//------------------------------// // The Matchmaker // Story: Anima Mea Tenebre // by Nixus //------------------------------// The hospital seemed to be eerily quiet as the group sat still in the waiting room. Moe shifted his eyes to Coppa who was sleeping in the corner, a long strand of drool hanging from his mouth. Dante was speaking to Twilight and the doctors about something, most likely the nature of Sam’s affliction. They had barely made it to the hospital before the blueish hue of Sam’s arm had spread to the majority of his chest. It had been three hours since he had been rushed to the intensive care unit of the hospital. There hadn’t been any word of his condition yet and they had all begun to fear the worst, especially Fluttershy. Moe looked to the mare who sat on the cushioned bench beside him. She was anxiously tapping her hooves together while glancing between the clock and the door. A few beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as Moe caught a slight whimper coming from her mouth. Moe inched closer to her and placed his hand reassuringly on her back. She looked up at him, eyes slightly misted while her bottom lip quivered slightly. “You must be terribly worried,” Moe asked. Fluttershy nodded, quaking slightly as she kept glancing at the clock. Moe smiled and let his head rest against the white wall behind them. “It’s ok though, you can relax. Sam will be fine.” “Really?” Fluttershy asked in a hushed voice. Moe nodded and stopped stroking her back. “How do you know?” “He’s is stronger than you might think. Probably the strongest of us all,” Moe started as he closed his eyes. “No matter what odds we faced. No matter how bleak the outcome is? Sam was the first to volunteer. Always wearing the same look of determination and always pressing forward. What he did today was no different.” Moe sighed as sat up, stretching his tired muscles. “He found a reason to fight and used it as motivation to continue fighting. He may not fully recover from this, but I doubt he regrets a single moment of it all.” “Why though?” Fluttershy asked with even more concern than before. “Why would he do that?” “I think his reason may have to do with someone he feels is important to his life,” Moe said through a smile. It took a few seconds for the realisation to dawn on her face, but Fluttershy suddenly blushed and hid slightly behind her mane. Moe chuckled at the gesture and patted Fluttershy’s head. “You’ve impacted his life and he’s grateful for it. Though I think his feelings towards you have grown as well. He truly does care for you.” “Are you sure?” “Almost certain. I could see the look in his eye as he was holding you. I can also see it in your eyes right now.” Fluttershy squeaked as she tried to hide her increasingly red face. Yet, she couldn’t do anything as Moe gently cupped her chin and made her look back up to him. “You shouldn’t hide from your feelings Fluttershy. If he makes you happy for whatever reason, you should follow your instincts. It’s better to have loved than to always wonder what might have happened if you had.” “Are you sure he feels the same way?” “Of course he does. He may be silent and distant, but it does not mean he’s incapable of feeling emotion. I think it will just take him time to realize his own feelings. What you can do in the meantime is decide on where you want it to head.” Moe looked towards the door as Nurse Redheart passed through it with a look of relief. “Come on, it looks like there’s some good news.” “Ok,” Fluttershy said with a bright smile. All six of them gathered around the nurse who hesitantly motioned for them to be quiet. “I have good news and bad news concerning Sam,” she said as the group collectively held their breath. “The good news is that Sam is stable at the moment. He’s resting and will be under our care for the next few days.” “What’s the bad news Nurse?” Twilight asked as she chewed her bottom lip slightly. “The bad news...” Redheart started as her face turned slightly darker. “There was extensive damage to his nerves and muscles. Sam will be able to use his arm, but never to the extent that it used to be. Many of the nerve endings were destroyed in the limb. Sam will most likely never be able to feel anything with that arm ever again.” “So he just won’t notice anything with his right arm?” Coppa asked. Nurse Redheart nodded as everyone lowered their heads. It may not have been the greatest news to them, but it was something. Sam would have trouble with his arm but he would still be able to fight. Of course, there would be added risk but it was a small miracle nothing more had been damaged. “Can we see him?” Dante asked. “Is he awake right now?” “No, we put him under for treatment. He will wake up soon, but the doctors recommended that a close friend be by when he does wake up.” “Of course...” Dante said quietly. He glanced at Coppa and Moe as a heavy silence hung in the air. “Which one of us should be there?” “I actually think it would be better if Fluttershy were there for him instead,” Moe said as everyone looked towards the mare. She nodded slightly as a her smile seemed to brighten even more at the thought. “She is the Element of Kindness after all. Not to mention she’s already patched Sam up once.” “Are you sure?” Dante asked, directing his attention to the elf. Moe nodded as Coppa did the same. Dante looked at Fluttershy who was still smiling. “Well then Fluttershy, it looks like you’ll be taking care of Sam once again. I’m sure he’ll be fine under your care.” “Thank you,” Fluttershy said as they all began to file out of the hospital. Moe spared a glance back to her, flashing a thumbs up