> "My little Dashie" Sequel > by Roker999 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The beginning > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Update* June 3rd, 2012 as most of you know, my very first few chapters aren't too well written/ well edited. You may find some boring parts, or just a few grammatical mistakes. P.S. The first 2-3 chapters will be written in this form, so, if you don't like it, please don't take the liberty of disliking my story without even reading the rest of it. Thanks. September 24th, 2025 ------------------------------- I opened my eyes. "What happened?" i openly thought. I ran up to Dashie's room, hoping it was only a dream. A long and horrible dream . It wasn't. A tear rolled down my hot face when i saw the old dusty room. No bed, No posters, no Dashie. Only an ugly office with an ugly potted plant, and an ugly old computer. "why?" i said loudly. "WHY?!" i screamed. This has gone for way too long. I grabbed my wet face with my hands and started gasping for air. I've been dreaming about my daughter for over a week, every time waking up and realizing what actually had happened. The sheer sadness of it all has broken my heart. Again. "Why did they have to take her away from me?" i thought. It was no use. the only thing that kept me from ending it all was my old photo album, full of memories. I will always remember that smile on her face when I told her that we were going to the flight show. "Thanks Daddy! I will always love you!". That cute little crackle in her voice when she laughed. Another tear found it's way through my trembling eyes. "what can i do...? Princess Celestia told me i cannot enter her world. I don't think it's true. There MUST be something i can do, something to get to her. I mean, she lived with me for 15 years. Why can't i do the same in her world? Why?". I pondered over This thought as i forced myself downstairs into the kitchen. I noticed a small, framed picture on our kitchen counter. I never framed any of our pictures, plus, i don't remember it being there yesterday, or any other day after the incident. It was a picture of Dashie. I picked up the picture with my trembling hands. It was a picture of her on a cloud, above out house. Her teeth seemed to be sparkling in the sunlight. My heart started to beat faster and faster. "How?" i thought. "How did she manage to take a picture of herself on a cloud? I can't fly...no human can fly. She never had any fingers!". My heart started beating even faster as these ponderous thoughts raced through my head. Who am i even talking to? I don't have any friends. Never had any at all. No one except Dashie. I made my way towards the dining room with the picture still in my hand. I felt a piercing chill go down my spine. There it was, the album. I put down the framed picture and picked up the album. I opened it up and started flipping through the pages. My heart jumped. -------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE: This part is little bit short, only the beginning. More parts much longer than this one are coming in the future! > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Continuation of the same day* ---------------------------------------- They weren't there! My pictures! My memories! What happened? I started flipping through the pages of my old photo album faster and faster, like a madman, hoping that i missed something. I didn't. They weren't there. My sobs could be heard by the neighbors, if there ever were any. I needed urgent help. These pictures were the only thing that kept me alive, after 15 long years with Dashie. Her sudden disappearance already broke my heart, now this? I can't believe it. I slowly crept up to her old room, the album still in my hands. As i reached the top of the staircase, a sudden thought passed through my head. "What if it never happened? What if it was all my imagination?". That's impossible. It was way too real for it to be "just a fragment of my imagination". I sat down onto the floor, still sobbing. I slowly opened the album again, hoping to find something there. I was right. I did find something. Not a note, not a picture, but a small piece of paper crammed into the cover of the album itself. How could i have missed that? The album was the only thing that kept me alive for the past few days, i knew every detail of every picture! Where'd they go? I don't understand... September 25th, 2025 ------------------------------- CRACK! went the thunder. It is raining now. It reminds me of the day i found Dashie after she flew way from me. The rain, the storm. Everything. I sat in her room, looking out the window and thinking about all our happy times together. No. This can't go on! I'm tearing myself apart