Fallout: Equestria - Blood and Flowers

CHAPTER TWO

The two stayed together, at first only temporarily, but the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. While everyday was almost always a repeat of the last, the two did what they could to pass the time. What was originally friendship became something different, and Violet couldn’t help but look into Bloodshots’ eyes and think, ‘What if we were more than ‘just?’’ But then again, how silly it would be. Nobody really had a happily ever after in a world like this. Besides, cliches never happen in real life.

So Violet stayed quiet, her mouth shut from anything even remotely romantic, and the words that came out of her mouth were as platonic as she could make them; however, she’ll admit, a few hints would slip past her lips every now and then, but she was so focused on what she said that she never noticed how Bloodshot’s attitude towards her changed ever so slightly - accompanied by blushing, more stuttering and the occasional protective stance.

But, secrets can never stay secrets.

Bloodshot learned that Violet played piano. She had learned as a child from her mother, and even surpassed Lavender; however, she was better in piano than singing. The reason the two were so valuable to the Slavers were their combined musical talent, so they had never been separated. Bloodshot played the guitar, an instrument he had learned to play in the confines of Stable 2.

It had been three years since the pair had met. It was the eve of Violet’s eighteenth birthday, and she had gone from pretty filly to an eye-catching, extraordinarily beautiful mare (just like her mother), despite still being a bit small in size and still without her cutie mark (though this was no problem as most ponies were accepting of blank flanks these days). Bloodshot, in turn, was now twenty two, still looking younger than he really was and quite the heart-stealer, albeit not even trying and simply being polite.

Bloodshot wandered home, lugging a large bag of bottle caps, food and salvaged items that could be sold with him. As he entered the house, the soft voice of Violet piped up from behind a piano. “Hey, Bloodshot!”

Yes, the two had a working piano. Within the first week she had stayed, one of New Appleloosa’s resident nurses, a mint green, pegasus mare by the name of Lilac Blossom, had donated the unused piano to Violet. No one else in the town knew how to play piano, and because of such, Violet and Bloodshot often had guests who would come to listen to music. Even better was that, sometimes, they would be paid.

Bloodshot waved to Violet and set down his saddle and bags. Violet jumped down from the piano seat and helped to sort through the findings: 38 bottle caps, a few scraps of metal, a few pre-war bits, 3 boxes of ammo, 2 books, a few robotic parts, a jacket, some (artificial) leather armour, a single set of horseshoes, a teddy bear and a vintage dress.

“The dress is for you - got it cheap from a merchant. If you want, you can also keep the bear,” Bloodshot shrugged.

“Thanks,” Violet smiled, examining the old piece of clothing. It was a dark blue, almost black, with an off-white collar. The dress was a bit large for Violet, but Bloodshot claimed that she’d grow into it eventually. Levitating the two items, she placed them on the lowest shelf.

Bloodshot stored away the armour, the bottle caps and the bullets but kept the other items on the table. He was hoping to sell them the following morning while on his daily travels.

“Oh, and I almost forgot...” Bloodshot started, rummaging through the large bag. He pulled out six light brown seeds and showed them to Violet. “Happy early birthday! I found these in an abandoned building and brought them to Lilac earlier, since she knows a lot about plants and whatnot.”

Violet peered down at the tiny seeds. “What are they?”

“Flowers,” Bloodshot answered. “They’re rare these days, and coincidental enough, they’re called Violets.” He carefully passed the seeds to Violet.

Violet stayed silent for a moment. “Um… What are flowers?”

“Oh, right… You’ve never seen a flower…” Bloodshot scratched the back of his head. “You see, before the war, Equestria wasn’t a wasteland. It had plants.”

“Like trees and bushes?”

Bloodshot nodded. “But flowers are special. They come in all different colours and sizes, and they’re really beautiful. These flowers, Violets, are usually blue and purple.”

Violet wrinkled her muzzle in confusion. “How do they grow?”

“Here,” Bloodshot offered, taking a medium-sized wooden bowl and placing the seeds inside of it before giving the bowl to Violet. “You need to cover them with dirt and give them water every once in awhile.”

“How often do I give it water, and how long will it take to grow?”

“Every other day would be good. Not too much, but not too little. The plants takes only about a week to appear, and, the flowers bloom in about three months.”

Violet slightly tilted her head to the side. “Mmkay.”

** *** * *** **

Within the span of thirty minutes, the seeds were under the right conditions to germinate. Violet was hoping to see the blossoms soon, as she had never seen a flower. For five minutes, she simply sat in front of the bowl, waiting for something to happen, until a chuckling Bloodshot said that if she wanted to wait for a plant to show, she would be sitting in one spot for a week or more.

“Thank you,” Violet muttered a little while after the waiting incident.

Bloodshot, who had already lit a candle for the night, was counting their bottle caps. He turned his head to face her. “Huh? For what?”

Violet looked up at him. “You know, for my birthday gifts. The bear, the dress…” She glanced at the wooden bowl. “The Violets.”

“Oh, no problem.” Bloodshot did his signature warm, kind smile.

Even with the simple response, Violet looked a bit sad. She looked down at the floor. “I’ve lived with you for three years, and all I ever see in you is kindness. I can barely contribute to our lives here, and you’re completely fine with it. Today is my birthday - that I know, but even when there’s no special occasion, you give me things I don’t deserve, and you never ask for anything in return. You kill others, but only to protect those who are innocent. You steal, but only to give those in need what you have taken. This world is so bleak, but somehow, just somehow, you still manage to give me the kindest, most genuine smile that I’ve ever seen.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I guess what I’m asking is ‘How? How do you smile so easily?’”

Violet looked back up to see Bloodshot, frozen still and eyes slightly widened. He relaxed and contemplated his answer for a few seconds. “Because, I was given a life, and I plan to do something with it.”

Violet’s eyes softened, and she laughed softly. “You make it seem so simple.” She stood up, blushing slightly. She believed that it was time to give someone her most special gift - a gift her mother told her to reserve for the one she loved. “It’s my birthday, but for once, let me give you a present.”

A kiss.

It was all too quick. Neither of them could understand what had just happened. It was rough, a bit messy, as Violet had never done such a thing before. Bloodshot was, at first, frozen in surprise. Violet felt nervous but was following what felt like instinct. The world around them seemed to stand still. Nothing else seemed to matter. And, to top it off,

it

just

felt

so

right.

However, the kiss was brief, as Violet pulled away shortly after, too shy, and a little freaked out by her own gut instinct, to continue.

The stallion looked to the side and sighed before smiling. “This is how you kiss.” Confidently, he got up from the chair and walked towards the mare who had retreated to the couch. In a sequence of smooth motions, he took Violet’s cheek in his hoof, tilted his head to the right and pressed his lips onto hers. The kiss was sweet, like the first, and better, but it lasted only a bit longer than the last one. Then came a third, a fourth, a fifth and up until past a dozen. The sweet kisses turned into passionate ones, and the two went beyond the border of ‘just kisses,’ yet the actions weren't out of selfishness.

They were out of love.

Needless to say, the comfort was more than doubled when Violet went to sleep. Not only did the candle provide light, but she slumbered within the gentle grasp of the one she loved.

The one who loved her back.

Sad to say the least, this was the Equestrian Wasteland.

And this was no happy ending.