Kind Hands

It was nearly sunset by the time Twilight reached Ponyville’s train station. The temperature had cooled, and the sun was at such a level that the mare could see a blanket of orange begin to creep up the length of the platform. It was the only thing that her nervous mind could focus on at that moment, as she prepared for David to arrive with the expectation of collecting his children.

As to be expected, the children were nowhere to be found, though that statement may have been somewhat misleading. Twilight knew where the girls were- she was confident of that- but the duo had decided against accompanying their pseudo-carer.

Not that they had had a choice, though, as Twilight had left the girls to fend for themselves in Sweet Apples Acres after vaguely guiding them towards the farm. Applejack was likely to be courteous- albeit, slightly confused- with the situation, but Twilight’s short-term mind had decided that she was absolutely required to greet David when he arrived.

Twilight hoped that she was correct in her assumption as one of Canterlot’s many trains rolled into the station. With an uneasy feeling in her chest, she watched as a familiar figure exited one of the carriages on the far side of the platform, staggering through the small crowd in noticeable discomfort. Her delight was blatant as she saw that David had returned in one piece- mostly.

Clearly, the human had been put through the wringer- that much was plain for Twilight to see. Rarity would surely have had something to say regarding the tattered state of his clothing, but there was more to worry about than that. Twilight fixated on the various clusters of scratches and bruises that blighted his skin, festering below a clearly visible mark below his left eye.

But those marks only served to distract Twilight from the reddened bandage that covered the majority of his forearm. And when she finally fixated on it the appendage, she struggled to focus on anything else. The damage was clear to see, and the pitiful way in which he cradled it pushed Twilight forward into action.

Already distracted by the dull ache in his left arm, David was caught unaware by Twilight’s advance as she sprang into him and wrapped her forelegs around his torso. He reluctantly caught the mare as she leaned froward and pressed herself into his chest.

“David…!” she called out meekly, her voice slightly muffled by the human’s shirt. Her decision to throw herself at him was beginning to draw some attention from the other ponies at the station- not that she seemed to mind.

David was not quite so content with this attention, falling more victim to the judgemental stares when compared to the pony in his arms. Struggling with the eye contact, he closed his eyes and felt through the blackness until his hand made contact with Twilight’s mane. He moved his hand up and down across the back of Twilight’s head, ruffling her mane slightly.

Blocking out the stares was supposed to help David in his predicament, although he became aware of the nature of the hug that he and Twilight shared: the stroking of her hair and closed eyes possibly carried further unfortunate implications.

“How lucky is that; just who I needed to see,” he remarked as he released his grip. Twilight felt this release of tension and raised her head to match the human’s gaze. Upon meeting it, however, she faltered; she had much to say, yet she struggled to find the correct words to use.

This was a new conundrum for the mare, who hoped that her eyes did enough to portray her current feelings to the one who still held her close. Regardless, she felt no need to let go, so, again, she waited for David to make the next move in their interaction.

“…You alright?” he eventually asked, noticing Twilight’s inaction. Sounding more amused than concerned, he hoped that his softer tone of voice could coax the mare out of her reverie.

“You’re hurt,” Twilight commented, clearly referencing her friend’s bloody bandage. She absentmindedly reached out to rub her hoof along its surface but restrained herself once her mind caught up to what her body was doing.

“…Great work, detective,” he calmly replied, his eyes also being drawn to the sodden gauze that had begun to fall away, exposing the tender flesh underneath. With his other arm, he gently pried the mare away from him with a slight smile. Twilight gave little resistance to her removal, allowing herself to disconnect from him. With this, her mental clarity returned as she began her questioning.

“What happened? Did you see the princess? Is that why you’re-”

Placing a finger on Twilight’s lips, David interrupted her almost instantly. Despite his best efforts, he felt his smile increase in intensity as he watched the mare’s face redden under this new contact. “Shh. I don’t have the strength,” he explained with increasingly laboured breaths. “I’m absolutely knackered, Twilight. I just want to get my girls and go.”

“David…” Twilight spoke solemnly in response. “What happened to you? Your foreleg- how did you…” she trailed off, backing away and letting her ears lay flat against her head. David picked up on this and reached out to pull Twilight back into an awkward, one-armed embrace. He gave her a moment for her to find her smile again, and then he let her go.

“I fucked my arm up pretty bad,” he explained, flexing the fingers in his left hand. “My fault. I’ll deal with that later, though- where are my girls?”

Twilight ignored much of that statement. “I’m not the best at healing magic, but can I take a look at your foreleg? I think I might be able to stop the pain at least,” she reasoned with a warm smile. David did not match the mare’s contentedness, as his face fell back down to its usual neutral state.

