Fluttershy had been seen recently, limping around Ponyville. Her injury was serious, but not that serious, serious enough to prevent her from flying, being the weak flier she already was, it made it even harder with a bent wing. It looked terrible. A white bandage wrapped around the tip of her wing, she was embarrassed to even walk through the streets. Nopony really knew what she did to get that bandage, nopony but Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Pinkiepie, Applejack and Rarity nagged and nagged Rainbow to try to get how it happened out of her, but she promised Fluttershy she wouldn’t tell.
Fluttershy was walking down the dusty dirt path through Ponyville, passing the homes and shops as she did, she was a lot more comfortable with talking to Rainbow Dash since her accident, and again, nopony else knew why. On her way to Sugarcube Corner to meet Dash, she passed lots of ponies, many of which rudely starred at her bandage and bent wing, even she herself knew it, it did look pretty stupid.
Rainbow Dash sat at Sugarcube Corner quietly tapping her hooves together, waiting for Fluttershy to show up. Fluttershy was seeming a little over-edge for the last while. It seemed different then her usual shyness. Something a lot deeper,
When Fluttershy finally got to Sugercube Corner, she found Rainbow Dash, and slowly trotted up to her. Fluttershy quietly said: “Dashie... there is something we need to... talk about.”
Rainbow Dash, confused, not too much more then the last couple days though. Rainbow Dash replied: “What is it Fluttershy?” To which she said: “ Remember when were just fillies, and were living up in CloudsDale?” “Yeah, what about it?” “If just once, for just a short while, you could take me back there. I really want to see it again, before my time comes.” Rainbow Dash, still processing what she just said, muttered: “ W-what are you saying?” Fluttershy made a small whimper, and left Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash, Dumbstruck by what Fluttershy had just said, just sat there as Fluttershy left.
Rainbow did not see Fluttershy for the next few days. All that passed through her mind were those last four words” “Before my time comes.” But Fluttershy was so young, How could she be thinking of her end?
Fluttershy lay curled up on her sofa of her cottage. Her eyes closed softly with Angel beside her, the area was dimly lit by the lantern across the room, Fluttershy couldn’t sleep if it was too dark. She breathed deeply, thinking of Cloudsdale, even she didn’t know why, but she wanted to see it again, she wanted to see it again more than anything else.
“I guess...” she begun, then opened her eyes slowly and looked over at the dull lamp across the room. She bit her lip and then shifted her eyes to a sleeping Angel beside her on the soft, cloud like sofa.
“I guess... The best place for it to end, is where it began”
Rainbow Dash sat in her bed, still only thinking of what Fluttershy had said. She thought outloud; “ I-I just don’t know what went wrong.I have to go see her.”
Rainbow Dash flew hurriedly, slightly worried,over to Fluttershy’s cottage, and swung the door open, causing a quiet creak. She saw Fluttershy curled up on the sofa, beside a sleeping Angel. Rainbow Dash trotted over to her, and gave her a little nuzzle.
Fluttershy awoke, rolled over to see Rainbow Dash standing next to her.
"What are you doing here?" Fluttershy said. " Do you want to go to CloudsDale?" Rainbow Dash whispered. "Would you really take me?" "Of course, how could I not?"
“Well I just...I didn’t think, I mean..It’s just..late and all..”
Angel looked up at Dash angrily before hopping off to sleep somewhere else.
“Yeah I know” Dash nodded softly
“But I want to take you there, since you can’t go on your own” She gestured towards her bent wing with her hoof.
“-and you know, what you said over at Sugarcube Corner, It kinda..It kinda made me worry.”
Dash looked down at the floor, then darted her head back up and changed her answer
“I mean like, it just, not like...” She sighed.
“It just seemed weird, that’s all.”
Fluttershy blushed a deep red as she looked up at Dash.
“You’ll really take me right now?” Fluttershy made her way down to the floor off the couch and stood infront of Rainbow.
