A New Life

I woke up and looked at the clock. It was six in the morning and not a sound to be heard. I walked over to the room and looked inside. They were still asleep so I closed the door and went downstairs. Through the front window I noticed the mail pony put something in the mailbox. After about a few seconds, I went outside to see what I got. There were two letters in there. I saw the first one was from my parents and the second one was from-  Lime?! I didn't expect her to write to me so quickly. I ripped it open to see what it said.

Dear Nutmeg,

I noticed you left without saying goodbye to your little sis. I realize I wasn't there but you couldn't wait? Anyways, you should have gotten two big crates. If so, you must realize that it was me who sent them there. In regards to that, it was both Cinnamon and Blossom's idea to get there. I wanted to respect their intentions and help them however I can. I have a feeling that you wouldn’t want them there. If they both agree, I will send somepony over there to get them. I hope everything is well. Love you big brother.

Signed, Lime.

So it was her... I had a strong feeling it was but still... I'm just glad she finally responded. Unfortunately, she didn’t give me a clearcut answer to get a straight answer so... I realize that even if she says that, there's a very strong chance they won't leave on their own... As I looked at the paper over and over again, I realize there was more to this than meets the eye. As I walked back upstairs, I smelled something really good. I looked around to find the source and saw that they were both up and made breakfast. Cinnamon ate her food as fast the eye can see while Blossom hadn't even sat down yet.

"Soooo good!" Cinnamon said, cheerfully.

"Cinnamon, you got some egg on your cheek." Blossom said, cleaning it off.

I noticed another plate that had some eggs as well.

"I would ask when you got food but... thanks is in order so... thanks." I said with a smile.

I took my time to eat it. After about two minutes, the plate was empty. I wiped off the mess on my face and asked,

"So, what do you two have planned for today?"

"Is it not fun having us around? Is that why you're pushing us away?" Cinnamon asked, "Being here with you two is a lot of fun, you know? With you, it's always a fun day!" She said, smiling.

"It's not that... Ah, stop deliberately misleading me with words." I said.

There was no getting through with miss happy-go-lucky and monotone mare here. I took the opportunity to grab Cinnamon's plate and cleaned up. Cinnamon's eat habits were pretty crazy while Blossom tends to be patent with her food. In the end, It's pretty straightforward with them. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get everything done yesterday so today, I really got to opening the bakery or I will fall even more behind. I can't relax and play games forever... I turned my attraction back to them and knew I had to be serious.

"I don't have time to joke around so I'll get a cab for the two of you." I said, seriously.

"So it's true... We are causing you problems..." She said, sadly.

It's just like yesterday she said it in the same tone of voice.

"It's not that but..." I said, trying to be nice.

I knew that if I didn't stand my ground, they would only get sucked in.

"It is a problem." I told her.

It was a lie but I didn't want them to be stuck doing nothing. Despite my best intentions, I knew it would hurt.

"I see... So that's how it is then..." She said, even sadder than before.

My heart hurt even more know that not only am I pushing my two closest friends away but failing to do so without heartache.

"Cinnamon..." Blossom said, with a sad voice.

Unable to make this any brighter, Blossom could only look on with concern. After a few seconds of silence, Cinnamon walked out of the room and Blossom followed. I knew there was nothing I could say that would fix this... I just wanted them to be happy on their own and do their own thing. I didn't want them to be sad but unfortunately, it didn't work... The pain from  last night came back and I felt a hole in my stomach... I pushed my chair up as my emotions dulled, unhampered by my judgment. All of a sudden, I heard steps coming near me. I turned around and saw it was Cinnamon.

"I... No, Blossom and I want to be with you." She said still sadden.

Despite her usually cheerful self, she looked at me with serious eyes and I could tell she wasn't joking. She was speaking clearly under her own desire.

"I also wish for the same thing. I don't wish for us to be apart." Blossom said, clearly.

