegasus has the largest population of Thestral Ponies in Equestria, besides Canterlot of course, the latter being our home city. Las Pegasus tends to be a bit more accepting of the Lunarkind, but even still, there were some sticklers that still held onto… ‘older traditions’.

“Erm… sometimes, but I’ve been pretty fortunate. I know some other Thestrals that have definitely had worse times than me.” I take a drink. “I’m not really one who puts up with that kind of stuff. You can’t let what others think get to you, you know?”

She seems to think about what I said for a moment, and I briefly wonder if the question had a deeper meaning. She is a Unicorn after all; maybe some of her family shares those old views?

“Why do you ask, anyway?” I inquire. “Is it related to your family?”

She blinks. “What?”

“You know, you’re a Unicorn. Your family probably doesn’t take too well to Thestrals, right?”

“O-oh, yeah. They don’t really take too well to ponies that are different…”

“Hmmph. I bet they give you a lot of flack for thinking otherwise, huh?”

She shifts around uncomfortably. “I... don’t really like talking about them.”

“Oh, that’s understandable. Let’s talk about you, then. I don’t think we ever shared names?”

Her head turns. “...Glow,” she says simply.

“Glow,” I repeat, she nods her head.

“And you’re Dusk Glider,” the psychic predicts, causing my ears to perk up. “I saw your name on tonight's listings.” She points a hoof over to the blackboard on the brick wall where both Kix’s and my names are written beside our timeslot. Okay, maybe not that psychic.

The corner of my mouth pulls up. “Very observant of you,” I point out, making her blush softly. “So, tell me, uh… Glow. What brings you here tonight?” I ask. She looks down, thinking. I explain, “I know I asked you before but... it didn’t seem like you really had an answer.”

“I uh... I know Gig, kinda. I install some of the lights here during the day. He invited me to come tonight to see what it’s like during business hours and... I didn’t really want to say ‘no’.” I watch as she lifts a hoof to pick up her glass of ginger ale that had been untouched till now.

“Well... that explains why I’ve never seen you here... be... fore...” I trail off as I see her foreleg slowly stretch out across the bar table, shaking and trembling. But it's not the shaking that gives me pause as much as just how thin it is, which, as I look closer, I now realize isn’t that different from the rest of her body at all.

Good Luna, how did I not notice this before? She’s nothing more than skin, fur, and bone.

“Y-yeah... I’m still not sure if it’s really my thing… I mean, I-I liked your set and everything,” she adds, hoof still trembling as she takes the tiniest sip of ale. “There’s just... a lot of ponies here.” She shivers.

Skinny, skinny, skinny, I think, glancing all over at her, from head to hoof. How could I have missed that? I don’t usually miss these sorts of things. I look away quickly, in case she notices me, gazing out over the dancefloor and seating area. It’s not a very busy night, probably only one-third capacity.

“There’s not that many ponies here tonight.” I point out.

She mumbles something under her breath about messy eating, before coming to. “Uh, oh! Y-yeah... n-no it’s not really that bad,” she sputters, a glimmer of a pained expression crosses her face.

I pause, slowly facing her. “So... what’s the problem, then?” I ask calmly.

It becomes deathly silent between us as Glow struggles to come up with an answer. “...I, uh...” Her thin body caves in on itself as she shrinks away from me, eyes darting around the venue. “I…”

I sigh as the bartender comes back with our food. “It’s alright. I shouldn’t be prying anyhow; it’s not my business. Let’s just eat.”

I turn to the stack of fluffy waffles, glistening syrup and butter cascading down the sides. Wisps of steam come off the top, visible in the overhead lights, and I find that Glow really did have the right idea. Already, she’s teaching me a thing or two.

“Well, dinner- or, breakfast, I guess, is here,” I say, as the plate is slid in front of me.

I look back at Glow, who stares back at the stack with a small, barely noticeable frown on her lips.

“Oh, shoot,” I say. “I forgot to ask for two plates.”

“Uh… that’s alright. I a-actually just remembered I have a lot of leftovers at home... from a picnic I went to earlier today.”

“Oh, no. I don’t mind sharing a plate,” I insist, sliding the plate and my spare fork between the two of us.

I watch as her lips tremble ever so slightly, and her gaze is fixed somewhere past the plate. She picks up the fork in a blueish-purple aura and dips it towards the stack, breaking off a minuscule amount near the bottom and floating it up to her mouth.

I look at her as she eats. It’s like watching a golem. Artificial and mesmerizing. She eats at a pace that is slow enough to not seem hungry, but not slow enough to appear like she’s savoring the flavor either.

