A white pegasus eagerly raced along the edge of the Everfree Forest, clutching a bag of spray paint and a scroll close to his body, his firey long mane threatening to obscure his vision. Celestia's sun had long ago set below the horizon and Luna's moon was already halfway through it's majestic arc. As the old stone wall came into view, he smiled to himself, it was finally time. The enthusiastic pony unrolled his scroll and wasted no time going to work on the wall. As he painted, he reminisced about the first time he had met her, the girl of his dreams...
~
Grafix was on the way back from an art show in Cloudsdale. Being an artist himself, he enjoyed going to see others' work, and of course, attracting more viewers to his own pieces. Tonight, however, was particularly dark, making it hard to get his bearings. The fact that the canopy of the Everfree looked the same from the sky didn't help him at all.
"Oh crap," Grafix said to nopony in particular, "I think I'm lost. I should have just taken the chariot back at the show."
The lost pegasus made another turn, desperately trying to find a landmark of any kind - anything to help him get back on course to his house. Now regretting not taking the chariot, Grafix began to get angry with himself, paying increasingly less attention to where he was flying.
"Why didn't I just take the damn chariot?!" Grafix yelled, not paying attention to the tower becoming larger and larger at an alarmingly fast pace. Before he could scold himself anymore, he flew head-on into the old stone tower. The last thing he heard before passing out was a low crumbling sound.
Grafix slowly started regaining consciousness, awoken by a mysterious sound.
"...excuse me... mister? Are you okay?" A soft, feminine, whisper-like voice could be heard by Grafix, but all he could do was groan in response.
"Oh no! Are you hurt? Quickly, let me get you to my cottage." Came the same voice, only with a hint of panic replacing the before shy tone this time. The half-awake pony could feel that he was being picked up, but he didn't have enough strength to protest. Grafix let the mysterious pony carry him to wherever it was she was taking him. After a few minutes, he felt himself being lowered onto a soft surface, where he began to pass out again. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness for the second time was... a bunny?
Light. Piercing, bright, light. Grafix woke up once again on his back, however this time, he was lying on... a bed? Hmm. That's strange. I don't remember making it back to my house. With his eyes only half open, he tried to get up to find out where he was. He rotated his body so his rear legs were almost touching the ground. He pushed against the bed and his hooves made contact with the ground.
"F*CK!"
Grafix instantly collapsed to the wooden floor. All he could do was wait there, in too much pain to actually move in any way. Only then did he realize the bandages covering all four of his legs, and a few on his head. How did those get there?
The sound of galloping hooves up a set of stairs made him raise his head to the doorway. He watched as a pale yellow pegasus ran through the open door right next to him. She was beautiful. Her long, flowing pink mane covered half of her face as she tried to get him off of the floor an back onto the bed. After a few minutes of struggling, Grafix was back in his original position, wondering who this gorgeous pony tending to him was. She looked worriedly at his legs and said, "Please, do not try to walk yet, two of your legs are broken, and another badly fractured. Oh, you poor thing, you must be hungry. Let me go get you something to eat."
Before Grafix could object, she was out the door and downstairs, preparing a meal for the bedridden artist upstairs. He was alone once more, thinking to himself, Where am I? Who was that? How long has it been since the art show?
It wasn't long before she returned. She was carrying a steaming bowl of vegetable soup that quickly filled the room with it's delicious smell. In between bites, he asked her the questions that have been on his mind.
"So, where exactly am I, and how did I get here?" Asked Grafix.
"W-well, a few nights ago I-I found you next to the old watchtower. You seemed like you were hurt b-badly, so I took you back here so I could h-help you get better." she said in an extremely caring, yet uncertain, voice.
"Ah, so, this is your house..." it slowly dawned on Grafix, "... And this must be your bed. I'm sorry for imposing, I promise to leave as soon as possible!"
"N-No, please. You must stay here and rest until your legs fully heal, otherwise it would take significantly longer for your legs to return to health. Y-you are not imposing at all." She said reassuringly.
"Well, thank you, miss..."
