//------------------------------// // Ch.2: A Little Piece of Me // Story: The Green Leaves of Everfree // by Nordryd //------------------------------// “Coppermane… Coppermane, wake up.” Coppermane groaned, letting out a mighty yawn and stretching his limbs out.  He rubbed the rocks and crust out of his eyes before slowly opening them, and what he saw was beautiful.  The sun shined brightly through the tent, perfectly eclipsed by his gorgeous princess.  The light formed a funnel of rays around her pretty face, making her look like the angel she was. “Oh… hey,” he murmured.  “What’s up?” “Sorry to wake you, Coppermane, but I couldn’t help myself,” Fluttershy said, taking Coppermane’s hand.  “It’s just so beautiful outside, and I want to share it with you.” Coppermane looked and saw Fluttershy’s tent-mate, DJ Pon-3, still asleep with her signature headphones on. “Wait… what time is it?” Coppermane asked. “Only about 6:30,” Fluttershy said. “6:30?” “I know it’s early for you, Coppermane, but it’s just so beautiful outside,” Fluttershy said, squeezing his hand.  “The sun is barely coming out, the sunlight is painting the lake with gold, the sky is full of colors, the grass is shiny with dew, the air is crisp, and all the adorable little woodland creatures are just now coming out of their cute little homes.  It’s all so gorgeous and… romantic! I was going to go on a nature walk, and I want you to come with me, Coppermane.” Coppermane let out a big yawn.  “Um… well…” “Please, Coppermane?” Fluttershy cooed.  “I want to show you how beautiful nature is.  I’ll be your field guide.  I’ll show you everything.  Please?” Fluttershy whimpered and Coppermane felt his heart beat faster when she pouted her bottom lip and squeezed his hand while looking at him with those big teal eyes.  Her puppy-dog face.  Coppermane bit his lip.  She was way too good at that. “Well… okay.  How can I say no to that face?” Fluttershy gasped, and smiled big.  “Yay!” she squeaked, giving Coppermane a big hug. Coppermane was taken a bit by surprise when Fluttershy almost yanked him out of the bed.  Thankfully, the jolt was enough to wake him up a little bit more.  Fluttershy dragged him out into the sunlight, the sudden light hurting his eyes a little bit.  He averted his gaze for a moment before his eyes adjusted to the sunlight.  Once he could see clearly, his breath was taken by what he saw. It was exactly like Fluttershy described.  Dew-covered grass, golden lake, colorful sky, crisp air, and the sound of birds chirping. “Wow…” Coppermane said. “I know!  It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Fluttershy said, swooning over the vista. “You weren’t kidding,” Coppermane said. “C’mon, Coppermane!  There’s so much to see!” “Okay, I— WHOA!” Fluttershy practically yanked Coppermane with her into the foliage.  Fluttershy led Coppermane aimlessly through the woods, her head darting every which way to take in everything. Coppermane just followed along for the ride.  Whenever the sound of an animal echoed, Fluttershy was quick to investigate. “Aww, aren’t the squirrels just adorable?” Fluttershy squealed. Coppermane chuckled.  Watching Fluttershy go gaga over animals was one of the cutest things ever.  She would even explain some of the habits of each individual creature they came across.  Coppermane listened intently.  He had perhaps the most adorable field guide in the world. They continued walking for a while before they eventually reached the main camp grounds again.  Surprisingly, Coppermane wasn’t tired at all.  An early morning nature walk with his princess was exactly what he needed to wake up. Fluttershy led Coppermane to the dock where she invited him to sit next to her.  He gladly obliged, wrapping his arm around her as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Aww, look at the duckies!” Fluttershy squeaked. Coppermane chuckled, giving her a squeeze.  “They sure are cute.” The sun was now almost completely above the trees. The sky colored the lake with a deep blue, and the wind created a symphony of small waves.  Coppermane and Fluttershy just sat on the side of the dock, taking it all in as they cuddled. “Coppermane?” “Yeah?” “Thank you so much for walking with me,” Fluttershy said.  “It was wonderful.” Coppermane smiled, giving her a kiss on the forehead.  “The pleasure was mine.  I love you.” Fluttershy gave him a nuzzle.  “I love you too.” “You’re not the only one with a new kind of magic!” Sunset said. “This is great!” “No, it’s not!” Twilight said.  “Rarity and Applejack could have really hurt each other!  Why is this happening?  I don’t—” “Hi, girls!” Gloriosa said, coming out of nowhere.  “Anything I can do for you?” “Uh… Applejack just fell into the lake,” Twilight said. “Oh no!” Gloriosa cried.  “She’s gonna need warm towels, dry clothes, oh, and a hot cocoa!  I’ve got this!” Suddenly a loud shriek echoed throughout the camp. Twilight and Sunset recognized that cry. “Fluttershy?” Not wasting another second, they immediately ran to the source of the scream.  