Title:           Topiary (Garden Anon) Pt. 1
Author:          noodle-
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/LwvL3UMg
First Edit:      Sunday 3rd of February 2013 11:35:55 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Sunday 3rd of February 2013 11:35:55 AM CDT

>Day Workin’ Day in Equestria
>You’ve been living here for…who knows….months for sure
>Everyone has made you feel incredibly welcome, minus that one mint pony who seems to stalk you relentlessly…what’s her name?
>Harp
>It’s about 6 a.m.; time to do the usual:
>Intake calories, intake caffeine, expel urine, expel fecal matter
>Get dressed; jeans and a pair of gloves…shoes for today’s job
>Hum the theme to the A-Team
>You head for the front door of your small three-room cottage at the edge of town
>Take the keys out of the bowl on the counter
>Head out the door and grab your tools from the shed on the way to the first job
>You never thought you’d have a knack for being a gardener, especially with a lavish career in electronic sales
>Telling seniors you don’t have to pay for email stamps and that dial-up is no longer necessary. Riveting.
>Everyone in the town seems to be impressed with how even you can make the hedges…considering you have hands. Because of this you are a very desirable individual
>Only for manual labor though…
>You are desperate for companionship in this strange world
>Taking amateur drawing classes and writers blogs turned up no leads in the girlfriend department in the previous world
>You snap out of it and check the notepad for the day
>A lawn trim for Ms. Cherilee again; weed removal in front of Twilight’s; a hedge trim for a Ms. Fluttershy
>Fluttershy
>She’s that pegasus that lives near you. A little ways down the road in fact, but you’ve never talked to her more than once at some Christmas-esque pony ripoff party
>You arrive at Cherilee’s and blaze through her “overgrown” 2 inch sod
>Can’t pony’s just eat the grass themselves?
>Oh well, you need the bits for rent
>You make a short trek to the town library
>Everything looks normal…no giant ivy or dandelions taking over the epicenter of the lawn
>Small weeds instead
>Get to it
>Twilight’s is, again, almost too simple
>People actually pay you for this?
>You finish pulling up the three small patches of weeds in no time. Seems unlike Twilight to waste your apparent “natural talent” for gardening on this task
>”Thank you for that Anon…I was worried people weren’t checking out books because they might have thought it was abandoned!” she says half-jokingly. She knows no one reads for fun. That’s lame.
>You let out an awkward chuckle
>Deep down you wish you had a large compilation of famous poets to share with these equines to swoon them for affection
>Imagining her face the first time you recite T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land”
Ha, not a problem, Twilight…always glad to help.
>”So, what else are you up to today, Anon?” She has a glimmer in her purple pupils
Uhh, well…I’ve got to go to Fluttershy’s house and trim some bush.
>wat
>You idiot
OH! I mean…the hedges! I have to make them…all…flat and…stuff…
>Smooth one. Twilight giggles at your faux pau anyways
>”Sounds like an interesting day planned!”
>Her hoof kicks the dirt
>” Maybe…after that, if you aren’t too busy that is, and only IF you want to, we could…I don’t know, get something to eat together?”
>She is obviously covering her nervousness up a friendly nudge on your shoulder that she didn’t mean to be so rough
>OH WOW HOLY GOSH SHE FINALLY ASKED ME! KLDVNKSMNASDAKJSFKJSKFLAJL
>After months of having feelings for purple smart, and having zero social skills at all, one of you finally broke the relationship silence
>You really like Twilight. She is cultured, friendly, and seems caring enough to spare some kindness your way; being the first pony to do so when you first arrived
>She is like you: introverted and shy
>You still have the scarf she got you for the aforementioned Christmas holiday thing
…you mean, like….dinner? Together? I mean, I’d pay of course. I’d really love THAT!
>You emphasize the wrong part of the sentence and throw everything off balance. The boat has capsized
>You can’t contain your smile
>Who cares
>blushing, “Oh well, that would be very courteous of you Anon…”
Well…maybe we could eat at the new place…..uh, “Le Sac D'alimentation”?
>Your French is awful
>”That sounds great! I can’t wait!”
