Twilight - Ch2

She turned tail and motioned for Caramel to follow her into the library. He followed suit, politely closing the door behind himself. If a pony could skip mid-trot, Twilight certainly was. She mingled in the bookshelves, humming happily to herself as she perused the familiar volumes. Unbeknownst to her, however, Caramel had intently taken to watching her gracefully maneuver around the books, paying very little attention to what she said.

"... now, there are books that outline the growing, raising, and even the consuming of crops. What was it you were looking for specifically? Arbor Fields wrote a very nice commentary on wheat, while...."

In earnest, Caramel cared very little for the books. The purpose of his visit was much less a matter of acquiring some old book than it was to get a moment to speak with Twilight alone. He had been utterly smitten with the mare the moment he laid eyes on her, yet he always lacked the courage to act. Tonight, however, he was determined to let her know just how he felt.

Truth be told, he could certainly have used a book on the raising of flowers. His poor botanical talent showed in the humble bouquet of tulips he concealed in his saddlebags. When the time was right to give them to her, he hoped she would be able to look past such frivolousness. While swimming in these thoughts, Caramel was completely oblivious to Twilight's gentle address.

"Caramel? What book would you like?"

He found himself caught in an embarrassing stare. Before he could speak, Twilight inquired, chuckling under her breath as she did so.

"Are you alright?"

Caramel blinked, and shook his head. Yet again, he donned an overly excessive smile to mask his welling embarrassment. With rosy tinge highlighting his cheeks, he replied

"Oh, I'm... I'm just fine, Twilight, really. It's just..."

He struggled for words

"You're being a great help, and... I really wish there was some way I could repay you."

Repay, Twilight thought? Nopony had ever offered her such a thing for just loaning out a book.

"Oh, nonono, Caramel, don't worry! This is what I'm here for! I mean, you don't need to help me with anything, I've just been studying up on some spells and..."

She paused mid-sentence. The spell, she thought. Perhaps there WAS something he could help her with. Twilight contemplated whether or not she really should enlist his help for such a task

"Well... there is ONE thing..."

Caramels eyes lit up. An excuse to spend more time with Twilight, he thought, was exactly what he wanted.

"Just name it, Twilight, anything!"

Twilight's curiosity was piqued enough at the sheer thought of it, but Caramels willful, even excited demeanor removed all of her inhibition. Still, she had to be absolutely sure his participation was voluntary.

"You really mean it? Anything?"

Her beautiful, pleading eyes completely entranced the stallion.  His only reply was an affirmative nod.  Twilight clapped her hooves together excitedly and flashed a grin that seemed to stretch far beyond what was conceivably possible.

"Oh, thank you SO much, Caramel! You have no idea how much this means to me!"

She beckoned Caramel closer with a friendly wave of her hoof.

"Here, follow me. So you see, this spell I've been working on..."

Caramel couldn't help but wear a smile himself. Seeing Twilight so invigorated brought a cheerful warmth to his heart. With these feelings garnishing his thoughts, he lightheartedly trotted behind  the mare down into her study. As he followed, Twilight continued to recite details and specifics about the spell she was practicing, most of which made no sense to him. Truthfully, he didn't have the foggiest idea about what he had just gotten himself into. This, however, was of little concern to Caramel. He was simply glad to be spending some quality time with the librarian.

Upon reaching her candlelit study, Caramel gently placed his saddlebag on the ground, careful not to reveal the flowers he had prepared. Twilight concluded, saying,

"... And so it made me wonder if I could perform the spell the same way on something else, or maybe even somePONY else! So that's where you come in!"

She peeked over to the stallion, before asking with great enthusiasm,

"Do you have any questions before we begin?"

The look on Caramels face betrayed no sign of trepidation as she spoke. He only nodded and smiled. To this, Twilight slowly trotted closer

"Alright Caramel, take a deep breath and relax. Close your eyes."

Obediently, he took in a long, satisfying lungful of air, exhaling slowly through his nose. He let his eyelids droop before finally closing.

"Good... Lets get started."