with my own emotions. I have a feeling i won't have the strength to live through these next few years without her. I already visited a doctor in the melancholy town. He said my heart is weak, and i can't do anything drastic. The risk of a heart attack is too high! The town. I remember when it was an empty ghost town! Of course all of that changed. Dashie and i had the entire town to ourselves... STOP! i can't think about her! I must not think about her! every time i remember our happiness, her smile, her big, beautiful eyes, my heart gets weaker! September 26th, 2025 ----------------------------- Today, something very strange happened... Not only did the storm suddenly stop, but i actually think i saw a PONY in the clouds! Haha! i must be going crazy! It seemed way too real to be a hallucination. i can't believe i actually saw a PONY or a HORSE in the clouds! This is getting weirder and weirder... First my pictures are gone, now i'm seeing things. Christ! I forgot about my pictures! Not only did i see a HORSE in the clouds, but my pictures are gone! Who took them?! I live in the middle of nowhere! I ran to the dining room table, only to find my album already open on the last page. There they were, the pictures. I don't get it. My life is starting to turn into a game of hide and go seek. Things disappearing and reappearing! I grabbed that tiny piece of paper which was stuffed in the album cover and jerked it out. It had a strange picture on it. It looked like a sun! A big, Beautiful sun... Later that same day ---------------------------- I knew that marking looks familiar, but i just can't find out why. I saw it somewhere, I think... A few hours later ---------------------------- I can't believe it! I remember where i saw it! It's Princess Celestia's cutie mark! But why? Who stuffed it into the photo album? Not only did i notice that strange piece of paper in the album itself, but i actually can't find the note which Dashie left me! My life is turning into a mystery... I think someone is trying to tell me something. September 29th, 2025 ------------------------------ Something happened last night. I found my front door unlocked and my window broken. Someone made a junkyard out of my dining room. The only thing gone? You guessed it. My pictures. Gone. Again. Who would do this to me? Who COULD have done this to me? Not only am i on the brink of a heart attack, but someone is breaking into my house too? This is too much for me. I found most of my pictures strewn all across the floor. The pictures with Dashie in them, all gone. My mothers painting on the floor, the frame in pieces. That's the last straw. I'm going to catch this monster, no matter what it takes. Why would anyone, or any "THING" break into my house looking for pictures of Dashie, my only daughter, the only joy i ever had in my life? That's when a thought struck me. "If someone stole pictures of Dashie and me, that means they know she exists!". A strange mix of happiness and sadness drifted into my heart. Someone knows of her existence, yet my only pictures of her are gone... October 1st, 2025 ----------------------- I saw him. I saw the thief. Guess who it was? A horse. A God damned horse, a small one too. How in God's name did a horse get into my house? Why in the world did it steal pictures of Dashie and me? I didn't actually catch him, but I saw him. The horse wasn't from a cartoon, he was real. As real as the hair on my head. As he galloped down the path from my house, i yelled: "Wait!". Then the unexpected happened. He actually stopped. He actually understood the words that crept out of my mouth. He slowly turned around, and i saw something. Something in his eyes. Were those tears? I don't get it! A horse that understands English? A horse that has emotions? This is getting weirder and weirder by the second. I completely forgot all about the mess in my house. I started slowly making my way towards the crying horse. It didn't move, it just stood there, on my lawn. The same lawn that Dashie mowed for her special little job. Many thoughts were racing through my head. Who is this horse? Why is he here? Is he actually the thief? As i got even closer, i could see the reflection of the moon in his big, wet eyes. He still stood there, looking at me. When i got so close, too close for comfort, i heard some sounds coming out of his mouth. You guessed it. He started to talk. When i heard the first word come out of his mouth, my heart leaped up into my throat! "A talking horse! Hah! I really must be crazy!". It said: Do not fear me my friend You see, everything must always come to and end All friendships, love and care All must end with a prayer. For when these words fly from your lips in rhythm with the