For the next several hours, you sit in the cozy castle library under the calming blanket of night working on your novel with Twilight. She composes most of the prose, being quite skilled in the literary arts, but you make sure to give her significant input and reword some key passages.

As things get later and later, the pace of writing slows to a crawl and you spend more time in silence sitting next to Twilight.

“I like this,” Twilight sighs contentedly.

“Hm?” you ask, your brain shocked out of its dazed state.

“I like this,” she repeats softly.

“Like what? Staying up late writing?”

“No. Well, I mean, yes, but I wasn’t talking about that.”

You blink. “What were you talking about, then?”

“Working with you,” she hums. Slowly, she turns her head and casts a shy glance at you.

Smiling demurely, you cast an equally bashful smile back at her, your gaze just as fleeting as hers.

“I-it feels like I’m Lady Libro yearning for the comfort of Lord Literacy; for his affection to take her away from her worries. Except...real.”

Your heartbeat speeds up, and you can feel it radiate up your neck and into your ears. Glancing over again furtively, you notice a thick blush painting her cheeks. Without thinking, you reach over to Twilight with a shaking hoof and place it over hers.

Trembling, Twilight’s own hoof wraps around yours, and she leans over sideways to rest her head on you.

“Y-you’re really special, Twilight, do you know that?” you ask, squeezing her hoof.

She squeezes back.

“It’s been so nice to share the pursuit of knowledge with you, and...become your friend,” you continue. Feeling Twilight’s tears stain your coat, you remove your hoof from hers and wrap it around her body. In response, she buries her face deeper into your coat and wraps one of her wings around your back.

“I-I don’t want to work on the book anymore,” she groans weakly.

“Why not?”

“Because when we’re done with it, you’re going to have to leave.”

Smiling, you lean down and plant a soft kiss on Twilight’s horn. “I don’t have to go anywhere. Especially if this thing makes any money,” you emphasize, tapping your hoof on the book.

Leaning her head up, Twilight plants a quick peck on your lips. “Then we should work really hard tomorrow, b-but not tonight.”

Craning your neck around, you spy the library’s couch only a few feet away. Getting down off of your chair, you shuffle Twilight onto your back as best as you can. Her hooves wrap tightly around your neck as you carry her over to the couch and lay her down gently. Clambering onto the couch, you wrap a hoof around her.

Twilight kisses you again, a little longer this time. “Thank you. I know I’m being silly.”

“Well, I promise that when we’re finished with this book, you’ll have plenty more time to be silly around me.”

You and Twilight cuddle for a few more minutes until you fall asleep; a well-deserved rest before the beginning of a bright future.

GREAT ENDING 4

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