just in time before the doors closed. “Well, not much we can do now,” Coppa stated as they stood outside the hospital. All of them nodded their heads as they pondered what to do next. However, Coppa seemed inclined to be the first to answer. “I think we should get back home before the others wonder where we are. I never actually told Applejack where I was.” He scratched the back of his head nervously as if he were expecting the mare to come out and attack him for being gone. “I agree,” Moe said with a hint of urgency. He hadn’t expected to be gone for so long and he still had a number of errands to finish. “I need to go get some things from the market for Rarity.” “Someone’s being whipped,” Coppa said with a sly grin. Moe shot him a glance of irritation causing Coppa to chuckle. Dante only rolled his eyes at the exchange as he glanced at the unicorn beside him. “You two do whatever you want,” he said casually. “I need to head back to the library and look up a few things. Something felt odd about that thing.” “Are we talking about the fact that a giant human statue appeared and nearly killed Sam?” Coppa said sarcastically. “Unless that’s a daily occurrence here, I would suspect it was slightly strange.” “I never heard of any statues or monuments like that though...” Twilight said as she put a hoof to her chin in thought. “There might be something in the history section in the library.” “Well you can do that and I’ll go do my errands,” Moe said to Dante and Twilight. A small canine whine made him look back to Coppa. The dwarf had his ears pinned back and a large puppy eyes. A soft high pitched whine came from the dwarf as he gave an exaggerated frown. “You can come too Coppa,” Moe added with a defeated sigh. As Twilight laughed at the display, Dante merely smiled as they walked away towards the library. “Yes! My puppy face always works!” Coppa exclaimed as he pumped his fist in the air. “If we weren’t best friends I’d have hit you already. Oh wait...” he said just before he smacked Coppa over the head. “There we go!” “Whatever man, let’s just get this stuff over with,” Coppa said as he started off towards the market. “I want avoid shovelling pig crap for as long as possible.” ***** “Why does she need this many rolls of fabric?” Coppa said as he struggled to carry the heavy stack in his arms. The two of them were currently standing in the midst of Ponyville’s only fabric shop. Seemingly endless mountains of material and samples surrounded them as Moe picked up another. “I mean come on, thirty rolls? It’s not like there’s gonna be a shortage of blue silk or any of this other crap anytime soon.” “It’s what she wanted, so that’s what we needed to pick up,” Moe replied as he scanned the note Rarity had given him that morning. A variety of fabrics and the amount needed were scribbled down in Rarity’s haste. It had taken them almost ten minutes to make sense of any of the writing, but they had eventually figured it out. By the time the sun had begun to set, most of the items had been checked off and deposited into Coppa’s arms. Moe tucked away the note as he memorised the last roll she needed. He chuckled as Coppa groaned under the weight. “Besides, weren’t you the one who wanted to do this rather than your chores at the farm?” “I would’ve gone back if I knew we were picking up crap for your girlfriend!” Coppa shot back as he waddled to the counter and deposited the stack of fabric in front of the cashier. She set about counting the rolls while Moe tucked a roll of crimson fabric under his arm, allowing him to search for the bits Rarity had given him that morning. Coppa stared at him confused, fully expecting some sort of retort for his statement. “Did you even hear what I said?” “Have a nice day,” Moe said to the cashier as the mare put away the coins in the register. He turned to Coppa with a neutral expression further confusing the Dwarf. “I heard what you said and I’m ignoring it,” he replied as he picked up some of the fabric and motioned Coppa to the remainder. “You and I both know you’re just doing it to get a rise out of me. Besides, I’m better when it comes to dating advice, not actual dating.” “Sorry man, but come on, at least throw yourself out there!” Coppa said as he followed Moe. Moe rolled his eyes and blew a strand of his hair out of his face. “So what if your last relationship was a little rocky. I doubt Rarity is anything like that last one!” “Coppa, you’re my best friend, but I’m asking you to stop bringing that subject up,” Moe said through a grimace. He could barely see above the items in his arms and doubted that Coppa could do so either. He barely escaped colliding with one pony as he concentrated on balancing the uppermost rolls. “Why are you so adamant about me and Rarity getting together?” “Why were you so pushy when it came to getting Fluttershy and Sam together back in the hospital?” Coppa said jokingly. Moe stopped for a moment trying to figure out just how the Dwarf had figured him out so easily. “You’re very obvious when you try to do it, you know.” Coppa smiled as the mockery dripped in his voice. “Having Fluttershy next to him as he recovers? What stupid romance novel did you pull that one from?” “What’s your point?” “Stop trying to help other people’s relationships and look for your own,” Coppa said dropping into a serious tone. Moe sighed as he realised where the conversation was beginning to head. “Rarity might be prissy, but even I can see that you two share more in common than anything. Don’t use the “we have to go back to our own world” card either,” he added as Moe could see the roof of Carousel Boutique come into view. “Even if