//------------------------------// // Seven // 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 Seven Earth: Miri Larson stood in the upstairs loft of Brian Dashell's home, staring at the pony seated in front of her. Cyan coat, rainbow mane, perhaps three and a half feet tall. Solid three-dimensional flesh and blood rather than a cartoon. But undeniably Rainbow Dash. Which meant, of course, that she had done even more wrong by Brian than she had realized. Not that she could really think about that right now, with a fictional character come to life in front of her, all she could do was stare, mouth agape. Finally Rainbow raised one eyebrow and asked “So, are you still questioning my father's mental state?” “...No... ...Though my own is currently up for debate...” Dash laughed. “Okay, yeah, I get it. This can't be easy for you, meeting someone who you thought was fictional. Though, if you think this is hard, sometime you should try finding out that you're supposed to be the fictional one. Heh, I didn't handle it so well...” She stopped as Miri started to reach out as if to touch her, then pulled her hand back. “Hey, go ahead.” “Oh, I don't know if I should...” “Nah, it's okay... I mean, it sounds like we both wanna find my dad and get him back here right? We should work together, and that's not gonna happen unless you know I'm really here. Go ahead.” Miri reached out, ran her fingers lightly over Rainbow's soft coat, then brushed against her feathery wings. It was the latter that finally drove the reality of the situation home to her. Maybe, maybe, a hallucination could be tactile as well as visual and audial. But for the feathers to have a distinct feel from the fur, that was going too far for such a thing. Which meant... “You're real.” Miri muttered, slumping to the ground on her rear. “I mean, you, you're really... real. You're real and you're sitting here right in front of me and you're real and Brian wasn't nuts and oh God what have I done!?” She buried her head between her knees. Rainbow stepped down out of the chair and approached Miri. “Hey, hey, it's okay... ...Wait, what exactly did you do anyway?” “I um, I found the photo album. The one with the pictures of you and Brian in it. I thought they were just like, photoshops or something. We had a big argument and I walked out. And now he's gone.” “Okay, gone where?” Shaking her head, Miri said “I don't know. He had taken leave from work, so I didn't know he had even left until he was supposed to come back today and didn't.” She realized she was still holding Brian's note and handed it over to Dash. “I found this when I came in the back door.” After taking the note and reading it, Dash said “Well... ...Horseapples. I guess we gotta go find him then.” “Yeah, but how? Find him where? I mean, it sounds like he didn't even know where he was going, he could be anywhere by now!” “He could, sure, but...” I glimmer of hope returned to Miri's eyes. “You've got an idea?” “Maybe. Y'know, other than here, Port Timbrey's the only place dad's ever lived. Born and raised there and all... Seems like a good enough place to start anyways.” “Yeah, I guess you're right, I mean we've got to start somewhere.” Miri smiled. “Oh, but we... you... How...?” “How will I get there?” Rainbow asked. “Unless I'm mistaken that car of yours has tinted windows. No one'll see me.” “So what you're saying is...” “...Roadtrip!” Rainbow finished Miri's question, pumping her front hooves in the air. Laughing, Miri said “Before you slammed the door shut on me, I was searching the office for anything that might be useful. Should we finish that up first?” “I dunno...” Dash said, “That office is actually a fake, see, that was my bedroom. The Princess destroyed all evidence that I had been here when she took me back, except for the photos.” “The Princess? Wait, Celestia? Wow, I... What exactly happened anyway?” “Now that's a long story... I'll tell you all about once we're on the road.” “Let's get going then.” Miri said, “It's a long trip to the city...” XXXXXXX Port Timbrey. Brian took a deep breath and stepped from the brightly sunlit day outside into the darkness of the old pub. This place had been a favored hang out of himself and his few friends in the days before Dashie had come into his life, and he was surprised to find out that it was still here, and that many of his old crowd still frequented it even after all these years. As he walked through the door a voice called out to him. Following it, he made his way to a table where the friends he had called earlier were all gathered. “Wow, you really are back.” Said Thomas, a tall caucasian man with a shock of bright red hair. Seated next to him was his off again on again girlfriend Sara, whose raven black hair cascaded down past her hips. Brian slid into the booth across from Thomas, which put him next to Solomon, a heavyset black man in jeans and a sweater. “Where the hell have you been man?” Solomon asked. “I ain't complainin' about you moving out of town, I woulda done the same back then if I could've. But not even a call or a text for all these years?” “Yeah, I'm sorry.” Brian answered. I've just been... busy.” “Well you're here now.” Thomas said, “And we're gonna have fun today right?” “As long as your idea of 'fun' isn't still getting plastered.” “Oh it's not.” Sara said. “Tommy's not done that since, well...” She held out her right hand, which bore a wedding ring.” “No kidding!? You two finally?” Brian laughed. “Shocked me too, after so long.” Sara said. “But it's been three years now.” “Well, it's late but congrats. Any kids