solar eclipse with the longest passing of noon make use of the magical rune and you will be whizzed to a wonderful world A world of the sun and the moon After the horse said those words, only then did i notice it had a pair of wings neatly tucked into it's side. A PEGASUS? WHAT? A real Pegsus? This must have been the horse i saw on the clouds a while ago... It galloped away into the dark, lonely forest, which surrounds my house. That style of speaking...I swear to God i heard it somewhere. Where? What Rune? Did he mean princess Celestia's cutie mark? What words? What's the world of the sun and the moon? And how in the world is there a Pegasus here? On Earth? All these thoughts tortured me as i slowly dragged myself through the doorway. I felt the shattered glass crunch under my feet. I MUST find out what those words mean, or what those words ARE. Maybe they can help answer all my questions. Maybe they can help me get over the loss of my beloved daughter... to be continued. > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 2nd, 2025 -------------------------- "Ow, my head!" were the first words that crept out of my mouth. I sat up in my bed, still bewildered over last night. My bed...? Was it all a dream? I threw the crispy sheets onto the floor and slowly got up. "What happened last night? Ugh!". I seemed to be tripping over my own feet as started slowly descending the staircase into my old, dusty living room. I quickly closed my eyes as the warm, autumn sun bathed my face. "So it was all a dream, Eh? Ha! I knew it..". My spirit bloomed when i thought about this. Oh my god. It wasn't a dream. my living room is still a mess! How did i get into my bed? I don't remember...Oh, whatever. I don't seem to remember anything at all. Sudden flashbacks of last night filled my head. "Oh G-g-god..." I felt my heart tremble when i picked up the broken frame of my mother's picture. "Where is the pic-" I barely managed to finish my sentence when i noticed a (or the) small piece of paper with the picture of the sun lying on the floor. "I might need this...Who am i talking to anyways? Gee...". I stuffed it into my pocket as i solemnly flopped into my dad's old chair. I don't care where i sit anymore. In fact, i don't really care about living anymore. Later that same day -------------------------- Oh my God! A solar eclipse coming up in march! This must be linked to what happened! October 31st, 2025 -------------------------- Halloween. (*tear marks clearly visible on the page*). I still remember Halloween with Dashie... So long ago! I can't believe it's already been a month since her disappearance... December 6th, 2025 -------------------------- After extensive research, i finally found the information i need! The solar eclipse, the "magic" words, the sun! They're all linked together. Something tells me all this wasn't an accident... Don't have time to write a lot. I spend most of my time in Dashie's old room, doing research on that ugly old computer, crying... I quit my job. There's no point in working anymore. There's no joy in working anymore. I'm getting low on food, have to go to the store soon. December 24th, 2025. --------------------------- Christmas eve. I have no one to spend it with. No family, no friends, nothing. I'm all alone in this cruel world. All by myself. No one to love, no one to care about. I still remember my last Christmas with Dashie... The day i got her those cute little socks, that cute little outfit. It looked so good on her, now it's gone. All gone. I wish it never happened, but i can't go back in time. I can't change anything. I feel powerless, hopeless... December 25th, 2025 ---------------------------- A new year is ahead of me. I don't really care. I started watching MLP FIM again, just to see her... Even if she isn't the same, it still helps me remember her face, her big, emotional eyes. January 3rd, 2026 ------------------------- Happy new year! I managed to finish all of the episodes. Looks like Hasbro ran out of ideas! HA! I have a good idea for them! My God damned life... February 4th, 2026 ------------------------ Haven't written in my diary for over a month. Why you ask? Too busy moping around my house, remembering the past. The solar eclipse is in a month, i have to keep on looking, looking for answers. I NEED ANSWERS GOD DAMN IT! Something gave me a lead to what's happening, and i can't find out what! Every night i sit in bed and think about my past life, all those years, wasted! WASTED! I have no one to talk to but myself. I'm going crazy, that's what's happening. I'm going nuts! I keep on seeing things in my dreams! My dreams... I wish i had better dreams... The only thing i ever dream about is the day i found Dashie! The day we went to the race! I can't take it anymore.... 