the spell works, who says we have to go back? No offense to our world, but I kinda like not having to deal with Labyrinths and monsters every day.” “Coppa, I can appreciate the effort but you know how I am when it comes to dating,” Moe replied in an equally serious tone. “I do like Rarity, but my track record with relationships isn’t exactly the best.” “Don’t sell yourself short man,” Coppa said enthusiastically. Moe shook his head sadly as Coppa pressed the subject further. “Just give it a shot. If it fails, at least you can say that it wasn’t meant to be. Isn't that what you always say?” “I’ll think about it,” Moe said as they reached the boutique. “But in the meantime, can you please stop making those damn girlfriend jokes?” “No promises man,” Coppa replied with a laugh. He maintained his smile as Moe dumped his share on top of the pile in his arms. Moe kept his face neutral as he stepped towards the door. However, he was unable to hide a small idiotic smile from forming on his face. “Whatever,” Moe said as he went to open the door. Unfortunately for him, the door swung open as he reached to grab it. He felt the wood smash into his face and felt himself fall back as a purple and green blur ran out of the boutique. He hit the ground with a hard ‘thump’ and groaned as he clutched his nose. “Spike come back!” he heard the telltale voice of Rarity shout. He clutched his face as blood trickled from his nose. He wasn’t sure if his brain had been rattled, but he could see and hear little birds circling his head. “Oh this is dreadful! Just absolutely dreadful!” she cried as Coppa helped Moe up. The elf shook his head, clearing his vision, before trying to staunch the flow of red from his nose. “What happened?” Moe asked as he groaned in pain. Coppa caught him as he stumbled slightly forward. “Well for one, you took a door to the face,” Coppa replied holding Moe up. Gently he directed him into a sitting position with his back against the boutique’s wall. “But I doubt that’s what you’re concerned about.” “Obviously...” “Well I think Rarity can help us out with that,” Coppa replied as he gestured to the fashionista. Rarity shuffled over to the two, her normally styled mane was now beginning to frazzle. Moe in the meantime was fighting just to contain the urge to pass out. “Wanna tell us what happened?” Coppa asked as he brought his arm back. “Well...” She cringed as Coppa slapped Moe across the face. Moe groaned from the slap, but found his senses back to normal. He rose to his feet just in time to hear her explanation. “Spike came over today to help me with my orders as usual. He was such a sweetheart and a gentledrake, but he seemed different today...” “Long story short, he was planning to tell his feelings,” Coppa said with a blank stare as Moe just groaned. “He told you and you said you wanted to remain friends.” “That’s exactly what happened I’m afraid,” she said with a hint of melancholy. It took a few seconds, but her expression changed to one of confusion. “How did you know he had feelings for me?” Moe and Coppa tried to suppress a collective snicker at the question. How could anyone not know of Spike’s crush? Even though they hadn’t been living in Ponyville for long, it was one of the first things they had noticed. If someone didn’t notice the fact that Spike was all but worshiping the ground Rarity walked on, they were either blind or extremely ignorant. Her rejection probably crushed the small dragon’s heart. “I’ll go find him,” Moe offered as he began to walk after the dragon’s trail. He looked back to Coppa and Rarity and gave them a simple smile as he began to jog down the street. “Some man to dragon talk will be good for him!” “Shouldn’t we go after him?” Rarity asked as she lost sight of Moe as he turned a corner. Desperation was filling her mind as she restrained herself from running after Moe. It was her fault that this had happened, and as a mare of class she should fix it herself. “No, Moe can handle it,” Coppa said as he went to pick the pile of fabric he had dropped on the dusty ground. On any other occasion Rarity would have chastised him for dirtying good material. However, now was simply not the time. “Are you sure?” “Of course he can, he’s got a gift when it comes to this sort of stuff,” Coppa managed to say as he opened the door with his foot. “It’s why he’s always been the matchmaker. He can practically tell you whether or not a relationship will work out by glancing at a couple.” “Really now? How does he do it?” “Hell if I know. Maybe you should ask him yourself over dinner or something?” he asked in an attempt to bait the mare. “Besides, I think he might be interested in you.” He added with a teasing glance. “Really now?” Rarity questioned with a small giggle. Coppa nodded, knowing he had her in his grasp. “Maybe I will then after all of this is cleared up. That wouldn’t be cruel of me in regards to Spike would it?” “You’re a free mare Rarity,” Coppa said as he deposited the rolls of fabric on the boutiques richly decorated countertop. “What you do is up to you. Shouldn’t matter to anypony else what you do. But if you take him out, I’m sure you’ll both have a grand ol’ time!” “You do have a point darling,” Rarity said as she trotted towards the stairs. “I’ll ask him when he gets back.” She raised a hoof to her mouth as she suddenly gasped and rushed up the stairs. “Outfits! I should prepare outfits just in case!” Hook, line and sinker! Coppa thought as he left the boutique. He could almost see the look on Moe’s face when the question popped up. He grinned evilly as he muttered to himself, “You’re not the only one who can play cupid Moe.”