A Blank Canvas

by Bardsworth Brony

Chapter Four: In Which Our Protagonist Recovers

When Sketch woke again he realized something was wrong. He was comfortable, despite the aches he felt up and down his body. A thick blanket covered him, providing more warmth than his old, thin one. And he smelled a mixture of flowers and animals.

Confused, he was about to open his eyes when he heard hushed voices.

"Ah should've found out exactly where he was stayin'."

"It's not your fault, Applejack. You were just respecting his privacy."

"He could've died out there by himself, Twilight."

"But he didn't. And it was because you were worried about him that we were able to find him."

Curious, Sketch opened his eyes and glanced around. There were flowering plants scattered about, and a thick pink blanket covered him. At the foot of the bed were Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, and next to him was a pony he didn't recognize. She had yellow hair and a long, pink mane, and she was watching him very closely.

"Um, he's awake," the yellow-haired pony said in a soft and gentle voice.

"Sketch, how are you feeling?" Twilight asked nearly galloping to the other side of the bed.

"Drier," he responded in a hoarse voice, giving the purple pony a tiny smile. She returned it, her muscles relaxing. "Where am I?"

"Fluttershy's cottage," Twilight said, pointing a hoof at the pink-maned pony. "Her place was the closest to that shack you were in."

"How did you find me?"

"Applejack was concerned when you didn't show up yesterday morning and came to me. I used a locating spell to find you. By the time we got to you, you were burning up with a terrible fever."

"What in tarnation were ya thinkin' stayin' in that place?" Applejack said, taking a place next to Twilight, her green eyes hard. "That's no way for a pony to live!"

Sketch was about to respond when Twilight said, "Calm down, Applejack. Let him get some rest before you start in on him."

Applejack's face softened and she said, "Ah'm sorry, Sketch. Ah was just worried about ya, is all."

Sketch smiled and said, "It's okay, I appreciate it. And I promise you can yell at me later." The orange pony let herself smile at that.

"I think he needs some rest now," Fluttershy said in her quiet voice.

"You're right," Twilight said. "Nurse Redheart should be here soon, Sketch. Spike ran into town to ask her to make a house call. In the meantime, Fluttershy will take care of you."

Sketch just nodded, his eyelids getting heavy. "Thank you. All of you. I don't how I'll repay you for this, but-"

"Oh for goodness' sake," Twilight responded in an exasperated voice. "Don't start that again. Just rest up and get better, okay?"

Too weak to argue, Sketch just let his head relax into the pillow.

***

Sketch wasn't sure how long he had been sleeping before the nurse arrived, but he was still very much out of it. The white-haired pony, of whom he only caught glimpses here and there through half-open eyelids, checked his vitals and asked him questions.

"You look severely undernourished, Sketch," she mentioned, running a hoof over his rib cage. "What has your diet been like of late?"

"Large helpings of delicious nothing," he answered groggily, trying to joke.

The medical mare didn't find it funny. "It's no wonder you got sick. If you haven't been eating and keeping up your strength, your body is probably very weak right now."

"Been traveling," Sketch said in a whisper, his head lolling to the side. "No money."

"Well, I'll have a talk with your friends. You can't continue on like this." Sketch nodded without opening his eyes and Nurse Redheart starting talking to Fluttershy in a low voice. "He's past the rough stage, but I think only barely. You ponies got to him just in time. Make sure he stays warm and dry, and give him plenty of fluids. When he's ready to eat, stick with broth until he has some more strength back, then slowly start adding in solids. If he gets worse, come and get me right away."

Fluttershy's barely audible voice responded with, "Yes, Nurse Redheart. Thank you so much."

With the knowledge that he was going to get better, Sketch relaxed and fell asleep again.

***

The following morning Sketch felt like a new pony. He was still weak and stayed in bed most of the day, but he was able to sit up and converse with his hostess. Fluttershy was more than attentive, and she always helped with a smile. She was so gentle that Sketch couldn't help but talk to her at the same volume that she talked to him. He felt that if he raised his voice any farther she would break apart from the mere force of it.

While Fluttershy was out tending to the animals that afternoon – as Sketch had learned was the pegasus's job – he leaned back against the headboard and started thinking. Applejack's words started ringing in his ears over and over – What in tarnation were ya thinkin' stayin' in that place? That's no way for a pony to live! What had he been thinking? He hadn't even tried looking in Ponyville for a place to live first. Sure, he hadn't had any money, but he might have been able to work something out, like his deal with Mr. Cake. Instead he had gotten everypony worried about him.

