Darkness. All Rough Sketch could remember was the darkness. That and the cold, crushing depths as he sank to the bottom, the breath being squeezed from his lungs like water wrung from a sponge. The pain was finally at an end. Wait, why was there light? And...kissing? Was somepony kissing him? There was a weight on his chest and the next thing he knew, he was throwing up the water in the lungs. Nope, he was definitely alive. Before passing out, he caught a glimpse of shimmering, blue-green eyes peering at him.
Light pierced Rough Sketch's line of sight as his vision slowly cleared. He was back in the cabin beneath the covers of his bed, his sweater and pants lying nearby on the floor next to a set of wet hoofprints. So his attempt really happened. So who foiled it? He groaned and slowly began to sit up, the rope burns around his ankles screaming as his hindlegs shifted beneath the covers.
"Och look, th’ idiot is waukin’. How’re ye feelin’?" A female voice intoned from the kitchen. Rough Sketch turned towards the voice, which sounded as though it spoke with a heavy Trottish accent. Something came into view and the pegasus froze in place, too scared to move or even make a peep. It was an earth pony mare, except she stood two feet taller than the average pony, her shaggy, moss-like coat was the color of wet pine needles. Her seaweed-like mane clung to her body and was decorated with water lilies and other amphibious plants. Gills flared on the sides of her neck and her long limbs ended in a weird fusion of webbed claws and hooves.
"Who...what...? What are you?"
The mare glared indignantly at him. "Whit am Ah? Aam th’ one ‘at saved yer life, that’s fa Ah am!" She then sighed. "If yoo’re pure curioos, mah nam is Sassamaur, ur ‘Sassie’ fur short."
Rough Sketch slowly threw the covers over and sat up all the way. "'Sassamare'? Like the lake? Wait...you're the kelpie!"
"An’ whit if Ah am? ‘at jist means ‘at th’ mean auld kelpie jist rescued ye."
"Well, th-thank you for that but I didn't want anypony to save me...-"
Sassie charged forward, her nose nearly touching his own. "Didne want anypony tae sae ye?! Ye waur tryin’ tae kill yerself!" She then held up a framed picture of him with a visibly pregnant Rowan. "Whit abit yer wife an’ yer foals? Dornt ye hink they’d want ye tae live?! Waur ye really gonnae lit them graw up withit a faither ur a husband?"
Rough Sketch took the photo with shaking hooves and crushed it against his chest. He then curled into a ball and began to weep, dry-heaving and gasping as the memories hit him. Meanwhile, Sassie stared dumbfounded at the pegasus. She then took another glance at the collection of photographs strewn around the table. They all featured him and the mare, with the most recent ones depicting her as being pregnant. Wait, why aren't there any more? A lightbulb went off and Sassie nearly hit herself due to her own stupidity. There weren't any wife and foals. He’s alone!
She continued to watch the broken pegasus cry, unsure of what to do or if there was even anything to do. The kelpie hadn't had any real contact in a century, so her social skills were a bit rusty. She settled for lightly tapping his forearm, which seemed to work as his sobs quieted. She couldn't imagine the pain that he was going through and didn't want to know. They sat in silence for the longest time before the pegasus spoke.
"Her name was Rowan. We met at college and were madly in love. After we got married, we immediately wanted to try for foals and she ended up pregnant. It was the happiest day of my life," he said, his throat still strained from crying. "When it came time for Rowan to deliver, I couldn't handle blood or any of that stuff so I stayed in the waiting room. After seventeen hours, a doctor came out and told me that there'd been a complication and Rowan had died."
Sassie could feel her blood freeze. "An'...an' th' foal?"
"Stillborn. It was a colt." Rough Sketch lifted his head up and smiled sorrowfully. "I would've had a son," he sniffled and drew his hocks up to his chest. "After that, everything just seemed...pointless."
Sassie unconsciously settled next to Rough Sketch on the bed. "Aam sae sorry. Ah...Ah didne know."
Rough Sketch nodded but didn't say anything. One of Sassie's claw-hooves tenderly caressed his shoulder and, hearing no objections, passed down his neck and massaged his upper back. For some reason beyond her understanding, Sassie felt an incredible connection with this random pegasus, almost as though they were kindred spirits brought together by tragedy. She wanted to do something. But whit can Ah dae tae help heem?
Despite the alien sensation, Rough Sketch was enjoying the feel of the kelpie's weird claw-hoof rubbing his back. And to think, he once thought her an amusing urban legend invented by bored lumberjacks. He practically leapt into the air when Sassie hurled herself off of the bed and turned to face him, determination burning in her blue-green eyes. "Reit, seein’ as hoo Ah saved yer life, ‘at means ‘at ye belang tae me an’ I’ll be damned if anypony tries tae kill themselves oan mah territory. Aam gonnae be watching ye very closely, sae dornt try anythin’. By th’ time ya laeve haur, yoo’re gonnae be singin’ abit rainbows an’ sunshine."
"Um, o-okay." Rough Sketch was slightly perturbed by this latest development but found himself intrigued by Sassie's abrupt commitment to helping him. "How about we make a deal? I'll stay here for a month and in that time, if you've managed to make me change my mind, then I'll leave here and never try to kill myself again. If not, then you take me into the lake and help me to finish the job." He thrust a hoof out. "Deal?"
Sassie bit her lip in contemplation. Finally, she nodded and grasped his hoof. "Yoo've got yerself a deal."