Another Hearts and Hooves Day
Not again! It can't be tomorrow already! No, there's no way a whole year's gone by already. There's gotta be something wrong. Tether checked the calendar for the fourth time. Sure enough, tomorrow was Hearts and Hooves Day. The olive green earth pony groaned. "Why is it here already?" he begged. "Can't it wait a few more weeks? Months?"
Great. Not only did Tether hate Hearts and Hooves Day, he hated the social stigmas behind it and its conception. Why did there have to be a holiday celebrating those who had a special somepony? (Or in some cases, a few of them...) There was absolutely nothing wrong with NOT having one, and not having one his whole life had saved him countless bits.
Nevertheless, it was a routine he had gotten used to, and he always took it with a block of salt and a blank, expressionless face. It's almost like he... shut down during the holiday.
Tether stepped outside. The wind was blowing strong, sending his rosy red mane flying into his face. Good thing I'm not a unicorn today he smiled to himself. He continued toward his stand at the Ponyville Marketplace, where he sold lengths of rope, and even specialized items, such as ropes and nets that sailors use on their ships, or smaller pieces that attach to banners and flags. The schoolhouse was one of his biggest buyers for those ones.
Selling rope was just a job; it wasn't anything special. His cutie mark was a section of rope tied into a square knot. He knew a square knot required two lengths of rope, but that didn't keep him distracted for very long. What he really loved was helping other ponies with his craft: the sailors, the schoolhouse, and especially those adorable Cutie Mark Crusaders that always brought a smile to his face.
And there they were, rounding the corner, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle with their sisters, and Scootaloo riding her scooter alongside Rainbow Dash. "Good morning, fillies and mares," he said with a smile.
"Mornin', Tether!" Apple Bloom shouted, the edges of her big red bow bouncing.
"Good morning to you too, Tether," Rarity responded. She was wearing a scarf around her head, probably to keep her mane in place. "Beautiful day, despite the wind, don't you think?" I nodded in agreement.
Rainbow Dash gave a little scoff to her friends. "This is nothing compared to the ravine over by Griffonstone. Anyway, while you guys are doin' small talk," she said turning her attention to me, "Can ya watch these three little tykes while we shop around? They've been gettin' a little antsy."
"Sure thing," he replied, and the three little fillies shuffled under the curtain and sat on some boxes he had nearby. "Anything new, Crusaders?"
"We got our cutie marks!" they said in unison.
"Oh yeah, I heard about that," he said, rubbing his chin with a hoof. They had already mashed their rumps together to show him. "They all have the same shield," he observed. "And each one also has something unique to you."
"Yup. And the colors from the shield match our manes," Scootaloo added. Indeed they did.
They told him the story of the class president election, how they had heard Diamond Tiara express her sentiments, how they tried to befriend her, and her surprising development. It was an incredible story, one worthy of retelling in history books (although the Princesses might have the final say on that). They had to pause a few times so Tether could serve his customers, and eventually they just chatted about other things until Scootaloo asked him the question he was hoping they wouldn't think of, today of all days.
"So, tomorrow's Hearts and Hooves Day. Any plans?"
Sweet Celestia, it was everywhere! "No," he replied flatly.
"Not even gotcher eye on somepony?" Apple Bloom asked quietly.
Again, he answered, "No." Then he turned away from them and explained, "There was a time when I was excited for Hearts and Hooves Day, but I was a colt then. Now all I can see is ponies spending dozens of bits, just to try and make somepony happy." He crossed his front legs on the counter. "It's just not my kind of thing."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders sat there quiet, looking at each other. Who knew they could be this silent while awake?
In the bustling marketplace, Sweetie Belle broke the silence in Tether's booth. "Tell us about Hearts and Hooves Day when you were young. You've gotta have a few stories, right?"
Ah, the innocence and/or blissful ignorance of the young. Tether sighed. He hadn't noticed the wind had died down. "I was around your age. Hearts and Hooves Day was something every filly and colt looked forward to in school. The candy, the heart crafts, the general atmosphere that everything was right in the world. I was interested in a filly named Firestar; her coat was a bright yellow, her mane was orange with a red streak, and she had the most gorgeous blue eyes I'd ever seen."