Her usual emotionless expression didn't break but I could tell that she also desired the same thing. I can't remember the last time they were this persistent about something. I remembered Cinnamon's expression and body language from the night before. Maybe this is what she was worried about? If I had known they felt this strongly about it, I wouldn't have tried to push them away.

"That..." I whispered.

Just then, I heard the door open downstairs. I along with Cinnamon and Blossom went downstairs. I saw that it was some mare I didn't recognize. She had boxes behind her.

"Is this Nutmeg's residence?" The mare asked looking at her clipboard.

"It is." I replied.

"I'm here to deliver the tea and bread maker you ordered. If everything is in order, could you please sign this?" She asked.

I nodded and looked at the boxes. I noticed that they looked different then what I order.

"These look different than what I ordered." I told her.

"Is that so? Are you implying that these aren't the right items?" She asked.

I shook my head and replied,"No, everything is accounted for but..."

I looked at the boxes piled around the store. There was way more then what I order. I don't think I can put everything away here...

"As you can see, there are too many tableware inside the place as it is..." I said.

"My seniority apologizes. I'll check the list again. Can you wait a few minutes?" She asked.

I nodded and she looked at the list once more. After about a few minutes, she sighed and said,"Sorry for the confusion. It appears I added more than what you needed. If it's possible, could you hold on to this until we get somepony down here to take care of the rest?"

I nodded and took the receipt. This is cluttering up the space but how do I go about it? On top of that, looking at the receipt, I can see they contained expensive tea sets and amongst other things. Even if I did take it all, it was much more then I needed right now.

"I suppose there's still stuff that I need to do to advance the opening, so I guess it's a blessing.

However, it will take quite a while before I can sort everything out." I told her.

"I don't mind helping out to make up for the mix up." She said, voluntarily.

"It's alright. You have to maintain your job and I rather not hold you back because of it." I said, insuring her.

Judging from the look of it, it might take me the whole day. Besides, redelivering it all would take much longer than needed... I spotted Cinnamon and Blossom from the corner of my eye staring at me.

"Looks as if I have a lifeline!" I yelled.

They were alarmed by my shouting but they knew what I meant. They started to help put everything away. After about half a day, the store no longer had a storage problem.

"Thank you for the help." The mare said with a smile.

As she said that, she left. Ah, my back ached... and to think I would do that all by myself was a smart idea... I looked over to the organized tableware and sat down on one of the chairs. I noticed Cinnamon doing something in the background although, I couldn't tell what. I laid my head down and after about a minute, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Nutmeg, here's some cold tea. I hope you enjoy it~!" She said, winking at me.

"Thanks." I said with a smile.

I slowly drank the tea and loved every bit of it. I'm just glad the light material showed up. Now I really had to get ready to open up shop. I know I said I needed to do this on my own but... She was staring at me once again and I could tell she wanted to be praised. She had a wide smile and looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

"Thanks. It was really sweet." I said.

She cheered and I realized that maybe I was the blind one... It's because of Cinnamon and Blossom that i was able to finish this at all.

"So I was helpful, right? Right?! It can be difficult to do everything yourself, after all." She said inching closer.

"It is. There is no shame in asking for help. If not for us, I can imagine you would be stressed from all of this." Blossom said, calmly.

They were practically inches from my face.

"You two are getting a bit close don't you think...?" I asked, concerned.

It seems my words fell on deaf ears since they continued to lean forward. They do have a point though... If not for them, I wouldn't have gotten this much done.

"While you two have a point, I left home to not drag anypony else down. Surely, you two have your own dreams and ideas for the world. I don't want you guys to have to constantly be asked to do a lot, ok?" I said to them.

And with that, they slowly backed up without their smiles by my response.

"I... see. I guess it's no use, huh...?" Cinnamon asked.

The eagerness and passion she was showing before had completely dissolve into sadness. She sighed deeply and looked at me discouraged.

“I'll go clean up and be out of your way shortly..." She said walking away.

