//------------------------------// // Six // Story: Dashie: Twenty Percent Cooler // by Kieva Lynn //------------------------------// Standard Disclaimer: I do not own MLP, nor am I in any way affiliated with the author of the story this fic is based upon. XXXXXXX Chapter Six Earth: Day One Hundred: Arriving at work early in the morning, Miri walked swiftly as she searched all through the busy store, hoping to catch sight of Brian. She knew he had taken time off after their confrontation and had decided it was best to wait until he returned before speaking with him. But today was the day he was supposed to be back, and she wanted to find him as soon as possible. She was still worried about his mental state, but she was also desperate to apologize to him for the way she had reacted upon finding the photo album, desperate to let him know that she still loved him and wanted to make things work out between them. But as she searched everywhere, all over the sales floor and the stockroom, it quickly became obvious that he was not there. She asked several friends among her fellow employees, but none of them knew anything. So she found herself knocking on the door of the manager's office. “Come in!” A voice called from within, and she opened the door and stepped through. Within was the current day supervisor, a balding, slightly heavyset man in an ill fitting suit and tie. “Miri! You're here early today... What can I do for you?” “Well, I'm looking for... ...Brian was supposed to be back today wasn't he?” The manager's face fell. “He didn't tell you?” “I've not seen or spoken with him since he took the leave... Told me what?” “Miri, Brian called last week... Said something had happened and he wasn't coming back.” “What!?” Miri exclaimed. “No no no this is all my fault...” “Now, don't be too hard on yourself. I may not know what exactly happened between you, but I can't imagine you of all people could have done anything bad enough to make Brian up and leave for good. It must have been something else dear.” “No, No it was me...” Miri looked her boss in the eyes. “I'm sorry, if this costs me my job then so be it, but I can't stay for work today, I've got to go, I've got to... I don't know, but I've got to do something.” The manager smiled. “Don't worry about your job, at least for today, you're one of the best workers I've got. Brian too. I'll put this down as a sick day. Good luck kiddo.” Miri smiled in surprise and gratitude. “Thanks. I'll come back with him.” “I hope you do.” XXXXXXX Falling... The sensation of falling in a void, falling forever with no place to land. Rainbow Dash felt her stomach churn with the sensation of freefall, a surprise for the great stunt flier who was accustomed to the sensation from a great many of her trick maneuvers and didn't usually get even the slightest bit queasy from them. Perhaps this was from how long the sensation was continuing. In any event, she made a note in her mind to discuss it with Twilight. No one would want to use this kind of travel regularly if nothing could be done about the nausea. Even as she was thinking these thoughts, Rainbow Dash felt a change ripple through the void, and the next moment a bright pinpoint of light flared into view far in the distance and surged towards her. She was enveloped in the light... ...And found herself in a forest, the bright-blue early morning sky shining down through the early-spring leaves overhead. Glancing around, the cyan pegasus realized that she knew this forest. It was on the outer edge of her father's property, perhaps a quarter of a mile north of their home. Rainbow laughed out loud. She did it! Well, Twilight did it, really, but screw technicalities, she was home! Home! She ran swiftly through the trees until she reached the edge of the back yard. Once there, she was surprised to see that little care had been taken. Of course, she had been gone over the late autumn and winter, so not much had happened, but the lawn clearly hadn't been tended to in some time, perhaps even since her departure. “Yeesh Pops, I know mowing the yard was my job, but you could've gotten someone else to do it.” Spreading her wings, Rainbow flew into a treetop, the better to get a look over the tall grass. The house looked unchanged. Not that it should have changed, in the short time she was gone, but to see it there still put a lump in her throat. “Home.” She thought again. Just as Dash was about to take wing and fly over the yard, though, her ears picked up the sound of a vehicle approaching. She watched as an unfamiliar car, cherry red with dark-tinted windows, pulled around to the back door. A human emerged, female Dash thought though she couldn't be certain at such a distance. The woman walked to the back door and knocked repeatedly. There was no answer. “Duh, of course not.” Rainbow thought, “It's morning, probably a weekday, Dad's at work right now.” But then, the pegasus was surprised to see the human open the door and let herself into the house. Dash's eyes narrowed. “Thief!” She thought. “Well, we'll just see about that...” XXXXXXX Port Timbrey. Brian Dashell drove through the streets of the city, amazed at just how much had changed in the years since he and Dash had moved away. He knew, of course, that a major manufacturing firm had built a new factory over the ruins of his old neighborhood. They were the ones who had purchased the land his parent's old home was built on. That house was gone, along with the street it had been on, the land covered by the huge factory that had revitalized the city's economy. Driving about the roads, as close as he could get to where his old neighborhood had been, Brian was surprised to discover that the old park, the one he had played in as a child, the one he had taken Dash to as a filly, was still there, nestled in between a pair of large industrial structures. In fact, it was clear it had been rebuilt and revitalized, presumably by the incoming company as a part of their promise to help out the city. Not that anyone would bother coming to a park in the midst of a heavy industrial zone, of course; No one was present. But he supposed the thought was nice. Brian parked and locked up his car, going for a stroll through the grounds, feeling the memories pressing in upon him. The happy childhood with his parents, the fun times with Dashie... He slumped down onto a park bench and sighed. Why had he come back here? What was left for him in the city? No home, no job, friends he hadn't contacted in years... Though, friends were a place to start he supposed. At the least he could reconnect. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number he barely remembered. “Hey man, I'm in town... Wanna get together?” XXXXXXX “Brian?” Miri called out as she stepped into the kitchen of his home. She flipped on the lights, only to see very quickly that he hadn't been here in some time. A thin layer of dust had settled over everything. She saw an envelope stuck to the refrigerator, and stepping closer saw that it had her name written on it in Brian's handwriting. Tearing it open, she opened the letter inside and began to read: “Miri: I'm so sorry for what has happened. I never meant to hurt you. In fact, I love you very much, and had hoped that you and I could build a life together. I keep thinking, If only you hadn't found the album, but that's not right of me. Relationships are built on truth, after all, and keeping it from you would have been a violation of that truth. Please understand that I do not, in any way, blame you for thinking that I am crazy. If our situations were reversed, it is the conclusion I would reach as well. I mean, really, a cartoon character come to life? How could anyone sane believe something like that? And yet, I have to be honest to you, and the honest truth is that it did happen. I found her more than fifteen years ago, as a filly too young to even talk yet. I took her in, raised her, loved her as my own daughter until last September when Celestia and her friends came to take her home. The story I told you about my daughter was technically true; I just left out the details. In any case, I know you cannot believe me, and I cannot blame you for that. So I'm saving us both the trouble of dealing with this. I'm leaving, and I do not intend to return. I don't know where I'm going, I'll figure something out. Goodbye Miri. I wish you the best in whatever you desire in life. Love, Brian. Eyes full of tears, Miri held onto the letter as she resisted the urge to break down into tears completely. It took several minutes, but she managed to contain it. Now filled with a sense of determination, Miri decided to search the house for whatever signs she could find of where Brian might have gone to. She had to find him. She had to help him... As Miri was beginning to explore the house, Rainbow Dash crept up to the back door. She stood to the side, trying to emulate the motions she had seen in countless police dramas. Holding close to the wall, Rainbow waited several moments, then jumped through the door to find the kitchen empty. She crept as silently as she could through the kitchen and into the dining room and then the living room. Everything looked as it should. “Strange... What kind of burglar breaks in and and doesn't take anything?” Following in Miri's path, Dash ascended the stairs silently and found the first bedroom door open, but the room itself was empty. She continued down the hall, past the vacant bathroom, to her own room. She peered in. All of her belongings were gone, as she expected from Celestia's spell. There was a bland home-office in it's place. And it wasn't vacant. The burglar was there, her back to the door, going through the contents of a desk drawer. “Gotcha!” Dash thought to herself. She grabbed the door and pulled it shut. Miri spun around in shock as the door slammed shut behind her. She jumped up and ran to it, trying to pull it open, but someone was holding it closed from the other side. Someone strong. “Hello? Who's there?” She shouted. From beyond the door a female voice answered “Who are you? What are you doing in my Dad's house?” “Your dad...?” Miri said, shocked, “Wait! Are, are you Brian Dashell's adopted daughter!?” “Yeah that's right! How do you know him!?” “Okay, please listen, my name is Miri. I worked at the store with your father. He told me about how he raised you, until your real family came back for you!” Dash was surprised. “He... Told you about me?” “Well, we were dating, getting pretty close really... Listen, I need to tell you something important, it's about why Brian isn't here. You remember he liked MLP right? Well, after you left, I guess he couldn't handle it... He convinced himself that his adopted daughter had been Rainbow Dash from the show... He even had an album full of photoshopped pictures of himself with her. I found it, we had a fight, and now he's gone and I need to find him because I love him anyway and just wanna help him!” Listening from her side of the door, Rainbow Dash was uncertain at first what to do. She was angry at this Miri for not believing her father, but then again she knew it only made sense. It actually sounded like this woman cared for him. A girlfriend, cute one too from what Dash had seen before she slammed the door. “Nice goin' pops.” she thought. But what to do now? Daddy was gone, and she had to find him. And it sounded like Miri wanted to find him as well. She reached a decision. Miri waited. There was silence from the other side of the door for some time. Finally the girl said “Look, with what you've told me, you and me need to talk face to face. So, let me ask you a question: If I let go of this door, can I trust you to not open it until I say okay? I need a minute to get back, turn on some lights.” “I promise.” Miri answered. “I'll wait for your okay.” “Alright, hang on I just need a couple minutes.” Miri waited, listening carefully. For some time she thought that the girl must still be hanging onto the door; She had heard no footsteps. But then there was brighter light under the door, which she knew had to be coming from the lamps in the loft room across the hall from the office. Another minute and the girl's voice said “Okay, I'm in the loft, come on in.” Miri opened the door cautiously and stepped out into the hall. She could see the loft, but no one was visible. Apparently the girl was seated in the lounge chair that was facing away, and she must be rather short since Miri couldn't see the top of her head. She boldly walked into the room and around the chair, saying “I hope we can work together to figure out where Brian has gone-” She stopped as the occupant of the chair came into sight. Rainbow Dash was seated in the chair, staring up at her. Her jaw dropped open, and she just stared in disbelief. Human and pony stared at each other for some time, and then Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and asked “So, are you still questioning my Father's mental state?”