An Unnamed Love Story

by OCisbestpony

Chapter Ten: A Loving Yellow

Chapter 10:
A Loving Yellow

His arrival actually surprised her. She knew it was Thursday, so it made sense that he would come, but there were several hours yet before he would normally come. At first she thought that perhaps it was one of the nurses arriving to take her to therapy, or perhaps a doctor to tell her some bad news, or perhaps a policeman to tell her that she couldn't be in the hospital anymore, or-

But it was none of those things. It was something much less scary and harmful. She thought that given what had happened a few days ago, she would be nervous, perhaps even a bit panicked, but she was not. How could she be? So she calmly watched him make his way over to the chair at the foot of her bed (normally it was by the window, but her visitors liked to move it to the foot of her bed, much to the irritation of the nurses who would move it back). He paused a moment after he sat down, as if thinking about something. Her heart began to beat just a little faster.

“Hey.” he said. She wasn't sure what to say back. Then again, she was never sure what to say to almost anyone who talked to her. She wanted to have normal conversations, but she just never could think of what to say. So, she decided to start off simply.

“Hi.” she manged, over the sound of her sudden heart beat. It seemed so loud she was almost certain he could hear it.

“Where's Applejack?” He asked, looking at her bed. He seemed nervous about the answer.

“Oh,” she paused, his question caught her off guard, for she was still deep in thought, “She's at physical therapy.”

There was a pause, her heart pounded in her chest again.

She didn't know what to say, if she should say anything at all. How would he respond? Was it best to simply keep quiet and let him talk? Should she say anything? What should-

“How's that coming along? Last I heard you guys were only a few weeks from walking.” He asked. It seemed that he liked the idea of Applejack being gone for a short time.

She was unsure how to answer the question. Mostly because she was trying to follow Applejack's advice and figure out what her heart was trying to tell her to do. Should she say something now? She decided to try it and see what would happen.

“Well...” she ventured, but suddenly found herself too embarrassed to say anything else. She wanted to say something, but she just couldn't say it.

He cleared his throat, “What I mean was I heard you guys were working on standing exercises.” Once again she was unsure how to answer his question. How could he be talking about physical therapy when all she could think about was-

Her heart pounded once more.

She swallowed hard. Perhaps it would be best if she just went along. “Yes. We've been working on standing. It's still kinda hard, and hurts a lot. (that was an understatement) But it's not too bad.”

“How's Applejack handling it?” he asked.

Fluttershy smiled a little inside. She loved to complain about how much her joints ached afterward, but only when she and Fluttershy were alone; she was a bit too proud to admit it to anyone else.

“She's doing alright. She doesn't like to admit it, but she's having a hard time too.”

A troubled look flashed through his eyes, but was gone as soon as it came. “I'm sorry to hear that, but at least you guys are getting better right?” he said with a small, gentle smile.

“A little bit at a time.” she answered, smiling back.

Then a quiet settled in the room. She didn't know what he was going to say next. Figuring that he had some sort of plan of what he wanted to say next, she decided to remain silent, or at least she sure hoped so, because there was only one thing she wanted to talk about. The idea of talking about that was terrifying, but at the same time it-it truly was the only thing she wanted to say. But still he said nothing. Still he sat there, saying nothing. He suddenly looked very uncomfortable, almost scared. It seemed like a darkness was filling his eyes, but Fluttershy wasn't sure if she was just seeing things. Still, when she felt like that, usually talking about her feelings helped. So, she mustered up her courage and ask him a simple question.

“Umm … can … I ask you a question? I-If you don't mind that is…” she managed to get out.

Suddenly surprised, he looked at her for a brief moment. “Uh, sure,” he was clearly not expecting her to say something, “go right ahead.”

“What are you thinking about (are you thinking about me? Because I'm thinking about you, oh please be thinking about me! I, I just don't know what I would do if you weren't!)?” She asked. She was concerned for him. As time had continued on, she had noticed that his face had gotten darker and darker. Not only did she wish she had said the part she didn't, she also wanted to help him be happier. She was so very worried about him.

“Well, to be honest, about our conversations.” He answered.

Her heart stopped for a second, and suddenly, she was petrified with anxiety, or rather, that's what she expected. Rather, she was overcome with curiosity. It seemed strange to her that of all the things to talk about, that's what was on his mind. Could he not see how she felt for him? How could he not hear her heart ramming her ribs? She found herself confused. What could he be thinking?

“Oh … what do you mean?” she inquired.

“Well,” he began, then he paused for a moment. It was clear he was thinking about what he wanted to say next. She had come to know him for this, for he would often pause before saying something really important to him, or something really sensitive. “You see, I'm the kind of guy who likes to observe and understand things. As a result, I have a tendency to analyze the conversations I have with people. It's not that I judge them or anything like that, no no, it's not my place, but rather it's more like I like to look at them from...”

She was puzzled. How could he be rambling on like this? Could he not see her feelings in her eyes? Could he not hear the pounding of her heart? She could think of nothing else. Her mind was filled with a terrible fear, her heart danced with excitement, but her soul was at peace. It was a strange feeling, one that she found herself drifting away in. So gone was she that she didn't notice that he had stopped talking at first. As the silence fell upon her, she suddenly felt a little sheepish for not noticing right away.

