Time to Lay Your Sleepy Head.
There was a time when the bearers of the Elements were all young ponies, full of life and laughter. There was a time when they thought that they were free in the world, able to go amongst in their own ways without much worry. The idea that came to their minds was that of freedom, one without any restraints and traps to keep them at bay. It was the thought that they were free, but as they got older, the frigidity of reality set deep into their bones as life had kept them imprisoned until their death.
Night had set over the lovely little town of Ponyville, street lamps flickering on with a low hum as the sun set behind the mountains in the east. Streaks of magenta and pink lined the sky as the moon gently pushed them farther behind the horizon, the reign of night now becoming official. Everything was going just as it should have been in Ponyville, little foals tucked under the covers, night lights fending away the monsters of the night. Parents sat together at their dinner tables, enjoying a warm class of cider and the serenity that had set over the land. Even though most seemed to be well, it doesn't mean all is well.
In the darkness of the night, a little foal, no older than seven years old made way out of her home. Her mane was a light, yet subtly bright pink; accented beautifully with her pig tails, wings, and vanilla coat. The kindness of a thousand mares shines through her jade green eyes, fixated on a location not far in the distance. Her name was Spring Berry, chosen from that of her mother's favorite season, and her father's favorite food. With this little foal, one could easily see the worry flowing through her body as she crept through the shadows, trying to make her way through the town as fast as she could and attracting as little attention to herself as she could. Spring Berry ducked and weaved through yards, hopping over fences and jumping through bushes.
All along the way, thoughts raced through her head. “I hope she's alright...” she constantly thought to herself, the thought of her mother still in the hospital a rather depressing concept. Most of Spring's days were spent at the hospital, sitting at Fluttershy's side, watching as her mother slept peacefully. No matter how much time she spent with her, whether it was from the start of visiting to the end, it always felt as if she never spent enough time with her. The only thing she knew that could guarantee her any more time was the night, when her father was asleep and she could make her way out of the house and to Ponyville Hospital. Even though the reason for being there at the hospital were rather grim, it always made her day being able to be with her mother.
There was something different about this night, however. For whatever reason, she felt something tugging at her gut telling her that she needed to get to the hospital as soon as she could, no matter what it took. It was one of the stranger feelings that she had ever felt, the sensation of it nearly bringing tears to her eyes. Spring ran as fast as her little hooves could take her, and before she knew it she had arrived at Ponvyille General. There was a little thing Spring Berry and her mother had set up so they would know when it was safe to come in, and when it was her wanting in through the first story window. Lucky for her, the rooms she had been in were always on the first story, giving her relatively easy access. One knock on the window, and two on the frame was Berry's signal, while Fluttershy's was a simply sweet, “Come in, honey.”
Spring Berry gently pushed the window up with her hoof, making sure that it didn't make any squeaking noises to alert the doctors or nurses to her presence. She hopped up to the window sill, her front legs hanging over it, her wings flapping and her hind legs attempting to make it through the window. Tumbling through the window and onto the floor, the first thing she did was wait a good minute, or even two just to make sure she had made it in undetected before closing the window and trapping the warm air inside.
A monotone beeping echoed in the room, keeping a constant check on Fluttershy's heartbeat. IV's ran from her hoof to the bags from which the medicine hung from, and a number of other leads lead from her body to the heart monitor. A single screen cast a green shadow over the room, the lines representing her heartbeat moving rhythmically across it with ease.
The air within the room had a lingering clean scent, as if someone had just doused the room in some sort of sanitizer. Plates of uneaten food and juice boxes sat next to the bed, where Fluttershy lay smiling. Her hair was tattered, and the bright pink that it used to be had faded to that of a light pink, almost unrecognizable from her younger years. Her face held many wrinkles, the stress of life making its mark upon her body.
“Evening sweet one,” Fluttershy said to Berry with a sickly smile.
“Hi mommy,” Spring replied. “Are you feeling ok?”
“Oh... just tired... and there's something we need to talk about honey... If that's alright with you, of course.”
“Of course momma!” Spring said ecstatically. “You can talk to me about anything, any time, OK?”
Fluttershy stifled a small giggle. “Of course, but... uhm... I need you to be a strong girl for mommy, alright? Can you promise me that?”
“I promise, anything for you,” she replied with a smile cracked upon her lips.
“Do you remember that song I taught you as a young foal?” Fluttershy asked, hoping that she would. Spring Berry nodded her head softly, focused on her mother. Fluttershy closed her eyes slowly before speaking. “Sing it for me please... If that's OK with you.”
Tears welled up in Spring Berry's eyes, as she knew what was just around the corner. “Su-Sure thing, momma...”
“Hush now, quiet now
It's time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now, quiet now
Prepare for the path ahead
Drift, drift up above
The angels are beside you then
Drift, drift up above
One day we'll meet again...”
The room suddenly became filled with an eerie red glow, as the screen that once shown with scribbled lines now held a flat line, accompanied by a continuous beep. Tears began to flow down Spring Berry's cheeks as she rested her head on her mother's hoof.
“Goodbye, mommy... Sweet dreams...” she cried, as doctors poured into the room.