"Fluttershy. You can call me Fluttershy." she said with a smile.
"Thank you, Fluttershy, but I would feel terrible if I did nothing in return." Grafix finished.
"No, it really is okay. Seeing you better is good enough for me." The kind mare responded. The smile never faded. Grafix would remember that smile for a very long time.
~
An hour passed, and Grafix was still working away at the old, crumbled wall. He was smiling to himself - whenever he thought about the past after he met Fluttershy brought him nothing but good memories. He begins to reminisce about when he first started to walk again.
~
"Angel," Fluttershy informed her rabbit assistant, "I'm going to the market to get some more herbs, take care of Grafix while I'm gone, ok?" The bunny only shook his head, looking annoyed, and went back to eating his carrot. She smiled, Angel always acted tough, but on the inside she knew he was sweet. She closed the wooden door behind her and started walking towards town.
Upstairs, the soft sound of a closing door awoke the sleeping Grafix. He groggily sat up in the bed and thought to himself. That must have been Fluttershy leaving for the market again. She said I would be able to walk again soon, but I should probably wait until she gets back - just in case I fall. After waiting for about an hour, the crippled artist could be patient no longer. He slowly swung his rear legs over the bed and carefully lowered them to the floor. There was no wave of extreme pain this time, though. To his surprise, he was hardly in any pain at all - his legs were still sore from being in bed for over two months. Wow. Fluttershy is amazing. It was only two months, and I can already walk!
Grafx slowly walked down the stairs and into the main room of Fluttershy's cottage. He never realized just how generous Fluttershy was until he saw all of the animals she took care of. He knew she was extremely nice, but the sheer amount of wild animals reading in her home overwhelmed Grafix. Just another perk to add to her ever-growing list, he thought to himself.
As he looked around the room, his eyes stopped at the door. Gosh, it's been a long time since I've gotten any fresh air, he thought. He slowly moved towards the door and, with some struggling, managed to open it and walk out.
Light. The bright mid-day's sun momentarily blinded the white pegasus. He had gotten used to the dimmed light that was let in by the blinds covering the windows. After a few moments, his eyes had adjusted to the sun and he started to look around. The cottage was located on the outskirts of Ponyville, directly bordering the Everfree Forest. He knew of the small town because he would stop in whenever he was going to Canterlot for an art show, or just stopped by to sell and trade his art. He knew a couple of ponies here, but not many.
Grafix's vision was pulled to a fallen tower not too far off. He decided to check out the destroyed ruins and started walking in their direction. The tower had fallen in such a way that one of the walls was still intact, almost untouched. He noticed a patch of dirt by the remaining side and a few crushed flowers. He shrugged it off, thinking little of it. Before he could inspect any more of the ruins, however, the unmistakeable sound of clopping hooves made him turn around. There, in what once was a doorway, was Fluttershy, with a face full of astonishment.
"W-what are you doing out of bed? You're a-able to walk already?" She questioned, rushing over to inspect his leg.
"Yes, thanks to you, I don't know h ow I'll even begin to repay you."
"Oh, no. You don't need to repay me. Your legs healing are payment enough." Responded Fluttershy, her smile returning to her face.
"I will find a way, don't worry. Hey, while we're here, what is this place?" inquired Grafix, referring to the remains of the structure.
"Oh, this used to be an old guard tower to keep the monsters of the Everfree out of Ponyville. It was abandoned years ago, and I used the shade it provided for my garden. It collapsed when you ran into it a few months ago." She said the last part with a slight wince.
"So..." Grafix began to once again add two and two, "that patch of dirt, was your garden... And I crushed it. I am so sorry! I promise, I will make this up to you as well! I won't take no for an answer." Determination set in his face, he made a vow to repay Fluttershy for everything she has done for him, and for the crushed garden.
~
Another few hours passed, and still the pegasus artist worked on the wall. He had abandoned his scroll entirely, and was working off of what he had envisioned this piece would look like. Details were extremely important: everything about this piece had to be perfect. As he worked, his mind drifted off to the events that lead up to this point once again...
