//------------------------------// // Sick Day // Story: My Little Dashie Stories // by Brony Chronicler //------------------------------// I woke up one Monday morning, hopped in the shower and got dressed for work. I wasn't exactly looking forward to getting up so early, after all, Dashie and I stayed up pretty late last night playing Checkers. We were still celebrating over her Cutie Mark, I know it's a bit obsessive, but I'm just so proud of her for getting it. Much to my surprise, she's quite the skilled Checkers player. She beat me every single game we played. Although I was sort of holding back, simply because I loved seeing her so happy… especially when the reward was a big hug. I peeked in on Dashie to make sure she knew that I was heading off to work. Upon opening her door, I noticed she was still in bed. This wasn't that unusual; she does usually get up about the same time I do, but she has been known to sleep in once in a while… especially when she stays up real late. "Get up Dashie" I called to her, trying not to startle her too much. " I've got to go to work, and I want to make sure you know I'm leaving." Surprisingly, she doesn't answer me. Usually it takes only one shout to get her up, and when I mention that I'm going to work, she usually wishes me a good day and gives me a good-bye hug. I look forward to that every morning. "Dashie?" I ask, this time walking closer to her bed to see if anything's wrong. I pull down the covers to see if it will motivate her to get up. That's when I find the little filly shivering. She can't be cold, it's the middle of fall, and I've got the heater turned up to at least sixty degrees. I reach down and feel her neck, and find she's running a fever. She opens her eyes, but only slightly, looking up at me like a hurt whale begging for its mother "D-d-da- daddy…" she attempts to speak, her voice sounding all dry and scratchy. "M-m-my throat… hurts…and… I'm cold…" she says, curling up in a ball attempting to keep herself warm. My heart suddenly stopped and my mind went into pure shock. Four whole years of taking care of her and I was completely unprepared to deal with this… a cold. After calling my boss and telling him I had the flu, I turn my attention to Dashie, whose lying under a blanket and a heating pad on the sofa. I had the TV on for her, hoping that maybe an episode of Spongebob would help her feel better. Unfortunately, it was the episode where he gets sick with the suds, so that didn't help her in the slightest. She didn't feel like watching TV anyway, she just wanted to sleep. I let her do that and sat by her side as she slept. I was so worried about her. I've always been there to help whenever she's gotten a scrape or a bruise, but I've never known her to get sick. I wasn't even sure how this would affect her. A cold is really nothing, you'd be miserable for about a day or two, but you'd be back on your feet in no time. But this was just a little filly, one that wasn't even from this world. Would an infectious disease from this world be more severe than on a regular person? For that matter, she's never gotten sick before. Could it be that her immune system holds strong for a good for long time, but then she finally gets sick… and then… NO!!! I can't think like that, I won't think like that. My daughter needs me now more than ever, and even if I wind up losing my job for taking too many sick days, I'm gonna sit here and watch her get better with my own eyes. Dashie slept for about four hours, I stayed with her the whole time. I actually wound up breaking my three-year streak of an Internet less life, and tried to find some information about what to do for horses with colds, but to no avail. The best I could find was some information about special remedies, and there's not a town for over eighty miles who'd sell such a thing. I can't take her to a doctor, I can only imagine how'd they react to a talking cyan filly. I could try giving her some cold medicine, but I have no idea how it would affect her system. My hands were tied, I could either chance it and give her some medicine… or sit here and pray things get better. I ordered pizza that night, so I wouldn't have to leave Dashie's side. I made her some chicken soup and made her drink lots of OJ, which thankfully seemed to help her throat a little. But she still wasn't feeling much better and just continued to lie there on the sofa, looking so miserable. After another three hours, I finally caved. I just had to try giving her some cold medicine… it may have been my only hope. I ran down to the local CVS, and bought some children's cold syrup and nice stuffed teddy bear to cheer her up. I got home and poured the medicine in the cup, then gave it to her along with the bear. She hesitantly drank it, making a sour face at the taste. Then… the worse happened. She vomited up everything she had eaten that day and fell off the couch onto the floor. What… have I done? I started crying and picked her up, holding her