“Where are they, Twilight?”

“Oh, I… left them with Applejack!” Twilight responded with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

“Who?”

“She runs a farm near here called ‘Sweet Apple Acres’. She’s very strong- dependable too; they’ll be in good hooves while we-”

Increasingly unimpressed, David stepped forward to look down upon Twilight, who shuffled nervously in his shadow. The more the human’s form filled her vision, the harder it was for Twilight to look away as her decision making was put under scrutiny.

“You’re telling me that you left the two children that you were entrusted with at some random place with someone that you know that I’ve never heard of?”

“…Yes?”

Twilight’s enthusiasm seemed to have evaporated- the only indication of it ever existing being the forced smile that still occupied her face. She expected the worst, flinching by turning her head away from the encroaching threat, but she received no such retaliation.

“I don’t have the strength,” David repeated as he looked down at the floor and sighed. “Just take me to the farm.”

“Of course!” Twilight beamed, happy to clear the air. “Follow me!”

Content with how the conversation ended, Twilight began to slowly fly to Sweet Apple Acres with a soft smile on her face, checking every so often that David was still in tow. He struggled to be, given his already-fatigued state- although that did allow him the space to mutter under his breath.

“If anything’s happened, I’m gonna rip those wings off, Sparkle.”

“…And that’s about everything,” Twilight explained to me as she finished her narration of the previous day’s events. It sounded like she’d done what I would’ve expected her to do: tolerated the little ones until I got back. I was still concerned about the girls’ welfare, but I trusted her. Even for someone as dense as she was, she wouldn’t deliberately put children in harm’s way, especially if she was supposed to be doing me a favour by caring for them.

Still, there was one part of her story that confused me. “That’s all fine and good, but why did you include the part of the story that I was there for?” I questioned the mare, who immediately snapped her neck away from me. “You spoke to me at the station- I was obviously there for that.”

Twilight let out a nervous little giggle, likely to fill the silence. “It was good at passing the time?” she offered hopefully, looking at me hopefully with rosy cheeks. I guess it was my turn to laugh at that point. I didn’t expect anything less.

And she was right: we’d certainly travelled a long distance. An emergence of apple trees signalled that Sweet Apple Acres was soon to be on the horizon as the sun above wished to sink below the hills that surrounded the farm. Even though I felt as if I was on death’s doorstep, I closed my eyes and felt what was left of the evening sun kiss my eyelids goodnight.

I stumbled slightly as I walked, with Twilight leaning in and offering me a body to lean on. She’d noticed my uneven movement almost instantly and had dropped down to offer her support, which was sweet of her. I’m sure that her magic would’ve been more than able to support my weight, but she must’ve found more value in physical contact. I did too.

“I’m not normally like this,” I stated wearily with a soft voice- barely above a whisper. The path that led to Sweet Apple Acres was deserted with only the occasional chirp to provide any interruption to the peaceful silence that surrounded us.

I didn’t know if I was apologising or what, and I’d hoped that Twilight hadn’t heard me. Maybe she also had some stray thoughts on her mind, as she resumed the conversation with a confession of her own. “Don’t worry about it,” she reassured me. “Really- it’s no trouble at all. I was the one who sent those two out here.”

“I know, but-”

“You’ve been through a lot today- and you’re hurt,” Twilight interrupted, pushing against my body with more force as if she was trying to jolt me back to life. “My offer still stands: let me know if you want me to have a look at your foreleg.”

“It’s called an ‘arm’, Twilight.”

“Okay, Mr. Know-it-all, fine,” Twilight impishly huffed in response. She lightly pushed against me again in a more playful manner. “I don’t know anything about ‘arms’ so I guess I can’t help you.”

“Oh dear- it appears that I have hurt my foreleg,” I sardonically proclaimed. “Oh, please would you fix it for me?” On the side of sadism, I pushed the bloody appendage into Twilight’s face, who recoiled in disgust. This quickly backfired, though, as I began to fall once we became separated.

“Of course,” she responded after reattaching herself to my side. “Though, I’m glad that you don’t have an ‘arm’; it’s so different to a foreleg. We ponies use our forelegs for movement, gestures, grabbing things… who knows what a ‘human’ would use an ‘arm’ for?”

“Smartarse.”

“What was that?”

“Thank you. For my arm. I appreciate it.”

My answer seemed to have caught Twilight by surprise. She took a moment to verbally respond, but her body did much of the talking for her as she did a little bounce before continuing on her way. “Don’t thank me- I haven’t done anything yet!” she practically sang with an extra spring in her step. The sight of her doing so was cute, but I braced myself for a bumpier ride as I thought of something to say.