yet?” “Thomas nearly choked. “K...kids!? No way, not yet not ever.” “Oh, you say that now but she'll change your mind.” Solomon laughed. “Jessie changed mine after all. I wouldn't let it go now for anything.” Recovering, Thomas stared at Brian and said “Well so long as we're embarrassing each other, Brian, you still watchin' that horse and pony show?” “What's wrong with it if he is?” Solomon challenged. “I've seen quite a few of those with my daughters, it's really not a bad show.” “No.” Brian answered. “I'm not watching it anymore.” “Awfully glum over a cartoon.” Sara said. “What's wrong?” Brian shook his head. “It's a long story I don't really want to talk about. Suffice to say that while Sol is right about not wanting to let family go, sometimes life doesn't leave you a choice.” “Okay...” Thomas mused, “Moving on to happier conversations, let's get started on our plans for the day okay? We're just burnin' daylight sitting around in here...” Together, the four friends rose and left the pub. None of them noticed that they, or one of them in particular, was being observed by a shadowy figure who watched them leave, then followed at a discreet distance. As he followed, this man pulled his cell phone and dialed, then waited for an answer. “Boss. Listen, I've got an opportunity for us. Yeah, remember what I told you about when I joined up? Yeah, well I've found him he's back in town. You want me to what? Okay yeah that's cool, but I can't do it on my own. Alright, track my gps, I'll follow them 'til the guys arrive... XXXXXXX Miri drove east along the open highway, towards Port Timbrey which was still some distance away. She had been driving for two hours now, being careful to keep to the speed limit. God forbid she get pulled over with Rainbow Dash in her passenger seat, she had already cringed twice at the sight of patrol cars. Happily, both had passed her by. As she drove, she listened to Dash's tale of how she had come to be on Earth, and her life with Brian. “...And that's when I met you.” The pegasus said, finishing up her story. “So it's not just you.” Miri said. “It's all real... Equestria, ponies and dragons, magic?” “Yeah.” “Wow. Well, what about the cartoon? Even accepting everything else, it's still kinda nuts that a cartoon could match up to the reality so well.” “I know. Heh, y'know, when I first found the show it freaked me out because I was afraid it meant I wasn't real. Now it freaks me out because I know it all is and how did they get such a near-perfect vision of it?” “Near perfect?” Miri asked, “They got something wrong?” “Kinda. We're flesh and blood rather than ink, obviously... Spike's a teenager rather than a baby, Oh, and we don't break into random musical numbers all the time. Other than that it's kinda spot-on.” “Hmmm...” Rainbow's stomach growled. “You getting hungry?” “Yeah, but I don't want to stop. I'd like to be in the city by nightfall.” Miri answered. She thought for a moment, then said “Check the glove box, I think there's a couple of protein bars.” Dash leaned forward in her seat and popped open the glove box. As soon as it was open, Pinkie Pie erupted out of the box and into the seat with Rainbow, loudly exclaiming “HI DASHIE!!!!!!!!!” “Holy Shi---!!!!” Miri screamed, nearly losing control of the car which swerved across multiple lanes of traffic, narrowly missing two other cars whose drivers also swerved about blowing their horns in anger. Oblivious to the carnage and horrible disaster her arrival had nearly caused, Pinkie just kept talking to the stunned Rainbow Dash, “So I got to thinking that maybe you might be lonely without any of your friends even with your dad here because you know you didn't miss us before but that's probably just 'cause you didn't remember us before but either way I figured I'd come and give you some company and it looks like it's a good thing I did 'cause I guess you've not found him yet and by the way who's your friend here-” “PINKIE!” Dash interrupted, “How did you get here!? Twilight said the gate wouldn't be ready for a week!” “Oh I didn't use the gate silly filly, I came on my own!” “On your... What!?” “Was really hard too, took a lot out of me but that's okay 'cause here I am now and oh I almost forgot I thought you might be hungry so I bought a tray of cupcakes with me -(Here Pinkie produced said tray from behind her back, gobbled one of the treats down, then continued talking)- and it's a good thing I did 'cause lemme just tell you those protein bars in the glove box were horrible they tasted like styrofoam wrapped in cardboard and not even the good cinnamon flavored cardboard either but the yucky plain corrugated stuff but now you're all set with good food and -YAWN- oh boy the trip really did tire me out I'm gonna take a nap now okay Dashie g'night.” Pinkie flopped over into the back seat, snoring instantly. Having regained control of the car, Miri simply stared at the road in front of her as she drove. Neither she nor Dash said anything for an extended time. Finally, perhaps twenty miles further down the road, Miri finally said “So... ...Pinkie Pie...” Dash chuckled. “Eeyup.” “Is it me, or is the whole 'came on her own' thing disturbing?” “Oh it's not just you.” Rainbow answered, “Though I hope you don't expect to ever get an answer.” “I suppose not.” Miri shook her head. “Hell with it, this doesn't really change anything, we've still gotta find Brian.” “Right. Though, it does change one thing...” Rainbow turned in her seat and pulled the tray of cupcakes to the front of the car. “I'm still hungry. No sense letting these go to waste...”