Rest for the Weary

by DismantledAccount

Rehabilitation: Day One Hundred and Fifty Five

“Cliff? Cliff?” Fluttershy walked around the house and listened carefully for a reply, but none came. “Cliiiiiff?”

“Have you seen Cliff, Angel?” she asked.

Angel shrugged and pointed to the door.

“He went outside?” she asked.

Pointing more insistently at the door, he nodded.

Fluttershy trotted over to the door and placed her hoof on the door handle. As she did, she noticed that the door was already ajar. She pushed it open with her hoof and walked out into the night.

The crisp air was her only greeting, for Cliff was nowhere to be found.

Hugging her wings against her body in an attempt to ward off the chill, she took a few crunching steps forward into the snow and looked around, the moon and the stars providing a silvery light that she could see by.

“Cliff?

There was nothing around her that gave any indication as to where he was, but that didn’t stop her from looking. She searched in her backyard, her front yard, and even ventured into the small glade where Cliff had first learned to fly, all those months ago; but each time she came up empty.

“Cliff?” she called. “Answer me, please.”

If he heard her, there was no indication.

“Where are you, Cliff?” she sighed, looking up into the night sky. She frowned slightly in concentration as she cocked her head to the side.

A single patch of Luna’s twinkling tapestry was missing, and it looked remarkably similar to how a cloud would.

Shivering as her warm wings left her sides, she jumped into the air and set off for the mysterious object. The air rushed past her, ruffling her coat as she passed. When she arrived at the cloud, a chill had already set in.

She landed on the cloud and saw Cliff’s form silhouetted by the bright moon.

Once again wrapping her wings around herself, she trotted forward. “There you are, Cliff. I’ve been looking all over for you. Are you all right? Why didn’t you answer me?”

His ears didn’t even twitch.

“Cliff?” she asked, shivering, as she took another step forward. She drew level with the edge of the cloud and sat down next to him.

She watched the mist billow out from his nose as he stared off into the distance; following his gaze, she saw nothing but the magnificence of the night.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked suddenly. “The way the moonlight sparkles against the snow. The way the stars shine against the pure black. . . . I’ve never seen it so clearly before.”

Another shiver wracking her body, Fluttershy nodded. “It’s l-lovely.”

“You shouldn’t have come out here without a coat,” he said, frowning.

“I was w-worried,” she chattered.

Still without looking at her, he extended his wing and slid closer to her. Once his side had made contact with hers, he firmly wrapped his wing around her, drawing her close.

She hummed in contentment as the warmth flowed from him and quickly banished the chill.

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” he said, finally looking down at her.

“Why are you thanking me? You’re the one who is keeping me warm,” she answered, meeting his eyes.

“Not for this, but for everything else. Even knowing what I told you on the first day I met you, you let me stay. You never pushed me to reveal more than I was willing, and never questioned when I woke up in the middle of the night, screaming, but you were always there to hold me.”

“Of course. You needed a friend.”

“You’ve been more than that. Just being around you has made me feel better than I have in a long, long time. I know exactly where I would be if you hadn't been there, and I don’t like it.” He gripped her tighter with his wing and used his hoof to brush a bit of her mane out of her eyes. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

She let her silence speak for her as her rested her head on his shoulder and gently nuzzled him.

“You deserve to know the truth about me. The first day I was here I only gave you a peek into what I’ve been keeping to myself. I think it’s time to let it all out. . . . But only if you want to hear it.” The wing around her shoulders relaxing, his eyes slowly drifted from her to once again look across the land.

“I would be honored.”

“Are you sure? It might get . . . intense.”

“You need this. And I never told this to anypony before, but . . . my b-brother served in the Royal Guard just like you, and when he came back, he wasn’t the same. That’s how I knew how to take care of you.” She reached her hoof over to his face and tugged until he met her eyes. “I’m sure. And no matter what you say, I won’t think any less of you.”

The wing around her shoulders tightened as he nodded. “Thank you.”

He took a deep breath and began to heal.

Comments

[Cerulean Voice]

A dislike. Right off the bat. What a surprise.
Well, it's not called "The Most Dangerous Game" contest for no reason.

[Sethi]

Huh. Even tough this uses clichés (and bad clichés at that), this actually is pretty good. Short, but good. Most of them aren't thrown at your face, noes does he develop the Stu syndrome. You have a good talent for short stories

[Honest Wisdom]

i found this while listening to Ain't no rest for the wicked. i was like 'close enough'. i will fav this.

[FanOfMostEverything]

A touching story, respectful of the source concept and very well handled. A case of Fluttershy at her best. My only complaint is that alicornizing the OC almost feels tacked on as an afterthought. We never do find out why he took on that form. On the other hand, that's not the point. A very strange form of PTSD counseling is.

Thank you for this, and good luck in the contest.

[DismantledAccount]

4591167
Thanks.

4591333

My only complaint is that alicornizing the OC almost feels tacked on as an afterthought

You mean it doesn't always feel like it's completely unnecessary? That's news to me. :P
Thanks. Good luck to you, too.

4591361
Glad you enjoyed it.

[PresentPerfect]

That was surprisingly nice. I find myself wishing there were more chapters in the gaps. :)

[DismantledAccount]

4657538
I would have made it longer, but I ran out of time.

Glad you still liked it, though.

[PresentPerfect]

4657716
This provides just enough of the story to be complete, so you needn't worry about writing more later. :)

[Sypher]

I honestly think this story is pretty good, especially when considering its length, but it doesn't seem to leave any lasting impact for me. I'd describe it as "competent, but not inspiring." Unfortunately, the only improvement I can think of would be to make this story longer.

Good luck in the contest!

[DismantledAccount]

4691585
Thanks.

[The Watcher Face]

4592976
Yes the undying horrific alicorn oc fiction need to slow down less stu and more ...well less stu.

The watcher

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