Still dispirited, she stumbled upstairs. I knew what I said was heartless but I knew in the end, they will understand. She isn't dumb. I knew she was going out of her way to help me with that cheerful like actions. This was something I couldn't change my mind about. She can use that energy of hers to help everypony else even though she cared deeply for me. I noticed Blossom hadn't moved nor spoken during the whole thing. I look at her and while she keep her calm demeanor, I could easily tell she disapproved of my answer.

"Are we that much of a bother that we are here? Are we useless in your eyes...?" She asked.

She spoke in even a smaller shy like voice than her usual means of speaking. She had tilted her head as she asked that question. I felt like the scum of Equestria history to be able to break even her. I thought long and hard about what she asked. After about a minute, I spoke.

"...You two aren't bad by any stretch of the word. It's not that your useless or not helpful. Your the opposite of that. It's for that reason that you should live your dream without me holding you or Cinnamon back. You two have so much to offer the world. Cinnamon for her happy-go-lucky attitude and loveable personality. She can help people in ways she doesn't realize. As for you, you are the calmest mare I know. You could easily think of any situation and help everyone without any trouble. I'm jealous that you two can do so much and... to tell you the truth, it's because of you two that I want to try everything by myself. I want to be useful to the world and not hold on to everypony's hoof..." I said, holding back my sadness.

"Hmm?" She asked staring at me.

I felt her stare piercing through me. Almost like she was trying to read my heart. She continued to stare at me for about three more minutes until she broke the silence with a sympathetic voice.

"...I understand what your say. However, we do not see you as a lecher. Your actions have also help us see what we are and it is for that reason that you are the best friend we could ask for. There is no reason to think you amount to nothing. In a way, it is because of you that Cinnamon is always happy. She's tried her best to be happy even after she lost her father. You are the reason she tries her hardest to help you. You are selfless and put everypony else's feelings far above your own. I hope that you will see that."

"Blossom..." I said.

"I will check on Cinnamon." She said walking away.

And with that, she went upstairs. The small but noticeable hoof steps were far way and before I know it, I could no longer hear them. They don't see me as a lecher...? I never thought I made a difference to them. I re-thought of what she said... Now that I think about it, it is illogical for me to think like that, isn't it? Maybe I've been to hard on myself. I think I'm beginning to understand what she really meant. I had a bitter smile across my face and an idea came across my mind.  I went upstairs and saw Cinnamon crying with Blossom conferring her. I walked slowly to them.

“...Why don't we go out to eat?" I asked, hesitating.

They didn't respond but didn't object either. I looked outside and saw it was close to nighttime so it was now or never. Cinnamon wiped the tears off her face and walked with me. Blossom looked at me but didn't say anything. As we go out the store, I lock up behind us and we went to the park to see if the mare from before was there.

"It appears that she's not here today." Blossom said, looking around.

Despite that, we continued to walk around the park. I looked over to Cinnamon and she didn't seem to be happy or sad. Suddenly, she spoke.

"Huh? Oh, Sorry, Blossom. I was just thinking." She said, putting on a smile.

"You look a bit tired. Let's rest for a minute." I said.

Blossom shook her head and said,

"I wish to look around some more."

She gave me a wink witch at first, I didn't get but after thinking about it, maybe it had to do with Cinnamon. I nodded and she went ahead. I sat down along with Cinnamon. She was silent and had her head down which made it difficult to tell if she was sad or not. I felt the breeze rush past us and hardly a pony in sight. You could really listen to the grass rustle.  I moved slightly closer to her and I could tell she was discouraged. I can't blame her. After all, it is my fault for making her feel like this.

I noticed the sun slowly setting down.

"I... will go back home" She whispered.

Though it was quiet, I could barely hear her but she spoke clearly. Without saying anything, I caressed her back trying to calm her down.

"Will it be alright if I send you mail once in awhile...?" She asked.

I nodded.

"...Would it be alright if I come visit you from time to time?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Do... Do you promise to think about us everyday...? Even if I am away from you... Nopony will replace me as...? " She asked, tearing up.

