//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Begin Prep // Story: My Little Dashie: The Aft5rlife // by Rdasher12 //------------------------------// I wake up. Not suddenly, but cheerfully. I've just awoken from yet another cherished memory. Again, the dream felt just as real as when it happened. This one wasn't quite as long as the others, but it was still great, and I'd say the cutest so far! ---------- If you had told me three weeks ago that I was going to find a filly Rainbow Dash in a box on my walk home from work, I'd call you insane. I probably am in all reality, but I don't care. Rainbow Dash had gotten used to her new surroundings at this point, and she even started to understand the words I was saying, which was really encouraging. After the first few days, I decided to give her a pet name. Calling her "Rainbow Dash" was a bit of a mouthful, at least for her age. I narrowed it down just simply "Dash" but I eventually leaned towards Pinkie's pet name for her. "Dashie" It sounded adorable, and I think she liked being called that anyway. She had really started to grow on me back then. At that point, she had brought nothing but pure happiness into my otherwise dull life. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea to get too attached to her. I knew for a fact that I wouldn't have her forever, so I felt that having a close bond like the one that we were forming was only going to make saying goodbye so much harder. My brain told me that, but my heart just couldn't help it. The sheer cuteness of her overwhelmed me, and to be honest, I was happier that way. In my dream, I've only just gotten home from work, which was something that Dashie had trouble accepting on most days. I worked from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on most days so it was a struggle. Since I only had maybe six hours total with her on those days, I made sure to make up for it on the days I had off. We might play some games, or just simply cuddle and watch a NASCAR race. She absolutely loved NASCAR. The moment I flipped to that channel two weeks earlier, she was stuck to it like glue. I was perfectly fine with her watching that stuff, as long as it made her happy. At that point, it was all I could really do for her. I walked up to the door and pulled my keys out from my pocket. Upon doing this, I unlocked the two deadbolts, the Masterlock, and finally the doorknob. I opened the door and quickly shut it behind me. You never can be too careful, especially if you have something living in your house that shouldn't even exist. When Dashie heard the door open and close, she hopped off the couch that was in front of the TV. She was watching SpongeBob, he and Patrick were on their normal wacky adventures and were full of laughter while doing so. She trotted over to me and immediately stood on her hind legs, her front hooves extending out towards me. I know I've said this a few times now, but dang it I'm gonna say it again because it's true, my heart exploded! She just looked so adorable. All I could do was kneel down, pick her up and give her the hug she had been yearning for all day. "Hey, Dashie. How was your day?" I knew that she couldn't respond just yet, but the best way for her to learn was to listen to other people talk, and I was all she had. I needed to make up for that where I could. I start to put her back down, but then I heard something. No way, it couldn't be her, could it? "H-Hi... D-Da-d-a." For the umpteenth time, my heart exploded, twice. Not only did she just say her first word, she said her second! I couldn't help but feel proud as I looked into Dashie's eyes. I was the one who made that possible. A single tear rolled down my cheek, and I embraced her once again. ---------- Reliving that memory sure is a good way to start the day I think. It's been about two weeks since I arrived in the afterlife. Well, I say that, but honestly, it feels like it's only been a few days. Not that I'm complaining. The faster time goes by here, the quicker I get to see my Dashie, and what a day that'll be! Now, I have no clue how time here compares to time in Equestria, so I really have no idea exactly how long I'll be waiting. But, it's no big deal, really. It's not like I have a limited amount of time here. Sure, I'm not getting any younger by waiting around for her, but it's not like I'm getting any older either. That's just the great thing about this place, you don't have to rush to fill in special moments while you still can. You, quite literally, have an eternity to do that stuff, without needing to worry about ever running out of them. What's even better about this place is that the longer you're here, the better it gets. As time passes, more and more ponies will come with it, although I feel a bit cruel for waiting on them. I, just as much as everypony else, want each pony that's still down there to live as long and have as happy of a life as possible. But, there just isn't anyone to talk to up here. I have my parents, but there really isn't too much to talk about with them, especially since they basically watched over all of my actions twenty-four seven after their passing. Apart from them, there's Granny Smith. She passed away about eight months before I did. Don't get me wrong, she's great to talk to, and she sure was lively back when she was twenty. The problem isn't the pony/people I can talk to, it's just the fact that, that's it. Trust me, I was just as baffled when I realized that there are only four living beings here. Apparently, my parents and I are, and forever will be the only humans here. I'm guessing I was put in the "Pony" sector because I raised one as my own child, and my parents because I needed some sort of connection with my own kind. But, at this point, that's just a