“You know, humans don’t really use arms for movement, you smart alec,” I commented. Readying my finger and thumb, I flicked my finger so that it connected with Twilight’s forehead around the base of her horn. Much to my disappointment, the mare seemed unfazed by the impact as she continued to bounce away.

“I bet you use them to run up stairs on all fours.”

“…They serve a greater purpose than that.”

“I’m not hearing a ‘no’.”

“…”

“Thought so.”

Twilight closed her eyes and looked away from me with a smug smile; I heard a soft hum as she likely celebrated her victory. I’ll admit: she’d grown on me, and, if I wasn’t desperately thinking of a comeback at that moment, I may’ve spared a thought for my harebrained companion.

“Yeah, well, one day I might show you what they’re for, then.”

“Hmm?”

I enjoyed the sound of her little hum. Again, the sound of conversation faded away and was replaced by the periodic chirping that seemed to have followed us all the way to the apple orchard. There was little time to dwell on it, however, as I silently praised myself for holding a conversation for this long. Result.

“There it is now- Sweet Apple Acres. Let’s go find Applejack.”

“Whatever you say, Sparks.”

It turned out that Applejack was easy to find, as well as easy to identify. As Twilight and I entered the farm’s outskirts, I put together all the country stereotypes that I could think of and applied it to a pony. My assumptions weren’t too far off.

Cowboy hat? Yep. Tanned, orange skin (or fur, supposedly)? Of course. Packed full of muscle? I’d have been insulted if she wasn’t. All this wrapped up with a wonderfully stereotypical US southern accent? Fantastic stuff. A soft face sought to contrast against her burly body, showcasing tender, green eyes and an assortment of freckles that made her appear far more approachable.

And approach her, I did. Due to the flat path that Twilight and I found ourselves on, Applejack had had time to take in my appearance and respond accordingly. The apple horse remained composed in my presence, hinting at a cool head that was just as efficient as her strong body. “Good gravy, Twilight,” she calmly mused with a large grin on her face. “What in Canterlot’s crust have you brought home this time?”

I’d never been a huge fan of southern drawl, but hearing it every now and then can be nice. Whether Applejack knew that I was capable of talking back was anyone’s guess, but she was respectful in the way that she looked me over. “I brought myself here, actually,” I answered on Twilight’s behalf, enjoying the way in which Applejack vision instantly snapped up to meet my gaze.

“Woah,” the southern mare responded, her smile never faltering. “Sorry there, big guy- thought you was another accident.” Her explanation raised some questions, and I already knew that Twilight would be unwilling to assist in answering them. Naturally, that didn’t stop me from staring her down, mainly to watch the way that she squirmed under the pressure. An uneasy chuckle left her lips as she kept her secrets to herself.

It seemed that Applejack was also unfazed by Twilight’s nervous tics, which was nice to know. At least I was now fully aware of the fact that the princess’ behaviour was nothing new.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you anyway. Applejack, I assume?”

“Howdy!” Applejack exclaimed with great gusto. “Can’t say I’ve seen anything looking like you around here before.”

“Name’s David. Uh, on the subject of that, I don’t suppose you’ve seen two little girls running around here, have you? They look like me but they’re a little shorter.”

“Can’t say I have,” Applejack replied with understandable confusion. She turned to her friend in the hope that she would be able to provide some answers. “What’s this about, Twilight? I wasn’t made aware of any young’uns being let loose on my farm.”

“I… might have sent them here a little while ago. I’ll explain later,” Twilight elaborated without really saying much at all.

“Proper helpful there, Twilight.”

“They’re your foals.”

“Under your care!”

“Simmer down, you two! This ain’t achieving nothing,” Applejack interjected. She moved to stand between the two of us and create some space. With Twilight’s physical absence, I felt the fatigue set in again.

“Right- sorry, look: I just want to get my girls and go home,” I explained apologetically. “I’m sorry that they’ve gotten lost on your farm- even if it wasn’t my fault…” I stared at Twilight for the umpteenth time, who similarly showed the same awkward smile that I’d grown accustomed to seeing.

“So long as you find ‘em…” Applejack replied with a nonchalant shrug. The carefree way in which she spoke was naturally going to result in one of two things: me calming down or the farm mysteriously catching fire, and I was having a hard time figuring out which side to choose.

“Are you sure you haven’t seen anything strange?” Twilight added, her voice soft and vulnerable in its earnestness. It was difficult to gauge the extent to which she cared for the girls’ safety in comparison to wanting to fix her own mistake, but I found her concern endearing, nonetheless.