Her voice was starting to shake. I wiped away her tears but I didn't know what to say. Every time I do, I just make it worse. She was stiffing her cries and looked to be in pain as she did her best to hold her emotions. I tried to think of something, anything to let her know that everything would be fine. I couldn't say anything more than the obvious.

"... Of course I will" I said.

As I said that, she broke down and cried on my shoulder. I held her close and could her tears on my shoulder. She muffled and said,

"I'm sorry..."

I was angry at myself for not being able to say anything. I felt empty… No, that's an understatement but I could only offer her compassion that is impossible to put into words. She looked up at me with tears still in her eyes.

"You really are kind, aren't you...?" She asked, still holding back her emotions.

"I don't see myself as kind right now..." I whispered.

She smiled as I said that.

"You've said that before..." She giggled.

I have...? She closed her eyes and enjoyed the embrace.

"Do you remember? Back when we were young? You comfort me when my father died..." She said.

I remember that. It's difficult to not remember... It was raining and everypony had gathered around to say  their condolences. She was crying and Blossom was there holding her hoof. I went up to her and hugged her letting her know that everything would be ok.  She smiled somewhat and it was then we became friends. There's was no way I can simply forget that important day. At first, it wasn't easy since we were so different  but in a way, that's what makes our bond so much stronger. We accepted our differences and powered through them.

"I would be lying if I didn't say it was strange at first but with your happy personality and her quiet but helpful advice, we became closer." I told her.

"I was scared back then that I wouldn't get over my father's death but because of you, your selfless actions and words, I was able to smile again and I can't never thank you enough..." She said.

As we kept talking, I started to hear a bit of happiness in her voice come back.

"Do you remember when I had a fever, you came over and watched over me when nopony else could...?" She asked.

"Yea... I remember that." I replied.

She couldn't eat at all and only a few times where she could drink water. I remember growing worried as she kept getting sicker and sicker by the hour and because she was drenched from the rain earlier that day which made her even weaker. Blossom was also sick but it wasn't as severe. Cinnamon would muffle her cries of pain.

"I tried my best to hide it but I was scared, hungry and in pain. I did it so I wouldn't make you worry but despite what I told you, you stayed by my side. I had a hard time speaking and could hardly move at all. If you hadn't been here taking care of me... Who knows what would have happened? Your words... I will never forget them. You said, 'It's alright. I'm here with you. I will not leave your side.'. You kept saying it over and over while making sure that I was ok.  Hardly sleeping, never left us even when we were asleep, and continued to comfort me... When morning came, you took me to the hospital and even though the nurses said you couldn't be in there, your stubbornness eventually won over. Once you climbed up to my window, you said the same thing. You didn't think you were being kind. It's thanks to you that I got better. It's because of you that I never feel alone. In a way, it's because of fate that we meet and became the best of friends. From that day onward, I tried to do everything I can to help you succeed. Even if that means giving up my dreams. I... fell in love with you. With your kindness, selfless and willing to sacrifice everything to make sure we were ok. So please, don't ever think you aren't worth helping or being round. Ok?" She said with her eyes filled up with tears.

I felt her anxiety, misery, and optimism. I could feel her glowing energy before me.

"That is why when I heard you were leaving... I decided that I didn't want anything else but to help you succeed. I asked Lime to help us get there and see agreed..." She said with the faintest of smile.

Her words were gentle and warm but... I felt sadness and emptiness that were beyond my account.

"Cinnamon..." I said, trying to speak.

I never knew she and Blossom felt this way about me. I though by pushing them away, I only intended to save them the pain if something happened to me. But, I was so blind to not realize their true intent and feelings. I was a fool...

"I may not be very smart or great with everything but... even then, I only wish to be you and help out anyway I can. I don't understand it myself but... I can just tell whenever you're sad or in distress. I want to be there even if it means doing the impossible, I want to make sure you stay happy. Even if I can't fix the problem, I will make sure I continue to do my best until you are satisfied." Cinnamon wiped away her tears.

I was speechless... there is nothing I can say that will fix the damage I've done. Even after I tried to push her away, she still wanted to help...