2am------------------------ I can't see anything, but i don't care. I actually saw princess Celestia in my dream! She said something, i cant remember what. This isn't a coincidence... The princess, the dreams, everything! I keep forgetting that i saw a Pegasus. That seems like some pretty damned good evidence that something is going on, right? The look on the Princesses face... It looked like she was crying, trying to tell me something. I think i saw something very colorful behind her. Could it have been..? No. It couldn't have...Although, how many ponies are there in existence that have rainbow hair? It had to be her! I saw my daughter in my dream! I'm so excited i actually dropped my pen! Ha! I MUST talk to the princess! I must....Even if it's impossible...i must... March 19th, 2026 ---------------------------- I had another dream last night. Even stranger than the first. I saw Twilight sparkle! She also seemed pretty sad. Did i hear her say "Mr. Dash"? These dreams aren't a coincidence. There's something going on here! Only 10 days left 'till the solar eclipse.....not much time... I need more leads. > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I woke up with an immense of pain in my head. "Ughh...Where am I? What happened?" was the first thought that managed to get into my head. "You're home, my dear!". As soon as i heard these words, I turned my head to the left. I saw the most beautiful mare i have ever seen in my entire life! Her hair was rainbow colored, just like mine. I was lying on a big, comfortable bed. A little wave of embarrassment passed over me, since I've never had anyone watch me sitting in bed, except for Dad, and he isn't here. I quickly Analyzed my surroundings, again, just to make sure this wasn't some sort of Crazy dream I was having. The room was quite big. It had 2-3 windows. The mare was standing right next to one. The door was locked, so i figured she flew in through the window. Who knows? I had just been Transferred to a different world. Who knows what kind of crazy stuff happens here? I slowly lifted my eyes up, just in time to meet the gaze of the beautiful mare. "Where am I, for real?" I asked 'Well, you're in the land of Equestria! Don't you remember anything about it?". The mare said, with her eyes firmly locked onto my face A few awkward minutes passed. Me in thought, and the mare slowly but thoroughly examining me, like i was some kind of patient at a hospital. I heard a loud banging come form the large, thick door at the end of the room. We both looked at the door. A few seconds later, I heard a squeaky, excited voice pass through the thick wood. "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD is Dashie okay?? I haaave to see herr!!!" Ugh. I don't know why, but as soon as i heard that voice, I was filled from top to bottom with annoyance. "Now you calm down, sugarcube! I'm pretty she's just fine. Let's just wait for princess Celestia to open this darned door." That voice sounds familiar to me... Have i heard it somewhere? Sounds like that pony moved here form Texas! Hah! A Texan pony! My thoughts slowly turned towards the mare. This mare is Princess Celestia? Sounds familiar ...Everything sounds familiar! It's as if someone, or somepony managed to stuff some kind of foreign memories into my head! I don't know... These memories seem kind of strange,very out of place for me.. "W-w-what if she doesn't...." said soft, soothing voice "Fluttershy, why wouldn't she? Humph! I’d rather jump barefoot off a 6-foot step ladder into a 5 gallon bucket full of porcupines than hear Pinkie complain anymore, so let's just calm down! Everybody just calm..DOWN! " As soon as this pony finished her sentence, I started to laugh! Her western accent was just too much for me! Even in a time like this, I still managed to laugh. Daddy probably isn't laughing now. He's all alone, without me. I should be ashamed of myself... My thoughts were interrupted by an even softer, and more quiet voice than before. Again. Won't anyone let me think around here? "W-w-well, I-if you're looking for porcupines, i have a few tha-" She barely managed to finish HER sentence, before princess Celestia interrupted her. "Why didn't you just ask me to open the door?" She chuckled "w-w-well...we didn't want to g-" The entire room jumped as princess Celestia vigorously bucked the door open. Geez, won't anyone let that pony say something? It's as if nopony cares! SLAM! went the door. Out on the balcony (apparently it was a balcony, because i managed to catch a glimpse of the sky) were three ponies, similar in structure to me! I don't know how, but I seemed to know their names! Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie pie. Something tells me they are my best friends...I don't know what! It's as if my brain and my heart are having a war against each other! Anyways, I'm getting off the point here. I was still in a strange land called Equestira, I had strange memories in my head, that didn't seem to be mine. I also seemed to be more prideful than I was ever before! What in the name of GOD did I do? Why am i so full of pride? This makes me sick...I don't get it, I never was prideful when I lived with daddy... Daddy! Where is he? I started to drastically look around the room, hoping to see something. I barely had any time to recover from the shock of...everything... before Pinkie Pie started harassing me with her amazingly annoying voice. I hadn't noticed, but the three ponies actually had approached my bed and surrounded me. This called for even more embarrassment! "Ohhhh Dashie!! I'm so glad you're okay! I hope you remember who I am because i'm like you're bestest friend ever and like for ever and ever and because i love you so much a-and Mphff mphff" Pinkie Pie's excited voice was interrupted by princess Celestia's hoof. "I hope you know why you're here" said Princess Celestia with a stern voice, while slowly moving her gaze onto me. "Yeah, because you and you're friends kidnapped me!" I could feel the anger slowly building up inside my heart. I never got angry at anyone before! What's happening to me? I don't care! I'm too angry to think right now! "My friends...? Don't you remember who these ponies are? They're your best friends!" I could feel Celestia getting bit worried. "Well...Yes. I actually DO remember who they are, but all these strange, sadistic memories in my head are probably the reason for that!" Celestia hugged her already drooping head with both of her hooves. "Oh...The memory spell..I forgot that it only adds you're rightful memories and doesn't erase the old ones! I'll have to talk to Twilight about this... " "Hold on minute!" Snorted Applejack. "Why in the name of Celestia, or perhaps yourself, would you want to erase Rainbow's old memories? I mean, that's just....Mean!" Celestia looked at the hard, stone floor and started gently tapping her hoof against my bed stand. "Because i want to set things straight! She will only torture herself every day remembering her father..." I could clearly see the tears building up in the princesses eyes. "Now Hoooold on a minute!" Chimed Pinkie pie, who managed to get out of the strong grasp of the princess's royal hooves. "Instead of erasing her memories, making everything even more sadific, why don't we try to bring her "Dad" here? I mean...It would set everything straight, right??Just like you want it to be!! " Celestia slowly raised her eyes from the floor and redirected them to Pinkie pie. "Oh Pinkie pie...If only you could understand! Twilight and i have been trying to access the world of banishment ever since Rainbow Dash returned!" The world of banishment? What in the world was the princess talking about? Could she have meant Earth? "Princess Celestia!" I yelled, cupping my hooves around my mouth ( i doubt that it actually made much of a difference). "I want to know why you called earth "The world of banishment" Right..... NOW! I bet everypony thought i was acting a little bit childish, but frankly, i didn't care. "I don't think you'd really want to know that, dearie." The princess said with a calmish voice. Is she smirking? This annoyed me even more. How could she be so calm? I know she's some sort of "Semi-Goddess", but that doesn't give her the right to toy around with my feelings!. "Oh, i'm sure i want to know it!" I could feel the blood rushing to my face as i yelled out these words. The angry tone of my voice apparently scared the other ponies, because they all started backing away from my bed. Princess Celestia slowly trotted towards the window and looked out, down onto the land of Equestria. Her flowing hair met the breeze coming in from the window, and i could clearly smell roses. This calmed me down a bit, but not enough to suppress my immense and terrifying anger. "You are about to hear a Royal secret, which no one has heard of for many centuries." She said. I could sense the fear and anxiety in her "not-so-calm-anymore" voice. No matter how much she tried to hide it from me, i could still sense it. > Chapter 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You see" Began the Princess. "Your so called "earth" is actually a... how do i say this? It's basically a prison of banishment for Pony criminals, and for traitors..." With this she looked down to the floor, then heaved a sigh. My eyes almost rolled back into my head. Criminals? What criminals? I never saw any on earth... The princess must