“But that's not what you were looking for, was it?” he asked suddenly.

Still feeling a bit silly, she gave the best answer she could think of. “Well, if that's what was on your mind, then I guess it was alright...” She didn't mind much when her friends would do most of the talking. She was usually happy to just sit there and listen.

Shaking his head, he said, “Sorry, I tend to talk too much.”

“It's OK, I don't mind...” she began. She was unsure what to say after that, after all, she didn't want him to feel bad about talking so much.

“No, it's not OK,” he suddenly said, “I hogged the conversation. And in my mind, a conversation is supposed to happen two ways.” He was clearly frustrated, though she was confused as to why. She didn't understand what she had done wrong to make him upset. Or if it was something he had done. She was about to open her mouth to say something, but then a simple thought crossed her mind. Smile.

And so she sat there, and smiled.

As she did so, a warmth filled her chest. It expanded and filled her whole body. Everything from her feet to her fingers felt warm. But it was a gentle, kind warmth. Not the kind of warmth one gets from feeling too hot or the kind of warmth that comes from excitement or even embarrassment. No, this was the kind of warmth one feels in the arms of a loving parent or in the presence of a close friend, but still, it was different from even that.

After a moment's pause, he suddenly jerked his head to the side, apparently to look out the window. But, at that point, it finally hit her. She and he had locked eyes for just a moment, but it was long enough. She knew. She knew … he loved her.

They sat there, both silent. Several moments passed. Finally, as if in response to a question, he spoke, “I'm not sure. It seems like … I…” he trailed off. He turned both slightly pale, as well as slightly red. He almost looked like he was going to be ill. So, speaking with all the kindness she would use when speaking to an animal, she asked, “Umm, excuse me, but you don't look so good. Are you OK?”

Almost in response, he turned his head and looked into her eyes. She was right. He loved her. There was no mistake. He was fighting to hide it, but she could see he was losing.

“Huh?” was his response when he looked at her. “Oh, uhh … ” His eyes told her he was at the breaking point. Suddenly, she felt a rush of both excitement and fear. What would happen when he finally lost the battle? What would he say? What would he do?

What would she do?

Almost on cue, the dam broke. “No … no I'm not ok!” he almost shouted. “I'm sorry, but I can't help it!”

He was fighting back tears. But she could tell that these tears were tears of pain. She wanted him let it all go. It pained her to see him hurting like this. She didn't know where it was coming from, or why he suddenly to seem so hurt so much. So, with all the courage she could muster, she asked, “Help what?”

“All I can think about is you! All I can think about is how I must have done something to cause this! I know that's not the case, but I can't help it! I'm so sorry! If I hadn't been late! If only I could have been there! I'm so sorry! I wish that I could take this pain from you! Can't you tell!? I-I...” He began to cry. It did not take long for it to turn into open sobbing. He buried his face in his hands, almost as if to try and hide his tears.

She was stunned. Did he really feel that way? Did he really believe that all of this was his fault? No, she pleaded within herself. No! It's not! Please … stop crying! She reached out, grabbed him, and held him close.

But that was not what happened. As she lifted her arms to reach out to him, her heart beat. She stopped. Her heart beat again. She paused. No, that was not what she needed to do. A third time her heart beat, and this time, she finally understood what it was saying. Once again, that peace, that happiness from before came to her. Both it, and the love in her heart, told her exactly what she needed to do.

She reached forward to his sobbing figure. She leaned in. He looked up at her through tear filled eyes.

Then, she kissed him.

One cannot fully describe in words the feeling that filled the room. It was not something that was felt only in the heart, but something that could only be felt in one's core. As his tears streamed down his face, they became joined with hers. His tears of sorrows, her tears of joy. Mingled, and mixed, becoming one. A bittersweet simile of their owners. And though these tears fell, landing on the hard floor and slowly gathering into a pool, to be cleaned and forgotten, the ones who shed them flew higher and higher. Their hearts as united as their tears, and their joy as mixed as the pools on the ground, they felt their souls take flight. High they flew, hand in hand, tears of joy falling to the earth far below them. Higher and higher their souls climbed, flying into the very halls of eternity itself. Their love never to end, their love never to be forgotten...

The End

Author's Note:

Thank you all for reading this fic. I for one find shipping to be a rather silly affair, but a commision is a commiosn. And I believe that one should put their heart into such things

Once again, and one last time: Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed it (over-the-top conclusion and all )

Comments

[OCisbestpony]

Well, it's finished. Hope you liked the short, little journey.

[PurpleHilt]

Wish there was more. A sequel?

[OCisbestpony]

5679633

Yes...quite...

[OCisbestpony]

5679763

Clannad: After Story, is that you?

That aside, I never had planned on writing a sequel, though technically the request was to take it all the way to a wedding. Perhaps I should make a follow-up...

[OCisbestpony]

7125368 Holy cow, Not everyday somepony comes around this dusty section of Fimfiction!
That said:
I imagine her face was something like this- FWT$QW$GT#^$%YUGSWVQ#FVAQY V^UB^B&Q^Y%ET

[RaritySimper44]

So cute