“I already said I’d take you Fluttershy, obviously I-” She was interrupted by Fluttershy’s soft, quiet voice
“Yeah but...” She looked out the window at the bright moon shining over the darkness of the beautiful night.
“...Right now.” Dash finished for her.
Without saying anything, Fluttershy turned away from Rainbow Dash and walked across the room to a small saddlebag on the ground.
“Fluttershy?” Rainbow tilted her head but got no response. With an eyebrow raised she trotted over to Fluttershy.
“I’ll be ready in a minute, meet me outside” She said quietly and nodded as she pulled out her quill.
“What’dyou need a-” Dash was interrupted by Fluttershy again
“-Just meet me outside” her tone was deeper than usual, more serious sounding.
Dash shook her head as she turned around and opened the door again, and walked outside into the brisk night, awaiting Fluttershy, but after a few minutes, she returned to Dash, closing the door behind her, with the saddlebag around her.
“I’m ready” She whispered.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walked and walked, in total silence throughout the night. not speaking a word to eachother, until they
got below CloudsDale. " Ok, Hang on tight." Rainbow Dash said blankly. She wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy, and started batting her wings frantically, managing to lift both of them, but still flying slower than usual as she struggled to carry her.
“No...offense Fluttershy, but..” She took a deep breath as she flew faster
“You’re heavier than ya’ look.” She grunted. She looked back at Fluttershy, and discovered that she had nuzzled her head into Dash’s mane, and had fallen asleep.
When they arrived at CloudsDale, most of the pegasi were sleeping in their houses. Rainbow Dash sat the sleeping Fluttershy on the cloud layer, giving a small brief smile.
"We're here, wake up." Rainbow Dash said softly and nudged her with her hoof. Fluttershy woke up. She sat up as she inspected her surroundings, before the corners of her mouth stretched into a smile of joy as she realized where they were.
" Is this what you remember?" Fluttershy gave a small nod. They both sat on the cloud layer silently, staring at the night sky for what seemed like an eternity. Fluttershy eventually whispered, "I'm tired,Can we..go to the Inn and get some sleep?” She asked in her whisper voice as she stood up on all four hooves again, the saddlebag shaking a little bit as she did.
“Oh..’course” Dash said and smiled
“Didn’t think you’d wanna spend the night here though” Rainbow looked around again, then nudged Fluttershy once more and began walking towards the large, fluffy, white building.
They walked up the stairs of the building ,everything was white, it was odd and Fluttershy hadn’t been used to seeing this much white since she was a filly, but her eyes adjusted to it just as they reached their room.
“Heere we are” Rainbow exclaimed quietly, making sure not to wake any of the other Pegasi in the Inn as she bumped the door open, revealing the small, but cozy room. One bed sat near the window of the room, a writing desk with a very comfortable looking chair in front of it. The pillowy floor bounced slightly as they trotted to the bed, the small, single bed.
“I’ll..sleep on the fl-” Fluttershy began as she looked down at the floor and kicked her hooves softly
“- No, Fluttershy, it’s fine, really.” Dash continued for her chivalrously. Then lied down on the cloudy floor next to the bed and awaited for Fluttershy to climb up onto it.
“Well if you’re not going to take the bed...” She smiled as she starred into Dash’s eyes.
“...Then I won’t either.” She lied down on the floor next to Dash, and leaned into her slightly as she immediately closed her eyes, and started to fall asleep. Dash was even more hasty than her to sleep, her eyes were heavy as she closed them, and fell asleep almost immediately as she leaned into her hooves.
Dash ran hurriedly, she had no idea what was happening, the wind blew in her face as she ran through Cloudsdale, seeing nothing but darkness and the ground of soft clouds as she did, She ran too far and fell off the edge and began falling, her wings wouldn’t work, she couldn’t move them, she almost started crying as she woke up, she was used to having nightmares, but that one, even she had to admit, scared her a little more than usual. She looked to her side, and her smile of relief, turned into a frown of worry.
Fluttershy was gone.