~
It was a moth after Grafix had bid farewell to Fluttershy and went back to his home in Manehatten, but he never forgot about his promise. Every night, he would think about ways to repay the kind, beautiful made that had saved him and healed his legs. He decided to move into Ponyville, the stress of the big city had gotten to him. He wanted to live in a smaller town, and what better place than that of the pegasus in question?
After purchasing a house in Ponyville and moving all of his belongings from his house in Manehatten (which was no easy feat for one pegasus), he went to visit Fluttershy. Surprised at his sudden appearance, but delighted nonetheless, she let him in and made the two dinner. They talked about what had happened since Grafix left, and Grafix had told Fluttershy that he had moved into Ponyville.
"Really? That's great! I would love to come over to see your home... I mean... If that's okay."
"Of course it's okay. It is the least I could do for the mare that cared for me for so long. How is next Friday?" responded Grafix.
"Oh, on Friday I promised Twilight and Applejack that I'd help with the farm, but I can do Saturday?" she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Sure, that sounds great! You know the way, yes?" said Grafix enthusiastically.
"Yes, I'll be over at around noon," the pale yellow pegasus made said, that same smile from months ago returning.
Saturday arrived quickly, and Grafix was up early preparing a meal and cleaning his house for when Fluttershy came over. His friends had teased him, calling it a date. He had tried to tell them that it was only a friendly thing, but he was beginning to feel unsure himself. Is this a date? I mean - she's the most beautiful mare I've ever met, and she has a great personality, but, does she like me?
The clock bell rang, indicating 12:00. Only moments from being exact, a knock on Grafix's door made him expel all the thoughts from his head and answer the door. As expected, there, looking as beautiful as he had ever seen her, was Fluttershy. She was dressed in the same dress she had worn to the Gala, her hair was done in a way not unlike it always was, but still different.
"I... I... Buh," Stuttered Grafix, fumbling with the words.
"Well," she said with a giggle, "are you going to invite me in, or are we going to stare at each other for hours?"
"Erm, yes. Of course, I'm sorry." he recovered, opening the door wide and stepping aside as to make room for her to walk in. While stepping past him, Grafix could have sworn she tried to brush against him.
After a few hours of talking, Grafix decided to serve the dinner he cooked. Much to his dismay, he realized that the soup he had made was a bit watery, and the sandwiches were a tad soggy. Fluttershy insisted that it was great, and he was just overreacting. After dinner was finished, the moon had already risen into the sky. Grafix quickly put the dishes into the sink and took Fluttershy up to his roof. His house had a third floor, but half of it was open to the night sky. He had laid out a few blankets and a telescope for tonight. He has also paid the local weatherpony, Rainbow Dash, to make sure the skies were clear this particular night.
Grafix invited Fluttershy to lay down and proceeded to lay next to her, their bodies almost touching. After 10 minutes of silence, Fluttershy was the first one to speak up.
"What a beautiful night. I love to just lay out and admire the stars and the night sky. It's just... So vast and beautiful, don't you think?" She turned her head towards his, only to meet two large red eyes staring back at her.
"Not as beautiful as you." He responded after a few moments. At this, Fluttershy blushed deeply, turning her head so her hair would block her face.
"Oh stop, I really am no different than a normal pony," the shy mare responded.
"No, you are more than anypony. You are amazingly generous, not only to ponies, but to any animal that needs help. You're beyond nice, going as far as to house me and heal me for nothing in return. Fluttershy, you are an amazing pony, and I would like nothing more than to be your coltfriend," the words just... came out. Grafix hadn't planned on asking her to date him, he just blurted out the words as they popped into his head.
Fluttershy never looked up. She didn't say a word, she only looked down at her hooves. After a few minutes, Grafix began to think he did something wrong. "Fluttershy, look, I'm sorry. I just-" He was cut off as she suddenly pressed her lips to his. His eyes shot open, but after a few seconds he gently closed them and took her in his arms. Grafix was the first to break the kiss, watching as a single strand of saliva that connected their lips slowly break. Seeing his surprised look, she started to apologize.