But she’s so thin, how is she not scarfing down those waffles right now? I look down, considering it some more. And now that I think about it, why was she so hesitant to accept my offer for dinner in the first place? It’s almost as if she doesn’t want to eat anything at al-

Anorexic.

The realization hits me like a brick. Oh, dear Luna, she’s anorexic.

I almost feel stupid for not connecting the dots earlier. It explains absolutely everything. She’s not merely shy, she’s ashamed of herself. That’s why she tries to avoid everypony.

Now what? I think, looking back at her. I can’t just casually bring something like that up with her, but I can’t ignore it, either. So, what do I do?

Fuck, can’t think on an empty stomach. I look at the waffles, grabbing a fork and moving to break off my own piece. As I thoughtfully move the waffle to my maw and chew, I return my gaze over to Glow.

She had stopped eating, her eyes looking somewhere past the plate, over in my direction. I am about to ask what’s wrong (even though I’m fairly sure what the problem is now,) but then she lifts her fork again, suspending it far up into the air. The utensil makes no further movement. I think about talking once again, but then a strange feeling quickly overcomes me. Like something is squeezing around my heart, making it hard to breathe. But also much… deeper. Like something way far inside of me is being encompassed. I let out a cough, touching a hoof to my chest and the feeling disappears as quickly as it started.

A fork clatters to the countertop to my left and I turn my head. Glow stares back with wide, searching, slightly teary eyes. “I-I should get going now. It’s very late,” she says with a concerned expression. I hope I didn’t scare her off, making her think I was sick with a cold or something.

“Wait, w-what do you mean?” I ask.

“I...I have to leave now, I’m sorry. Y-your set was very entertaining… you have a great singing voice,” she says, slipping off of the barstool.

My ears fold back. Why is she leaving now? I wonder, feeling disappointed. We were just starting to get somewhere. I didn’t know why I suddenly cared so much. There’s just something about her that feels... sad. And not even ‘rainy day’ sad, more like ‘stormcloud that follows you around wherever you go’ kind of sad. It's like she’s fighting something, maybe even herself, every step of the way. It’s easy to see, honestly. I’ve seen plenty of ponies down on their luck in my lifetime, but this mare -- I really feel like I want to help her. No, I need to help her.

“Well, hold on now!” I nearly yell out. “Why don’t I walk you home?” I offer. “We can pack the rest of this stuff up to go while I grab my case.” She stands there, looking at the plate and then back to me without saying anything. “Just wait here; I’ll be back in no time at all,” I say, hopping off the stool and trotting over towards the backstage door in a hurry.

For some reason, I just can’t let her go.

****

Why did you come here tonight Glow? I berate myself.

I knew how risky it would be, and yet I still allowed myself to be silver-tongued into showing up. A few nibbles here and there on a job well done, or a friendly passing hello during a walk. That’s how I’m supposed to do things. Not… not like this. What I did- What I came so close to doing; I’d never forgive myself. I’d be what I swore never to become.

She was so sweet too. I mentally slap myself. I hope I didn’t hurt her too much. I remember her coughing. Oh, Celestia. She must’ve not been able to breathe. What in Equestria is wrong with me?! I look at the boxed up waffles on the countertop. She even bought me dinner. One more thing that’ll go to waste on my account.

I sigh. Why am I still here? I’m only going to cause more pain.

I look at the backstage door across the dancefloor, and then at the exit. She’ll be upset about me ditching her -- I felt it the moment I said I had to leave. I can’t trust myself, though. I already slipped up once tonight. I need to get away from these ponies, at least until I can gather enough ambient kindness to satisfy myself. Just a little. That way, I won’t hurt anyone.

I take one last look at the backstage door, making sure it’s still closed. Once I see it is, I turn on my hooves, heading straight for the exit not more than six meters away, quickly making my way out of the venue without another moment's hesitation.

The springtime air is still warm, even hours past sundown. It does nothing to ease the coldness I feel inside. I make a right and start trotting up the street at a brisk pace, trying to put enough distance between myself and the venue. The street is well lit, with many neon shop signs buzzing in their respective storefronts. Many of them were made by me, being on the same street as my shop. I may have to start looking for clients further into the city; sooner or later nobody around here is going to need me.

I slow down, being three blocks away from the venue now. I lower my head to catch my breath.

Celestia, when did I get so tired? I ask myself, leaning up against a brick wall. It feels as if I just ran a marathon, and all I did was trot a couple city blocks. My shoulder slides down the rough surface as I sit down, although the pain is numb to me. I look down at my body, lifting a hoof. My leg, like an ocean-blue towel, draped over a stick. I feel so hollow, so terribly empty, allowing the wind to blow through my core. I exhale sharply and something wet begins rolling down either side of my cheeks. My eyes feel warm, in stark contrast with the rest of my cold body. I begin to shake.

