MISSED CALLS
A ONESHOT BY PANDORABOXABLE
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“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
“At the tone, please record your message. When yo-BEEP.”
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
“At the tone, ple-BEEP.”
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
Rainbow Dash turned her attention away from the phone sitting on her bed, her eyes dull. She fluttered her wings silently to become more comfortable, but after a few seconds decided that the position she was in was fine. Her wings lay on her sides, limp.
The bags under her fuschia eyes rose for a moment as she sniffed, drawing congestion back into her body. The phone beeped and fell silent. Rainbow picked up the phone and then immediately hung up, pressing the green “redial” button instead. That same, familiar tone emanated from the speaker.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
“At the tone, please record yo-BEEP.”
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the pho-BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.”
Rainbow slowly turned her head at the disturbance, the “incoming call” light was flashing on and off. She made no movement to pick up the receiver, instead letting it go straight to voicemail.
“Hey, Rainbow, it’s your boss… you haven’t come into work at all this week. Is everything okay?” There was silence for a couple moments. Rainbow wanted to pick up the receiver but her muscles remained slack. “Well… alright, I guess you’re not home. That’s… uh… okay. Just, please call me back once you get this? The company is… well… I’ll talk to you later. CLICK.”
Silence filled the room once again, an insufferable, containing silence that crushed Rainbow’s ambitions, her needs. She slowly pushed herself up and away from the bed, watching as the cloudfoam slowly returned the indent she had made in the covers from hours upon hours on end to its normal, uniform position. She stumbled slightly as her back hooves made contact with the floor and swayed. Without the energy or willpower to catch herself, she fell over sideways, sprawling out on the clouds beneath her. She sighed and lay still. Her pet tortoise slowly sauntered into the room, looking sadly at the pegasus before continuing on towards the kitchen. She averted her eyes from his, guilt coming over her.
Two hours later, there was no discernible change in her position. Night had begun to fall, the colors of Princess Twilight’s magic spreading out over the heavens would have been beautiful nearly any other time. But not tonight. Rainbow’s stomach rumbled again, remembering her basic bodily functions. She managed to roll onto her belly and remain there while slowly crawling her way towards the kitchen. The foreboding shadows cast by the setting sun covered nearly everything, and only a patch of remaining light filtered through a small window, hitting the kitchen island and illuminating a sleeping Tank, his propeller whirring away, his food bowl empty. Another pang of guilt rushed through Rainbow, and she managed to convince herself to stand up on all fours.
She opened the fridge with an unpreened wing, the feathers sticking all over the place and making her look neglected. In reality, she was neglecting herself. Her sadness, her suffering all combined to make the past week as excruciating as possible for her. But she could not find any of her previous spunk, her willpower, her loyalty to continue caring for herself. Tank could have died from dehydration a few days earlier if it wasn’t for Princess Twilight’s telephone call which pulled her out of her solemn stupor for long enough to notice the parched tortoise nudging her hoof. He had been there for four hours.
The fridge was nearly empty, save for a rotting bottle of milk and a bowl of fruit. Rainbow tentatively reached out to grasp at an apple, rolling it around the bowl before lifting it out and setting it on the kitchen island beside Tank. She bit into it, splitting it into two halves before placing one half in her pet’s bowl and finishing the other half for herself. She was hungry, yet she didn’t feel like eating. She was thirsty, yet she didn’t feel like drinking. She was wanting, but her willpower did not come. She was alone, yet her friends were there to add companionship. If she could let them in, she would.
Rainbow returned to her bed, slipping back under the covers next to the telephone. She sighed and pressed in the old, familiar numbers. At this point it was only muscle memory keeping them burned into her mind. She would never admit it, but she was afraid she would lose the only remaining artifact she owned of her friend. She reached out a hoof and grasped an old, yellowed newspaper on her bedside table, pulling it over to her, beginning to read the front page article.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy-”
“Breaking news:”
“I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now-”
“Eight dead in freak Cloudsdale explosion-”
“but if you could leave a message-”
“Wounded total in the forties-”
“I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
“Element of Kindness-”
“Thank you…”
“Confirmed in casualty reports.”
“BEEP.”
“Attempts to resuscitate, unsuccessful.”
Rainbow let the message recording play. She didn’t have the strength to turn it off. The lonely silence surrounded her again as her “message” began to record, the faint static sound of the telephone her only companion. She would have wept if her eyes were not dry. There had been enough of that.
“Rainbow Dash?” The sudden sound of a voice at her door didn’t even make the pegasus flinch. She stayed on her bed, eyes half-lidded, oblivious to the world around her.
“Rainbow Dash… it’s us… your friends?” Rarity.
“Are you there?” Applejack.
“Can you please answer the door? Please?” Pinkie Pie.
“Rainbow, at least let us know you’re in there. Please, Rainbow. It’s been a week. You can’t stay in there forever.” Twilight.
There was no response from Rainbow other than the slow, steady rise and fall of her chest as her lungs prolonged her life span for another excruciating minute. She blinked, but did not turn around. She didn’t even shout. She didn’t even speak. She didn’t even whisper.
“Rainbow… Rainbow, we’re coming in…” Twilight said through the cloud door. Rainbow could hear the rattling of a handle, but she knew she had locked it days ago. Mumbling came from the other side, unintelligible to Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, a shockwave ran through the floor and up her spine, causing her skin to bristle on end. Her eyes opened slightly, but her position didn’t change.
