Failure, Eternally Retold, Part Two: Nature's Blessings

by Kiernan

Chapter the Nineteenth: Tranquil Waters

Twilight sank gently into the warm water. "If we make it back home, I'm scheduling a spa day."

"I've missed several appointments with Rarity," Fluttershy said. "It'll be really nice to catch up with her again."

"I imagine so. I bet you'd have quite a bit to tell her after all of this."

Fluttershy leaned back. "Do you know what the cherry on top is? We're not even done yet. I have so much to talk to her about, and it just keeps piling up. I'm worried that I might forget all about an important event on this journey."

"I can go with you," offered Twilight. "I'll be there in case you forget anything."

"Thanks, Twilight. I can always count on you." There was a pause. "Do you think Kai's mad at me?"

"What do you mean? Why would he be mad at you?"

"Because I broke his arm. Wouldn't you be mad at me if I broke your arm?"

Twilight placed a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "That was an accident. I know you didn't mean to hurt him, he knows you didn't mean to hurt him, Anypony who saw what happened would know that you didn't mean to hurt him. Unless you tell him that you broke his arm on purpose, I'm sure he'll forgive you."

Fluttershy sniffled. "I didn't mean to. It all just happened so fast."

Twilight waded a little closer and wrapped her arms around Fluttershy's shoulders, gently shushing her and rubbing her back. "It'll be okay. If you apologize to him, I'm sure he'll forgive you."

Fluttershy returned the hug. "Thanks, Twilight. You're a good friend."

"Besides, he's a big stallion. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"He is pretty big," admitted Fluttershy. "But he's very gentle."

"You see? I'm sure that however you choose to apologize, he'll love it. Any plans on how you want to go about it?"

Fluttershy lowered her nose to the water's surface in an attempt to hide her blush. "W-well, I did h-have one idea..."

Twilight pulled her head back. "Not what I had in mind..."

"Maybe not, but I think he deserves it. Especially if we don't make it back home in one piece. In that mausoleum, where we saw our funerals, I saw his, too. I don't want any of those to become a reality. I want to be with him, Twilight."

Twilight leaned back. "I don't want to be the one who stands in the way of your happiness. You mean a lot to me. But that's why I worry about you. I think you're too caught up in your guilt and emotions that you aren't thinking as clearly as you should be." She sighed. "Look, if this is really what you want, I'll support you. But I want you to think long and hard about whether or not you really want this, and if you decide you're going to go through with the apology you've planned, I want you to be safe. Nothing too big, okay?"

Fluttershy paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I will do what I think is the right choice. You can count on me, Twilight."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She cared very much for Fluttershy, and she didn't want her to have any regrets. She didn't want her friend to be lost in the heat of the moment and end up forced to stay with somepony she didn't like. Kai was a fine pony, but there were better choices out there. Plenty of stallions with no criminal records populated Equestria. Twilight was sure that at least one of them could emulate all of Kai's good qualities.

After their bath, Twilight went back to her room and lay down for some much-needed sleep. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, hesitated at the door. She knew she needed sleep, but she was lost in thought. Just as she was about to go ask Twilight for more advice, she heard voices approaching, and she jumped into her room, leaving the door lightly cracked. She watched as Kai, Nik and Seafoam walked back down the hall, chatting amongst themselves. The first to leave was Nik, disappearing into his room, then Seafoam into her own. Kai backtracked a bit before finding his own room for the night and stepping inside.

Fluttershy steeled herself and gathered all the courage she had. Stepping back out into the hall, she approached Kai's door, and after a deep breath, rapped on it thrice with her hoof.

"Come in," called Kai from the other side. "It's unlocked."

Fluttershy gently turned the handle and stepped inside. "Hey. How's your arm?"

Kai flexed a few times. "It's fixed, for now. Seafoam says I should have a real doctor look at it, just in case she messed something up, but it feels fine. Better than it has in weeks, actually."

"Oh, good, good." Fluttershy hadn't moved from the doorway. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

Kai looked over to her. "Don't blame yourself. If anything, it was my fault. It's been bothering me for quite some time, and I didn't say anything about it."

"But it never would have happened if I hadn't needed saving. Nor would it have happened if I had landed anywhere else aside from on your arm."

Kai stood up and walked over to her, placing his hoof on her shoulder. "I don't blame you for this. You were trying to stop a fight, you were struck, and I opted to stop you from being further injured. You literally did everything right. The fact that I was hurt was just an accident. Even better, it doesn't matter anymore, because the injury is cured." He took her hoof and pressed it to his bicep. "It's all fine. You don't have to beat yourself up over this."

Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat as she felt the muscles in Kai's arm moving around. It really felt like a healthy arm. She could hardly tell that there was ever a broken bone in it. There was hardly any fat, and the veins were pushing their way to the surface. She could actually feel his heart beating through them. "I-it really is healed... I can't believe it."

"See? Nothing to worry about."

Fluttershy nodded. "Can I... That is, can we talk? I want to know something, and... I can't wait anymore."

Kai nodded and gestured to the bed. "Come, sit down. What's on your mind?"

Fluttershy closed and locked the door behind her and sat down on the water bed. "It's this journey. I'm thinking about what happens when it's over. If we succeed, what happens to us?"

Kai lay down on his back and tucked his hooves behind his head. "I imagine that you and Twilight would go back to Ponyville. As for Nik, I don't know if he'll stay in this world or go back to his own. That's not my decision to make."

"But what about you? What will you do?"

Kai shook his head. "I don't know. I'll probably try to find Sky and Terra, if they're still alive. It'll be ages before the library rebuilds itself. I do plan to come see you in Ponyville, if I'm still welcome."

"Of course you're welcome," smiled Fluttershy, placing a hoof on his chest. "I wouldn't dream of barring you from Ponyville."

Kai smiled as he stared at the glass ceiling. "After that, who knows? I'll probably try to work my way back into society somehow. After this journey with you, a part of me is scared of being all alone again. At least if you're around, if something bad happens to me, I'll have somepony around who cares about me enough to insist that I seek medical attention." He chuckled. "Where can I find somepony like you?"

Fluttershy leaned down, rubbed his chest, and kissed his lips. "You can find me right here. I don't ever want to see you hurt again. If ever you are, I will immediately take you somewhere where somepony can tend to your wounds. After this is over, I want you to come live with me in Ponyville. I love you, Kai."

Kai looked into Fluttershy's eyes. He'd loved her for years now, and to hear that she felt the same made him feel as if his insides had melted. He couldn't move for several seconds, stunned into shocked silence. When he could move again, he said nothing. He simply leaned up, wrapped his hooves around her chest and kissed her. He'd not felt this kind of joy since the first time he flew over the Everfree Forest. He wanted to stay like this forever.