“Glow! Wait!” A familiar voice calls from behind me.

No, no, no. Please just go away. I think as I hear her land on silent wings, and then some huffing. Go away, go away, go away. More tears fall down my face as I push off from the wall. I turn around to watch Dusk Glider, as she trots up the street with a long case between her wings.

“Slow down for a second!” she says.

“No!” I squeeze the word out of my clenched throat. “S-stay away, y-you don’t understand!” I say, my voice trembling. It seems to work as she slows down to a stop, before tilting her head.

“What do you mean?” she asks, taking a tiny step forward.

“I-I-I’m not a g-good companion.” I begin, desperately thinking of an excuse. “I’m s-s-sick. Sick in the head! I’m a… a-a sociopath. Yeah! I only c-c-care about m-myself.” I finally get out.

Celestia, the shaking. I’m almost buzzing now. Tears flow down my cheeks heavily, as I backpedal down the street, step by step.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Dusk Glider points out, taking another step towards me.

"Just please... s-stay away. I'm not a good pony to be around." I sob, still backing up.

"What- why would you even say that? Nothing you're going through’s your fault!"

"Ngh- you- you don't get it!" I say, stumbling off the edge of the curb and falling into the cross street. I land with a grunt, scrapping my shoulder in the process. I make an effort to stand quickly, but I’m so weak that I roll onto my side instead, practically vibrating.

Something hits the sidewalk and hoofsteps hurry over to my side. “Glow, are you alright?” I glance up at the mare, who looks down at me concerningly.

“P-please just go,” I squeak out quickly. “You w-wouldn’t understand.”

She moves over to me and I stare at her hooves, only a couple inches away. “I think I do,” she says, leaning down. Her next words drive a spike through me. A spike of fear.

“I know what you are.”

I begin to vibrate, and a thousand voices cry out in my head, repeating.

Cast. Fly. Run. Change. Hide.

Cast. Fly. Run. Change. Hide.

Cast. Fly. Run. Change. Hide.

Cast. Fly. Run. Change. Hide.

I sit there, wide-eyed with my mouth held open, stammering. I beg for it to stop, but the fear is too much. How can she know? How can she possibly know?

“But, Glow-” Dusk Glider catches my attention, and the voices stop, “-It doesn't matter to me. Honestly.” She kneels down in front of me. “I can look beyond it, even if nopony else has done that for you before." Her fiery eyes lock with mine, burning like the red sun. “I know what it’s like to be treated differently.”

I can feel the genuineness in her. It’s a taste beyond mere sympathy and it takes me a long moment to figure it out. Understanding. A very, very rare emotion. But it isn’t for me. No, it can’t be. I reach out, searching. Trying to get a taste of the emotions I know should be there. Fear. Betrayal. Disgust. Hatred. But they aren’t.

She doesn’t know, she can’t. “W-what is it that you th-think I am?” I ask, shivering.

She raises an eyebrow. “Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” she asks.

I flinch at the word ‘obvious’, but remain silent.

She goes on to explain: "You don't seem to enjoy eating anything even slightly solid -- you barely looked at that waffle as you were eating it; you avoid ponies because you think they'll judge you for what you are; and, to top it all off, you're as skinny as a drinking straw!” she exclaims. “Seems like you haven't been fed in a long time.” Her voice softens. “There is only one kind of person I can think of that has all those characteristics."

This isn’t possible, I try to rationalize. I would have felt it. I would have known.

I think hard about what she said, everything that she pointed out.

You complete fool, I berate myself. You sloppy, incompetent fool. I look up at Dusk Glider slowly.

“I don’t want to hurt you. I promise,” she says with a small smile, the tips of her fangs poking out from underneath.

"O-okay, you're r-right,” I whisper as I shake, quickly adding “B-but you can’t say anything here. Somepony could be listening.”

She nods, her slitted pupils looking left to right discreetly. “Do you have a place to stay?”

I nod back. “I have a shop... just up the road a little ways.” I point a trembling hoof in its direction.

She looks up to where I pointed. “Okay,” she half-whispers. “Can I walk you there?”

I look down at her hooves and then back to her vermillion eyes, thinking. She looks back at me, hanging on my waiting reply. I can feel the anxiousness in her. Finally, I speak up, answering with a simple “Yes,” and she relaxes.