guess. The only reason I can think of to why Granny is the only pony here is simply her age. I don't recall ever seeing a pony as old as she was. Which is pretty spectacular when you think about it. Not only does it sound weird, it shouldn't even be possible. Either Granny Smith is basically the mother of every pony in history, or maybe it has something to do with Equestrian magic. I choose the latter, just thinking about the former gives me the creeps. I'm not even gonna go into that. As for my grandparents, there isn't really all that much to say. My guess is that they were put in the "Human" afterlife. Any other sort of answer wouldn't make a lick of sense, so I'm gonna go with that. It's sad, I was hoping to catch up with them after all these years, but I guess I'll just have to cope with it. Something worries me, though. Since I have no clue how long I'll be waiting for Dashie, she could technically be here as far away as sixty years from now, or as soon as within the next few minutes. In a weird way, it's kind of scary not knowing when her time will come. A part of me wants her to get here as soon as possible, but the rest of me knows that what I truly want, is for her to live the best life possible. I'd be pretty disappointed if her life were to be cut short for any reason. I don't want her up here until she feels that her life is complete. By that point, it's all up to fate. I suppose that I'm not completely in the dark, though. Sometimes, when all I'm doing is sitting around thinking, I get short flashes. Flashes of what I hope is Dashie happily moving on with her life, and not random thoughts of what I'm wanting to see. In the first one, it seemed as if I was looking down at my old home, from high up in the sky. I would hear a weak voice every few moments. The first I heard was "That's if I ever can get over this." Was that Dashie? Putting two and two together, she must've been moping around in the house. I hoped it'd only been a day or two, and not a week or something worse. I wouldn't want her to be sulking on my passing for that long, it wouldn't be healthy. After hearing that, I heard hoofsteps. Shortly after, I hear the words "Today... Today is a new day." Hearing this brought me some closure, knowing that she was, at the very least, trying to move on. After more steps, I hear the shower running, then more steps making it obvious that she had walked to the bathroom, took a shower, and proceeded to go back into the living room afterward. After what seemed to be a minute or two of silence, I saw five unique colors approach the house. I could make out each one. There was pink, followed by purple, orange, white, and lastly yellow. If those colors weren't Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy then I'd be speechless. I eventually saw the door open, and a pink blur tackled a cyan one to the ground. Oh Pinkie Pie, I sure hope you can help her out with this. "Hey, Dashie!" Undoubtedly the voice of Pinkie. I could only chuckle, remembering the time she jumped through the roof of the first floor of SugarCube Corner and landed right on me, forcing me to the ground. After some thinking, I started to wonder if she could see me. According to the show, she could break the fourth wall. Now that would be something. If I could find a way to communicate with her, if that's even possible, then I can relay messages to Dashie! The thought of that filled me with joy, but I put it aside for the moment. I could hear Dashie reply with "Heeey, Pinkie." It sounded like she was feeling a bit better. Thank you, Pinkie. I swear, she can pull literally anypony out of their despair. I then heard giggles, and I couldn't help but laugh with them. I truly felt like I was still a part of the group down there. I know that I'm not anymore, but I felt happy, seeing all of them happy. This is the closest that I can possibly get to my Dashie, as well as our friends, and I think I'm okay with that. The next thing that happened left me in utter awe. Could Dashie see me? She just looked up at me, or at least in my direction. She seemed to smile as she did, but at that point, I just thought it was a coincidence. What really got me was when she moved her hoof up into the air and waved! There is not a physical, mental, or extraterrestrial way how she could be able to see me! I was overjoyed, but the moment didn't last. She turned around and started walking toward, what I could make it out to be, the countryside. I snapped back to reality, or rather, snapped out of it. The afterlife certainly was no reality, the only connection I still have to that is back in Equestria. By now, I'm certain that she still has plenty of time before her life comes to a close. This relieves me, as I can now be assured that Dashie will go through with what she promised, to never even think about ending her own life to be with me. This also means that I have plenty of time to prepare for her arrival. I want her time here to kick off with a bang! I'm talking fireworks, confetti, a huge party with all of her favorite foods, "The Final Countdown" playing in the background. It's going to be huge! I'm actually going as far as to find a way to make some kind of NASCAR race car. That may sound impossible, but this is the afterlife. I'm sure there's some way to create one. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it, at least here it is. With that said, I get up from my recliner in the living room. My parents are still napping upstairs, so I don't think they'll mind if I go outside to start the preparations. I walk to the door and give a good long look at a picture of Dashie that was right next to the main hallway. "Stay safe, Dashie. I'll be back soon." With these words, I open the door and head off into the distance, smiling ear to ear as I do.