Another shockwave and she could tell the door was off, dissipating into the cloud layer below. She ruffled her wings and tapped the “redial” button with her hoof again, starting the message over.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
She could hear searching sounds coming from the other rooms of her house, things being moved around, ponies opening doors and shutting them again, Pinkie desperately asking Tank where she was even though he did not stir. She knew he wouldn’t.
Again.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
Again.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
Again.
“Girls, she’s in here…” Rarity spoke from behind Rainbow Dash.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
A sob came from behind the pegasus. Another.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
Hooves wrapped around her body, a face pressed against her side. Wetness stained the back of her unruly coat, unwashed since last week.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
Tapping sounds on a telephone outside.
“Hello, 911? My friend needs help…” Twilight was calling.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
She tapped it again.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
“No more, please, Dashie, stop…” the pleading sounds from Pinkie Pie were wind in Rainbow’s ears.
She tapped it again, oblivious to anything around her.
“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”
“Please… Dashie… wake up… please… stop…”
This seemed awfully familiar, similar to that one fic that was published a few minutes ago.
So sad but good. Really good.
3644608
Shit, really? I've been working on this for a couple days now XD Great minds think alike.
3644594 I know right. That one sentence already makes me wanna cry.
3644625
Yea it also has some difference such as the other fic is human and Flutters is alive but the concept is generally the same.
3644634
Can you send me a link? I kinda wanna read it. :D
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/153383/hhey-its-me
3644706
Well... shit... that is... woah.
I usually never read a story with under 50 likes, and have definitely never read one with under 10. this surprised me in its quality. you have earned a follower. 3644625
3644742
Thank you!
Damn, this is sad.
*Sniffles* poor Dash...and poor Fluttershy
...don't look at me.
Ouch. Good little story. Hard to read, but good.
Very well paced and emotional story. Excellent one-shot.
9/10
- Infinite
3647115
Oh my god it's you! I love your stories!
Oh my god I'm hyperventilating this is so awesome. :D:D
Thank you!
3647176 You've made me blush now.
Think nothing of it, I'm just an admirer of good work.
Oh my gods the feels...
You almost made me leak liquid pride....
3644625
wait so let me get this straight.
Fluttershy died at the factory and Rainbow is calling her to listen to her voice for the final time?
3647396
Yep.
Better then any one shot I could ever make.
I think I'm wearing the wrong face right now. It's smiling and damn if I can't figure out why.
Amazing
eeyup, now my eyes are watery. even before reading Element of kindness a casualty. I already knew. this makes me want a Fluttershy and Dashie plushie to snuggle with
was thinking it would say if RD somehow was the cause of the explosion
3649135
Currently making a prequel. We'll see.
Freakin' legendary 10/10
I've read a few of your stories and their freakin' great 10/10 would bang.
Thank you... really, all I can think of is to thank you for writing this. You've managed to remind me why I don't hate fanfiction.
Argh, I honestly can't think of anything better to say! I have no suggestions on how to make it better, no qualms of any kind... this is just beautiful in so many ways. It is a bit repetitive, but that works for it, so that's not even a flaw--if anything it becomes a strength! Your tone is perfect, your pacing is perfect, your imagery is beautiful, and... I'm rambling.
I suppose I can scrape up one suggestion on where to go from here; despite its beauty, your writing is very literal. That's not much of a flaw, but try your hoof at some metaphorical writing. Example: I was originally going to commend you for calling the kitchen an "island" before I realized a little later that I was stupid and you were talking about a kitchen island... Yet that unintentional metaphor painted a perfect picture in my mind of the setting, and gave me insight as to how poor little Dashie views it. Trust me, metaphor is a wonderful writing tool worthy of exploration.
Your Rating: (It is my honor to bestow upon you the very first pinkiehappy I have ever given. You should be very, very proud of this work of art.)
Hey, I hope you appreciated my feedback! I can tell I'll have my hooves full this week, so it'd be really, really awesome if you could support me by joining Weekly Watch! Your rating, and many others, will appear in a results thread later this week, and you may even get featured! Hope to see you there!
Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyy......................
A very feelzy story, thank you for writing this so sad...
3651830
Thanks bro
3653121
It's a phone message, it may or may not have taken about 20 tries. XD
I...I think I'm going to cry.
omg, by the end of this I was in absolute tears.... Well played good sir.. well played..
Bozhe Moi...This is so sad, even if the reason behind the explosion wasn't looked into.
It breaks my heart to see Dash going through this particular phase
3654344
Writing a prequel. Don't you worry your lil butt
3654432 Alrighty then. Looking forward to it
Nice story, but it's practically a copy of another story. This story is recent, too, so I suspect that you stole the idea from this person. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/153383/hhey-its-me It could use be a coincidence, though. This one just has a different outcome.
3654686
Yeah, I covered it earlier in the comments. It's a total coincidence, I started working on this one a couple days ago after I re-read Cyanide and Happinesses' depressing comic week.
Well, fuck. That was bleak.
I loved it, don't get me wrong, but I've seen a close relative go through that kind of crushing grief upon losing a loved one, so it hit close to home.
Inspiration...
bawwbot.net/pix/103.png
3655451
Yep.
3654884 I believe you!
I read until the newspaper and saw element of kindness and I froze in place. I was shocked....
I liked this, a lot. Now I feel like a jerk for putting off reading this. This story is frighteningly close to a dream I once had. Good job.
3664075
Thank ye fellow writer. Great minds think alike.
3664400 I have no great mind. My sub-conscious does all the work, and yells at me to write down what she says.
Very powerful. Nice work.
Your fic has been featured on This Week's Weekly Watch Results. Congratulations!
So many pain in this. So many feelings.
THATS IT?! MEE NEEDS MORE!!!