be suffering from some kind of "Princess post traumatic stress" or something... Even though she is sort of an immortal goddess...I don't know! Applejack's humble, farm-girl voice broke the awkward silence. "Well... I think the girls and I really should get go-" Out of nowhere, Pinkie pie let out a piercing scream, which of course, startled everybody. "YAAGHH! But Applejack!!!! I don't want to leave! I want the princess to finish her story oh my god i'm going to die if i don't hear it i want to know why Dashie's world is some kind of criminal prison oh please oh pleaaaase oh please oh-". Pinkie started saying "oh please" so fast, that you could hardly tell the difference between her voice and some sort of drunk, hyper squirrel! Through all the "oh pleases" I could barely hear Applejack's voice through all the noise, even though she raised it so high, that she was actually screaming. "YOUR HIGHNESS, DON'T MIND HER! SHE TENDS TO BE LIKE THAT SOMETIMES!" Princess Celestia turned her head to Applejack, and started to smile. "Don't worry dear. Your friend Twilight sparkle, my most faithful student, told me all about the antics of your, ummm..friend...?" The reason why princess Celestia was so startled at the end of sentence? Well, when she was almost done speaking, Pinkie pie started bolting around the room at full speed (and you probably know how fast that is), knocking down everything in sight! After a few crashes, I finally had enough. "Pinkie pie! CALM DOWN!". As soon as those words escaped my mouth, Pinkie suddenly stopped in the middle of her tracks and just stood there, stiff as a lamppost. We all stared at her, and princess Celestia, believe it or not, started to laugh! Her laugh was so amusing and so unusual, that i couldn't help myself! I started to laugh too! Soon the entire room was filled with laughter. Pinkie soon joined in, even though we were all laughing at HER! "Well!" said the princess while wiping tears from her face with her shining mane. "I think we've had enough fun for now! I still think that Rainbow dash would like to know the truth about her world." "ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO!!!" Blurted out pinkie pie, still standing in the middle of the room. "Oh p-p-please, lets not start this again...". I can't believe it! Because of all of our laughter, I had actually forgotten about Fluttershy! That poor pony! No one ever notices her until she hopelessly tries to say something! We all looked at Fluttershy, feeling a little bit guilty about ourselves. I mean, who doesn't love Fluttershy? "Oh I'm sorry! I d-didn't mean to interrupt.." She said, letting her long, pink mane fall to the floor. She slowly started trotting towards the door, her head still drooping down to the ground. When Fluttershy reached the doorway, Applejack darted towards her and firmly placed her nose against her side and slowly started nudging her back into the room. "Now hold on sugar cube! No one said you were interrupting us! In fact, I think that you deserve to be here more than all of us!" "D-do you really think so?" said Fluttershy in her shaky, quiet voice. She lifted her head a little higher, and i could see her big, teary eyes looking up at Applejack. "Of course! We all think so!" With this, Applejack turned around and looked at all of us, princess included. We all the nodded in agreement. Even I couldn't help shedding a few tears myself! After a few seconds of absolute silence, except for the chilly, early spring breeze whistling through the window, I suddenly, without thinking about it, blurted out: "Darn it! Now you got me acting all sappy!" Everyone gaped at me in amazement. "What?" I said a little bit frightened at their strange attitude . "What is it?!". No one said anything. Again, Applejack's voice broke the silence. "Erm...Rainbow dash, I think you might have said that not too long ago, before you left us.". "So what?" I said. "I don't remember saying anything like it!". I can't believe it! I was so stubborn! I felt pride slowly building up inside my heart. My heart felt like it was about to burst. I can't believe it! There it is again! That stupid pride! I can't stand it anymore! "Yay! Dashie's finally back!" Screamed Pinkie pie, in an even higher pitched, and more annoying voice than ever. .................... A few minutes passed in absolute silence, me deep in thought. I can't believe it! I'm actually slowly transforming into that stubborn, prideful Rainbow dash from the show! Daddy always said that I was different, that i was special. He always said that i was nothing like the Rainbow dash on the show! I guess he was wrong... What if Twilight's spell is finally working? What if i forget about Daddy? What if i forget everything I