A Life in Equestria

“Fight back already dammit!” Grace shouted as her colt friend landed on the hard dirt in front of her, ignoring the blue-green pegasus bound to her. “You have to!”

The maroon stallion looked up painfully into her deep blue eyes, exposing the black eye from a strong tail swipe of the black thunder drake. He saw the sadness that had invaded the very essence of her soul in those blue orbs he adored so much. “I’m so sorry Grace. I’ll try harder… For you.” He smirked, revealing his new found confidence. He knew he couldn’t let her down. Not now.

With a determined push off of the ground, Magic Sketch shoot towards his dear Grace’s incarcerator. As he dodged the dragon’s flailing limbs and dangerous thunder breath, he struck the underside of its belly with magic beams time after time. Slowly, the dragon’s attacks started to decrease and grew slower in its timing. Magic knew that its time had almost come, only a few more minutes. The unicorn could already taste the bittersweet victory.

Magic had yet to notice the time of day, only that he had but one more hit and the enemy would be no more. His Grace was almost saved. He gathered up his magic, preparing to punish it. Before he could lash out, his side suddenly pained him and two legs went limp. He quickly turned to see that the sun was almost fully set. He knew that he needed to act fast or die from the inevitable fall waiting to happen.

The dragon managed to drive him into a nearby tree by smacking his uninjured side. The stallion winced in pain as he made the hard impact. The lower the sun went, the more pain he was inflicted upon. The black monster had seized its opportunity and proceeded to pummel Magic into a pulp. The weakened stallion began to lose both consciousness and all hope that he would live. As the dragon inhaled for its final strike, Magic closed his eyes and accepted his fate as best as he could.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” He muttered to nopony in particular. What’s to live for anyways? He thought to himself.

Grace watched the two battle it out, captivated by how the light from the setting sun made every move by the stallion seem ever so much more passionate. She cheered him on, letting him know that she was there for him. He was going to defeat that horrible monster and save Lightning and her. They were going to live a happy life together.

She watched as Magic’s wounds returned, slowing him down. The mare looked away at that dark moment as she saw the worry take over in his usual carefree self. “I- I can’t watch..” She muttered to Lightning. “Can you do me a favor and tell me what happens?”

“Sure Grace.” Moments later, she heard the cracking of wood to her left, chilling her to the bone with fear. “Grace… Whatever you do, don’t look.” Lightning’s voice quavered.

“What? Why?” The musical mare looked over to see the stallion defeatingly close his eyes.

“Magic! Magic please! You have to move! You need to live dammit! Get up!” Grace yelled at the stallion. Tears unwillingly streamed down her face and fell to the dirt beneath her. “Please! Just get up!”

“Grace… I’m so sorry. He… He won’t make it now.” Lightning whispered to her hysterical bond-mate. Tears escaped her own eyes as she witnessed the evil crime.

“Magic…” Grace muttered softly as she looked away from the grizzly scene. Seconds later, dark blood splattered onto her back hooves. She couldn’t look at it, knowing what had to have happened. Grace wouldn’t bear to look upon the lifeless body. That damn dragon... She thought.

“Grace… I won…” She looked at the blood soaked stallion hovering in the air in front of her.

“Magic… I thought you had died!” Grace sobbed harder as she voiced her greatest fear aloud. “You’re badly hurt and the dragon was about to… How?”

“I couldn’t just leave you here to live without me, could I?” He smirked and broke the tight chains from the pegasi. Grace tilted her head up towards him, lightly brushing her lips against his in their first kiss in days. “All that matters is that I’m here now.” He whispered to her.

“Miss Note? Magic Sketch will see you now.” The nurse led her through the maze of halls, leading her to the room where her dear Magic was waiting.

“Grace.” Magic smiled as she walked into the hospital room. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“It’s only been three days you silly colt.” She laughed softly.

“Only three days? I guess you don’t care enough to make two days seem like torture.” He huffed and turned away with a sly smirk. He shifted his eyes from the bare wall to the mare walking over to him.

“At least you didn’t have to endure those four days that I spent in a dungeon. You were unconscious almost the whole time.” She recounted with a small pout.

“Okay, okay. You beat me there. Still, it is good to see your beautiful face here to brighten my day.” He smiled and grabbed her hoof as she sat in the chair to his right.

“Sweet talker. At least that hasn’t changed.” She carefully squeezed his hoof lovingly.

The doctor walked in a minute later, reading his clipboard. “Well it seems like your wounds are healing well Mr. Sketch. If this keeps up, you’ll be out of here by tomorrow evening.”

