Crippled in Equestria - Part 9

>You spend the next few days working on your special arrangements.

>The arranging was fairly simple:

>Take a flower basket.

>Take one larger plant, can be either an ornamental grass or big flower.

>Put it in the middle.

>Surround it with four to six smaller plants.

>Make sure the colours and shapes look nice and accent each other.

>And you were done.

>That system could be applied to any kind of arrangement, from tiny pots to huge urns.

>It was really that simple.

>All you needed was the right colours.

>Pain singed your leg again.

>You had worked hard today, half the shop was ready for customers already.

>Your gift for the Princess was also ready.

>It was marvelous, considering you had little idea of what you were working with.

>It was a hanging basket, with tiny white flowers flowing over the sides.

>You weren't sure what this flower was called, you hadn't seen its like before, however, there were a great many of the flowers dotting the sparse foliage, and it gave the basket a feeling of an overflowing flower fountain.

>The centerpiece was a variety of Iris that you'd never seen before, pure white insides with a touch of golden yellow around the edges.

>Canterlot was big on white and gold, so the pure white flowers seemed like a suitable choice.

>You had all six of them stowed away in the locked room behind the counter.

>It was pretty exciting to work with flowers you'd never seen before.

>Your old friend nagged at you for attention.

>You decided to take a break.

>You'll be ready for all the p0nies coming to check out your shop.

>You hear a knock on the door.

>Strange sound, hooves made it sound more like a 'clop' than a 'knock'.

>You lock the door to your special gifts and answer the front door.

>It's Twilight and Fluttershy.

 

 

>"Hey Anon, we were about to have a picnic and wondered if you would like to come!"

>"Uh... if that's okay... we know you're very busy."

>You shift your weight onto your good leg.

>There had been lots of work to do, you really hadn't seen your new friends, or even let anyone see you.

>Your arrangements were supposed to be a surprise, after all.

>You shut the door and lock it behind you.

"If you insist, lead the way."

>They smile as you double tap your leg to dismiss the pain.

>It wasn't perfect, but the pain would subside enough so that you could function.

>Your thoughts returned to better remedies.

>No, you didn't have a problem.

>The cane would be a suitable replacement.

>No it wouldn't.

>It would have to do.

>The pair of p0nies led you to a park in town where the others were waiting.

>Pinkie Pie was already laughing.

>As you set yourself down, you take a look at the picnic setup.

>Fruit, some pastries, more fucking apples, veggies, sandwiches... cupcakes.

>You eye the cupcakes.

>The others are talking about the upcoming Hearts and Hooves Day, about all the available colts and other nonsense.

>Cupcakes.

>You reach out and grab one with pink icing.

>It’s still warm, and it’s delicious.

>"Anon?"

>"Are you alraight?"

>You stop, mouth full of cupcake goodness.

>A moment of silence descends on the picnic.

"Cwuupcwurrks"

>The group giggles at you and starts to eat.

>You try a bit of everything, but avoid those damn apples like the plague.

>You had enough.

>The girls talk more about Hearts and Hooves Day, as well as the Princess' upcoming visit to P0nyville.

>They also talked about what the Princess did on Hearts and Hooves Day, none of them seemed to know.

>More eyes fell upon you.

 

 

>"So what did you make to get the Princess to visit?" Rainbow asks.

"A special gift."

>"Is it a floral arrangement?" Rarity next.

"A special gift."

>A few more guesses shoot forward, some of them close, some of them...

>"A balloon with silly faces on it?  Ooh I love this game!"

>...not so close.

"You'll have to see when I give her the gift."

>That was the point, the nature of the gift was supposed to be a secret, to entice p0nies to check out the store.

>The curiousity you saw felt good, that plan had worked hook, line, and sinker.

>The group sat in frustration; they really wanted to know what your gift was.

>You shrugged.

>"Oh, Anon."  Twilight moved to change topics.

>"Have you thought about who you want as a special somep0ny for Hearts and Hooves Day?"

>Suddenly you feel cornered.

>You hadn't thought about it.

>Suddenly the memory of Fluttershy seeing you off to sleep comes to mind.

>Maybe she'd do?

>But picking a 'valentine special somep0ny' wasn't a light decision, was it?

>And they were crayola horses, for christ's sake.

>You feel more edges of your sanity crumble.

>For a dream, it felt too real.

"I've been busy preparing the shop.  There's a similar day where I'm from, the busiest day of the year."

>"So you don't have a special somep0ny?"

