Beep-ba-ba-beep! Beep-ba-ba-beep! Beep-ba-ba-beep! Beep-ba-ba-beep!
Groaning, Red Cross internally uttered some choice swear words and blindly smacked the air, hoping to hit the irksome noise that dared to disturb his slumber. His hoof finally connected with the top of his alarm clock, silencing the bothersome racket and allowing his mind to clear without irritating sounds. He stretched and emitted a moaning war cry, cracking and popping some muscles as he fully awoke and almost jumped when he felt something soft and warm laying next to him. In the dimness of his bedroom, he could make out a quasi-avian shape, one that whimpered and muttered something incoherently. He then remembered the events of last night and felt his heart swell with affection.
"Morning Strix," he smiled and caressed one of her ears, which flicked at him and he chuckled. Being as how owl-ponies were nocturnal, Red Cross wasn't expecting her to answer him back and instead gave her sleeping form a once-over before getting ready for work. One quick shower and hastily-eaten breakfast later, the unicorn changed into his scrubs and ensured that his saddlebags included his patient files and packed lunch, glossing over everything to double-check that he had everything he needed. Sandwich? Check. Coffee? Check. Hospital ID? Check. Ready and rearing to go!
Closing and locking the front door, Red Cross paused to slide his hoof down the door's surface. For the first time, it really felt like a home. Since he'd been living there, it was just a house like any other, just one that he happened to sleep in and habitually chill out in. Now knowing that he had someone waiting for him when he left work made him feel...complete. With a stride in his step, he made a beeline for the hospital, whistling a happy little tune that he hadn't heard in a very long time.
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Thoughts and images swirled around before the owl-pony's vision, almost blinding her with their multitudinous brilliance and she believed that she was about ready to go mad from the onslaught. Whether they were conjurations of her sub-conscious mind or long-forgotten memories of a bygone era, Strix couldn't tell and she wasn't entirely certain that she wanted to. A flurry of writhing owl-ponies rushed up to meet her like a wave, their faces contorted into permanent masks of agony, their wails flooding her ears and sending her sprawling into the darkness of the forest. Scarlet drops poured from the starry, clear blue sky, creating a bloody sea that threatened to drown Strix in its vicious depths. She tried to fly but one of her wings hung limply at her side, forcing her to furiously flap and swing at the blood in order to stay afloat.
All around her, the owl-ponies dropped from the air like stones, hitting the sea and sinking beneath its depths. She caught glimpse of what could've been her siblings and parents but she couldn't completely tell. A red wave rose fifty stories above her head, eclipsing Strix in its shadow and showering her in blood like war paint. The wave then howled and nickered as it formed itself into the shape of a gigantic pony, its eyeless head somehow pointing downward and looking right at her. With a mighty roar, it slammed down on top of Strix, drowning her and plunging her into oblivion.
Eyes now wide open, Strix kicked and flailed on top of the bed, gasping for air to replenish her supply from her nightmarish submersion. She stopped and found herself inside of a familiar bedroom, allowing her rapidly beating heart a moment's respite from the excitement just a moment ago. Thankfully, she lacked sweat glands otherwise the blankets and bedsheets would be drenched in it. Instead, she panted and laid still, letting her body relax and sink into the comforting embrace of the mattress. She hadn't had a nightmare like that in a long time and was thankful to be in a place of comfort rather than alone in her tree back in the Everfree Forest.
Are you alright, Strix?
"I think so. It was nothing." Although frightening, she refused to acknowledge the nightmare and instead focused on her waking life. Her internal clock told her that the sun had gone down and rather than stay in bed, Strix rose and, in the habit of a predator, crept downstairs, her head swiveling from side to side. Nearing the kitchen, she came across a hoof-written note with a note pointing towards the refrigerator:
Strix,
I picked up some squirrel meat for you in case you got hungry. It's in a brown paper bag inside of the fridge. I will be home as soon as I get off from work. We have a lot to talk about. I hope to see you soon!
Red Cross
"He...he picked up food for me?"
Aw, that's so sweet! He's definitely a keeper!
With her nictitating membranes, Strix blinked back tears as she opened the refrigerator door and spied the aforementioned brown paper back. It's even got my name on it! Seizing the bag in her hooves, she crushed it to her muzzle and inhaled its gamey scent, reveling in its odor and noticing that it smelled better than any squirrel she'd killed before. She shredded the bag with her talons and gleefully tore the meat apart, savoring its juicy flavor and humming in delight at its mode of arrival.
The owl-pony courtship ritual consisted of a pair calling to one another and was followed up by the male either doing a special flight or bringing the female food to prove that he can provide for her. Although Red Cross was surely unaware of the meaning of this gesture, Strix nonetheless accepted it wholeheartedly. In her heart, she knew she'd already found her mate and would spend the rest of her life guarding him. Even though he didn't care for her like that, she would fight tooth and nail to earn his love. To an owl-pony, nothing was more important than their mate and children.