ever knew and loved? This can't be happening! I don't want this to happen! "NO! I CAN'T! I WON'T! THAT'S NOT ME!" I pulled the blanket over my head and started to sob uncontrollably. My body started shaking all over, and i could feel the pain in my heart growing. Growing.... I didn't see anything at the moment, but i could feel the awkwardness of the situation. Everyone probably thought I was nuts, even the Princess! I peeked through my thick, heavy blanket. I could see that the princess was really worried. Her face was stuck in a "I can't believe this is actually happening" kind of expression. At last I heard a soft, sad voice say: "I think we should go...Leave you two alone, to talk.". Dear Celestia! It was Pinkie pie who said that! I managed to catch a glimpse of her through my blankets. Her hair was deflated, and i could see that she had the most heartbreaking, most sad expression on her face I had ever seen in my entire life. This just makes everything even worse... What have i done? The only thing I HAVE done since I left home is make everyone sad! I'm always making everything worse! I made my best friend (at least that's who I think she is) depressed, only because I ONLY care about myself! I may not know these ponies very well (I might know them very well soon...God damned memory spells) , but they're still my friends! It doesn't matter what universe, or what world they are from! They are still my friends... I wanted to get up and apologize, but the three ponies already reached the door. Soon, with my head still buried under my blankets, I heard the distinct "clip-clops" of their hooves, as they slowly descended the stone staircase attached to the tower of the castle. > Chapter 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I slowly lifted my head up out from under my blankets, hoping that everypony had already left. I was wrong. The princess never left the room, and it sure didn't look like she was going to leave anytime soon. She seemed to be deep in thought, because she didn't even notice my sudden movements I made under my blankets. I usually tend to make a lot of noise, doesn't matter WHERE I actually am....or what UNIVERSE I'm in... She looked so peaceful, that I didn't dare disturb her. She was just staring out the window, her hair synchronized with the nighttime breeze. I think she was talking to herself, but who knows? Maybe it's just me. Maybe i'm hearing things... I shut my eyes. It seemed that the tighter I pressed my eyelids together, the more I forgot about my pain, my suffering... About dad... I'm always trying to forget everything I've done to upset everyone, I mean everypony... Getting used to this world is harder than I thought it would be.. Maybe Twilight's memory spell will finally work, and my old memories will be replaced. Honestly, I think I deserve it, but Daddy doesn't. He raised me since I was a filly. He loved me more than anything in the entire world, No, the entire universe! And he probably still does... I love him too... I will always love him... I regret acting so brutal to him, after everything he did for me. I started shaking all over. The room got colder. "What's the matter, Rainbow Dash?" Muttered the Princess under her breath. I hadn't noticed that she was staring at me from across the room. She obviously knew what I was thinking about. She probably went through everything herself. I mean, it must have been hard for her to lock up Luna, her dear, beloved sister for a thousand years... Luna? Who's that? These foreign memories in my head are getting stronger and stronger. I feel like I can't hold up this fight any more. One day my real memories will fade away into the darkness... I can't help thinking about it, about everything that has happened to me...About everything that WILL happen to me... ------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh, nothing..." Said I while quickly rubbing my hooves together, trying to get warm. "It's just tha-" The princess interrupted me: "I know, dear." I know what you are going through...". With these words, she turned her neck around to face the dark sky. "There are so many stars out there..." she said with a shaky voice. I could see the reflection of the moon in her eyes... I guess I was right, I do know what she went through...What she is going through... "You and your Father remind me of my little sister, Luna. She always loved me, but i was so stubborn back then. I did not care about her point of view, I did not seem to see the truth. The real truth. Being young and full of pride, I couldn't properly analyze the situation at hand... being her big elder sister and all...So I ended up banishing her for a thousand years." I could see the tears building up in her eyes. Her