"If I may, can I ask for one more favor...?" She asked.

I nodded.

"I wish for us to stay by your side... If you say no this time... we will leave without a fight." She said.

I knew that we were friends but I didn't know the extent of how much I meant to them. How I could be so blind to miss this, I don't know. I was on the verge of tears as she said that. My inner thought were about to overflow and consume me. I honestly yearned for that. For me to honestly believe I couldn't amount too much without them... there's no way I can say no now. That day, Those two became the most important things in my life next to my parents. When they are with me or vise versa, the days are luminous and delightful. I was selfish to leave home without thinking how they felt about it. I didn't want them nor my family to get wrapped up in my selfishness and have them deal with any unneeded hardship. I thought I was being selfless by not dragging them with me but it appears that I was wrong. They are important to me, after all-

"It is as Cinnamon said, we only want to see you succeed and are willing to help in anyway we can." Blossom said, suddenly appearing.

My inner struggling was stopped by Blossom. I was so occupied with my own thoughts, I hadn't noticed her return and she looked right at me as she sat down.

"Even if what we do isn't fun, I am fine as long as I'm with you two. Hardship or otherwise, I will push forward with you two being by my side. When we are not together, we suffer from solitude and that isn't a good feeling..." She said, showing a tear.

Blossom...

"With all we have been though, even if it's burdensome or difficult, I want to be here to support you and Cinnamon. Our happiness isn't not as important as yours. Do you see our point now? You went out of your way to help us even when it was difficult. That's all the more reason to be by your side. We may not have everything, but in tough times, we can support each other though it. That we can do." She compassionately said.

Her soft and  compassionate nature was like the setting sun. A pleasant and smooth smile. A surprising revelation from Blossom were really pricing my heart.

"Lime herself understood our motive. That is why she helped us." She said without any hesitation.

Those genuine words went right through me. What right do I have to decide their happiness? That though was the only thing I realize above all else. Those words continued to echo through me.

"A worry free life is nothing without somepony to share it with. It wouldn't be the same without you as I'm sure you feel the same way. No matter what happens, we will always be by your side. So please, allow us to be with you." Cinnamon said hugging me. "This is where I want to be.”

She was on the verge of crying but despite that, she smiled. It was nothing but pure , absolute words.

"You're right... there are no reasons in the world I can say no to you... to say no now, would only mean I'm being selfish." I said.

"So, does that mean...?" She asked.

"Yes, you can stay but just know, it wouldn't be like back home. We got to do our best and not get carried away, got it?" I asked.

"Yes~! I will be on my best behavior!" She said, cheerfully.

"It seems he finally understood." Blossom said with a smile.

The teary saga seems to be over by their smiles. Maybe I just didn't hold much faith in myself to believe they held this much compassion for me. Seeing in from their point of view, it's a simple but meaningful motive. It looks like I still have a lot of growing up to do... and with them, I can do it. When it came to honest, these mares know what to say.

"From this point onward, let's do our best. Together." I said, happily.

"Yes~!" Cinnamon said cheerfully.

"No problem." Blossom said with a smile.

Even if I don't know what the future holds for us, I can assure that it will be a fun one. I am certain of that. I looked up and saw that it was nighttime.

"Let's head to the store before going home." I said.

"Huh? Did we go shopping already?" Cinnamon asked.

"I think you guys deserve a reward for all your help." I said.

"Oh, He's treating us." Blossom said with aw.

"Yay~! We are having sweets for dinner!" Cinnamon said flying around.

"Nutmeg is so loving... As expected from him." Blossom said with a smile.

"Just for today, ok?" I said.

Together with our high spirits, I felt we can do anything. This was the beginning to a golden but beautiful new life and a step forward. After getting the cake, we headed home. I was tired from everything that happen despite not much physical activity happening. I unlocked the door and we went upstairs. We set the table up and as we finished that, I told them to go ahead and eat without me.

I went to the couch and closed my eyes.

I'm glad that they showed me the error of my ways…

“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”

-Bruce Lee