//------------------------------// // Eclipse // Story: A Happy Accident // by ScriptScrolls //------------------------------// Eclipse ~~~~~~~~~~ A Happy Accident by ScriptScrolls ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Oh, my goodness! Are you hurt? Oh, please be alright! You have to be alright! Can you move? How many hooves am I holding up? Oh, this is all my fault! I should have put you on a bed! Oh, no, no, no...” Fluttershy was sobbing incessantly, lying on the ground with her head shaking side to side in her hooves. Caramel reached a hoof to her cheek, nudging Fluttershy to turn her tear-streamed face to look at him. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered in her ear. “I promise.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Where does it hurt?” Fluttershy asked in her usual, harmonious voice. While most ponies simply found her voice comforting, Caramel revelled in her mellifluous, sing-song tone. ‘It’s like she’s dancing with words!’ Caramel dreamed. Caramel’s eyes now took their turn to wander as they scanned over the hovering pegasus. Her light pink mane and yellow coat complemented each other perfectly, as if by Celestia’s own design, and radiated a soft sweetness. Her cutie mark, three teal butterflies with bright pink wings, shone on her flanks. Caramel could swear they fluttered with each flap of Fluttershy’s wings as she floated next to him. Fluttershy was, he deemed, lovely in every sense of the word. “U-uhm...Caramel?” Fluttershy mumbled, not entirely sure how she felt about Caramel staring at her like that. ‘The last time a colt looked at me like that... No!’ she yelled in her mind. ‘That’s not fair! Besides, you were looking at him the same way before...’ She shot him a friendly smirk, reminding him where her eyes were. Caramel fell out of his daze and looked down, completely abashed. “At the base of my tail,” he pointed. Fluttershy noticed a large, red swell protruding through his coat a few inches above his where his tail joined his backside. She frowned, picturing how painful it would be for a stallion as tough as Big Mac, let alone for a pony with such a lean build. ‘Oh, dear,’ she worried frantically. ‘He’s broken a bone! I don’t have the equipment to deal with this!’ Caramel saw the panic flare in Fluttershy’s eyes and knew immediately he had to console her. “Fluttershy, are you okay?” he asked, concerned for the pegasus. “Don’t worry, I feel fine,” Caramel blatantly lied. He felt guilty immediately. Applejack had cautioned him to always be honest while working the farm, and he had implemented that lesson into all other aspects of his life as well. As much as Caramel despised himself for fabricating his response, he knew it would be worthwhile, if only to set the yellow mare’s mind at ease. Fluttershy had, after all, shown him much kindness. “Oh, that’s good. I was so worried about your back, and I think you’ve broken a vertebrae...” she said, a fretful look returning to her eyes. “The Hospital is closed because of Winter Wrap-Up today; I should probably ask Twilight what to do until tomorrow.” Caramel nodded in response. Fluttershy hovered over to a small desk in the room. Caramel felt his eyes lock; the way she moved -- gliding through the air with each skip of her hooves -- mesmerized the brown stallion. With each leap, Fluttershy spread her shimmering wings, slid effortlessly through the air, and ,when her hooves did eventually reach the floor, gave a gentle press with her hind legs. This coupled with a brief downstroke with her wings once again propelled herself upwards. ‘Grace, pure grace,’ Caramel sighed. He had seen pegasi fly before, even witnessed a few sonic rainbooms courtesy of Dash. Never in his life, however, had he borne testament to such delicacy, especially in simple movement. Fluttershy removed a quill from the desk drawer, held the utensil lightly between her pursed lips, and began inscribing on the blank parchment before her. Caramel barely managed to avoid squeaking at how adorable she appeared, focusing so hard while holding a feather in her mouth. URGENT!!! Dear Twilight, Caramel, one of AJ’s farm-hooves, slipped on the ice today and fractured a disk in his spine. I have taken him into my care, but I don’t know how to treat him until the hospital opens tomorrow. Any help or advice would be appreciated, that is, if you’re not too busy...                                 Fluttershy Content with her note, Fluttershy gave a lengthy, strident whistle. Instantaneously, a red blur shot through the open window and stopped dead on the opposite edge of the desk. Caramel jolted at the sudden appearance of the bird, nearly falling off the couch once more. “Red,” Fluttershy addressed the bird sternly, “Twilight needs to get this letter really fast, okay?” The Vermilion Flycatcher sounded a short chirp as if to confirm. “Thank y-” she tried to respond, but Red had already flown halfway to the library. “Celestia, that bird is quick!” marvelled a bewildered Caramel, fully convinced Red could give Rainbow Dash herself a run for her money. Fluttershy merely giggled at the stallion, very much amused at his reaction. “Oh my, yes,” she acknowledged, still chuckling softly. “Red is a very special messenger bird of mine. I only ever call him if it’s an emergency,” Fluttershy explained in a far more serious, yet still gentle, tone. “In fact,” she admitted, contrition evident as she stared downwards and pawed at the floor with her hoof, “I didn’t tell Dashie about her when she was looking for a pet. She’s always been my best friend, but she can get terribly jealous...” “I noticed,” Caramel muttered to himself. The cyan pegasus had certainly made a foal out of herself. ‘I shouldn’t be so judgemental,’ he scolded himself. ‘She was just trying to look out for her friend.’ In all honesty, Caramel couldn’t blame her; Fluttershy was gorgeous, but unbelievably sensitive. Being the Element of Loyalty could only justify Rainbow’s actions to a limit, however. Caramel knew something lay deeper within Dash than a simple protective nature: something that made her act more aggressively than usual. Caramel’s train of thought derailed when the Flycatcher once again zipped into the room, a letter in it’s talons. This time he did fall off the couch, but luckily onto his hooves. Caramel dusted himself off as Fluttershy thanked the bird and took the scroll. She spread the parchment out with her hooves and commenced reading. As Fluttershy read, her serious composure faded as a smile began to spread wide across her face. Caramel felt his heart begin to sink the more she grinned. ‘It probably says I’m fine and should go home to rest,’ he feared. While the confused, coffee-colored stallion remained uncertain about much at the moment, he knew in all his being that he did not want to leave Fluttershy’s cottage. Nopony had ever shown him so much kindness in his entire life. Even Granny Smith, who had taken Caramel in as a colt, had fairly made him earn his keep as a farm-hoof. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, had no interest besides caring for him, and it seemed a very foreign, yet comforting feeling to him -- one he wouldn’t trade for the world. "What does it say?” Caramel asked, intense anticipation in his voice. “It says you shouldn’t be moved if possible, and that rest is...” Fluttershy squinted slightly as she tried to decipher the rushed handwriting, “paramount to your recovery,” she finished with a grin on her face. Caramel’s heart soared at her words, his spirit fueled by the fulfilment of his greatest wish. “Does that mean -- ?” “Yes!” the yellow mare interrupted him, almost bouncing up and down in excitement. “You’re mine for tonight!” Fluttershy’s face retained a wide grin which quickly made way for a gaping expression of shock as her own words hit her like a dropped piano. Caramel couldn’t move, much less speak; his mind began running completely haywire -- trains of thought smashing into each other. ‘Did she just -- ? No, no way! But she did! Does it mean -- ? Maybe she just phrased it badly? Or maybe she slipped! Say something dimwit!’ Tears welled up in Fluttershy’s eyes, fully prepared to slip down her now rosy cheeks and past her lip which was quivering behind her pink mane. A surge of courage suddenly burst through Caramel’s veins. “I really like you,” he said calmly, his voice unwavering yet sincere. Caramel’s mind went blank, waiting in complete silence for the response of the mare he had just confessed his feelings to. Fluttershy’s butterflies somehow managed to float from her flanks into her stomach and swarm, almost making her fall off her hooves. All the blood that had previously stormed its way into the mare’s cheeks began retreating from her face. As the wave of dizziness washed over Fluttershy, she met Caramel’s eyes with her own. The dark ocean-blue calmed her like the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. Fluttershy quickly regained her posture and hoofing, prepared to speak her mind. Looking him dead in the eyes with a small grin on her face, she whispered, “I really like you too.” They continued to stare into each other’s eyes, their minds far too scrambled for any coherent thought. Fluttershy slowly trotted closer to Caramel, her eyes still fixed on his.  When she stood but a few hooves away, she bent her head down slightly, slipping her mane underneath his neck. The smell of her mane intoxicated Caramel, and he began to lose his balance from the floral ecstasy. Before he could fall over, the yellow mare pressed her face against his chest and pushed him upright. She then started to nuzzle the stallion, rubbing her muzzle up and down his warm neck, drawing in the scent of hay bales and fresh sweat. Caramel caught on quickly as he poked his nose through Fluttershy’s aromatic mane while planting small kisses on the back of her neck, sending ripples of pleasure coursing through her. ‘This is perfect,’ they thought in unison. ~ ~ ~ “This is awful!” Dash screamed, her face buried in a cloud pillow now soaked with tears. “It isn’t fair!” Rainbow had always defended Fluttershy in her time of need, ever since their days in flight school. ‘Flight school,’ she thought to herself. Rainbow Dash had been careful to protect Fluttershy, especially on that day. ‘Don’t think about that!’ she warned herself. Yet as much as Rainbow Dash desired to efface all memory of the event, she knew it defined her. The single sacrifice Dash made for Fluttershy earned her the Element of Loyalty so many years afterwards. The trauma, however, left in its wake a damaged psyche and the burden of a horrendous secret: one she felt obliged to bear alone. Rainbow knew her friends would understand and even help her to cope with her past. ‘Fluttershy can’t ever know!’ she had told herself numerous times. ‘She would blame herself.’ As the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy had a predisposition of accepting responsibility for things out of her control. Just knowing what occurred could permanently damage her delicate mind. No, Dash would continue keeping the weight on her own shoulders; it belonged to her and only her. Why should any other pony have to suffer because of her decision? Allowing that to happen would be... disloyal. “Be true to your Element,” boomed a voice, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Rainbow’s thought-train ground to a halt as she scanned the room. ‘Not you again,’ Dash sighed. “What do you mean ‘not you’? Have I not guided you well? Have I not led you when you were lost? Have I not taught you to be strong... especially after what happened?” the voice continued taunting. ‘Don’t bring that up! I’ve told you that before!’ Rainbow yelled mentally at her guardian, remembering when it had first visited her as a filly, not so much as a day after her traumatic experience. She had tried speaking to it out loud, and Dash’s parents had her taken to a therapist. Since then she had learned that the guardian communicated telepathically. “At least you haven’t forgotten! Hopefully you still remember the most important lesson...” the spirit reminded her. Rainbow’s thoughts immediately turned to loathing of particular ponies in her mind. The bullies at flight school, her father, and her brother made the top of the list. Now, however, a light brown stallion with a darker mane filled her mind with hatred. “Good.” ~ ~ ~ Luna, in engendering her moon, had left behind a magical aura, and this emanation gave ponies across Equestria dreams. It was common knowledge that visions under a full lunar eclipse were prophetical, even if they mostly remained vague. Dreams holding the future came to three such ponies the night of Winter Wrap-Up. Their visions would teach them an ancient doctrine of vision: “All is not always as it seems... but it sometimes is.” ~ Caramel faded into a deep sleep on Fluttershy’s couch, thoughts of the yellow mare still floated around him. As he lost consciousness, the smell of blood overcame his senses. It was then that he heard a voice -- a plea in so desperate a tone it made him cringe in his sleep. It called out to him, begged of him, screamed at him. “Caramel, stop it! PLEASE! I’ll do anything, just STOP!” The stallion’s heart exploded as his unconscious mind made a terrifying realization. He ignored it, rejected it, loathed it, but knew it in his heart. The voice belonged to none other than his caretaker, his fancy, his love: Fluttershy. Caramel wept silently in his sleep for what he had yet to do, the most despised of crimes, the most loathed of sins, the most disgusting of acts: rape. ~ Rainbow Dash, tears fresh on her cheeks, gradually drifted off into unconsciousness. Her mind became far too exhausted from depression to keep her thoughts focused and went blank as she floated into slumber. From the ubiquitous blackness came a fuzzy illusion of yellow and light pink. Even without her conscious mind, Rainbow knew who it was. As Fluttershy spoke to her, Rainbow could feel the truth in her words. “Dashie, I love you. You have been my best friend since we were small fillies, and you have been loyal ever since. I could not imagine anypony more deserving of my devotion...” Tears formed in Dash’s closed eyes -- tears of overwhelming joy. Never had she felt such elation; never had she felt so complete; never had she felt so loved! A smile swept across Rainbow’s face as she whispered in her sleep, “I love you too, Fluttershy.” ~ Fluttershy’s thoughts continued to dwell on the stallion sleeping soundly downstairs. She had made sure he was resting before retiring to bed herself, weary of intense mental stress. The yellow mare eventually did manage to quiet her mind and allow herself to float into a light, dreamy state. A scene clearer and more vivid than Rarity’s most precious diamonds appeared in her mind. Fluttershy could see the walls of a chapel around her while numerous ponies she knew (along with some she didn’t) occupied the pews. She smiled at them, especially at her four friends in the front. ‘Where’s Dashie?’ Fluttershy thought to herself but then turned around; a cyan mare in a white dress stood right behind her, smiling with tears in her eyes. ‘This can’t be real... Can it?’ Fluttershy saw, out of the corner of her vision, a light brown pony looking slightly uncomfortable in his tuxedo. Fluttershy blushed intensely in her sleep, unable to release fantasy’s hold on her. “Dost thou, Fluttershy, take Caramel to be thy husband, to have and to hold, ‘til death do ye part?” echoed a strong feminine voice. “I do,” Fluttershy said without a hesitation. Caramel slipped a silver band onto her hoof which tightened magically. “And dost thou, Caramel, take Fluttershy --” “I do!” he interrupted. The audience laughed, but Caramel showed no shame for his outburst. Fluttershy delicately slipped a similar band onto his hoof which also sealed itself permanently. “Then, by the authority of the crown, I pronounce ye bonded by matrimony. Thou may kiss the bride.” Fluttershy smiled as Caramel looked straight at her, tilting his head slightly to one side. She did the same, beginning to close her eyes. The yellow mare could feel the stallion’s breath on her cheeks as he moved in slowly for the kill. ‘This is it!’ she thought. Yet as quickly as the phantasm arrived, so did it leave her. The clear image before her now faded to blackness as she felt a small patting on her hoof. “Curse you, Angel Bunny,” she whispered.