Years in the Heart

Fluttershy yawned as she stretched her back. She awoke to find that her bandages had been replaced with lighter more flexible ones. She examined these new strange cloths that were wrapped around her limbs. Like silk they were, and fresh with an enticing smell of honey. She looked around the barren room. The fire was gone, but in its place stood a miniature tree. Strange, she thought. Why would there be a tree growing in a fireplace? It was an oddity of, well, small proportions, but even greater meaning that she didn’t know yet.

“Soup?” That stressed voice came from behind her.

“Oh yes please. I-” She stopped when she saw him. “Oh.”

The pegasus stallion was not old. His eyes did not match his body. He was young, very young. He might have even been younger than Fluttershy by a couple of years. His unnatural old eyes contrasted his blue tinted white fur. A red streak stretched and weaved through his dark brown mane. Around his neck was a green crystal that hung by a leather string. His alabaster smile was weaker than his old eyes. Smiling was not something he did on a regular basis. It was foreign to him. It was apparent that he hadn't smiled like this before. Hope. Friendly. He just smiled, and handed Fluttershy her bowl of soup.

"Thank you." Fluttershy whispered. Her unsurety showed in her voice, it caused the stallion's smile to weaken a bit as he repeatedly exchanged his glance between her and the floor. He trailed off and into another room, allowing Fluttershy to partake of her healing soup in peace.

How strange, she thought. Silent. Quiet. He doesn't seem to like talking. Why? Fluttershy drowned out these mysteries by sipping on some of the soup. It was delicious. Not too fancy, it was vegetable soup, but it was good soup. Strange. The soup was not like anything she had ever tasted. She couldn't even make out what kind of vegetables were in the soup.p. They were of strange elliptical shapes that were cooked in a rainbow of colors. Still, it was delicious.

The pegasus stallion came back to check on her. "Good?" He asked. Fluttershy nodded setting the bowl down in her lap.

"I'm sorry if I'm a being a burden." She watched as he shook his head to say no. "Oh, okay." There was silence between the two if them. What a strange fellow, she thought. "Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but, what is your name?"

His smile left his face as he traded glances between random points and Fluttershy. "Uhh," was all he seemed to muster up.

"I'm so sorry, are you mute?" She would have slapped herself if it weren't for her curiosity.

"No." He blurted out. He stared at the floor shuffling his hoof in place. Sighs billowed in and out of his gut. He looked sad again.

"I'm sorry." Fluttershy cowered back into the couch feeling guilty for her words. She looked down at the bowl of soup which was half full now. Trying to be optimistic, she gave a quick smile at the memory of how good the soup was.

"Will-uh." He piped up.

"What?" Fluttershy looked up surprised by the uttered syllables.

He sighed. "My nam iz Will-oh."

"Willow?" Fluttershy smiled at being able to hear his name. But why was he talking like this now?

"Jyes." He smiled. "Bu' yoo ca coll me Will." He smiled but only a little. Dread had taken over his mind. It was visible as his cheerful expression died and was sent to a wasteland. "Sorwy I tok dis way."

Fluttershy almost cried for the poor guy. "Oh it's alright...I don't mind." She gave her best smile.

"I haz speech ipedimen' sinz I waz litel." He looked at the floor. "I no stupid, juz cant tok wight." That word stupid. He said it so perfectly, as if that was the one word his brain had been trained to say. It was like that word had been haunting him all his life. "Yoo thin' I iz stupid don yoo..."

"Oh no, I don't. It's perfectly fine." Fluttershy have him a comforting smile. "It's fine, Will." She saw his face light up at the use of his name. Then she remembered her momentarily forgotten manners. "Oh, and, I'm Fluttershy."

Willow smiled. "Flut-her-sigh." He did his best to pronounce her name. "Izs nise too meet yoo Miz Fluthersigh." His enthusiastic smile came back. His voice was like that of someone who was mentally handicapped, but his mannerisms said otherwise. He didn't act like a stoic child, he was a grown stallion. His speech just didn't match, him. Willow was a strange oddity that baffled Fluttershy. The way he said her name, Fluthersigh, it was cute like a three year old foal trying to say her name, but this was not a foal. His voice wasn't high, but at the same time it wasn't low. His voice wasn't scratchy, or gnarly. It was just peaceful. His voice was like butter, butter that was being spread onto a stale piece of bread. The sound of his voice made up for his lack of enunciation. He was kind; willing to help Fluttershy in her injured state.

"It's nice to meet you Will." Fluttershy smiled again. It was easier because now, she understood.

The sun was just beginning to set. Fluttershy sat in front of the hearth this time with a bowl of vegetable stew for dinner. She stared at the mini tree that sat in the fireplace. "Are you going to light a fire with that poor tree in the fireplace?"

"No." He said smiling. "Twree makz fi-ur." Willow sat down with his own bowl of stew. He put his fore hooves together and began to whisper something with his eyes closed. What did he mean by "tree makes fire"? As soon as he stopped his whispers he went to work at his stew.

Fluttershy stared at him for a moment. "Excuse me, but what was that?" She tried her best not to sound judgemental.

"Oh." He said as he was swallowing some of the vegetables. "Prayyer." He stated.

"Prayer?" She whispered to herself. "Prayer for what?"

Willow smiled. "I pray ta Faust, dat food'll bee good fer bodee." These were some of the most clear words she heard him say. Interesting. He wasn't stranger than anyone else Fluttershy had met. He was just different. Now, what did he mean about the tree? "Luk, luk ah da twree." He pointed his hoof towards the small plant. As the last of the sun's amber rays faded away, the tree began to glow. It's limbs were like embers. Slowly the light got brighter, until, it was ablaze with fire.

