//------------------------------// // chapter 4 // Story: Stone of the Body // by Dracoliat //------------------------------// Days had passed. Slower then the sand flows in an hourglass, every second an eternity. Her decision by now was finally clear, she couldn’t live without Fluttershy. Therefore she would die when Fluttershy did. Of course Fluttershy wouldn’t like it but she wasn’t planning on telling the kind yellow pegasus. Why would she cause intentional grief to a doomed pony? Especially one she loved so much. A unexpected knock at her door caused Dash to jump. “Rainbow Dash, can we talk please?” It was Twilight. Honestly it was still strange having other Ponies visit her home, oh well that’s what having it next to a hill and now having wooden floors did. “Sure,” Rainbow Dash said grudgingly as she walked quietly over to the door and swung it inwards. Without waiting for an invitation Twilight Sparkle came in, and after looking around for a second at the house she said, “so, um...” This was going to be akward. “What do you want Twilight?” Dash spitted at her injecting as much poison in her voice as possible. Twilight took a step forward confidently and undeterred by her tone, “we need to talk! Nopony has seen you for days, all of Ponyville has been having horrible weather. We had to bring in a new weather pegasus even!” “Why does it matter about Ponyville, you said you got a new one so you have it handled, why do you need me!” She shouted at Twilight. “Because you were... Are our friend!” Twilight yelled back. “What’s the point of helping you or Ponyville when everypony will just die eventually. It makes no difference.” Dash stated, her voice dropping into a sad tone. “The point, is making life better for others,” Twilight replied. “What about Shy’s life, I can’t make that better, she is going to die Twilight. Nothing I can do, nothing you can do, not even the Princesses can do anything. We can’t use the element’s of harmony because we need Fluttershy for that, and she is in no condition. We ran out of options, and now her death is inevitable, so unless you have something else to say please leave.” The blue pegasus said. “Rainbow Dash...” Twilight whispered with sympathy, but at this point it did nothing but make Rainbow Dash angrier. She quickly walked over to Twilight and pushed her out using her fore head. ======= “Ah, why is my head pounding?” Dash asked herself out loud as she woke up on her comfortable cloud bed. She looked down and saw small puddles on the floor. “Strange...” Dash commented. Her hoof instinctively shot up to her cheeks and sure enough, dried up tears covered them almost completely. “Hmm... Maybe I have been here for too long,” Dash considered before finally deciding to go out for a quick morning flight. Her hoof touched solid ground for the first time in a week and that’s when she remembered, she had almost forgotten about Fluttershy. She had been to busy wallowing in her own depression to even think of the reason she was so depressed. Her wings were a bit stiff but they unfurled easily enough. Her take off was slow but she began to go faster as she approached the hospital. Not even slowing to make a good landing Rainbow Dash landed off balance and stumbled into the hospital. Only stopping when she hit the receptionists desk. A loud groan escaped Dash as she felt her head gingerly before realizing she was wasting time. Without any further delays she got up and ran towards Fluttershy’s room. As soon as she entered the room she saw Fluttershy sitting up. Her eyes flashed to the door and a smile brightened on Shy’s face. Her weak hoof reached out to try and get to Dash, quickly Rainbow Dash ran up to her and smiled taking the hoof in her own. “I’m so sorry Fluttershy!” Dash yelled before placing a loud kiss on Shy’s lips. “I love you so much that I couldn’t bear the prospect of your death. I became depressed, and somehow forgot about you.” “It’s fine Dash,” Fluttershy said as she leaned forwards and kissed Dash holding her there lightly for a few minutes. After what seemed only seconds Fluttershy pulled back slightly telling Dash that the moment was over. A sheepish grin appeared on the blue Pegasus’ face until she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She instantly blushed as she saw Postim was standing in a corner. Rainbow Dash had no clue for how long he was there, or if he saw it. But by his own slight blush she thought that he saw it all. “Hello Rainbow Dash,” Postim said in his smooth and rich voice. “I heard that... there’s nothing anypony can do.” Dash went silent