You are a unicorn. One day, you go off to Rose’s flower shop to buy flowers. Today was the day you were finally going to ask out the mare you admired from afar in the kindest, subtlest way that you could. Lyra was pretty different from any other mare you knew, not that you know many mares. The matter of fact was that you were pretty alone. You were too shy to ask people out or start a conversation. You look down at two dozen roses and hope it’s enough to humor the mare you hope to make like you.
The mare only talked to you a few short times, but every time you saw her or looked at her... Perhaps every time she spoke to you it filled something inside you and helped you feel that you belonged somewhere. Lyra worked at a cafe across the street from a barbershop where you work and it is nearly five minutes before both your shop and hers opens.
You wait patiently. The door opens on both shops and you prepare for both customers and you prepare your nerves to ask a bold question.
An hour passes with no sign of Lyra. You walk to the cafe where Lyra works to ask where you could find her. The manager gives an address and you follow it.
As you walk down the street towards the mare’s house, you worry. You’re always over-thinking these things. “Could the two of you be considered friends enough for this meeting to not seem weird? Is she interested in someone else? What if she’s sick and can’t be disturbed? What if she really doesn’t like me?” These questions float through your head as you climb the sidewalk to the rather colorful home. You can see a railing on one side of the walk to the steps with a fancy doorbell that could easily be seen from the street.
“The house seems welcoming.” You think as you climb the steps. Still, the doorbell seems intimidating and you try not to think as you touch it. You cringe as the bell lets off a tone in the house. You were past the point of no return. If Lyra was home, she heard you. If Lyra didn’t want to go on a date with you, she’s say no: here and now. You don’t know if your heart can take it. You never have anypony to talk to at home. You have a hard time taking care of yourself. You’re disappointed with the lack of friends you make, everywhere you go, you’re not recognised because you’re too shy to talk to people and nopony besides your parents ever loved you so much as to tell you so.
You look down at your roses and hope they’re enough… and you wait. The mare never answers the door, but you can’t take the fall of not asking her. You’re fed-up with being alone. You need to ask her.
You knock once more and wait before opening the door and going inside.
“Lyra?” you call, “Are you okay?” A sniffles echoes around you and again, you think that the idea of doing this was stupid. It’s still too late, though and you continue.
“Lyra, do you need help?”
You walk upstairs to where you hear the noise to see that the lonely mare sat alone in her bedroom. the floor was littered in tissues and the sheets on her bed were bunched up around her. You use your magic to put all of the tissues into the waste basket to the side of her bed. Lyra turned and noticed you as you did so.
She quickly straightened up, giving you the words: “Oh it’s you… I-I didn’t notice you enter. I-I…” She rubbed her front hooves together and stared at the ground before grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose.
“I just wanted to check on you,” you tell her, hopefully.
A tear fell from her eye as she looked at the flowers you held and hiccups escaped her open mouth.
“What happened,” you wonder aloud.
“I...I....This.” she started crying again. Her back stopped being straight and her head fell into her hooves.
You realise that for some reason you have upset her. “No. No it’s okay. I brought you flowers.”
She continues to sob, but doesn’t take the 24 red, beautiful flowers you bought her. Laying them to the side of her, her sit next to her and give her a hug.
She puts her hoof over yours as you do so.
After a few minutes, she stops crying and looks at you.
“I’m sorry you had to see me like this,” she apologised. She takes her hooves away from her face to reveal a large bruise around her eye.
“No. No, I’m sorry, Lyra,” You become distracted by the wound. Her face still remains its own beautiful self, but what pony would have the nerve to treat her this way. Her hoof still remains in tact with hers and you become aware the moment. You look down at it with some notice to the fact that it was an amazing thing to feel. It felt as if she wanted you here. Lyra notices you looking at the site and pulls her hoof away quickly.
“Sorry,” She weaped again, “I didn’t...mean to,” she puts little effort into her last two words.
“No it’s okay,” you acknowledge with more longing in your voice than you would have hoped.
“Is there anyone for me? Are you ever upset over the matter of fact that nopony loves you for long *hiccup* before they move onto somepony else?” She asked in her upset voice.
“I um…” You respond, dumbly.
“forget it,” she said. She put her head on her hooves which had been placed elbow to-knee over the edge of her bed.
“Actually, I do,” you tell her, while still confused at the strange pose she is taking.
“I just… need someone to love me,” she continued almost ignoring you.
“Someone?” you ask.
“Yes,” Lyra confirmed, “a human,”
“I...I could be here… for you,” you hope.
Lyra met your gaze. Her face slowly turned into a smile as you look at her admiringly. The mare looked gorgeous. Her beautiful mane moved perfectly to the side of her forehead and her eyes in a lovingly dilated setting.
“Sure,” she said as you realize her hoof has once again moved against yours. You look down at them and wonder how long it was they were held like that, but you can’t wonder long as the green mare bent towards you and kissed you on the cheek.
Her words echo in your ear soon after: “Of course I would.”
Everyone is kind.
Everyone deserves kindness.
Everyone is family to me.