Thankfully, a knock at the bedroom door pulled Sketch from his depressing reverie. A purple head peeked into the room. "Oh good, you're awake!" Twilight said with a smile and entered. "You look so much better."

"I feel better, too," Sketch replied, sitting up straighter. "I won't be galloping in any races anytime soon, but at least I can move my legs again."

"Glad to hear it. Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, thank you. Fluttershy's been wonderful. I don't know how I'm going to-"

"Don't say it!" Twilight put her hoof to her forehead and shook her head. "There's no need to repay us for helping you. Especially when your life was at stake."

"But it was my fault, Twilight," Sketch said in a low voice, looking down at the blanket that he was fiddling with. "I… Applejack was right. I shouldn't have been staying in that shack."

"Applejack was just worried about you, Sketch. She didn't mean to get angry with you."

"She still spoke the truth." He paused. "Is she… I mean… do you think she'll drop by?"

Twilight approached the bed and put a hoof up on Sketch's foreleg. "She wanted to visit you today, Sketch, but she's behind in her work. She had to catch up from…" she trailed off and looked away.

Sketch's heart dropped. "From having to look after me, right?" He let out a sigh. "Only in town for several days and already I'm messing things up."

"Sketch, stop that," Twilight insisted, rubbing his foreleg consolingly. "Everypony makes mistakes. You're fortunate enough to have friends to help out when you make them."

Sketch looked up at Twilight and asked, "Do you really consider me a friend? After only knowing me a few days?"

"Absolutely! Why else would I have stopped over to check on you?"

Tears welled up in Sketch's eyes even though he tried to fight it, and his words were choked when he spoke. "You don't know what that means to me, Twilight. I… didn't have many friends growing up. Or any, really."

"I do know what that's like, Sketch," Twilight replied softly. "I didn't know what true friendship was until I came here to Ponyville." She smiled. "There's something about this place, and there's something about the ponies here. I know in my heart that this is a good place for you, just like it is for me."

The two looked at each other for a moment, smiling. Sketch was overcome with emotions he had never felt before, and somehow it was making him feel stronger, as if the emotions were healing him from within. He was glad he had come to Ponyville, even though the situation that had forced him to had been a tragic one.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Twilight said suddenly. Her horn glowed and a book levitated from her saddlebag. "I found this book in the library. It's about famous artists of Equestria. I thought you might need something to occupy you while you recuperate."

"Wow, thanks!" Sketch flipped the book, scanning the pages. A thought occurred to him. "How recent is it?"

"Not very. I think it was written about ten years ago."

He wouldn't be in here, Sketch thought sadly. Still, he was happy to have something interesting to read while he was bedridden. "I'll have to make sure that portrait of yours is extra good," he said with a smile. Then his smile disappeared as another thought struck him. "Twilight, did you ponies get my-"

She nodded. "We got your wagon with your art stuff out of the shack. Applejack is holding onto it at the moment."

Sketch relaxed. He wouldn’t have been able to bear it if those supplies had been lost. "Thanks again. For everything."

"That's what friends are for," the unicorn said with a smile.

***

The second day at Fluttershy's cottage, Sketch was conversing with his hostess while drinking a tasty vegetable broth she had made. He couldn't think of anypony else he'd rather be under the care of. His memories of the few times he had gotten sick as a young colt were not pleasant, as his parents had usually left him to take care of himself. Because of the show of kindness from Fluttershy, Sketch's sense of guilt and need for repayment surfaced.

"You don't owe me anything, Sketch," Fluttershy responded to the recovering pony's offer of reimbursement. The yellow mare looked almost horrified at the suggestion.

"It's just that you've put up with me in your house, in your own bed, for three days," Sketch insisted. "That's a pretty major inconvenience."

"Oh no, no, not at all! I have a guest room I've been staying in. And I like taking care of ponies as well as animals."

"What if I do for you the same thing I'm doing for Twilight Sparkle? I'll paint your portrait as repayment for your generosity."

"Goodness, a portrait of me? That's awfully nice of you, but-"

"Please, it's the very least I can do for you."

"Well… okay, if you insist."

The two of them hadn't noticed the bedroom door open, and were startled when they heard a voice from the doorway. "Yer not pullin' that but-ah-owe-you nonsense that Twilight told me yer prone to, are ya Sketch?"

Sketch's heart leapt in a way that he never felt before when he saw Applejack there in front of him. Her words were direct, but her eyes sparkled and her mouth twitched in an attempt to keep from grinning. Even after a day of dreading an encounter with the orange pony, he was, in that moment, elated. Fluttershy glanced from pony to pony and then politely let herself out of the room with the excuse that she had to tend to her chickens.