He could sense that the little fillies were listening intently from the edge of the crates. "She and I used to hang out all the time before I bucked everything up." He heard a gasp, which broke him out of his near-trance. He had forgotten he was speaking to fillies. "Sorry, I messed everything up. I went up and asked her if she wanted to go on a date with me."
"How did you mess up?"
"Did she say yes?"
"Did she say no?"
Tether laughed. "Easy, girls. She said yes. We went to the sweets shop. Sugarcube Corner didn't exist yet," he explained. He didn't know if he could hold himself together long enough to tell the rest of the story, so he ended it short. "Look, I said and did some pretty stupid things, and she left. Every time I tried to approach her after that, she went away from me." Tether paused. A few other ponies had gathered around the booth to hear the story. They began to scatter once he looked up. "I haven't seen or heard from her since we were foals."
"Is she..." began Sweetie Belle.
"I have no idea."
"Isn't there anypony else you've met?"
Damn, these girls were nosy. "No!" He shouted. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash must have heard, because they now came near to take the fillies away. "That was the last Hearts and Hooves Day I ever celebrated," he said softly.
Tether closed up shop early and went home. He closed the door, turned off all the lights, started a fire in the hearth, and cracked open a bottle of scotch. He didn't bother grabbing a glass, he just drank from the bottle. They're just curious kids. They didn't know it kills you to even think about it. He took another swig of the liquor as he sat in his chair.
"Tomorrow's just another day," he mumbled to himself.
<>--<>--<>--<>--<>
Tether sluggishly opened his eyes. Another day, he told himself. It's just another day.
Reluctantly he got up from his chair and put the bottle of scotch back on the shelf. Then he heard a knock on his door. A knock? He wasn't expecting anypony, and other than some of the customers at the marketplace, he had no friends or family. He walked up and opened the door.
Of course it was the Crusaders. But why were they here?
"How did you find out where I lived?"
"It took all afternoon yesterday just ta find somepony who knew you," said Apple Bloom. "We found yer house last night, but all th' lights were off."
"We thought you'd gone to sleep," added Scootaloo.
Close enough. "Listen girls, I told you why I don't like Hearts and Hooves Day. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone today." He started to close the door.
"Wait!" Sweetie Belle squeaked as the three put their hooves in the doorjamb.
He sighed. "What?"
"Let's say Firestar was around right now," Scootaloo said. "Is there anyone you'd wanna tell her? Or anything you'd want her to tell you?"
Tether stood silent at the door for another moment. "There's nothing more to say," he said, and he closed the door and locked it. He returned to his living room and pulled a book off the shelf. He sat back down in his chair and opened it, revealing letters he had written for Firestar, but hadn't sent them because he didn't know where to send them, and a part of him didn't want to send them if he did know.
Happy birthday, Tether.
I stood patiently around the corner, sweeping a chunk of my orange mane out of my face as the three little fillies walked up to Tether's door. The earth pony with the bow knocked on his door. They waited a moment until Tether opened it. He looked confused.
"How did you find out where I lived?"
"It took all afternoon yesterday just ta find somepony who knew you. We found yer house last night, but all th' lights were off."
"We thought you'd gone to sleep."
"Listen girls, I told you why I don't like Hearts and Hooves Day. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone today." He started to close the door.
"Wait!" The little unicorn squeaked as the three put their hooves in the doorjamb.
He sighed. "What?"
"Let's say Firestar was around right now," the purple-maned pegasus said. "Is there anyone you'd wanna tell her? Or anything you'd want her to tell you?"
Tether stood silent at the door for another moment. "There's nothing more to say," he said, and he closed the door and locked it. The three fillies returned to where I stood, their faces downtrodden.
"Sorry, Firestar," they said. I nodded, and they left. I stayed around for a little while, but I noticed from the corner of my eye, Tether had opened a book. What was in it? Papers? I moved around his house to try and see what he was looking at.
My sweet Firestar.......sorry...........didn't know.................regrets........never see these letters......miss you.....my love.
Sweet Firestar? Regrets? His love?
Oh Celestia, what did I do to him?
I couldn't hold them back anymore. My eyes filled with tears and I fell to the ground sobbing.