“That’s wonderful.” Grace smiled at the unicorn stallion.

“Thank you Doctor.” Magic told the light brown Earth pony as he went about checking his vital signs. The doctor wrote down the results before exiting the room, leaving the couple alone once again. Minutes passed as the two sat quietly, neither knowing what to say.

“I really missed you…” Grace said as she looked at the stallion. “You have no idea how bad it was there…”

“I’m sorry that you had to go through that…” Magic looked at his darling mare. “If I had done better than you never would have-”

“Don’t you dare say that.” The pegasus exclaimed as she cut him off mid sentence. “I never want to hear you blame yourself again for what transpired. It happened and there is nothing that you can do now that can change that. Please don’t think it’s your fault.”

Magic sighed, “Ok darling. I’ll stop doing that for you.” He looked into her eyes to see the happiness back in her. And who says the eyes aren’t the windows to the soul? He joked to himself.

“I love you. Whatever happens, I will always love you. Remember that.” She reminded him.

“I love you too… More than you may ever know.” He smiled and brought her hoof up to his muzzle, gently kissing the back.

“Oh dear, look how late it’s gotten. I have to get going dear. I’ll come visit again tomorrow.” She rose from the seat and kissed his cheek before leaving the hospital room.

“Until tomorrow then…” Magic said with a sigh to the empty room.

“This is going to be great!” Pinkie squee’d. “Does he know about it yet?”

“He has no clue.” Grace replied. “I feel bad for not telling him though. And he seemed so upset when I had to leave so early.”

“Don’t worry your little head about it. Your auntie Pinkie Pie is here to make it all better. He is going to love his surprise.” The party pony yelled from the other side of the room. “Can you start blowing up the balloons?”

“Sure Pinkie.” Grace shouted back. “But I’m pretty sure I’m older than you. You can’t be my auntie.” She smiled.

“Only by two months, twenty-five days, thirteen hours and fifty-two minutes!” Pinkie shot back.

“Sorry, my bad.” Grace chuckled. The pegasus proceeded to inflate the provided balloons with helium. She noticed the decorations on the rubber and laughed uncontrollably. “Pinkie, what did you do to these?”

“What? Don’t you like them?” Pinkie questioned.

“They’re fine. But don’t you think they go a bit overboard?” She held a dark red balloon with a depiction of a dead dragon covering half of the surface.

“Well…” The pink pony scratched her head with a hoof. “Not really.”

“At least you’re honest.” Grace inflated a light blue balloon to see a picture of her in chains. “Hey, that’s not what happened!”

“Oops. Sorry.” Pinkie giggled as the cake baked in the oven. More balloons of Magic Sketch, Grace, and dragons cluttered the front room of Magic Sketch’s home. Streamers were hung from the ceiling and a big banner hung on the wall read: Welcome back from kicking major booty!

“I can’t wait to see his reaction when he sees all of this tomorrow. He’ll be so excited to see all of his friends here to celebrate.” Grace smiled, filling the very last balloon.

“Yep!” Pinkie bounced to her side. “Now all we need to do is finish making the food and we will be all ready!”

“I just hope that he’ll like it.” She confessed.

Ba-dum smack. Ba-dum smack. Ba-dum smack.

The red and black ball bounced off of the wall as Magic hit it again and again with his left hoof. He sighed as the ball hit the bed post and rolled over to the side of the room. He turned his head to see the clock goe from 7:53 to 7:54 am.

“If only I had some company. Or at least something to do.” He said, voicing his thoughts aloud to the white room. Magic Sketch laid still in the bed, not able to even sleep to pass the time.

“Mr. Sketch, there’s someone here to see you.” A nurse exclaimed as she poked her head through the door.

“Oh, let them in please.” He replied, shifting his head to witness his visitor walk into the room.

“Hey, it’s good to see you awake.” Grace smiled as she walked to his side. “How did you sleep last night?”

“I slept well. How are you?” He inquired.

“I’m good, now that I get to see you again.” She smiled.

“And you say I’m the sweet talker.” He laughed.

“Maybe. So, are you excited to go home today?”

“You have no idea!” He smiled. “I can’t wait to go back to the comforts of my own home again.”

“What a simple request. Hey, how about before you go home, we go have lunch somewhere? Have some nice peaceful time between us.” She smiled.

“That sounds wonderful dear, I would love to have lunch with you.” He said, grabbing her hoof.

“Then it’s a date.” She giggled and softly kissed him.