"No. I'll be too busy."

>The mood seemed to darken a bit.

>Smooth move, Anon.

"We'll see how it goes when the day arrives."

 

 

>A bit while later the picnic breaks up and you find yourself back at the Nursery.

>A special somep0ny.

>The phrase floats in your thoughts while you examine it.

>You figure it was the same as Valentine's, with all the lovey-dovey nonsense.

>Those days you rolled in cash.

>The entire thing was a scam, a 'celebration of love'.

>The celebration should happen a little bit every day, not just because everyone else is.

>You grimace.

>You wish you were dead already.

>This dream land was starting to get to you.

>You'd lived your life not knowing if you would wake up the next day.

>That made life easier.

>You didn't have to invest in things, because you knew that you'd be buried sooner rather than later.

>Now that you weren't sick anymore, the finish line was farther off.

>You knew that this was all just a dream.

>A damn fantasy.

>Another lie to make you feel better.

>You slump down on the stool behind the counter.

>You wanted to hate this place.

>It wanted to love you.

>It wasn't real.

>Your hands strangle your cane.

>It couldn't be real.

>It was just some bullshit dream.

>You were dead.

>This wasn't really happening.

>You tapped the ground with a foot, to distract yourself from wanting to slam Titan down on the counter.

>You hated this place.

>It loved you.

 

 

>Your eyes bolt open.

>Hearts and Hooves Day.

>Your lead up has been busy, but it was finally here.

>Lovey-dovey extravaganza.

>You grimace.

>Pain lanced your leg, you didn't want to move.

>You grab Titan and tap your leg twice.

>The familiar icewater sensation pours through your bones.

>Shivering, you stand up to get ready.

>You'd done a number on one of Rarity's creations, a black pair of kind-of-khaki pants.

>The pants were laden with pockets, and various other straps and designs.

>You'd added three straps to the right leg that could tie around, anchoring your cane properly to your leg.

>Being crippled meant learning new ways to deal with life.

>Even learning how to add straps to new pairs of pants.

>At least the straps worked properly.

>Hopefully Rarity wouldn't mind you adjusting them to fit your needs.

>At least the crotch was generously spacious.

>You'd slept in a bit, you had done everything needed in order to open up and be ready last night.

>All you needed to do was open the door.

>After washing up and eating a fruity breakfast, you hobble downstairs.

>You could see p0nies outside, trying to peek in.

>A few pointed out the plants you had set up.

>An excited customer was a paying customer.

>You strap Titan in.

>Go time.

 

 

>You unlock the door and step outside.

>The p0nies gathered seemed eager to see what you had set up.

"Not before the Princess arrives, folks."

>A few minutes and a tour of your garden later, fanfare announces the arrival of the Princess.

>Right on cue.

>The Princess arrives on the scene and every p0ny bows low.

>You feel disrespectful, but kneeling wasn't your strong suit.

"Princess Celestia, welcome to the Ponyville Nursery."

>And with that, you open the door and lead her inside.

>Half the town also floods in behind you as you show the Princess your work.

>You had a bit of everything set up, from decorative pots, vases, and baskets, to single flowers and bundles.

>She seems impressed, and happy to see the rest of Ponyville enjoying what you have set up.

>The main attraction was ready, however.

>You lead Celestia to the counter and unlock the back room.

>Perfect.

>You walk out with the flowing basket, the tiny white flowers sway softly as it moves.

>All eyes are on the gift.

>You hear a few jaws being collected from the floor.

>By far your most impressive work.

>Fit for a Princess (or Prince!).

>Princess Celestia studies the gift closely.

>This was the make-or-break part.

>She notes the colours, the flow from the center Iris to the outside, and the smaller plants cascading downwards.

>"Anon..."

>You're tense.

>If she didn't like it, this party would be over very fast.

>"...this is a wonderful gift.  Thank you."

>She takes the basket from your hand and beams brightly, showing it to the rest of the crowd standing behind her.

>A cheer erupts.

>They love it.

 

 

>The store is busy for the rest of the day, and you periodically go to the back to award a p0ny with a present when the excitement seems to wind down.

>The energy in your store bustles, everyp0ny wants a new gift for their significant other.

>You make a note of who the presents go out to.

>One of them was a strange mare named Lyra, she was shopping with another p0ny introduced as Bon Bon.  They kept eyeing your hands, almost appearing envious.  Weirdos.

>Next was the colt from the clock store.  You were onto him.  He said he had somep0ny special in mind for such a gift.