They arrived at the kitchen building, and opened the door to see Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in the middle of a rather dirty-looking kitchen, as if a cake ingredient bomb had detonated. “What happened?!” Sunset beckoned. “I don’t know,” Fluttershy said.  “We were just decorating cookies and—” “And I was all, ‘You need more sprinkles!’” Pinkie said, “‘And you need more sprinkles!’” “So, standard Pinkie Pie stuff,” Sunset said. “I was just tossing sprinkles to Fluttershy, when all of a sudden they glowed pink and exploded!” Pinkie tossed sprinkles onto the counter and they spontaneously combusted, blasting cake ingredients everywhere and on everyone. “Just like that!” Pinkie said.  “Only earlier!” “Okay…” Sunset murmured, confiscating Pinkie’s sprinkles.  “Why don’t you lay of touching stuff for a while?” “Oh, dear,” Fluttershy said, “We really should clean all of this up.”  She walked over to the counter to get paper towels, but they were a little out of her reach.  “Can someone help me out?” As if on cue, a bird came and got the paper towels down for her. “Thank you, Mr. Bird,” Fluttershy said. *tweet tweet* “Why, of course.  I can get you a little something to—” she gasped when she realized what she just did.  Or more accurately, what the bird just did.  “Did you just… talk?” *tweet tweet* “But I don’t speak ‘chirp’,” Fluttershy said. *tweet tweet* “I don’t know if you’re the only bird I can understand.” *tweet tweet* “Oh, no!  Please don’t call your friends.” Ignoring her, birds of all kinds flocked to Fluttershy, landing on her arms. “It’s nice to meet all of you, too.” “Were you just talking to the birds?” Sunset asked. “Um… yes?” Suddenly the door swung open, jolting Fluttershy, making her scream and scaring the birds away. “Fluttershy!” “Coppermane?” Fluttershy beckoned. “I heard you scream.  Are you hurt?  Are you okay?” Coppermane asked, running up to her. “Oh, I’m fine,” Fluttershy said.  “I just got startled, that’s all.” Coppermane took a deep breath.  “Thank goodness…” “But… the weirdest thing just happened,” Fluttershy said, placing her hand on his heart.  “I was just… talking to some birdies.” Coppermane raised his eyebrow.   “Really?” Before Fluttershy could ask questions, the door swung open again, making Fluttershy scream for the third time.  It was Applejack and Rarity. “Did you tell them what happened?  So crazy!” Applejack said. All the campers were gathered at the picnic tables to make floating paper lanterns.  It was a beautiful night.  The colorful sky made the lake practically glow, with the stars beginning to emerge.  A symphony of crickets complemented the peaceful night as everyone decorated their own lanterns. Coppermane and Fluttershy decided to make one lantern together in order to make up for doing different activities all day. They were just now perfecting the finishing touches on their lantern.  By Fluttershy’s suggestion, they drew hearts on each side of the lantern, each with a “C & F” inside. “Looks great,” Coppermane said.  “What do you think?” “I love it,” Fluttershy said.  “But… maybe more butterflies?” “Do whatever you want,” Coppermane said.  “It is our lantern, after all.  You’re more creative than me anyways.” Fluttershy giggled, “I wouldn’t say that.” “I would,” Coppermane said.  “I can’t write songs like you can.” “Don’t be like that, Coppermane,” Fluttershy said.  “Remember our one-year anniversary?  That song you sang to me was just… oh, I’m tearing up just thinking about it.” Coppermane chuckled, blushing a little.  “That was a special occasion.  I had to show you how much I love you,” he said, wrapping his arm around her. Fluttershy giggled when he kissed her on the cheek. “Well… I can’t play piano,” Fluttershy said. “I just play chords,” Coppermane said.  “You’re awesome at tambourine, and you look so cute when you play it.  Besides, I don’t pony up when I play.” “That’s true,” Fluttershy said.  “But you don’t have to pony up to be amazing, Coppermane.  I’ve told you that.” “Yeah… you have…” Coppermane said, rubbing his neck. Fluttershy giggled. He was always so cute when he was shy. “So how was your day?  Did you work hard to help fix the dock?” Coppermane’s expression seemed to soften, his lips curling into a smile.  “Well… actually… I have a confession.” “Oh?” “I didn’t actually help rebuild the dock,” Coppermane said.  “I changed my mind after you left.” “Really?  What did you do instead?” “Arts and crafts.” “Oh, how nice!” Fluttershy said.  “I didn’t know you liked arts and crafts.” “Well, normally I don’t, but I had an idea,” Coppermane said before reaching into his pocket.  “I wanted to make you something.” Fluttershy lit up.  “Really?  Coppermane, you didn’t have to do that.” Coppermane blushed.  “I know, but I wanted to.”  He dug around in his pockets before pulling out two bead bracelets, making Fluttershy gasp.  “I made one for each of us, just so everyone knows you’re mine.” Fluttershy’s heart soared.  “Oh, how sweet!” she said, taking the one he held out to her. “They’re adorable, Coppermane.” Coppermane’s cheeks went even redder.  “Thanks.  