“Don’t worry about it,” I calmly interjected. “I doubt they’ve gone far.” I may’ve been running on wishful thinking, but my optimism was to be rewarded as a nearby rustling suggested that I was being watched.

“…1, 2, 3… jump!”

“Mr. Bayard!”

In the midst of my conversation, I’d wandered slightly too close to a row of corn that proved to be the perfect site for an ambush. From the yellow maze came Eve and Eva, unable to keep their excitement under control any longer.

Even the calling of my name did little to prepare me for the force of two girls jumping into me simultaneously, leading to me colliding with the dirt beneath me. Despite its soft surface, the impact took the wind out of me, and I cradled my arm once I’d taken an extra breath after the fall.

“You’re home!”

Any attempts at sitting up were futile; I knew that immediately. I still tried, regardless, but I was interrupted twice as two separate bodies piled onto my torso, tiny hands flailing to wrap around the base of my neck. I waited for the pair of them calm down somewhat, making my third attempt at sitting up successful as I tried my best to hold the two sisters against my chest.

“It’s only been a few days,” I muttered, finding little strength in my voice. “But it’s so nice to see you.” I tensed the muscles in my right arm to bring the pair in closer. Even as the two sisters lay with their faces plunged into my torso, a soft shaking made me think that at least one of them was crying.

“I missed you!” came Eva’s voice as it became clear that she was struggling to control her emotions, leaving her unable to speak clearly. In response, I ruffled the girl’s hair as I fought against displaying the same level of emotional disarray.

I would’ve liked to have reciprocated the girl’s feelings, but Eve quickly beat me to it with an “I missed you too,” of her own. Normally the quickest to the punch, Eve was situated slightly further away, and the look on her face suggested that she was regretting allowing her sister the spot closest to my face.

“Your lip’s quivering,” I half-taunted to try and coax the girl on the fringes back into the fray. I stretched out my hand, which she immediately grabbed, using it as leverage to burrow herself into the area around my right shoulder. With herself firmly in position, she allowed herself to breakdown; I found some form of backhanded comfort in her sobbing- despite the fact that I’d been gone for less than seventy-two hours. Everything’s very all-or-nothing these days.

From my position on the floor, I could just about make the form of Twilight in the corner of my vision. It seemed that new situations overwhelmed her as she focused on my little interaction, giving no indication that I’d caught onto her staring. I wonder what she was thinking at that point.

If she was thinking anything at all, that is. From the sound of it, Applejack didn’t have the same emotional investment as Twilight. “I’d like to know what this is all about, Twilight- and why it’s happenin’ on my farm- but I’m all tuckered out from a good day’s buckin’. I’m gonna hit the hay.”

The sound of hooves hitting the dirt with decreasing volume suggested that Applejack had stayed true to her word. I’m sure that she was uncomfortable with being so loosely connected to this occasion- and Twilight’s continued silence did little to improve things. What on Earth was she so preoccupied with?

It took a little while for the little ones to calm themselves down, but once they did, I was able to view the situation in a more professional light.

“You’re covered in muck.”

Reaching towards Eve, I brushed my hand over the girl’s shirt before flicking the mud away in disgust. I briefly thought about repeating the process with Eva, but the dirt that was already between my fingers felt uncomfortable enough.

“I’m sorry,” Eva mumbled as she began to tear up again. It looked as if someone needed a rest.

“No, no, no- it’s okay, littlun,” I reassured her as I wiped an especially large chunk of mud from the crying girl’s cheek, picking up a couple of loose tears as I did so. “I think we’re all a bit tired now. Let’s go home.”

With that last comment, I stood up and offered my hand to the sisters, expecting at least one of them to grab it without hesitation. To my surprise, neither of them took me up on my offer. Turning back to look at them, I was met with the sight of Eve holding out both of her arms and looking up at me expectantly. “Carry me,” she demanded bluntly. The blank look on her face matched her curt delivery as she made her desires very clear.

“What about your sister?” I asked in reply, gesturing to the exhausted girl in question. I wanted to carry them both as neither seemed particularly capable of walking anywhere, but my damaged arm was similarly incapable of the exertion, leaving me with a dilemma.

“I’ve got her,” Twilight gently offered as she lifted Eva into the air and placed the child onto her back. The girl jolted in surprise and would likely have reacted more if she had the energy, but she was too far gone and draped her arms over the mare’s neck as she soon began to softly snore.

“Well, that’s one,” I commented as I picked Eve up and stood beside Twilight. I placed a hand on Eva’s shoulder and smiled, before I felt the girl in my arms begin to drift off to sleep. “Thank you, my lovely,” I said to Twilight warmly. “If we just go back to the station, I’ll come back tomorrow for my arm.”