"Ohmigosh! I am so sorry! I don't know what came over m-" this time, it was her that was cut off by Grafix's lips. After an hour and many deep kisses later, they simply lay down on the blanket and stared at the sky. She was leaning against him, smiling even wider than ever before. Grafix looked down and kissed her once on the forehead, and together they fell asleep.
~
It was now the crack of dawn. The sun was beginning to rise and Luna's moon was slowly disappearing below the western horizon. Grafix was just finishing his masterpiece, putting the finishing touches on it. When he stepped back to view his handiwork, he revealed a beautiful painted flower garden. He never did forget about his vow to make up for him crushing her garden, even two years later.
Grafix thought about his previous marefriends. How each time nothing but heartbreak and disappointment came out. How he gave his heart to those that would take him for granted. No. he thought, Fluttershy is different. He believed- he hoped she was different. He hoped she wouldn't just abandon him when she got tired of him. No. He knew better. Grafix knew that this time would be different. This time wouldn't just be a bad memory; another brick in the wall.
Shaking the thoughts off, the artist stepped back to admire his masterpiece. Happy with his work, he cleaned up his materials and went to get Fluttershy, revealing a beautiful flower garden perminatley displayed on the stone wall. Upon closer examination of the garden, a hidden message could be seen embedded in the roses. Four simple words, carrying a message deeper than any before them. Four simple words that read: Will you marry me?
-Finish-
Author's note:
Well, there it is. I spent more time on this than I originally planned, but I like how it came out. Feedback is greatly appreciated: I tried to pay close attention to grammar/spelling, pacing, character development, ect...
I would like to thank InternationalTCK for letting me use his OC and JimRaynorHyperion for letting me use his original idea. Couldn't have made this without you two, even though this is dedicated and made for TCK. >.<'
Hope you like it, I enjoyed writing it!
Why does this always happen to me? A depressed pegasus slowly walked down the cobblestone road leading out of Ponyville. It was dark, the sun had already set, and there was a light rain, but he didn't care. It was that damned Rainbow Dash's fault! His expression started to change from sadness to anger. If she hadn't been there, none of this would have happened! Finally noticing his rage, the white pegasus tried to calm himself down; tried to get the thoughts of the past few days out of his head; tried to remember the past, when everything was perfect...
~~
The wedding had gone off without a hitch. Almost all of Ponyville showed up - it wasn't often a couple got married in such a small town - and even some of Grafix's old friends from the city came. After the festivities were over, the newly wed pair went back to Grafix's home and laid out on the porch, just as they had done on their first date. The two often gazed at the night sky from this very location, but that time, it was different. It was the happiest night of the young artist's life - rivaled only by the moment shared in the exact location over two years ago. No words were exchanged for a very long time, until Grafix finally spoke up.
"You know, I wouldn't be able to live without you." he said softly.
"And I can't live without you." answered the pale mare, drifting off to sleep on his side. He looked down and smiled; she was so peaceful when she slept. Everything was perfect.
Fluttershy eventually moved in with Grafix, but kept her cottage as a 'vacation home'. They would sometimes spend days there, leaving the stress of everyday life behind. They often cared for the animals or gardened, two things that Grafix wasn't quite too keen on, but they were together, so he was happy. They would occasionally go to the ruined tower and lay out at night, staring at the stars - both loved the majestic night sky. Everything was perfect.
It was three months after the wedding that Grafix bought a small shop in the marketplace of Ponyville. It was a quaint little place, but in a prime location - ponies wandering through Ponyville would often stop in and buy a piece or two - Grafix's name spread throughout Equestria thanks to the word of the many travelers who frequently wandered into the small town. He was later able to buy a larger shop, and was even able to sell his art all over the land with the aid of traveling merchants. He and Fluttershy were better off than ever. Everything was perfect...
That is, until one day. This very day happened to be only one day prior to Grafix's and Fluttershy's one year anniversary. It was on this day that a certain cyan pegasus, one that Grafix knew only as the local weatherpony and one of Fluttershy's friends, walked through his doors. She began looking around the shop, looking as if to buy something, but never actually pulling anything off the wall. Looking distraught, she went over to the counter and confronted the artist currently cleaning the glass showcases.