tightly to my chest. She didn't say anything… only shivered even more. I wasn't even sure if it was the medicine that caused her to react this way. I didn't know whether I should try to give her more… or maybe try a different brand. I didn't even know for sure if she had a cold at this point… or something far worse. This is all my fault… I should've been better prepared for this… I should've had a plan... after all… everyone gets sick at some point in their life. The carpet became severely stained with my tears as I sat there holding the shivering filly for what seemed like an hour. I don't know what to do… I can't take her to a doctor… I can't give her medicine… and the Internet was of no use. So… I do something… I haven't done in years… I pray. Before she died, my mother left me a bible… and told me to use it if I ever truly felt lost. I don't even remember the last time I used it, but I need it now more than ever. I fish the bible out of my bed table and hold it tightly to my chest with one arm as I hold Dashie with the other. I kneel down on the floor… and proceed to pray. "Dear lord… I haven't spoken to you in long time. I don't even know how you still feel about me… or how you've ever felt about creatures from beyond this world. But I beg of you… please… spare my little Dashie's life. She's so young… and doesn't even know that this is not actually her world. Do you think that's fair… that she's unknowingly taken away from her home… only to die simply because she wound up with someone who just couldn't get her the right medical care." Before she came into my life… I had nothing worth living for. I even may have considered suicide once or twice before. But then… that day came when I found her in that cardboard box.. and everything changed. She's my daughter, and without her… I don't know where I 'd be today. I've done everything in my power… to ensure she's had the best damn life she could in this cruel world not meant for her. She's been happy with me all these years… and I'm sure that would all become null if she were to see me so miserable from up there in heaven. If for some reason… this is punishment for not being as loyal as my mother … then go on ahead and do your worst. But please… don't take it on Dashie. For my sake… and hers… please…let her play another day…" I finished my prayer, my face now soaking wet from all the tears. Dashie showed no sign of improvement. I didn't really know if my words would make a difference. Why would God help me anyway? I haven't exactly been the most loyal follower over the past couple of years… and it IS just a cartoon character after all. She may not even be real… just a two dimensional creature that exists solely in my socially deprived mind. That may explain why she's never gotten sick up until now… because my brain just hadn't applied that scenario yet. But whether or not she is real… my love for her DOES exist. I just want to see her smile again… that's all. I stayed up all night, sitting on the couch and holding her in my arms. I spent the whole time looking down at her face, she looked so beautiful despite her current condition. Even if she was to die this very evening, I still wanted to hold her in my arms… one last time. Finally, I fell asleep at about six o clock in the morning. I was woken up a few hours later… by a sweet little voice. "Daddy…" "Huh." "Daddy, don't you have to go work?" I slowly opened my eyes, and found Dashie looking at me with her large violet eyes, our noses making physical contact with each other. "Dashie?" I asked waking up. "How… How are you feeling?" "Pretty darn good" Dashie happily said, jumping into the air and flapping her little wings. She then started doing cartwheels in the air to prove just how healthy she was. My face lit up as I jumped off the couch with perhaps the biggest smile ever. I quickly grabbed her from the air and pulled her into a tight hug, letting loose some tears of joy as I did. I then started twirling her around the room, knocking over some of the furniture as I walked around. I still have no idea what exactly happened. What exactly caused her to get better, and so fast for that matter? Was it all that sleeping she did yesterday? Was it the medicine, having some strange yet positive effect on her? Was the virus really not as bad as I may have thought? Or… was this God's way of letting me know he still cared? I don't know, but all that matters… is that she's all right. My boss called again asking if I was still sick, I told him yes and that I'd pull overtime on Friday to make up for it. I spent the whole day playing with Dashie, overjoyed by the fact that we were going to have more time together. I also got some books from the library (playing the sick, yet desperate citizen as I went) and the two of us did some research together, hoping to develop a plan should this ever happen again. We ended our day with a series of Checker games, and Dashie even let me win a couple of rounds. All I can say is… thank you lord.