“No… I want to show you something,” Eve mumbled as she fought to stay awake. She was so quiet that I wouldn’t’ve heard her had her face not been so close to my ear. To add emphasis to her point, she began to deliver repeated, light punches to my shoulder.

“You’re knackered, Eve,” I reasoned through the soft blows. “Let’s just go home.”

“Please, David…” the little girl implored as she tried to pull herself onto my shoulders.

“…”

The mention of my first name proved to be very disarming. I couldn’t find much of an explanation for it, and maybe that was exactly why it got to me. I spent some time looking at the ground and adjusting the girl in my arms as I fought through my confliction.

“Why don’t you stay at my castle tonight?” Twilight offered. “I can look at your arm and your girls can have somewhere to sleep.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“It’s no trouble at all. My castle’s huge, so it’s not like there’s no space. It can also be a little lonely sometimes.”

“If that’s alright…”

Twilight said nothing in return; she answered by slowly trotting towards her castle, which, unfortunately, lay a decent distance away. Still, the long travel time gave me the opportunity to appreciate the silence- a different sort of silence when compared to the campfire from the night before.

Beside me, Twilight chose to stay quiet, appreciating my desire for peace. She would occasionally shift the sleeping child on her back to ensure that neither party was set off-balance, but she mostly ran on autopilot until her castle came into view.

It turned out that Twilight was no liar; her castle certainly was spacious. She kept her visitors on the ground floor, though, insisting that we should wait until morning before venturing upstairs. The events of the previous few days had left me feeling remarkably compliant. I would’ve done just about anything for a good night’s rest at this point, so I followed the mare’s every word. And while my own sleeplessness was on my mind, I knew that the little ones needed to find a bed ASAP.

I also knew that the pair were unlikely to stay asleep without me being present, if the previous nights were any indication. So, after Twilight had pointed out a room in which she would examine my arm, I placed Eve down on a nearby set of cushions and gestured for Twilight to drop her cargo in the same place.

It appeared that I’d been led into Twilight’s library: bookshelves stretched around the circumference of the room I found myself in with a set of comfy-looking chairs and cushions sat on the side furthest away from the door. It is near these chairs that one of the sisters began to stir.

“Where are we?” Eve asked, sitting up after her sister collided with her. Lethargically, she scanned the room but stopped quickly once her eyes met mine.

“In a safe place,” I answered curtly. “You just try and get to sleep- I’ll be right here.” I grabbed the girl’s hand and slowly rubbed the top of her hand with my thumb, watching her eyes gently close despite some resistance. She had no chance.

“Now, shall we?” Twilight prompted as she sat down on a cushion of her own. Patting the seat next her, she smiled warmly and waited for me to take a seat at her side.

“Let’s try and keep this quiet,” I whispered as I sat down. “Don’t want to wake the miscreants.” Twilight giggled softly in response, placing a hoof over her mouth to muffle the sound.

“I’ll be extra quiet- just for you,” the mare replied, supressing another giggle as she did so. “Now, let’s see…”

With a sense of apprehension, Twilight gripped my arm with her magic and began to peel away at the sodden bandage. We both gasped at the exposed flesh underneath: a deep wound that seemed to have been forcefully closed, creating a mishmash of exposed muscle and scabbed skin. “I didn’t know it was this bad…” she muttered breathlessly as she took in the extent of the damage. I couldn’t’ve said it better myself.

“I hope you’re a miracle worker, Sparkle. I don’t know if you can fix this,” I similarly muttered in reply. I couldn’t believe what it looked like now that it’d had time to settle; Blueblood may’ve done what he could, but he could’ve done better, surely. Even my expectations were shattered, and my wound’s exposure to the air caused the burning to set in again.

Twilight gave no response to my call-to-arms, her face scrunched in concentration as she began to make testing jabs at my arm with her magic. The prods made me feel uneasy, particularly if it hurt this much just to test the waters. My unease continued until I felt a jolt of magic pierce my flesh like a needle, causing me to suck in a deep breath as I felt Twilight’s magic begin to worm its way into my flesh.

Whilst I struggled with these new sensations, Twilight was busy prying open certain areas of the wound that Blueblood had patched together and refilling the areas left behind. Not wishing to force the wounds to close in the same way that the prince had, she instead flooded my flesh with a type of energy that encouraged its rejuvenation.

At least, that’s what I think she was doing. It felt right, I guess, as I could feel an excess of energy in my arm that caused my fingers to flex of their own accord. It wasn’t a particularly unpleasant feeling, but I felt as if I’d lost control of my arm, like I was some sort of puppet with Twilight as my master.