"Is that, what I think it is?" Fluttershy was stunned as she now recognized what the tree was.

"Jyes. Bonzire twree." Willow smiled at Fluttershy and continued to eat his stew.

Bonzire trees were truly a rarity. They did not grow naturally. There are only a hundred left in Equestria. An old wizard, Starswirl the bearded, made them as a gift for the princesses. They were meant to light the halls of that now ancient castle. But after the castle was destroyed, treasure hunters and others came along and took the remaining bonzire trees to sell them. They never grew too big because the fire they produced would burn up any new limbs once they reached a certain size. Self trimming trees that produced light, they truly were a wonder. And here, wherever they were, here was one. It's fires were hidden from the rest of the world. The bonzire was humbly being used for what it was meant to do. It's warm light breathed heat into Fluttershy's heart.

"It's beautiful." Fluttershy whispered under her breath. She looked up at Willow. He had already finished his stew. It was curious how zoned out he seemed. His eyes were locked on the swirling flames of the burning bush of a tree.

"Da fwames has pictours." He smiled at Fluttershy.

"Pictures?" She asked.

"Jyes." His reply was hymn spoken as if years of loneliness were suddenly over. He seemed relieved to be able to say that. To say that he did see, to say what he saw, it released him from bonds that bound him in secret.

"What so you see?" Fluttershy was curious. What exactly did he see?

"I szee da wurld." It was profound. "I szee the starz." As Fluttershy listened his words became more clear.  "I see myself, through forest glades I wander. I can hear the rolling thunder of great waterfalls. I can hear angel voices singing. If I try hard enough, I can just be able to fathom their beauty. I can walk among the lofty mountain grandeurs. Then I see the lights of the homes so bright at night. I see the world, and all it's wonders. I have seen the light and magic of life, by just gazing into this simple enchanted tree." He sighed, breaking the illusion. "Stupid. I knowz i' iz."

"Oh no, it's fantastic..." Fluttershy looked away. She was embarrassed having blurted that out in excitement. When she turned back she just saw Willow smiling. His face was at a long awaited rest. Those chocolate diamonds that were his eyes glistened in the fire light of the bonzire. "I think, that's beautiful." He laughed a bit. "What? What's so funny?"

"Nutthen." He ceased his light laugh. His face remained stamped with a smile. "I wuz jus thin-kin... I onwly imajened wut angelz lookz likes." He smiled. "I nevor thot dat I wud meet wun."

An angel, Fluttershy thought. He thought she was... "An Angel? Me?"

"I nevor thot dat angelz wud be dis beautiful." He returned his glance to the flames in the fireplace. "I knowz yoo no reel angelz, bu' yoo cum pritty cloze." He stared at the flames, and when the flames echoed in his eyes, they were old again. They were like mountains. Beautiful, yes they were, but millions of years old and being discovered made them new yet again.

"Why are you helping me?" Fluttershy lifted her weak fore leg to bump Willow out if his trance.

"I dunnow. I gess I jus wanned to hellp an angel." He stood up and retrieved something from the other room. Willow returned with new bandages and a bowl of ointment. "Giv me yur leg." Fluttershy obeyed and stretched forth her foreleg.

She watched as he unraveled the bandages. Underneath were fine red lines held together by stitches. Willow rubbed some of the ointment into the sewn crevices, and then he finished the leg by wrapping new clean bandages around it. He repeated this with her other legs, and her wings. Nothing hurt any more. The ointment was numbing, but the sensation of Willow kneading it into her wounds still came through. "Thank you Will." Fluttershy added at the end of the regular procedure.

Willow stood up again, this time returning with blankets and pillows. "I thot yoo mite wan' dese." He laid out a large fleece blanket and made a half circle out of the pillows. "Le' meh hellp yoo." He helped Fluttershy up onto her new makeshift bed. Gently, he pulled a soft quilt over Fluttershy. After tucking her in, he headed for the door. "Goo-nite."

"Wait!" Fluttershy squeaked, halting Willow in the process. He turned his head over his shoulder and was met by the pleading eyes of Fluttershy. "Don't leave."

Willow gave in to her plea. "Holl on." He left and returned once more. This time he carried a brown scraggly old wool blanket that was riddled with holes. He took one of the pillows from the sofa and set it down on the floor. Willow wrapped himself in the brown mess of a blanket, he rested his head on the floor with the pillow. He smiled as he closed his eyes to rest.

"Goodnight, Will." Fluttershy laid her head down. Her chin was just resting on one of the pillows. She stared at Willow as he slept. His rhythm breath went in , and out, and in, and out. Around his neck, the green crystal seemed to fluctuate with light in such a way that matched the rhythm if his breathing. He was a kind old soul, though his body didn't show it, his eyes did. Fluttershy pondered on his words. Willow considered her to be an angel. No one had ever said anything like that to her before nice stallion, a lot nicer than some others she had met.

Fluttershy's eyes began to get heavy. The time and darkness of the room was taking its toll. Also, the light and warmth of the bonzire was warming her up to perfect comfort. Once more Fluttershy looked at the sleeping Willow. He had no cutie mark. That was strange. He was a full grown stallion, and he had no cutie mark. She hadn't noticed that before. Aside from that, there wasn't really a problem. He was still nice. And, Fluttershy thought, he's kind of cute. Her eyes gave up to the desire for rest.

Peacefully, quietly, soundly, and safely, they rested.