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It was a little after ten when Red Cross stumbled through the door to his house, having spent the last few hours tending to an elderly patient suffering from a severe case of gout in her hocks and ankles. After the wholly unpleasant experience of having to actually bathe her, he silently prayed to Celestia to either erase the memory from his mind or invent eye bleach and slammed the door behind him. He paused and noticed that the carpet, which had accumulated a trail of dirt, had recently been vacuumed. The living room had been dusted and all loose bits of trash thrown away, leaving it looking brand new. "What the hay?"
"Hi Red Cross," Strix softly greeted, slowly emerging from the kitchen, her hooves anxiously wringing each other. "I thought I'd clean up a little. That's okay, right?"
"It's more than okay. This was...just...thank you. You didn't have to." The unicorn was left speechless by his houseguest's selfless act. He had to grin to himself at the sight of Strix turning her head and blushing, an action that made her look absolutely adorable.
Strix smiled, "It was the least I could do. After all, you did fix my wing and give me a place to sleep. You didn't have to do that either so I guess we're even." She took a seat on the sofa and it was then that Red Cross noticed the vase of flowers sitting on the kitchen counter. It wouldn't have been that incredible except that they looked like the wild flowers that he sometimes found outside his door-
"Hey Strix? Where did you get those flowers?"
The owl-pony stiffened. "F-from the Everfree. Why, don't you like them?"
You are so cute; I just want to eat you! Red Cross took a seat next to Strix and gingerly patted her left shoulder. "I don't like them. I love them." Strix's grin grew to mammoth proportions. "Why didn't you tell me that you were my secret admirer?"
Her smile now gone, Strix exhaled loudly and turned her head away. "Because of what I am. You...you're young and handsome and I'm...well, you know. It could never work between us. For all their talk of acceptance, ponies could never allow me to stay here, nor would they look kindly at such a pairing." She turned her head back to look at Red Cross, her eyes swimming with tears. "I've been alone for so long and you made me look forward to waking up every night. For the first time in a long time, I...I didn't feel so alone."
Red Cross said nothing, letting Strix's words sink in as he took in the sight of the beautiful creature pouring her heart out to him. Ever since starting his residency, he felt as though nothing else mattered but his work, his focus single-mindedly directed at advancing his career and making his mother proud of him. Receiving the flowers and wood carvings from his secret admirer not only did wonders for his self-esteem but also gave him the contentment of knowing that somepony out there cared for him and he looked forward to the nights he'd find a gift waiting for him on his doorstep. And while he couldn't completely sympathize with the owl-pony's plight, he too knew how it felt to be alone, doomed to follow the same cycle over and over again. Now that he had a break from that cycle, he wasn't going to let it go.
Gently wiping away the tears on Strix's cheeks, Red Cross smiled warmly at her and rose from his spot. "Follow me upstairs," he gestured and made it halfway up the steps before the bewildered owl-pony followed. Entering his bedroom, he magically lifted a chest from out underneath his bed and opened it up, revealing the various wood carvings he'd received over the past few months. "Every time I got one of these, I put them in this chest and place it under my bed so that they could be close to me whenever I slept. Just having them near me gave me good dreams."
Strix's mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Red Cross continued, "Strix, I don't care about your looks or what anypony says." He stepped closer to her and stared up into her eyes. "I've felt lonely too and I'm willing to give this a try if you are. Will you be my special somepony?"
A large wing seized ahold of the unicorn and yanked him into a wide-mouthed kiss. While the feathers were a bit distracting, the kiss itself was passionate but tender, like smooching a long-lost lover. His hooves caressed the ring of feathers that adorned Strix's neck and he shuddered at how fluffy and soft they were compared to the rest of her. Strix moaned into his mouth, evidently pleased by his touch and this excited him to no end. Finally, Strix let him back down until his hooves once more touched the floor and both parties were left gasping for air.
"W-wow. That was a bit much...but nice."
Strix giggled, "Sorry, I was just so happy."
"It's-wow-okay. Could we maybe just take it slow? Maybe get to know each other first?"
Strix sighed happily. "For you, I'd wait a century."
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As the new couple snuggled beneath the covers, Strix stayed awake to watch her mate sleep, taking solace in the steady rise and fall of his chest and his light snoring. The nights, while beautiful in their own right, often filled her with a sense of tedium as she spent the long hours hunting or talking to the other owl-pony in the mirror. She caressed Red Cross' neck and placed her wing so that it covered his torso. No matter what came her way, Strix was secure in the knowledge that she now had somepony to share her life with, a partner to be at her side in the long nights ahead. Finally, she closed her eyes and dreamt not of death and despair but of hope and new life, for her and her mate.