I looked over to Twilight for some form of reassurance. There was none to be found, however, as the mare at my side sat with closed eyes, swaying back and forth as if she was physically navigating through the structures of my arm.

Although my lack of control caused me untold levels of grief, I became emboldened by an ever-increasing feeling of fullness that had begun to overtake me. To try and keep some semblance of control, I’d begun the practice of repeatedly flexing and unflexing my fingers, feeling the fibres in my forearm begin to burn from the combined assault of both magic and muscle.

A sudden, audible pop signalled the end of the operation. You, know- the type of pop that’s probably a good thing, but you’re kinda too scared to find out. I abandoned flexing my fingers because of the noise, but I soon came to regret that. The uncontrollable spasm that rumbled through my arm was very convincing.

There was little difference between this sensation and the clenching that I’d experienced earlier- but what concerned me was that it seemed to increase in severity as time went on, even as Twilight opened her eyes and pulled away. I tried to clench my fist, yet I found myself unable to do so due to a searing pain that bubbled up from the magic-enthused laceration.

Soon enough, any breaths that I managed to force from my mouth matched the spasmodic movements of my arm as the panic set in. I was unable to stop myself from fixating on my fingers as they convulsively danced in an outcry of protest. I don’t know which was worse: the incredible pain that threatened to strangle me, or the mental anguish as I watched my arm be forcefully ripped away from me. How much more could it take?

Suddenly, however, I felt the movement in my arm stabilise as Twilight’s magic enveloped my hand and clasped the space between my fingers. The mare said nothing, although her face suggested that this was more from compassion than from concentration. Occasionally, my hand shook- but my fingers stayed in position, forcefully splayed out. I had no choice but to rescind control of my hand to the alicorn, so I closed my eyes and worked to get my breathing under control.

When I dared to open my eyes once more, my vision was immediately filled by Twilight’s concerned face, eyes wide yet heavy from overexertion. Despite this, her face tried its hardest to force a fragile smile- trying to convince everyone in the room, including herself, that everything was okay.

“You think of everything, don’t you?” I softly asked the mare, doing my best to reward her smile. I tried to at least, but, after the silence was broken, the mare’s resolve began to crack as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

“I-I didn’t know it would do that,” Twilight stuttered slightly, struggling to keep her composure. “I’ve never done this before and I-”

Acting quickly to dispel the mare’s grief, I interrupted Twilight by pulling her into a quick hug, which she was happy to sink into. Happy to sink into, yet reluctant to return as her hoof hovered uneasily over my shoulder.

Eventually, I lightly pushed her away before replying, “You’re sweet, Twilight. Thank you. Nothing we can do now, anyway; we’ll see tomorrow if you’ve ballsed it up.” It was hard to see Twilight in the state that she was in, so I brushed one of my fingers along her cheek, gliding along the dampened fur in a bid to rejuvenate the poor soul.

She flinched from my touch initially; only a small amount, though, as she leaned back in and kept her eyes firmly on me as I carried out my movements. Her eyes became heavier with every inch I travelled, full-to-the-brim with some kind of emotion that I couldn’t discern. “How is it?” she tentatively asked after I pulled away, hopefully with a clearer mind.

“It’s very painful, but it definitely looks better,” I commented while rotating my arm. I was thankful for the flexibility as I got a better look at my little doctor’s work. The wound still looked exposed, yet it was covered by a thin layer of flesh that looked to be almost held in place, serving as some sort of barrier. Barely lying under the surface was a deep scar which ran along the wound’s centre, likely the magic’s point of entry. “Time will tell.”

Although ambiguity was unlikely to be the response that Twilight was hoping for, she seemed satisfied with this, nonetheless. With my immediate concerns dealt with, it seemed like I could also rest my mind, but then, of course, Twilight had to say something questionable.

“Sometimes pain’s a good thing.”

“…Care to elaborate?”

“Not really.”

“Sometimes I think you do this on purpose.”

“I don’t really want to wake them, you know,” I commented as I looked over at Eve and Eva, thankfully still sleeping soundly. “Though, they won’t like it if I just leave, either- some sort of sixth sense. I might just sleep here to be honest. You got any more cushions?”

“Are you sure? There are a lot of beds in this castle- we can easily find them somewhere better to sleep,” Twilight did her best to reason, getting ready to pick up one of the sleeping sisters.

“No,” I insisted. “If your cushions are enough for these guys, then they’re good enough for me.”

“I’m not going to convince you, am I?”

