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// Why So Sad? 
// Story: One Spring Day 
// by Bluegrass Brooke 
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Spring sunshine filtered through the blossoming trees into the glade below. There, amongst the flowers and long blades of grass, a snow white pegasus reclined, basking in the warmth. Sniffing the nearest daffodil, he gave a sigh of purest contentment. 

He failed to register the clip clop of hooves coming from the roadway, where an earth pony mare sporting a carrot cutie mark was walking along. Carrot Top stared incredulously at the pegasus, green eyes wide with surprise. What in the world? Try as she may, she could not stop taking in the absurdity of the scene. The stallion, with his hulking muscles and large gold earring was sniffing flowers like a little filly. What the? Coughing, she composed herself. "Uh Bulk Biceps? What in Equestria are you doing?"

In a flurry of motion, Bulk Biceps shot upright. He flushed, and quickly picked up the heavy weights resting in the grass next to him. "Just working out. YEAH!" 

Carrot Top rolled her emerald eyes at the stallion. His characteristic "yeah" was legendary around Ponyville. Well, if he isn't going to admit what he's doing, I guess I don't want to know. She turned to the road, and started off. "See you later then."

"Yeah!" He continued to pump the irons until Carrot Top was well out of sight. Once she had gone, he let them fall to the earth with a soft thud. Sighing, he turned to the flowers. That was close! Next to the weights lay a small book, open to two blank pages. He patted it lovingly, and started to settle back down, when a tiny noise caught his attention. 

The noise was reminiscent of a tiny puppy he had heard once; a soft, sad whimper. Turing his massive head, he looked left then right but could not find the source. Beating his miniscule wings furiously, he took to the sky, scanning the clearing and surrounding trees. He saw a yellow glimmer hidden between a circle of shrubs. There it is! In his usual clumsy manner, he landed at the source of the noise and started. "Fluttershy?"

There, in the little patch of grass lay a small yellow pegasus, the strands of her pink mane tangled and draping on the ground. Her teal eyes were red and puffy, and tears fell down her dainty muzzle. She gasped at seeing Bulk Biceps and flushed. 

He never had been a stallion of many words, but now seemed the time to use them. "What's wrong?" 

Fluttershy squeaked and whispered something, turning her head away. Bulk cocked his head in confusion. Taking a breath, the little mare looked up at the massive pegasus. "I'm just sad because of Milfred." Seeing his confused stare, Fluttershy pointed to the nearest shrub, and a pink handkerchief laying there. 

Bulk turned to the handkerchief and gasped. Nestled in the cloth was a small, pink butterfly lying motionless. She's dead. He looked at his friend, her eyes still spilling with tears. I've got to cheer her up. He spoke up in his quietest voice, which still sounded like a roar. "Don't be sad." He nudged her side with his a small, hard hoof. "She wouldn't want you to be sad."

Fluttershy looked into Bulk's red eyes, and nodded. Slowly, she stood, shaking her mane back into place. "You're right Bulk Biceps. I'm being silly." Sniffing, she turned to the little insect. "But I can't just leave her here."

"Yeah." Bulk stood awkwardly as Fluttershy caressed Mildred's delicate wings. Then, the answer came to him, it was so simple. "Let's make her a funeral. Yeah!"

Fluttershy stared at him, a little smile stretching across her face. "Oh that'd be wonderful." 

"I'll get some flowers. And you get some words to say. Yeah!" Before Fluttershy could protest, the stallion flew off, looking for a suitable flower. But, I don't know what to say! She glanced down at her little friend. Mildred had been so special to her, she had raised her from a caterpillar after all. Well, maybe it won't be so hard. But, she'll need a good grave to go with the flowers. Carefully, Fluttershy shuffled the earth aside and began to dig out an appropriate hole.  

When Bulk returned, he was carrying a bundle of flowers. He landed next to Fluttershy and smiled kindly. "I got lots to choose from."
Fluttershy was a little surprised at the stack before her. If any other stallion had gone looking for flowers, they would have returned with one, maybe two kinds. However, Bulk had returned with no less than seven varieties of flowers, all carefully picked as not to damage the stems or blooms. "They're wonderful Bulk Biceps. Thank you so very much."