Her mane that Fluttershy was leaning into was damp, and so was part of the floor right next to Dash, she could tell immediately that Fluttershy had been crying. Dash’s breathing heightened as she stood up hastily and looked around the room frantically
“Fluttershy!” She whispered
“Fluttershy!” This time it was an all out shout, she didn’t care about waking anypony anymore, she was worried more than she had been in a long time. The saddlebag was sitting at the writing desk in the room, but Fluttershy was nowhere to be found.
Rainbow Dash had seached all but one place. Fluttershy's old house. "How did I not think of this first." She muttered. Fluttershy's old house was on the edge of CloudsDale. She looked in the windows, around the front, but Fluttershy was not there. Rainbow Dash looked in the back. All she saw was a flash of yellow and pink. Rainbow Dash ran, no, sprinted to the side. It was dark, and she could not see very well. But it was distinct. The
yellow and pink pegasus, falling through the clouds. Dash was speechless,Rainbow Dash instinctively jumped off the edge, speeding towards Fluttershy. Fluttershy went through a layer of clouds. Rainbow Dash lost sight of her. She continued speeding downwards, and then again caught sight of Fluttershy again. She was limp, not even putting an effort into trying to atleast slow down. Rainbow Dash's eyes were filling with tears. She did not know whether it was from
the speed, or the fact that Fluttershy is falling and she might not be able to catch up. "Fluttershy! What are you doing? Slow down so I can grab you!" Rainbow Dash screamed. Fluttershy moved her good wing. so she flipped around and was facing Rainbow Dash. Her eyes were full of tears. She even had a small smile. " What-" Rainbow Dash slowed for a split second, but only to be going full speed again.
The ground was getting close. Rainbow Dash could not catch up. The ground was only 20 feet away. Rainbow Dash was too far away from Fluttershy. She slowed.
My diary thing #1
I have run away from Ponyville. From all pony-kind.
Now I have two things in my mind that I cannot rid of. Those words: " Before my
time comes" And the sound. the sight. the sickening " thud " when she
hit. I could have saved her. I know I could have. Somehow I didn't.
Now I have to live with the memory. the regret. the shame. I cannot take
it anymore. I don't know why she would do this. I didn't want to know.
I have nothing left now. I can’t believe I let that happen to her, the question of “why?” still sits in my mind every passing second. I left her at her cottage, I guess that’d be where she wanted to be. But when I was there, I couldn’t help myself, I didn’t want anypony to see, but I was crying my eyes out. I held her up on my back, carrying her inside, and rested her on the sofa. I would’ve taken her to the hospital, but I already knew she was gone. I was sobbing hard, my eyes hurt from all the tears. Then I saw it. I had left that old saddlebag she brought up to Cloudsdale with us up there. But my mind was suddenly shot with the memory of her, holding the quill in her mouth as she told me to wait outside, the piece of parchment that was across the room, just where she was sitting. I wiped a tear out of my eye with my hoof as I stood up and trotted over with my head hung low. I looked down at the piece of paper, a picture of her with her beautiful smile starring back up at me. I couldn’t help it, it made me smile, it always did, her smile was just so gentle. The words “I’m sorry, Rainbow” were scribbled at the bottom of the picture, I immediately picked it up with my teeth and walked back over to her, still sobbing. I closed her slightly open eyes as I started to sing to her.
“Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to rest your sleepy head...”
The sight of her was terrifying, yet peaceful. I kissed her forehead softly as my tears dripped onto her mane.
“...Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to go to bed...” I brushed her mane out of her hair and put her into a more comfortable position, curled up like she was when I came here last.
I felt tears in my eyes again, but I thought to myself.
No, I won’t be sad about it, she wouldn’t want that.
I couldn’t help but giggle a little bit through my teary, red eyes, through my tear covered face.
She was still smiling.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks for reading everybody! Please leave a rating and a comment with your feedback! Before My Time Comes Copyright© Nick Taylor And Tylar Balaberda.
