Winter’s Tears

      The gardens of the Heavenly Meadow weren’t actual little proper rows and columns, meticulously cultivated to allow perfection in both growth and design. They were sprawling valleys and meadows full of every wild plant one could imagine, almost always in bloom and ready to receive the gift of sunlight. Always ready to be used in ambrosia, ever-willing to be made for a greater purpose. Halcyon often lost themself wandering through the lush nature set before them. They said it was to find more rare and beautiful plants, to make better ambrosia. They never told anyone that they constantly felt trapped underneath Melangel’s vigilant gaze. Their only solace in those days was knowing the plants would never judge them, only embrace them in their leaves and stalks, blooms and blossoms falling onto their fur. The wild, untamed beauty of growth called out to Halcyon, and they felt so at peace there. When they fell down into Burrowgatory from the Heavenly Meadow, they hoped to find a similar place. They remain wanting, however.

      Halcyon snapped himself out of his thoughts, staring down at the empty patch of soil in front of him. He had been scooping away at the dirt with a small trowel, but it seems to have been misplaced. His glowing white hooves were covered with soil, and outside of the hole he had nothing to show for progress.

      “Halcyon, good morning.” A soft voice called out from behind the cherubun. They turned to look and saw Primrose in all of his holy glory approaching from the entrance of the greenhouse. The pair had been close in the Heavenly Meadow, and despite some different experiences with their perception of succubuns, remained close even now.

      “Hello Primrose.” Halcyon rose and walked over to the other bun, nuzzling their face into Primrose’s cheek. Primrose smiled.

      “What have you decided to plant?”

      “I’m not sure yet, I was busy thinking…”

       Primrose looked at the area Halcyon was ‘working’ in, then down at their messy hooves. “It looks like you were playing in the dirt more than thinking.”

      Halcyon pulled away and wiped their hooves onto their deep black fur. “I was lost in thought…” They sighed, and a beat passed where their eyes were downtrodden. “I miss the meadow sometimes, Primrose.”

      Primrose gave the other cherubun a pat on the ‘shoulder’. “I do, too.” He looked over the beauty of the greenhouse. Despite rows of meticulously kept plants of all varieties and colors, the warm air peppered with mist from fans above, or the gentle sort of hum the greenhouse produced, it all paled in comparison to his original home. “The succubuns that have come to assist me here have had mixed levels of success.” He shuddered for a moment. “You’re lucky you haven’t had to drink any of the spoiled ambrosia they’ve produced, just last week I had some that left me nearly bedridden!”

      Halcyon gave the slightest hint of a smile. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

      “You’re right - it was worse!”

      Halcyon chuckled, a rarity for them, and hugged Primrose tight, the latter shifting uncomfortably as Halcyon’s hooves remained traced with dirt.

      “Are there any varieties in particular we need planted?” Halcyon asked. They had quite the green thumb but preferred to be helpful and support others more than take charge themselves.

      “No, nothing that comes to the top of my head.” Primrose thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it actually, we could use some Winter’s Tears in preparation for the frosty ambrosia.”

      Halcyon nodded. Winter’s Tears are a flower that only blooms very briefly towards the end of December, and it makes a wonderful addition to any hot chocolate. A beautiful white stalk with multiple smaller flowers that seemed to pollinate by spreading beautiful snowflake-like seeds in the air, to be carried by the wind to distant pastures. The sight of their seeds floating in the air every winter morning made the lack of snow on certain days more bearable. Plus, it was even more gorgeous with the snow, as ‘snowflakes’ would seemingly be suspended in midair. It took several weeks to cultivate, so preparing it for planting now would be the best idea.

      “Halcyon?” Primrose said.

      “I’m sorry, what did you need?” Halcyon replied. Primrose laughed again and shook his head. “Whatever you were thinking about seems to have captured the entirety of your attention, so I will leave you to your musings. I’m expecting new cherubuns to arrive at the end of the season, and I may as well get started on some entry paperwork.” Primrose smiled warmly at Halcyon and gave them a sweet kiss on the forehead before waving goodbye and exiting the greenhouse.

       Halcyon returned to staring at the small divot in the ground they had spent who knows how long making. Winter’s Tears… not Halcyon’s favorite flower, but a gorgeous bloom nonetheless. He walked to the small shed tucked away against a wall of the greenhouse and opened it, finding neatly arranged rows of gardening tools, bins of compost and fertilizer, and a meticulous cabinet of all manner of seeds. Regular food staples such as corn, tomatoes, rice, and milkweed lay cozy together to the left, beautiful decorative flowers like hydrangeas, orchids, succulents, and hanging ivy sat to the right, and the multitude of ambrosia flowers laid in the middle. Halcyon carefully opened the drawer in the middle and rifled through to find a perfect packet of Winter’s Tears seeds. He grabbed a simple blue watering can and small bag of fertilizer, left the shed, and returned to his spot. The divot in the ground was promptly filled with a single seed, covered with fertilizer, tilled properly, and then finally given crystal clear distilled water to drink. The repetitive nature of gardening calls to Halcyon, letting his hooves stay busy while his mind roams free. He carefully tended to the seeds until each was planted and nourished, wasting the hours away. Once he was done, he stood to admire his handiwork. This part of the garden was yet barren, as each quarter of the greenhouse was set aside for seasonal plants. The empty ground called to Halcyon, and he thought, why stop now?

      It wasn’t until the crystal’s light faded to darkness that Primrose came to complete his nightly checkup of the greenhouse before he locked it away from succubun volunteers. Everything seemed neat and tidy, the shed was stocked enough, and no tools were left laying about. As he rounded each part of the greenhouse, Primrose was stunned to find Halcyon face-down in the dirt of the winter section. The cherubun rushed to the other’s golden ophanium and flipped them over. “Halcyon! Are you alright?!”

      Halcyon’s face stirred, and their sleepy golden eyes peered up to Primrose. “Hmm? Primrose? I thought you were working, what happened?”

      Primrose breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed Halcyon. “I came to close the greenhouse and found you face down in the soil over here.”

      Halcyon blinked slowly and looked around. “I was working on planting more winter plants, I must’ve lost track of time…” They yawned and Primrose’s heart melted from their sleepy face, Halcyon snuggling up to him.

      “Hey,” Primrose’s voice softened, “you need to go to your own bed, no matter how soft the soil is.”

      Halcyon stretched and smacked their lips, before gingerly getting out of Primrose’s embrace and standing up wobbly. He reached for Primrose’s hoof and tugged him towards the exit. “Let’s go to sleep then.”

      The two cherubuns exited the darkened greenhouse, lit by only various blooms of flowers and a few crystal’s nocturnal pulsing lights. Primrose locked the door, and while the pair went off to rest, the flowers Halcyon planted began to grow, and the plans for the future they mused on started to take form.