and looked towards Fluttershy who simply smiled back at her and nodded slightly. However Dash stayed silent before Shy finally said it, “Um, you’re right, I’m going to die.” To hear the words come out of her mouth made Dash feel like she had been stabbed with an even bigger pang of sadness. Postim nodded slightly and opened his mouth before shutting it again. He stayed there silently for what seemed like hours, even though in reality Dash knew it couldn’t have been more then five minutes. Postim seemed lost in though somewhere before he opened his mouth again to speak. “I can try to help if you’d like.” Dash’s heart gave a jump at his words, but she didn’t dare hope. “Go ahead and try anything you’d like,” Dash encouraged. “Very well, wait here please.” Postim said as he disappeared in a flash. “I’m not going anywhere, not while you’re still here.” Dash said amused as she squeezed Fluttershy’s hoof lightly. Her hoof tapped impatiently as she waited for Postim to return from wherever he went. About ten seconds later a bright flash again filled the room as Postim reappeared, a large clock beside him. The clock with the two ponies trying to get to each other, only to be blocked by some invisible barrier. “What I am about to show you, you cannot tell anybody. Ever, not even Twilight, or the Princesses, got it?” Postim asked. Dash and Shy looked at each other curiously before they both nodded, and Dash spoke up, “Fine, we promise.” “Good,” Postim said as he opened the front of the large clock he brought with him. Inside of there was a small gear turner. Postim removed the turner and smiled as he gave it a quick once over. He put it back in and turned it three times causing the clock to start running. When he withdrew the turner, somehow it had turned into something completely different. It seemed more like a knife know then anything else. “I am going to stab myself, then Fluttershy you need to stab yourself with the opposite edge of the blade that will come out once I stab myself, trust me.” Postim said deadly serious. The idea was crazy, having Fluttershy stab herself, but it couldn’t get any worse, not to mention Postim had always helped them. He levitated the blade above his chest and plunged it in, he drew it out quickly with magic as a second clean blade literally emerged from the turner itself. He quickly handed it to Fluttershy who hesitated slightly. Her head plunged down towards herself as the knife entered her upper chest. A terrible blinding light erupted from the key only to disappear a second later. Nothing had changed except the turner was now gone. As she looked back at Postim his wounds had healed, as had Fluttershy’s, but as she looked again, Postim was aging. Right before her eyes he was becoming more wrinkled and moregrrey. “Don’t worry I will die, but Shy will live, I cured her. As to why, it’s simple. This clock was made from the magic of time, I am a time pony, one of only two still alive, the other will confront you later about what happened. I did it because I could not let tragedy like this strike twice. The last one, was my own love. And I won’t see yours wrenched away from you. I’m sorry I can’t give a better explanation, goodbye.” Postim finished as his coat disintegrated and a pile of ashes laid on the floor. ======= Fluttershy and Dash had stood there for an hour just staring at the ashed before finally Fluttershy said something, “Thank you Postim...” She, for the first time in months got up onto her feet with a small frown, but she was obviously better. “You will never be forgotten, I promise.” Fluttershy said before Dash gasped. The clock had disappeared. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash embraced each other and kissed each other lightly on the lips before walking out of the hospital together. All of the doctors and nurses simply stared at Fluttershy, but they both knew that she was better. And when they searched the room, they found nothing out of the ordinary. Outside of the hospital, the sun was slowly setting, and the moon being raised by Princess Luna of in the distance. “Fluttershy,” Dash said. “Yes?” Fluttershy asked curiously. “I love you, and I always will. Will you please be my mare and marry me?” Dash asked, for the first time a tear of happiness forming. “Yes,” Fluttershy said and embraced her mare. Like so long ago, their lips touched and explored each other, their tongues exploring each others mouth. Now neither of them backed off, for they both found what they were looking for. A friend, a partner, a love. Now nothing could stand in between them.