“You do know that this tradition is a complete horseshit, right?” she asked looking up at her only half-brother that she actually liked and fully trusted. Of course he had the genius idea to participate in the run through the woods. Celestia tried her best to shut him down, but Marek was a very smooth talker and eventually she gave in. But with one condition - he had to participate too.

𝔪𝔞𝔩𝔞𝔨𝔞𝔦 𝔠𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔷𝔦𝔫 & 𝔠𝔢𝔩𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔞 𝔰𝔬𝔯𝔢𝔫 — 𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔫 & 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔴𝔥𝔬 𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔢𝔢𝔩𝔰 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔠𝔱

@wxundcd​ !! FROM HERE.

“  stop  it,  ”  stark  says,  giving  a  quick  shake  of  his  head.  he  knew  well  what  it  could’ve  meant  for  her  if  he  hadn’t  been  around,  and  he  understood  her  gratitude  entirely.  but  she  was  𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍,  on  the  edge  of  breaking,  and  despite  his  relief  that  she  was  safe  and  mostly  unharmed,  he  had  to  be  the  stability  that  would  get  the  two  of  them  home  safely.  

he  reaches  up  and  swipes  her  tear  away  from  her  cheek  with  the  pad  of  his  thumb,  catching  her  jaw  for  just  a  moment  so  that  he  could  get  a  good  look  at  her  face.  𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝.  

“  you  owe  me  nothing,  ”  he  replies.  “  your  safety  is  my  repayment.  ”  certainly,  if  all  the  people  he’d  helped  and  rescued  were  as  generous  as  athena  was  being  with  her  gratitude  -  𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠  𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙  𝙗𝙚  𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜  𝙞𝙣  𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨.  but  he  didn’t  fight  to  𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎  𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚕𝚢,  he  fought  to  keep  peace  and  to  ensure  safety.  she  was  safe,  it  was  all  that  mattered.