She walks back over to her case and picks it up by its strap with a talon, swinging it over her back and between her wings. “Alright,” she says, turning around. “Lead the way.”

****

I look back over my shoulder for what must be the hundredth time -- at least, that’s what it feels like. Dusk Glider still trails closely behind, her ears standing up every time I turn around. Eventually, we reach the end of the street. A skinny two-story building sits on the corner, crushed between two much larger ones.

“This is it,” I say, pointing to the front of the shop. A bluish-purple neon sign buzzes in the long window out front, reading ‘Glow’s Signage and Lighting’.

“You make all of these?” I turn to face Dusk Glider. She stands near the window, looking at the glowing cursive letters.

“Mmm-hmm,” I nod, using my magic to grab the key from above the front awning.

“Wow,” she breathes out. “How do you make them?” she asks excitedly.

I rub my leg with the bend in my hoof. “Uhm… i-it’s kind of hard to explain,” I say sheepishly. I look around once more, confirming that nobody else is close by. “You can come in if you’d like,” I say softly, unlocking the front door.

Dusk Glider nods and moves up behind me as I open the door, stepping in right after me. I look right and then left, making sure the coast is clear before shutting the door and locking it.

I turn around, realizing just how dark the hallway is. “S-sorry, I’m used to keeping it pretty dark in here,” I explain, reaching for the light switch.

“No no, it’s alright,” Dusk Glider assures. She points up at herself in the dark. “Thestral, remember?” she says proudly.

My mood drops somewhat as I stand there, recalling what we were here for. Dusk Glider seems to notice as well. Moving up closer to me and nodding.

I swallow hard. “Are… are you sure?” I ask hesitantly.

"You can't deal with this alone anymore. Just tell me everything -- start from the beginning,” she says in a caring voice.

I shiver, thinking back. I can’t possibly tell her about all of that, I say to myself. Nor do I want too. I look over to her. She stands there, patiently waiting, ready to listen. Something nopony else has ever done for me. I press up against the metal door, shaking even more than before.

It feels so cold. So empty. She’s right, I can’t deal with this by myself anymore. I look down. I’m dying. I know it. I’ve known it for a long time now, and she knows it too. Even then… I don’t know if that’s such a terrible thing.

I slide down the metal door, shutting my eyes tightly. Wet tears dribble down my cheeks and onto the stone floor. Hoofsteps approach, and Dusk Glider takes a seat just in front of me.

She speaks softly in a level tone: “You don’t have to be afraid anymore, Glow. It’ll be okay,” and for the first time, I understand what’s really wrong.

I'm not just ashamed, no.

I’m afraid.

The revelation is like a frozen spear through my core.

I’m afraid of what I really am. I had just been ignoring the fact until now.

“Ok-kay,” my buzzing voice comes out, trembling. “I’ll tell you, just… p-please, help m-me.”I tilt my head down, letting the tears fall as I focus on a part inside of me that I’ve ignored for far too long.

****

Dear Luna, she must be really ashamed of her condition, I think, feeling my heartstrings tugging at Glow’s display. I’m about to say something more to comfort her when something catches my eye. A purple flame bursts out from the bottoms of her hooves, and I immediately jump back as it slowly creeps up her legs. I try crying out, but my voice dies in my throat. Teal fur burns away in large black patches, disintegrating mid-air into indigo-colored embers. Finally, the flame rushes upwards, engulfing her entire form and blowing out quickly once it reaches the very peak of her horn.

I un-shield my eyes, not even remembering moving my leg up to cover them. Glow is no longer there. In her place sits a shivering, black creature, so thin and so filled with holes that I’m amazed it doesn't snap in on itself. The creature looks up at me with opaque violet eyes and tears running down its white-painted face.

A changeling.

It -- no, she -- lies there against the metal door in a buzzing, crying heap.

“You’re- you’re not anorexic?” I ask dumbly.

She looks up at me, still sobbing. “Wh-what’s ‘a-a-anorexic’?” she asks back, in a noticeably female, but dual-toned voice.

“An eating disorder,” I say in a daze. “They don’t eat and get all skinny looking… I thought that’s what you were.”

Her eyes widen, like blue-purple globes. “Y-y-you didn’t… you didn’t know?!” she cries out, making a strange chittering sound as she shakes. “Oh, Celestia, p-p-please don’t call The Gua-ard!” she hiccups, pulling into a tight ball. “I’ll- I’ll do whatever you want. P-please.”

It takes a moment for me to get over the initial shock of Glow's apparent self-immolation. I stand up and take a look down at her, finally able to think more clearly.

