//------------------------------// // Session 10 - I'll Make This Dream Come True // Story: Red Eye // by Fonypan //------------------------------// Fluttershy squirmed and whimpered. It was her least favorite part of the day, and being blind only made it scarier. Twilight Sparkle delicately peeled off Fluttershy’s bandages. They had a tendency to stick, and Twilight could tell it hurt her friend to remove them. She did her best to minimize Fluttershy’s suffering, but there was simply nothing to be done. One bandage proved to be particularly stubborn. Twilight did her best to remove it gently, but it would not budge. Twilight pulled hard, making Fluttershy cry out in pain. “It hurts!” said Fluttershy. “I’m sorry. Just hold still,” said Twilight. “Stop pulling!” “I have to get this old bandage off and give you a fresh one. If I don’t, you’ll get an infection.” “But it’s stuck!” “Just relax. I’m going to count to three, and then pull it off with one good yank. It will only hurt for a second.” “O-okay.” “One, two, three!” Twilight gave the bandage a mighty tug. The bandage came off, followed by a splash of blood. Some of it splattered onto Twilight’s face. A single drop made it into her mouth. Twilight spat on the floor with a grimace. “Bleh! I got some of your blood in my mouth!” “I’m sorry.” “It’s not your fault. Now, let’s get a fresh bandage on that wound.” “Thank you so much for taking care of me.” “It’s no trouble. I know you’d do the same for me if I were blind.” “Of course!” With the last bandage removed, Twilight set about cleaning Fluttershy’s wounds. Once she had finished, she applied fresh bandages to Fluttershy’s various injuries and burns. Then, she mopped the blood from the floor. “What shall we do today?” said Twilight. “I feel kind of silly saying this, but will you read to me?” said Fluttershy. “That’s not silly at all! I’d love to read to you. Anything in particular?” “Do you have any books about animals?” “Plenty! Follow me, I’ll tell you about a few and you can pick one out.” ---------- Elsewhere, Sweetie Belle stood perfectly still. She did her best not to move a muscle, save for breathing. She’d been in the same position for much of the morning, and her neck was getting stiff. Bebe’s brush slid smoothly across the canvas. He delicately added some swirls of purple to the mass of pink. After just a few minutes more, Bebe put down his brush and stepped back. “Finished!” said Bebe. Sweetie Belle stretched, then walked around to the other side of the easel for a look. “Beautiful!” said Sweetie Belle. “I just paint what I see. I’m lucky to have such a lovely model.” Sweetie blushed. “How did you get so good?” “Practice. I try to finish at least one practice painting every day.” “This is a practice painting? But it’s incredible!” “Every painting is a practice painting.” “What do you mean?” “Creating is a nonstop learning experience. There is no mastery, only improvement. Every work must be an earnest attempt to outdo the last. The day I decide I can’t improve any further is the day I’ve given up on art.” “Do you think I could paint as well as you some day?” “Of course. If you practice daily, your skills will grow just as mine have.” “I don’t even know where to start.” “I’ve improved much more quickly since I started painting you. Let’s switch roles for a bit. You paint, and I pose. I think painting a live model will help you as it helped me.” “What if it’s not any good?” “Don’t think about it that way. No masterpiece was a first attempt. Just do your best.” “All right.” Bebe set aside his painting of Sweetie Belle, then placed a fresh canvas on the easel. He walked around to where Sweetie Belle had been standing moments ago, and struck a pose. Sweetie took a long look at Bebe. With some reluctance, she picked up a brush and dabbed it in paint. Glancing from Bebe to the canvas and back, Sweetie finally touched the brush to the plain white surface. She did her best to follow Bebe’s contours with her eyes and replicate them with the brush. Sweetie Belle took her time and tried to nail down the basic shape of Bebe’s figure. It wasn’t as daunting a task as she’d imagined, but still wasn’t coming along as well as she’d hoped. After a while, she finished her depiction of his body and stopped to rinse the brush. “I don’t think this is going to come out so good.” “That’s okay. Just do your best now, and make the next one better. All you have to do is set your mind to it.” Sweetie Belle dabbed the brush and resumed painting, with a grin. Her brush danced across the canvas. It didn’t take her long to mimic the shape of Bebe’s mane. She finished up by adding detail to his eyes, then stepped back to admire her work. The wet paint blended at the border between Bebe’s coat and mane in a quite unintended way. Bebe made his way to the other side of the easel and smiled. “Not bad for your first time. You have a lot of potential. I don’t remember making such a goofy expression, though.” “Don’t be silly. Colts’ faces always look goofy.” “Only when we’re around pretty fillies, like you.” Sweetie Belle giggled. “Flatterer.” “Flattery? Goodness, no. I mean everything I say. An artist has eyes for beauty, and you are beautiful. Oh, and I see you’ve earned your cutie mark.” Sweetie Belle gasped and twisted around to examine her own flank. The image of a palette and brush greeted her. “I did! Gosh, it looks almost just like yours!” “It is as I suspected all along.” “What’s that?” Bebe touched noses with Sweetie. “From the moment we met, I felt we were soul mates. Now, I know for sure.” “Is it normal for a painter to fall in love with her subject?” “It must be. The same thing happened to me, as well.” “Kiss me, silly colt.” The two little ponies tilted their heads to either side, and shared a tender kiss. Bebe broke away after a moment to whisper in Sweetie’s ear. “Let’s celebrate your newfound discovery.” The tone of Bebe’s voice sent a chill through Sweetie Belle. She stepped back, wide-eyed and blushing. A hoof on Bebe’s chest kept him at distance. “N-no. I mean someday, sure, but I’m not ready for that sort of thing now.” “Don’t apologize, my dear. It is your choice and yours alone what you do with your body. I will wait for you, and when we share that moment, it will be all the more special.” “Thank you. You’re a true gentlecolt.” “Always. I hope you won’t mind joining this gentlecolt for dinner, tonight? Earning a cutie mark is always a special occasion, and should be treated as one.” Sweetie Belle kissed Bebe on the nose. “It’s a date. Though you could have offered dinner before propositioning me.” “I’m a colt. Our priorities are different.”