The Force of Nature and The Element of Kindness

-Ponyville-

The Force of Nature exhaled deeply, his gaze shifting to Princess Luna's full moon as he re-positioned himself on the hillside. His mind swirled around what Xenilla had said to him about being irresponsible and reckless while fighting the male MUTO before his thoughts transitioned to the parasitic beasts in question. Painful memories of his mother and father dying to the claws of a MUTO pack, watching them die right before his eyes, welled them with tears.

"I'm sorry, Mom and Dad," the deep green kirin whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as tears ran off of his cheeks. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

To make matters worse, his love for the first being he met upon Equestria, the Element of Compassion, Fluttershy, held him under its wing... Its feathery, yellow wing. She had cared for Lucky, protected him (or at least tried), and comforted him after he stormed from the courthouse after his outburst days earlier. And it didn't help that whenever he tried to bring it up to somepony, the words he wanted to say just stuck to the roof of his mouth. It even happened when he tried telling Mothra, the most understanding being that the kaiju had the courage to talk to.

It was then that the light beat of wings rang in Lucky's ears, a swift wave of panic washing over the kirin at the realization that he had been crying. The stallion quickly wiped the tears from his cheeks, making his best attempt at acting as if nothing was wrong.

"Hello," the massive stallion heard, freezing every muscle in his body as if struck by Kiryu's Absolute Zero weapon used to freeze monsters. Fluttershy elegantly acquainted her hooves to the soft hill grass underhoof, walking up to Lucky's left side.

The kirin choked down a breath of air, trying desperately to think of something to say. Finally, a jittery response exited his throat. "H-hello," he stammered, turning his head away from her to hide the fact that he had been crying.

The yellow Pegasus tried a new approach to the situation, shifting her gaze to the moon. "Would you look at that moon! Princess Luna really outdid herself this time, wouldn't you agree?" she asked with a soft smile.

He didn't answer.

A worrisome frown crossed Fluttershy's delicate face. Standing up, the Element of Compassion circled around to Lucky's front side and let herself fall to her haunches, gazing up at his partially scarred face. His cheeks were tinged scarlet, the glimmer of the moon revealing them to be wet. His ears were also laid back, brows furrowed with visible sadness. Something wasn't right about his demeanor. Lucky was normally serious or emotionless. This was the exact opposite of emotionless.

"I'm fine, it's nothing," Lucky explained, noticing the worry across her face.

If there was anything that Fluttershy had learned from inter-dimensional beings, it was that there was always something. A miracle, it would be, for that nothing to be an honest answer.

The Element of Kindness lifted a delicate hoof to his cheek, feeling the wetness that she was sure to be tears... His muscles became stiff and reluctant to do anything more than allow his breath. "You kaiju think that you're so big and tough... But truthfully... You're nothing but a big softie in need of somepony to love," Fluttershy murmured, peering into his amber and yellow eyes and gently wiping tears from his face.

Lucky's vision blurred and eyes watered before he finally loosened his muscles some, allowing himself to speak. "I was little when those things came and killed my family," he whispered, a droplet of water dripping off of his chin. "I was the only to survive them that day." The kirin stallion rubbed his eye with the palm of his clawed foot. "And then... I get sucked into this world of magic ponies and meet you," Lucky said, quiet sobs vaguely audible in his voice. "But no monster deserves you."

Fluttershy was both touched and heartbroken by the kaiju-convert's words, almost finding herself crying. "Lucky, you're not a monster," she protested softly, taking one of his clawed feet into her hoof.

"Most would disagree. The only reason I'm accepted among your kind here is because I look like one of you... And even then your species shoots me a skeptical glance," the stallion replied.

"Bud, you can't keep beating yourself up over something like this. It is not your problem to deal with... It's theirs. If they can't see the gentle, sensitive pony that I see than the heck with them!" Fluttershy lectured, jumping into the air and placing a hoof against his chin. Her voice was firm, yet soft, and to some extent, even comforting or calming. Almost motherly... "Besides, it doesn't matter to me what they think... I still love you all the same," she cooed, her voice softening as she spoke the words.

Lucky cocked an ear and gazed into her teal eyes, his pupils dilating. "You... you do?" he said quizzically, lifting the corner of his mouth slightly.

Fluttershy nodded, blushing as Lucky lifted and gentle claw to her cheek and scooted forward, positioning the other around her delicately curved waist.

The Pegasus mare's wings skipped a beat at the contact.

It was at this moment of embrace that Fluttershy did something that laughed into the face of her shy reputation, defying everything her friends thought that they knew about her. The Element of Compassion's eyelids dropped as she slowly leaned forward, placing a gentle hoof to his shoulder, and locked her lips with Lucky's, wing beats slowing slightly.

The stallion's muscles momentarily contracted before falling loose, his shoulders sagging and eyes slowly hidden by his scaled lids. Lucky's tail wagged slightly as he graciously returned the gesture, pulling Fluttershy into his arms with a hoof around her neck.

The steady set of wing beats had gone all but unnoticed to the two as they kissed.

Rodan gazed up at the scene, a smile visible across his beaked muzzle. "Congrats, Lucky... You finally found something worth chasing across the ocean," the kaiju gryphon whispered. With that, her turned around, spread his wings, and returned to the air.

Fluttershy gently pulled her lips from the kaiju kirin, smiling warmly as she turned and set herself down on his lap, her soft, feathery wings pressed up against his chest. The Element of Compassion craned her head up and around with a sheepish smile, lifting her hoof and tickling the stubble of his chin before kissing Lucky's cheek, feeling the stallion compassionately put his arms around her waist.

"I hope you liked that," Fluttershy sighed, staring into his eyes. The normal slit, snake-like-pupils dilated, giving him a less reptilian and almost intelligent appearance.

The Force of Nature nodded. "I didn't think making out with an equine would actually be enjoyable," he murmured, giving her a light squeeze.

"I'm glad you found it so," the Pegasus mare acknowledged, her eyelids dropping slightly, joining her head and wings.

"I love you... my little Flutter," Lucky whispered with a soft smile as she nuzzled her head under his chin and slipped into a sound sleep. A joyful tear-not sad, ran off of his cheek.

The stallion gently stroked her downy feathers as she slept, attempting in vain to keep his own eyes open as he gazed at the moon, looking up at the surrounding stars. "Thanks, Dad," Lucky whispered as he slowly fell asleep, the feeling of Fluttershy's soft lips still fresh against his. Memories of the happy moments he surprisingly still possessed of his parents danced in the forefront of his mind as he slumbered... his first love lightly snoring in his lap.