>Applejack's brother Big Mac had picked up a simple bundle, and you added your gift to his purchase.  He said something about how his shoopie doopie moopie would be happier than ever.

>Pinkie Pie had shown up for your opening, and it looked like she had bitten off a few flowers to eat before buying.  You remembered some of the food you'd seen had had flowers in it.  

>Maybe some side business would be p0nies wanting a snack.  You hadn't thought of that.  

>The bubbly p0ny shot off like a cannonball out of the store, happier than ever at her new gift.

>As things began to wind down, a new unicorn had sauntered in with a pair of huge goggles.

>Insanity opened its gaping maw.

"Can I help you find anything?"

>"Well dude, I got no idea what to get my special somep0ny, any ideas?"

>Before you could answer, a pegasus tumbles through the door.

>"Vinyl Scraaaaatch?  Are you in heeere?"

>Both of the mare's eyes googled in different directions.

>"Uh, right here Derpy."

>Derpy.

>You nearly fell over.

>"Can you help me out?"

"I think I can.  Just a moment."

>You pick up the last gift for the day and present it over the counter.

"A gift.  Enjoy Hearts and Hooves Day."

>The goggles come off as Vinyl's red eyes examine the arrangement.

>"Dude..."

>"Vinyl thoshe flowers!  Octaviuh is gonna looove thoshe!"

>You smirk.

>"You didn't hear that, okay?"

"My lips are sealed."

>The odd pair once again saunters out of the shop.

>Another satisfied customer.

>Things had really quieted down now, all the p0nies were out doing whatever it was p0nies did.

 

>You decide to close up: it was starting to get dark out.

>You doubt that you'd get any more customers for the day, the big bonanza was over and your best stuff was sold and gone.

>You'd made a mountain of cash.  Gold coins.

>That's rich.

>You felt rich too.

>Your leg bothers you as you move to lock the door.

>You weren't sure about how many times your cane's new power was supposed to work, but it had run out during the busy day.

>You winced a bit as the pain was brought higher up in your attention.

>Shut eyes.

>Deep breaths.

>Open eyes.

>Short breaths.

>Repeat.

>You unhooked Titan from its place on your leg.

>You supposed Twilight could use company.

>Stepping outside for a walk, you notice a few of your plants hanging and decorating different spots in town.

>They looked nice. You'd put in a lot of effort to make a lot of pots, so these plants would last quite a while if they were taken care of.

>You were a minor celebrity: a few couples complimented you on your talent.

>At least reputation wasn't in short supply.  The Princess trick had worked.

>Indubitably.

>Finally making it to Twilight's library, you notice light coming through the windows.

>Fluttershy answered the door.

>"Oh-oh, hello Anonymous," she greets you.  You were very unexpected.

>Walking inside, you notice Twilight reading one of her books.

>"Oh, hey there Anon! We were just enjoying each other’s company."

>You swallowed hard on the implications.

>"N-Neither of us have... a s-special somep0ny..."

>You knew the type.  Singles had it rough in that respect.

"Well if I'm interrupting..."

>"No no, you should stay," Twilight motions to a pillow on the floor.

>You gingerly sit yourself down.

>Twilight seems to be deep in thought.

>"I saw how busy it was at the Nursery," Fluttershy says to you.  "You must be tired."

"Plenty of time for rest when I'm--" ...

>Dead.

"...now that the busiest day of the year is over."

>"Oh, and... I also saw the gifts that you gave out... they were very beautiful..."

"It’s what I do Flutters, my raison d'être."

>You accented the French a little bit.

>She seemed to understand.

"Now that Hearts and Hooves Day is over, I can try to settle into a routine.  Honestly... I've never really made any plans before with my... predicament."

>Twilight seemed to snap back to the library.

>"It's not over yet, you know."

>A sinking feeling descends upon your jimmies.

"What do you mean?"

>"Well, neither of us have a special somep0ny, maybe we should spend the rest of today together?"

>You look at Fluttershy, who looks crestfallen.

>You stammer.

>No, no no no.

>You didn't want to hurt Twilight's feelings, and you didn't want to hurt Fluttershy either.

>The rock crushed you against the hard place.

>"B-But..." Fluttershy trails off.  "I-I don't have... a special s-somep0ny either..."

>"Hrm."  Twilight thinks on this conundrum for a moment.

>You squirm and rustle in your seat.

>"Maybe we can all share."

>You wished you were dead.