The snow white pegasus raised a hoof to his head, chuckling self-consciously. "It was nothing." He looked at the neat hole Fluttershy had made and the handkerchief. "Let's make a bouquet."

Nodding in agreement, Fluttershy began to choose the best flowers for Mildred. She watched as Bulk did the same, carefully mixing the buds and blooms to give a natural look. He's really good at this. Better than I am even. "Say Bulk, where did you ever learn to make such lovely arrangements?" 

For the second time that day, Bulk flushed. "Oh. I guess I learned from my sister."

Fluttershy's eyes grew wide with excitement. "I never knew you had a sister."

"Yeah! But, she lives in Cloudsdale, so I don't see her much." He shuffled the bouquet, feeling a little jittery for some reason. Glancing at Fluttershy, he noticed for the first time how lovely her mane looked in the sunlight. She's so cute. Looks just like a little daffodil herself. 

Before long, the pair had arranged all the flowers into two lovely bouquets. Fluttershy carefully place them on either side of the little grave. Bulk walked over, and cautiously lifted the handkerchief to the bottom of the grave. "You want to say some words?" 

Fluttershy nodded, and smiled at the delicate insect lying still. "Mildred, you were the best butterfly a pony could ever ask for. Though you were small, you had a big heart, and always brought a smile to my face…" Fluttershy continued her address, recounting her favorite memories of the butterfly. It was not long nor elegant, but the speech touched Bulk. He found himself crying by the end, though he had never met Mildred in life. 

"Uh Bulk. You can bury her now." Fluttershy was regarding Bulk with a questioning stare

"Huh? Yeah!" As gently as his over sized muscles would allow, he scooped the dirt atop the butterfly.

"Thanks for your help Bulk Biceps." Though the funeral was done, she found herself wanting to spend more time with the kindhearted pegasus. She followed him as he walked out of the clearing, onto the road. There was something comforting about trotting beside Bulk's massive frame. "So, what were you doing all the way out here Bulk Biceps?"

Bulk froze, remembering. Oh no! He took the sky, and towards the meadow he started the afternoon in. He sighed with relief on seeing the book was unharmed. Quickly, he scooped it and the weights up, heading back to Fluttershy. He landed and held the items up triumphantly. Fluttershy looked highly confused at the book. Grinning he dropped the weights and motioned Fluttershy closer. "Wanted to show you."

The book Bulk held up was surprisingly feminine for a stallion. Its cover was homemade purple paper with a pressed clover in the middle. She gasped as he flipped through the pages. Each one was absolutely filled with beautifully pressed flowers of all shapes, sizes, and colors. "Wow. It's wonderful Bulk. I didn't know you loved flowers so much."

One again, he found his massive face turning red. "It's not for me, it's for Clover."

"Clover?"

"Yeah! She's my little sister." Bulk smiled, remembering the cheerful filly's toothy grin and warm hugs. "She's sick so she has to stay in the hospital in Cloudsdale. But she loves flowers." He tenderly rubbed the book. "So I'm making her this book so she can always have some with her."

Fluttershy gave Bulk a big hug. "That's so wonderful." Flushing a little, she released him and regarded the road. "I know she'll love it." 

Bulk grinned up at the clouds and raised a hoof in triumph. "Yeah!" He had never spoken to another pony about his project before, afraid they might think it too girly. But Fluttershy accepted it with kindness and understanding. A pony could get used to a mare like her. Taking a breath, he spoke up. "You maybe want to walk back together?"

Fluttershy felt her face burn. "Okay Bulk Biceps. But only if we can do something else together again soon."

"Yeah." Bulk flushed even deeper than before, shuffling his hooves. Then in an honest to goodness whisper, "Snowflake."

"What?"

He stared into Fluttershy's clear teal eyes. "You can call me Snowflake. Bulk Biceps just a nickname."

Fluttershy giggled a little bit and nodded. "Snowflake it is." She nudged him playfully with her wing. "It fits you much better anyway."
Bulk chuckled too, and walked on. Fluttershy hummed an indistinct tune as his hooves kept time.  A warm spring breeze blew down the road, hinting at the changes to come.