>You decide to delay her payment for now. You want to smooth things over even more. Not that you did that much work anyhow
>Twilight is overjoyed about the plans
I’m really glad we can have some time to….get to know eachother a little more
>Your face is on fire
>”So am I Anon. Make sure to bring back my book this time!”
>You borrowed a ponified “Iliad”
>Ecstatic, you pack up
>Tools in hand, grass stains galore, you head home.
> Man, things seem so…”YES” today
>You walk briskly…with PURPOUS
>You got a DATE
>A REAL DATE
>YOUR FIRST EVER
>(with a pony)
>Your cottage is in plain view as you jostle for your keys
>You hear a squeek
>You think you hear a mouse….a loud one at that. Maybe Equestrian mice can talk after all
>“E-exscuse me….uhm…are you t-the gardener?”
>You whip around and are surprised when your gaze at the ground is of a pulsating shadow instead of a cute little mouse
>A yellow pony with butterflies on her flank is hovering above you, fidgeting with her hooves
Oh, uh…yes I am. Can I help you?
>”Well uhm…I was just wondering if you were going to get to my hedges today…?”
>In your joy to end the work day, you must have neglected Fluttershy
Oh! Yes, I’m sorry…I guess I forgot. Let me get my shears and I’ll head right over
>You pick up the pace and fetch the shears from the shed, snapping the air like a mad man as you walk
>Fluttershy’s cottage is overgrown with grass, saplings, leaves and wild flowers. She greats you at the walkway
>”Oh…h-hi….it’s the hedges is all….the ones by the w-windows…”
>They must be at least 6 feet high
Wow, I bet they’re really cutting the light inside, huh? When’s the last time they were cut?
>”Oh, well I’d never cut them…they didn’t do anything wrong. They can’t help it…”
..okay…so you DON’T want them trimmed?
>”N-no…I do…”
>She must really care for...stuff...
>You shrug and get to it anyways. Tomorrow is already the 10th and that jerk Filthy Rich isn’t exactly an easy guy to deal with when the problem is late-to-pay tenants
>God you hate him
>You try to ignore the thought by shooting the breeze
So can I ask how come we have never really met before? I mean, I’ve heard Twilight talk about you lots of times…but that’s all
>”Oh…I’m sorry. How rude of m-me…”
No need to apologize, we can catch up more now. Never too late to meet someone new
>You can see her ears perk up in the reflection of the window
>”So uhm….” Fluttershy whispers through your grunts and tool noises
>”D-do you live around here by chance?”
Yeah actually, just up the path; a half-mile or so
>She seems excited about your location, like she found some secret treasure map from ages passed
>”Are you usually busy….on w-weeknds….?”       
Not usually. I try to reserve that day for relaxing
>Fluttershy tries to pry more
>”Well….maybe you could come back some other time and help with some….watering o-or maybe help with some inside work? I-if it’s not too much trouble…”
>You did do some construction work with your uncle during the summer. And this place seems a bit…overgrown at best. The least you could do for having ignored your neighbor this long
Well, sure…I think I could manage that easily. What exactly do you need help with?
>”Well…some stuff in the kitchen…a-and maybe the…b-bedroom……” she trails off and looks away
>”There’s a lot of trouble in the bedroom I’d like some help with…” Fluttershy’s voice is low and firm
>That stutter makes her hard to read otherwise. But if she’s got the dosh, you’re in
>You finish up and collect the clippings
I can be over whenever you’d like. Just come get me a day before and we can get things sorted out
>”Oh, th-that’s great news! I can come over anytime?”
Sure thing, just leave a note or something if I’m not there
>You wipe the small perspiration from your brow and gather your supplies and head back towards home; after collecting your 15 bits of course
>You put the cottage behind you one step at a time until-
>”Wait! I didn’t even get your n-name mister…”
Oh, my apologies. My name is Anonymous; but please…call me Anon
>Fluttershy’s eyes light up
>”Well, th-thank you, Anon…I’ll see you in a few days”
>She looks pleased
>Probably nothing…
>You walk home with a happy spring in your step
Maybe this is when things start to finally get good.
>The day was slowed down a little by your neighbor
>That darn Fluttershy