But I wanted this to be something really special, since I made it myself.  I didn’t just want to throw any color of bead on here.  I knew every bead had to carry its own purpose, no matter how small.”  Coppermane lowered Fluttershy’s hand so he could easily point to each individual bead.  “Each of these teal beads?  There’s one for each month we’ve been together.  And there’s over twelve, which is just amazing to me.  To think we’ve been dating for over a year… just wow.  Maybe I can make another one for you in the future, and it’ll have even more teal beads.  So many it’ll be a necklace and not a bracelet anymore.  But I also chose teal because whenever I see teal, I see those beautiful eyes of yours.  There’s a pink bead which makes me think about your long, perfect hair.  A green bead because I think of spring whenever I see green, and when I think of spring, I think of you.  A red bead because it reminds me of the time I took you to the cherry blossom grove in autumn, and when my safe haven became our safe haven. A purple bead, because it’s my favorite color, and it makes me happy when I see it.  Kind of like how I feel happy whenever I see you.  Also… it just reminds me of how I felt when I met you for the first time.  Happy.” Fluttershy didn’t say a word, listening intently to every romantic thing Coppermane said, and trying her best to keep the pool of tears in her eyes at bay.  And with every word of praise her prince uttered, it was getting increasingly harder. “But perhaps the most important part are these letter beads,” Coppermane said.  “I found some when I was working, and I knew exactly what I wanted to write for you.  Take a look.” Fluttershy did just that, facing the letter beads toward her to read his message.  She gasped. “It says… ‘I love you’.” Coppermane suddenly took her hand, and offered her the gentlest of smiles as he took the bracelet. “A little piece of me for you,” he said, gingerly putting the bracelet on her wrist for her.  He took her hand and held it gently while looking into her eyes with pure light.  “If you ever feel lonely, and I’m not around to say it, just remember…” He held her hand up so she could clearly read the message on the bracelet.  “I love you.  Keep this bracelet as a reminder of that, okay?  No matter what, I’ll always be with you.  And never forget… I love you.  I love you so much, Fluttershy.  And I always will.” He gave her hand a kiss, and Fluttershy couldn’t hold her tears back anymore.  Her hand covered her mouth as her cheeks became drenched with tears.  Her prince’s wonderful, chocolaty eyes and handsome smile made her heart melt.  She looked down at the bracelet, every bead reminding her of a happy memory.  This bracelet… of all the gifts he’s given her, this one was worth its weight in gold.  So small… so simple… yet her prince has managed to pour an immeasurable amount of sentiment into it.  She could practically feel it weighing her down. “Coppermane…” Fluttershy cooed.  “I-I don’t know to say…” She felt his hand brush her hair out of her face, making her shudder.  His amazing eyes glittered as he looked at her. “You don’t have to say a thing,” Coppermane whispered tenderly.  “Just don’t forget how much you mean to me, and how much I love you.” Fluttershy nearly melted as he caressed her cheek.  Tears continued streaming down her cheeks.  She couldn’t help herself.  She lunged forward and gave Coppermane a passionate kiss, not caring about any of the other campers seeing her.  Their lips met, and the familiar stirring of energy brewed in her heart.  She pulled back and gave her prince a huge hug, nuzzling his chest. “This is the sweetest thing you’ve ever given me,” Fluttershy said.  “Thank you, Coppermane.  Thank you so much.” Coppermane squeezed her in his arms, kissing her forehead. “And Coppermane…” Fluttershy said.  “Don’t forget how much I love you either.” Coppermane chuckled, giving her another squeeze.  “I won’t.” “Okay, everyone!” Gloriosa cried.  “It’s time to watch your lanterns fly!” Fluttershy lifted her head from Coppermane’s chest, and looked to see everyone carrying their lanterns to the lake. “Shall we?” Coppermane asked. Fluttershy nodded.  Coppermane carried their lantern in one hand, and held Fluttershy’s hand with the other.  Fluttershy could feel her new bracelet brushing up against Coppermane’s matching one.  A constant reminder… They reached the dock, and Coppermane and Fluttershy both got ready, holding their lantern together. “Ready?  And… go!” One by one, every camper released their respective lanterns.  Coppermane and Fluttershy looked at each other, gave the nod, and let it go together.  Amidst the other lanterns, theirs was clearly marked with the hearts with “C & F” written on them.  Coppermane brought his arm around Fluttershy.  She leaned her head on his shoulder, placing her hand on his heart as he held her close. Coppermane gave Fluttershy a kiss on the cheek.  “Beautiful.” Fluttershy smiled.  “Coppermane?” “Yeah?” “I love you.” Coppermane gave her another kiss on the cheek.  “I love you too.”