"Hey, you the owner here?" She asked Grafix.
"Yes, my name is Grafix, how can I help you?" He responded.
"Oh yeah, you're Fluttershy's husband. What's up? I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in Equestria!" never missing a chance to gloat, "I'm looking for a piece that I can put in my cloud castle, but doesn't take away from my awesomeness, any thoughts?
"Ah yes, miss Dash, Fluttershy talks about you often." He says. "As for the art, I have some more pieces in the back that I was planing on taking out later, why don't you follow me back." He says as he turned around and went into the doorway behind the counter, beckoning for the cyan mare to follow. They entered the storeroom and Rainbow Dash was amazed at the sheer amount of art this one pony puts out.
"I- Uh- Buh- Wow." She stuttered, still trying to take in the massive amount of paintings that lines the walls. "You must have a lot of free time..."
"I like to lay out on the deck with Fluttershy and paint. She enjoys watching me, she says it cheers her up, and I like anything that makes her happy, so naturally I paint often." He explained, taking some of the higher paintings down as to be seen easier. "Of course, I also enjoy panting."
"Wow, Fluttershy is really lucky to have such a nice... caring... artistic... handsome... romantic..." she trailed off. Dash turned to Grafix with half-lidded eyes and began to advance. Grafix, sensing what was happening, began to back up, trying to get as much ground between him and the aroused pegasus.
"H-hey now..." he said, softly. "B-back up there, I'm s-still Flutershy's husband." He backed up all he can - he felt the wall on his flank. As Dash got even closer, he began to feel her breath on his neck.
"Oh, don't worry," she said, almost a whisper into his ear, "She doesn't have to know." With that, the cyan mare tackled Grafix to the ground and pined him to the floor, attacking his mouth with her own. Caught up in the moment, the white stallion let his guard down, not doing anything to either aid or resist the aroused mare on top of him. No. This is wrong, Fluttershy is my wife, not her. He thought. He began to try to push her off, but to no avail.
"Rainbow Dash- mmf -get off!" He tried to say I between the other pony's lips. "Fluttersh- mmm -could come in any second!"
*Gasp*
Both ponies stopped and turned to the doorway, which was now filled with the silhouette of Fluttershy. Tears were falling from her face and an occasional whimper could be heard every so often.
"Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash began
"Fluttershy! Please!" Grafix begged, but it was too late. Fluttershy had already turned around and ran out of the shop. Everyone in the shop watched her run out, looked back into the room, and left the shop themselves, a look of disgust on their faces. Grafix shoved Dash off and began to yell, enraged at the assertive weatherpony.
"DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU JUST DID? NOT ONLY DID YOU JUST MAKE OVER 20 CUSTOMERS LEAVE MY STORE, BUT YOU MADE FLUTTERSHY, MY WIFE AND YOUR BEST FRIEND, GO HOME IN TEARS! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! SHE TRUSTED YOU, AND YOU BETRAYED HER." He screamed. He took a minute to calm down, and finally, in a calm voice, said, "If you weren't a mare you wouldn't still be standing." and took his leave, leaving Dash there, an astonished look on her face left by the outburst.
Grafix rushed home, trying to catch up to Fluttershy, but it was too late. When he got to his house, he saw the door wide open. Upon closer inspection, he found all of Fluttershy's belongings gone without a trace of where she had gone. The only thing she left was a small puddle of tears next to a shattered picture of the pair after their wedding. He went back out, attempting to look for her. As he searched Ponyville, it began to rain, a light drizzle, but smooth and constant. For days he looked, stopping only once a day to eat and, even then, it was only for a minute. After three days of being drenched by the never-ending rain, he decided to give up.
He went back to his home and wrote a hasty note, explaining why he had left and not to look for him. He locked his front door and posted the note to the door. Knowing only his wife had the key, he left a more detailed message on the inside of the door, and with that, he was off.
