A Chance Encounter with Death

Blinking, I awoke in the darkness. I shook my head, getting my bearings. The sweet smell of strawberries lingered in my nose, and my cheek tingled. A memory brushed against me, a kiss on my cheek goodbye, and a promise.

'This is our little secret, promise?'

'I promise!!'

Smiling, I threw myself back into my bed. This was the best day ever!

Unfortunately, I had to go back to reality, and compared to death's realm, reality was so boring. Every day I would go to school, rush back home and check my windowsill, and every day, it was bare. Mom saw me a few times, and asked me if I was looking for bugs or something.

Bugs were boring. All I could think about was Death, and the way he made me feel. That warm fire in my special place that flared up when I remembered his smell. His strong hooves around me. It felt like a dream, more and more so as the days passed.

Summer turned to autumn. The running of the leaves came and went. Dad still hadn't come back. My windowsill was still bare. Soon I wasn't rushing home any more, I just walked slowly, trying to remember how Death had made me feel.

Mom had noticed, too.

'You seem sad, my little Inkblot, what is bothering you?” she would always ask sweetly, but I would just shake my head, and go do my homework.

One particularly cold day, I trudged upstairs. I threw my bag into the corner of the room, and got out my colouring book, I didn't even bother to glance at the window. Picking up a crayon, I coloured without even thinking about it, allowing my mind to wander.

Perhaps he had forgotten me. Or perhaps he didn't like me any more. I shouldn't be surprised. He was an inter-dimensional being, and I was a stupid, boring filly who had to wear a bell.

I looked down, blinking with surprise. Without even thinking about it, I had coloured in Princess Celestia with a bright green mane. Tears prickled my eyes, and I started sniffling. Then I heard it. A tiny scrape against my window.

I scrambled out of the chair, scattering papers everywhere in my hurry.

Pleasepleaseplease! I shoved my curtains open, and there it was. The most beautiful white rose I had ever seen. I grabbed it and slammed the window shut.

Throwing myself on my bed, I buried my face in that beautiful flower, inhaling its scent deeply. Once again that strange throb was back in my special place, but I didn’t have time to figure that out. A small heart shaped candy fell out of the centre of the rose, rolling across my bed. I pounced upon it with glee, he did remember me!!

Straight away I began sucking on the piece of candy, eagerly waiting for the effects.

When the drowsiness came, I mentally hurled myself at it, this couldn’t come fast enough!

Small nuzzles woke me from my slumber. I yawned, slowly pushing myself up. Sure enough, Death was there, smiling at me! Laughing with joy in my mind, I threw myself onto him and embraced him hard. He returned the hug, before kissing my forehead again.

'Hi.' his voice like chocolate, I nearly cried with relief at hearing it.

'I thought you had forgotten me!'

Death chuckled, and nudged me with his flank.'I hadn’t. I checked in on you every single day. I’m sorry its been so long, autumn is a time of death for the land. We death ponies are very busy now.'

'Oh! That makes so much sense!' I suddenly felt very silly for doubting him.

'So, my little one, want to see something truly special?' Death asked, rising to his hooves.

'Yes please!' I practically bounced around in circles jumping for joy.

'I thought you might. Wait here.'

Death trotted off, fading away into nothingness. I tapped my hooves against the ground, too excited to stand still.

Death faded back into view, something floating before him. He knelt down in front of me, and at last I could see what it was. It was a tiny flower, opening and shutting over and over again.

'its so beautiful.' I breathed. Death smiled, and threw the flower upwards. It exploded in the air, arcing into sparks which sat on the roof like stars.

I couldn't take my eyes off it.

'You're very special to me, Inky. Its why I wanted to share this with you.'

I settled against Death, still watching the twinkles. Breathing in his smell, I felt my eyelids get heavy. In the back of my mind, I swear I heard 'If only you felt the same...'

My heart was thundering as I woke up.

'Death? Death??” I thought at the room, but it was my room. I was back. Flopping back down onto the bed, I thought back to the twinkling petals Death had shown me. He made me feel so good, and so tingly. It was such a strange feeling, like my body was made of fizzy sherbet.

Almost without my knowledge, my hoof tucked itself in between my hind legs, stroking that secret part of me that ached so when I thought of him.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

I carefully wrote my question down, and presented it to Mom at breakfast.

'What is the feeling when a pony makes another pony all hot, with their heart beating hard?'

Mom looked at the question, then looked at me with a smile.

'Is there somepony at your school who makes you feel this way?'

I shook my head, scrubbing out my question for the reply.

'Asking for a friend.'

Mom just smiled knowingly at me.

'Well, Inkblot, that feeling is called love. Its what ponies feel for their very special somepony.'

Scrub scrub.

'Like you and Dad?'

'Yeah...' Mom trailed off, looking wistful. 'Just like that.'

Love. Was I in love?

How?

What kind of love I was feeling? Did Death feel the same? Should I tell him? What if he never wanted to see me again?

What if he hated me?

My mind raced with all these questions and more.

Mom looked back to me. 'Tell your friend that if she feels this way about someone, she should tell them right away. Because she might find out the other pony loves her too.

Scrub scrub.

'What if they don't?'

'Then you keep them as a friend.' With that, Mom shooed me out the door for school.