"Applejack, I…" Sketch wanted to tell her how happy he was to see her, how grateful he was for all she had done, but all that came out of his mouth was a soft, "…I'm sorry."

The orange pony walked in slowly. "Sketch, ah'm pleased as punch that yer alive and well. Really, ah am. But you need to promise me something if yer gonna continue workin' for me. Promise me that you won't do something as stupid as living in a place like that ever again and keepin' it a secret, and that you'll ask for help from ponies who care about ya."

Ask for help… Those words repeated themselves in Sketch's head as Applejack watched him and waited for a response. He opened his mouth, but stopped, unsure of what he was going to say. Finally, he locked gazes with Applejack and said, "Where I come from, you don't ask for help. It's a sign of weakness, of failure. That's why I'm so reluctant to accept things from you ponies."

"Sugar cube, you're not in Whinnypeg anymore," Applejack replied softly, walking around the bed to Sketch's side. "You're with ponies who are willin' to help ya whenever ya need it. You don't even need to ask."

"I'm… slowly learning that," Sketch said, rubbing a hoof against his other foreleg and looking away. "It's tough to break away from what you're used to, though, even if you've been rebelling against it all of your life." Again he met Applejack's eyes and he felt in that moment that she would do anything to help him. "I promise, Applejack. And I always keep my promises."

"Ah know you do, sugar cube." She reached out and placed a hoof on his foreleg, sending a pleasant shiver through him. Then, she pulled her foreleg back and stood up straighter, saying, "Now, we have somethin' to discuss. Yer livin' arrangements."

"I know," Sketch said with a sigh. "Tomorrow I'm getting out of Fluttershy's mane and I'll be looking for a place somewhere in the town. Maybe I-"

"You'll be livin' with us at Sweet Apple Acres."

"-Can find… huh?"

"You heard me."

"Live with you? But I-"

"No 'buts'. Ah know ya don't have anything in the way of money, so yer not gonna find anyplace to stay. We have an extra room in the farmhouse that we use for storage. Big Mac'n me cleared it out yesterday, and we scrounged up some old furniture for it."

"Applejack, I can't… you can't…"

She fixed him with one of those stares of hers. "If ya' won't accept it as one friend helpin' another, then how about this – as yer employer, ah insist on it. Ah want you there for trainin', and eventually work, early every mornin'. Best way to do that is to keep ya' in the same place that the rest of us are in."

Sketch mulled it over. It made sense in the long run, and from what little he knew about farm workers, they always seemed to live on the premises. But he also reminded himself of what Applejack had just said to him about friendship and friends helping each other out. "All right. I'll accept your help. As a friend."

The smile on Applejack's face was brighter than any he had seen yet. "Good to hear it, sugar cube."

A thought struck Sketch as he realized the implications of what Applejack had said. "Wait, so are you decided on hiring me to work?"

Applejack nodded. "It's gonna take a lot more trainin', but ah know there's an applebucker inside of ya somewhere."

Sketch was about to thank her when the door burst open and a blue blur landed next to the bed. "I just heard what happened from Twilight. You okay?"

Stunned by the blinding intrusion, Sketch managed to respond, "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm better now."

"Good. Because I still expect you to keep that promise to come watch me practice."

"This here pony always keeps his promises, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said with a wink at Sketch.

"Oh, and by the way, Pinkie Pie knows about you now."

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud…" Applejack put a hoof to her forehead. "That means she'll be throwin' a party at mah place, doesn't it?"

"Uh, I dunno," Rainbow Dash shrugged. "All I know is she started hearing people talk about a purple pony who was new in town, and then found out that me and you and Twilight all met him, and then she started going crazy because she wants to throw him a party."

"She doesn't know where he is, does she?" Applejack asked with a concerned raise of her brow.

"No, Twilight told me to keep it a secret."

"Thank goodness. The poor pony needs at least one more night of rest before he should be forced to deal with Pinkie Pie."

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Like that'd really help."

Sketch looked back and forth between the two ponies. "Should I be scared?" They just gave him knowing smiles that did nothing to answer his question.

Comments

[BronyGamer]

Ok, I am now really interested. I can't wait to see how Sketch will react to Pinkie.

Oh and I have a question; is Sketch you're OC pony?

[Bardsworth Brony]

921689
Yup! Created a whole back story for him that is (mostly) gradually revealed throughout the story.

[BronyGamer]

921725 I was thinking about doing the same thing for my OC. But I'm still in the middle of a fanfic and I am fighting the urge to make more till I'm farther in.