“Fat chance.”

Placing my hands on my hips, I played my final card of defiance, and Twilight showed little interest in fighting me over it. I’m sure that she’d long since seen the writing on the wall. Instead, she had a different proposition. “Can I sleep with you?” she asked, unaware of her poor phrasing until I raised an eyebrow. “That…came out wrong. Can I sleep in this room…with you…nearby…tonight?”

This caused me to sigh. “Go and get some cushions, then,” I answered, my suspicion slightly aroused. I cleared an area for where I assumed that the cushions would go once Twilight went to go get them. Again, however, my little friend was on a completely different wavelength.

“I can do better than that! One moment…”

I had no idea what hit me. In a flurry that I could barely describe, an avalanche of mattresses, bed covers and pillows descended on the thankfully large room that I was in. Twilight’s efficiency was deeply distressing as she effortlessly stacked everything together to make a picture-perfect set of beds that splayed out from the dead centre of the room. “Now your foals have a bed to sleep on!”

They did indeed have a bed to sleep on- as would the rest of Ponyville if they needed one. Still, it was hardly in Twilight’s nature to underdo something, so I took what I could get. “You see, if I knew that you were going to do that, I would’ve just taken them to a bedroom,” I commented as I began to push two of the beds together.

My movements seemed to have struck a nerve. “But they were all an equal space apart!” Twilight protested loudly. Too loudly, perhaps, as she’d forgotten about the only reason that I was here in the first place.

“What’s happening?” came Eve’s voice as she wiped her eyes. She started to waddle over towards me, happy to be met halfway. Eva shortly followed suit, as I expertly guided the half-awake sisters to the beds that, in their eyes, had mysteriously appeared while they slept.

“Oh no!” Twilight loudly exclaimed before reverting her voice back to a whisper. “They’re awake.” She hesitantly pointed at the pair- who, I should probably mention, were about two feet away from me- as if I wasn’t aware of this.

“How did you not think that they would wake up during that fracas?” I replied in amusement while depositing Eve onto one of the beds.

“Lovely word,” Eva commented from her space on a bed nearby, recently connected to the one now occupied by her sister.

“Thank you.”

From her position on the bed, Eva pressed her hands together to create a miniature heart with her fingers. I’d never seen her do this before, but it made sense to reciprocate. The little girl gave off a little giggle once I returned the gesture before she lowered her head and turned onto her side, looking at her sister as the two wriggled towards each other.

“What kind of relationship do you three have?” Twilight mused while she caught Eve’s gaze, who looked as if she was desperate to say something.

“One that goes back a long way, Sparks,” I stated simply. I didn’t have any interest in saying anymore, doing just enough to hopefully sate the mare’s appetite, but I obviously wasn’t in control of the situation.

“Since nursery!” Eve added, arms splayed as she refused to lie down. I had no idea of the extent of the Equestrian educational system, so I felt the need to elaborate. Oh, joy.

“I went up with them as they went from nursery to primary school,” I elaborated. “Got put in the same school as them- that was quite a shock.” This minor dose of nostalgia must’ve brought a thought to the front of Eve’s mind as she raised her hand into the air and began to wave her arm about.

“Mr. Bayard, can I tell you something?”

“You don’t need to put your hand up.”

“Can you come here, then?”

“Yeah- let me just… move these along a bit.”

With a chuckle at the unnecessary formality, I leaned into one of the many single beds with the intent to push it into the two that Eve and Eva had both occupied. I assumed that the little ones would prefer if our beds were joined together- and I didn’t really mind- so I made sure that there were no large gaps between the three beds as I joined them.

“Are you pushing them all together?” I heard Twilight ask from behind me, clearly not having caught on to the obvious. Knowing that her mind works in mysterious ways, some clarification was in order.

“Don’t get any ideas, kid,” I quickly shut down the mare’s advances before they could begin. “Only these two-”

“-Three,” Eve corrected.

“Only these three are being put together,” I corrected myself, never taking my eyes from the bed that I was pushing, lest the evening was to end in some form of manslaughter charge. Once I’d finished up, I smacked my hands together. “Come on, you two: it’s finally bedtime.”

“What time is it?”

“Bedtime. Now, go to sleep.”

“Not until you come here.”

Eve continued to goad me, creating a beckoning motion with both hands, reeling me in further with each subsequent gesture. “What is it?” I asked, crouching down to Eve’s level. Apparently, this still wasn’t satisfactory, as the girl motioned for me to turn my head and present an ear for her to whisper into.

