Author's Note

Prompt: No Time Like the Present

No Present Like the Time

“Well, go ahead. Open it!” Discord said.

“I hate to tear the wrapping,” Fluttershy replied. “It’s so beautiful.”

Discord rolled his eyes and snapped an identical box into existence. “Now you have a mint collectable too.”

“O-okay.” She undid the ribbon and paper very carefully, but… Empty? “What?”

“It’s time, my dear.”

The usual arguments burned in her mind. “We’ve talked about this.”

“Yes, yes, I know. This isn’t some cheesy ploy to give you eternal life. I’ve read all the fanfics.”

“Huh?”

A quick sigh. “Never mind. Point is, it’s not future time. It’s past. Give it a try.”

She poked her nose in, and—the day she’d first met Twilight, and Discord, and tea together, and… In a flash, all so clear, like she’d lived them yesterday!

Everything that made her Fluttershy, whenever she needed to see it. She wiped away her tears and hugged Discord hard. “Thank you.”