------Fluttershy------
Slowly, feeling crept back into my body, sharp pain enveloping my heart as I felt it return to its normal tempo. The warmth of feeling flooded forth from my heart, wrapping me in a cocoon of comfortable heat. As my mind defogged itself, I remembered where I was, or rather, when I was, and where in this when I needed to be. I felt my heart lurch in my chest, dragging my body out of bed with it. As I had anticipated, my bed was now my coffin, which was half open. I stepped down from the coffin's elevated position, stretching my old stiff muscles and joints. I flared my wings, testing them as Rainbow would before a big competition. But then again, I had a reason to fly fast now. I knew that Twilight was in her library, thinking of where her now infinite life was going. I knew she was doubting herself. I felt the evil in the knives from miles away, though I'd never know how I knew any of that.
I grinned as Rainbow would have before a race. With one great flap of my wings, I felt stronger than Applejack, and faster than Rainbow. I trotted to the door, opening it to the approaching twilight. A cold wind gusted at me, nearly lifting me from the ground, but I didn't care. I stepped outside into the frigid not-quite-dawn air, mental peace filling my mind like a cup of calm lavender tea. Closing the door behind me, I took off in the twilight. I flew faster than I ever had in my life. I felt the sound barrier pushing against me, keeping me from breaking it. I squinted to see, my eyes watering from the cold wind. I pushed as hard as I could as I saw Twilight's Library in the distance, approaching incredibly quickly. When I judged that I was about one-hundred meters away, I flared my wings open to decelerate before I splattered against the wall like paint on a canvas. However, I did not slow enough in that one-hundred meter interval to not crash. Pain shot through me like liquid fire as I slammed into the wall of the library, a resounding thump echoing in the early morning air.
------Twilight------
Thump.
Tock.
The knife fell from my enchanted grip, stabbing into the wood floor. Tears followed swiftly after, landing silently on the wood. My lungs quickly filled themselves, the chilled air stinging my throat like a swarm of wasps. Sobs wracked my body, uneven and irregular.
Tock-Tock-Tock.
The gentle knock on the door echoed through the library, forcing more tears from my eyes. I stood up, against my desire to just lay there and cry, and sluggishly trudged to the door. It took me a minute to walk three meters. When I finally came to the door, I pulled it open without paying any attention.
The next thing I remembered was being on the ground beneath a mass of yellow, the feeling of another pony on top of me making my mind run rampant. A loud bawling filled the once quiet library, the voice of it chilling me to my bones, and raising the fur on the back of my neck. And that was when it hit me like a brick.
"Fluttershy...?" I managed to croak out. I didn't believe myself. Why would I? She'd been dead for a thousand years.
The single most heart-breaking face soon came into view, her tears flowing freely and her lips dragged down with a crushing frown. She forced a smile, and hugged me tighter.
"..B-But... You're s-sup-posed... to be..."
"It's okay, Twilight," she whispered softly into my ear. Her warm breath tickled, making my ear twitch slightly. "I'm here for you now."
Everything that had been troubling me at that point melted away as we lay there in the closest embrace I had ever experienced. The world outside ceased to exist, the library but a limit to our own universe. The knife in the floor's whisper was drowned out by the silent exchange of warmth between us. Nothing was wrong with the world. All was at peace. And I was still in love.
"I love you, Fluttershy..."
------Fluttershy------
The words overwhelmed me with joy, stimulating my mind like a splash of ice-water to the face. The mare I loved loved me. I bit my tongue to check if I was still asleep, and was happy to find that I was indeed awake. I smiled with overwhelming happiness, an electric charge building up in my body. Without even thinking, I leaned in and kissed her.
I kissed Twilight Sparkle, and it was absolutely amazing. I could barely find the words to describe any of it. The feeling of her wonderfully soft lips against mine, moving in perfect sync with my own nearly stopped my heart. The rush of love being exchanged nearly suffocated me. But I enjoyed every sensation... It just felt perfect.
We pulled away, each inhaling deeply to satisfy our burning lungs. My eyes opened but a sliver to look at her beautiful face, and assuming I was lucky, gaze into her eyes. And lucky I was. Her eyes froze me solid and melted my heart. I couldn't move a muscle, yet my heart pounded on all the same. My breath shook, for reasons unknown to me.
"How did you..."Twilight asked in a low whisper. Luna bless her. She just couldn't comprehend.
"I drank a potion that set me to sleep for a thousand years," I told her, placing a quick peck on her cheek. I mentally grinned, knowing that she'd ask—
"But why?" She asked, right on cue.
"I don't know. I just knew you'd have this moment of doubt," I answered as best I could. "I knew the only way to save you now was to be there. So here I am."
"Why me?" she inquired from nowhere. That one, I had not seen coming.
I thought for a second, before starting, "You're perfect. You're smart, beautiful, strong... and you're as kind as I strive to be every day." I smiled as my heart filled in my mind's blanks.
She smiled with me, the sun now beginning to peek into the library.
••••••Sixty years later...••••••
-----Twilight------
The evening sun poured through our cottage, lighting the tree-home up with warm hues of oranges and yellows and browns. I smiled to myself, laying on the couch with Fluttershy, whom I had cast an anti-aging spell on. Though she didn't look it, she was now one-thousand and ninety-eight years old, assuming one counted her thousand-year comatose. We had spent sixty amazing years together, enjoying everything life had to offer. There was nothing that we hadn't already done.
A peck on the cheek snapped me from my mental ramblings. I smiled, looking down at the adorable pegasus who was my wife. I pecked her on the lips with a smile. Or at least, I tried to. Her lips locked to mine, preventing any movement to retreat. Not that I wanted to. But as with all sweet things, the kiss came to an end, her lips parting hesitantly from mine.
"I think it's time for us to go to bed, love," she whispered into my ear. I smiled, agreeing with a silent nod.Our day had been long and tiresome. And though she looked young and fresh as a daisy, she was just like other elderly ponies.
We got up, slowly as we always had, no real rush to do anything. We went about our evening routine, brushing our teeth and the like. It wasn't long before we found ourselves lying in bed together, waiting for sleep to come. I felt her heartbeat beneath my hooves as I held her close to me. I felt her chest rise and fall with each breath she took, each one becoming slower and more controlled. My heart and lungs mimicked hers.
As sleep took both of us, I remembered the spell that I had cast upon us. I felt it finally coming into play. I felt her heart grow weaker, slowing down with each moment, my own following suit. I smiled peacefully, feeling Death take her.
And I followed.
The End