Loki and I

Donuts On Me - (S1 E44)

"I'm so happy you agreed to this!" Coral squeaks happily on my back as I flap my wings in the sky.

"What, take you to school every day?" I chuckle, "It's not that big of a deal."

"Of course it is!" Coral protests, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a crayon drawing of me and her flying together, "You're so amazing! I'm even going to tell my class about you for show and tell."

I sneak a peek at the drawing over my shoulder, my heart melting. "That's some nice crayon work there, C," I congratulate, before turning my eyes back to the sky so we don't crash.
I promised that one day I'd teach Coral to fly, and the drawing only makes me wish harder that her wings could grow faster so I actually could.

"I wish you could come to the show and tell with me, Rosie," Coral says in a saddened tone, putting the drawing back in her bag.

"Sorry, kid," I answer carefully, "Today's the day Zoe and me are doing something very important."

"What is it?" The small filly asks with curiosity.

"I can't say," I shake my head, my hair being tugged lightly at the breeze, "I really don't want to do it."

"Then why don't you stay with me?" Coral's voice accidentally squeaks with a break.

"Some things just have to be done," I reply, "It's for the best, anyway..."

"Sounds like silly adult stuff to me," she furrows her brow, "Oh, oh, I can see the school!" She buzzes her wings excitedly.

A tall building comes into view as the clouds separate to reveal it. The stone is a light copper colour on bright green grass, many fillies and colts walking towards it, parents and no parents.

I flutter down to the front lawn, bending my knees slightly so Coral can climb off me. She leaps down, smiling widely at me.

"Have a great day, squirt," I ruffle her wild blue mane.

"Yeah, you too!" Coral squeals happily, her purple eyes twinkling. She turns and bounds toward the school with enthusiasm. I smile after her, watching as she disappears into the doors of the school.

~

"Okay," I sigh sadly, walking with Zoe to Loki's room.

"Phew," Zoe lets go of a breath, "I can't tell you how relieved I am! Keeping his secret hidden is getting harder and harder every day." She opens the doors with her magic, "It'll be good not to worry about Celestia coming in and finding him like this."

"I don't suppose you're talking about me?" Loki looks up from his book, before closing it and sliding it forward to us with a hoof, "I've read this too many times, that if I read it again I'm sure I'd slip further into insanity." He smirks up to me, "Take it as an implied hint."

"We've come to turn you back into a people," I say half-blankly.

"Why?" Loki stands up, his face falling ever so slightly. "I don't want to..."

"But Loki," Zoe steps forward, toward the glass of his cell, "If somepony other than us walks in, they'll find you was a pony a know something's up. They could tell Princess Celestia or worse- be Celestia. Then we'll all get in trouble."

"Trust me, I wasn't leaping for joy when Zoe told me, either," I mutter to him.

"But you can't..." Loki raises his voice a little, a look of betrayal swiping over his face, his ocean blue gaze fixed on me. "Rose... darling, please..."

A pang of guilt and confusion forms in my chest. "Why are you so against this?" I ask softly.

"I just... don't want to..." Loki mumbles so quietly, we can barely hear.