“I love you,” she whispered to me with a joyful smile. I struggled to process what she said initially, slowly moving my head away and looking off into the distance. Her disclosure, while likely paper-thin and the result of simply being left alone for too long, was a welcome one for my weary mind. It’s nice to be wanted. And, as my heart rate increased and a blush revealed itself on my face, I searched for an appropriate answer to give.

Once I’d fully pulled my head away, Eve looked up at me expectantly, bright eyes and a wide smile greeting me in anticipation of my answer. As she did this, Eva reared her head and tried to wordlessly force herself into the exchange. “…Thank you, sweetheart,” I stated somewhat coldly, unsure of the correct way to react.

My response must’ve missed the mark, as Eve made some sort of disappointed half-whine and looked up at me with sad eyes that looked as if they were waiting for an excuse to open the floodgates. In the interest of generosity, I was willing to blame this entire exchange on exhaustion- much less my lack-of-a-reaction to it all, as my resolve buckled under the threat of any more tears.

“…I love you too.”

Replicating the immediacy of my own collapse, Eve’s emotions instantly changed for the better as she grinned at me before throwing herself into her pillow, dragging herself under the bed covers. “Goodnight!”

“What did you say?” Eva whispered to her sister, unhappy with being left out.

“Shh- sleep,” I quickly shut down the girl’s interrogation with a finger on my lips. Eva dropped the idea with a slight sulk.

“Okay. Goodnight.”

“‘Night, you two.”

And with that, the room grew quiet once more. Soft snoring provided the only background noise as I began to undress in preparation of receiving some hard-earned rest. A rest that I’d happily receive- provided that Twilight would stop staring.

“Don’t make this weird,” I admonished without even looking at the mare. I remained focused on removing my bottoms, choosing to keep on my shirt and underwear. While I was distracted with doing that, Twilight, feeling awkward, had climbed into a bed that she had silently moved a short distance away from the rest.

“Sorry,” she offered sheepishly. “I’ve just never seen you like that before.”

“Yeah, well, drink it in- it’s not getting any better than this.”

I raised my arms as I offered the mare a full view of my half-naked body, lifting my shirt slightly for a bit of extra spice. The gesture was meant to be sarcastic, yet it created an uncomfortable silence whilst I changed the position of my bed and climbed into it, trying not to think about what Twilight might do with her new-found insight.

“Hey,” I said in an attempt to break the silence. “Thank you for taking care of them by the way- they look like they’ve had a good time.” Even as the lights inside the room somehow dimmed, I could faintly see Eve’s sleeping form, sporting a contented smile as she slept.

“They weren’t having a lot of fun before. They’re a lot happier now that you’re back,” Twilight reasoned. It was difficult for me to discern the motivation behind her statement, as I lay back and stared at the ceiling.

“I’m sure you made them happier than you think. It’s nice that someone kept ‘em safe while I was gone.”

“…Are we even now?”

“I think I might owe you one, actually. I might even owe you two, you know- after everything that’s happened today.”

“So…I get a favour?”

“Don’t be weird about it.”

Silence followed my warning. Throughout it, I worried about the types of things that might flow through a mind like Twilight’s. I couldn’t imagine anything concrete- just vague concepts- but the unpredictability of it all worried me to no end.

“I’m sure that I can find something for you to do,” was Twilight’s eventual reply, much to my dismay. Keeping her cards close to her chest, she rolled over and lay with her back to the rest of the room, further increasing the ambiguity of her statement.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” I mumbled warily. The constant silence said far more than Twilight ever could, and, in all honesty, I welcomed an excuse to just give up and go to sleep. “I’ll leave you to your twisted fantasies, I think. I’m dying to go to sleep.”

“Goodnight!” Twilight replied with a sing-song intonation. Her pitch was high, and I could hear her roll over again as she finished her little singalong. Once again, it put me on edge, yet I had nothing left in the tank, so I let the implications pass me by.

“Night-night, Twilight.”

While David and the sisters slept, Twilight felt the buzz from the previous conversation drain from her mind, taking much of her enthusiasm with it. She felt as if she had discovered so much today yet learned so little as she sighed and sat up in her bed.

On the other side of the room lay three humans: three lives that relied on each other to function. She had seen that now; it was plain to see in how they had reacted when they were reunified. She thanked her lucky stars that she was able to witness it first-hand.

Yet she also cursed her misfortune in a way. Such a seemingly tightknit group offered little room for manoeuvre, particularly for an outsider such as herself. Maybe not impossible, though. Although he was reluctant to show it, witnessing a more tender side to David gave Twilight increased vigour going forward, but she still had her doubts with how willing he would be to expand his circle of trust.

“I’ll try,” she muttered to the darkness. “I will try.”