Okay, I have options here, I think. I could turn her in -- that would probably be the safest move.

I look at her again. A sad, pitiful thing peaks its purple eyes over its two front hooves. It takes up as much empty space as empty space takes up of it.

No, She, I remember.

She, tries scooting back against the door further. Glow’s not at all like the kind of changelings I’ve heard about; right about the furthest thing from them, in fact.

My ears fold back. I can’t call The Guard on her. I just can’t. Why would I even think about doing that anyways? That’s just selfish.

I look at the door behind her. I could maybe leave and pretend none of this ever happened, I think, looking up above the shivering form and to the doorknob.

No, I can’t do that either. There’s no way I can walk out of here and not feel bad.

Which only leaves one other option…

Turning back to Glow, I slowly step forward, cautiously walking over to her still chittering form.

“W-what are you doing?!” she asks me, watching my progress. She covers her eyes again when I get close enough, shaking like a leaf.

I lower myself to the floor, scooting up right next to her. “Helping you,” I reply matter-of-factly.

“What- what do you m-m-mmph-”

I cut her off. “Shhh,” I coo, placing one of my hooves up against her lips. “You don’t have to be scared now,” I say, wrapping one of my thestral wings around her back and pulling her close to my chest. She makes a sound not unlike a cricket when I do so. She goes on to say something more but stops, her eyes drooping.

“Oooh… w-wow.” she breathes out, fresh tears leak out of her gradient, half-lidded eyes and her small curved horn lights up.

I feel her breathing quicken, coming in intermittent gasps. The feeling from earlier at the venue comes back too, a bit different this time. It doesn't feel heavy at all, instead, it feels more like a gentle hug around a part deep inside of me. Over time, the feeling grows into a tighter embrace, not at all unwelcoming. In fact, it feels euphoric.

I notice hesitant hooves slowly wrap around my sides, holding me close. I look down at her with sleepy eyes and see her little effervescent wings fluttering behind her back.

“How long have you been like this?” I ask quietly.

“Six years now,” she whispers without hesitation.

I shake my head softly. “Good Luna… you poor thing.” I squeeze her tighter.

“C-C-Celestia,” she says under her breath. “It’s- it’s so good.” I think I hear her moan.

“Well... take as much as you like,” I say, relaxing and closing my eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.” Suddenly the feeling stops and a pair of hooves presses against my chest firmly.

“Nnngh- no,” Glow pushes away from me. “Th-that’s not me. I don’t need it.”

I feel almost hurt, spreading my wings out wide. “Wh-what?” I ask, confused.

"I don't need to steal love!" she cries. "I've been going just fine without it! I can get by with earning gratitude," she rationalizes. "A-and nibbling on ambient feelings here and there without anypony noticing."

“No! You're fine!” I blurt out. “You weren’t stealing anything!”

“I was! Didn’t you feel it?”

So, she knew about that, huh? I think, looking down for a bit.

Then, I raise my head, locking eyes with her. “Glow,” I inch forward. “It felt… amazing. I didn’t even know something could feel that good.” I say, feeling my cheeks heat up.

She looks back at me like I’ve gone crazy. “I-It’s supposed to feel like- like your heart is being crushed.”

I shake my head, smiling. “Not at all,” I begin, thinking about how it felt. “It felt like a hug… the best hug I’ve ever had in my whole life.”

Glow is shocked. “A- a hug?” she asks skeptically.

I stand up from my spot on the floor and look around the dimly lit corridor, spotting a couch just around the corner. “Look, whatever you think I felt,” I say, trotting over to it and taking a seat. “It was the complete opposite.” She follows me over but stops at the entrance, waiting for me to continue. “It feels like I’m being hugged, but on the inside… It- It’s kind of hard to explain.” I run a hoof through my hair. “But it didn’t hurt. Not in the slightest.”

“Not at all?” Glow asks, sounding more like a question for herself.

I shake my head again. “No, not at all,” I repeat, thinking about the feeling. “In fact, I would really like it if you were to do it again.” I pat the sofa cushion directly beside me.

Her wings buzz a few times as she looks between me and the spot before she finally makes a cautious step into the room. It takes a while for her to make it to the couch, stopping right in front of it with her head down.

“Can you uhm… hold me again? Please,” she asks, embarrassed.

I answer by firmly taking hold of her front hoof and pulling her into my embrace, my wings fold around her back almost automatically causing her to chirp like a cricket once again, which, I find rather adorable, even though it's a bit strange. “Start feeding,” I command.

I feel her body relax in my hooves and her legs slowly wrap around me. “Luna,” she whispers. “This must be a dream.”