~~
Should I go back? he thought. He looked back at the town, a dim aura of light surrounding the faraway little village. No. I can't. Living in that house would only make me feel worse, there is only one thing I can do. With that, he turned to the tree line and, with no hesitation, galloped in...
--
"Quick... Somepony get... to a doctor... needs... medicical attention!" Grafix heard a faint voice, but he couldn't see anything, his eyes were closed. He didn't have enough energy to open them and he couldn't concentrate long enough to figure out what the voice was saying. "... waking up... hurry... we have... little time!" There it was again. Desperate to know what was happening, he tried to focus on opening his eyes. Straining himself until his head hurt, he failed to so much as move an eyelid and, exhausted, passed out.
--
-Beep-
-Beep-
-Beep-
For the fourth time in far too little time, he woke up having no idea where he was. This time, however, he seemed to have some memory of how he got there. He remembered the Everfree Forest, then there was a manticore, trying to run, he remembered running into a hydra's swamp- then it went to black. He remembered hearing the voices, seeing white ponies rushing him through a strange building, sounding urgent. He remembered the stress in their voice, the concern.
Snapping out of his trance, he looked around to see where he was. He noticed first the heart monitor he was attached to - the machine that woke him up. He also noticed several large bandages running up his body and on his head. Boy, if I hadn't been in this situation before, I might be scared. Then he remembered. Why he was in the Everfree. Why he was running. Why he wanted to- No. he thought. Don't go there. He focused on his surroundings once again. He seemed to be in a hospital, due to the massive amount of medical tools and machines. As he looked around, a pony walked into the room.
"Hello? Ah! Good, you're up. My name is Nurse Redheart, and Im your personal nurse for the next few days while you recover from your surgery." she said. Surgery? he began to think, but was interrupted. "You are in Ponyville's best medic center, taken here after they found you in the Everfree Forest. Please, if you need anything, just ask." she said, turning around to leave.
"Thank you. Oh, and I would like to know-" he began.
"Oh! I almost forgot, you have a visitor. She says she is family, a pegasus mare named 'Fluttershy'." His ears perked at the name.
"Let her in!" he responded, before she had finished her thought. She nodded and left, returning minutes later with his wife. As Fluttershy walked in, the nurse saw the look in Grafix's eyes and left, closing the door behind the two. Fluttershy took a seat next to the bed, never looking up at the artist. After a few minutes of silence, Grafix began.
"Fluttershy, I'm sorry for all of this, all of the pain I've caused you." he started, words coming from his heart. She looked up, straight at him. He continued, "I'm sorry for kissing Rainbow Dash. I'm sorry for not looking for you longer. I'm sorry for..." he paused. No! This is Fluttershy! I have to say it. "for trying to get myself killed." he said weakly.
She gasped and recoiled in the chair. She never understood why he went into the Everfree, but she didn't expect t to be such a drastic reason. "Why would you want to-"
"When I said I couldn't live without you, I meant it. If you're not by my side, I can't stand to not know where your are. You're all I live for, and I'd rather die than live with knowing I've upset and betrayed your trust."
She was now looking down, tears forming at her eyes. Slowly, she began to respond. "You know, I said I couldn't live w-without you, too. If you had d-died in the forest, I-I wouldn't be able to l-live with myself." she said, very softly. "Rainbow Dash explained e-everything, I know it w-wasn't your fault." She looked up at Grafix, who was looking directly at her.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything. I just want everything that happened in the last few days to be put in the past. To- to just be forgotten. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. For all the pain you've been through. For everything." he finished, exhausted and our of breath, he WAS in the hospital.
For what seemed like hours they stared into each others' eyes. Not moving, not speaking, not doing anything but gazing into the other's eyes. Suddenly, Fluttershy moved. She kissed him. Not just a kiss, but a passionate one, even more so than that of their first night. Grafix's eyes shot open, taken completely by surprise. After a few seconds, he gradually closed them and embraced his significant other. It was moments like these he cherished. He enjoyed the romantic moments, the ones most found boring. Now, embracing Fluttershy, lips locked, all the stress of the real-world seemed to melt away. He smiled, everything was perfect.