eyes still seemed to be glued to the sky... The stars... I could see the stars in her eyes. I ,with very little effort, threw the heavy blankets off my trembling body, and slowly got up out of bed. I just sat there, on the side of the bed, looking down at the floor. I found it hard to overcome the feeling of pride in my heart, but i couldn't help feeling little bit compassionate for the princess... ---------------------------- The Princess slowly trotted over to my bedside and nudged the side of my face with her nose, causing me to lift my head up and look deeply into her eyes. "I do suppose you still want to know about earth?" she said quietly. Her gaze pierced deep into my soul...That look on her face...I think I've seen it before...Somewhere... "Y-y-yes ma'am." I said, still trembling. I then reverted my eyes back to the hard, stone floor and started gently tapping my lower hooves together, creating a faint "clip clop" sound. I really couldn't think of anything else to do. The princess slowly backed away from my bed and made her way towards a colorful carpet in the middle of the room. She then sat down, neatly folding her legs up against her body. "You see..." she began, "Earth is a place where we USED to banish criminal ponies. Ponies who had committed crimes such as treason, theft, and so on...I tried so hard to keep my kingdom in order, Maybe even TOO hard! Always trying to keep everything right...I was selfish, and the only thing I ever cared about back then was justice. That's why I decided to send criminals through an ancient portal to another world, hopelessly trying to keep ours clean. This portal had been in the castle dungeons for many centuries. She stopped talking and looked at me. I knew that it would hard for her to tell me this. She continued: "The world...? We barely knew anything about It, except that it was almost uninhabited by any sort of animals back then. It seemed to be quite fair, but little did I know, that when the criminals were transferred to earth, their bodies changed. A lot. You see, this portal isn't any ordinary portal. It had been created, or constructed, by a wizard, many thousands of years go... We do not know the name of the wizard, or anything about him, but he must have had amazing skills to create a cosmic gate with such immense power... to be able to teleport anything to another world.. Another dimension... The only thing I know about this....this powerful magic, is that it is related to the clouds, to the weather in general. We still know very little about it...But...we do at least know that the process of transferring a living organism to another world through this portal has some very....How do I say this.... Interesting consequences..". The princess paused for a moment. The look on her face shocked me! It looked as if she just remembered something. Something very Important... She started nervously shifting her eyes round the room. It seemed like she was trying to hide something from me. Perhaps some sort of secret.. She looked at me, then she looked out of the window. "I...I think i really should get going. Lots of royal duties to tend to!" She then started vigorously flapping her wings as she bolted towards the window. "WAIT!!!" I yelled. It was too late. She was gone. I got up off the bed and galloped up to the window. Gone! I can't believe she left me! "What about the portals...?!" I yelled hopelessly. I doubt she heard me... Oh what's the point...? If the princess thinks I'm better off not knowing her "little dirty secret", it's okay. I mean, what can I do? Nothing. I can't do anything about it, and I should deal with it. But what bout Dad? Is there a chance I will ever see him again? Daddy......... > Chapter 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***NOTICE: This is from the dad's POV *Thump* "OW!". I can't believe it! I've hit my head on the bed stand again! This is the 5th time this week! Maybe I should get that thing removed? It's always getting in my way! Haha!! I can't believe I'm thinking about that kind of crap! I mean, today is the day something big is supposed to happen, and I'm thinking about my bed stand...? I just cant keep myself concentrated on anything but this type of worthless junk. A mixed feeling of excitement and despair came over me when I got out of bed and put my slippers on. What if something amazing happens today? On the other hand, there's a chance that nothing will happen at all. False hope. Something I am so familiar with. After all these long years of hoping the princess and Dashie's "friends" wouldn't take my daughter away... I stopped listening to my heart a long time ago. Nothing can save you from the truth. Lying doesn't help, it doesn't work. Period. My heart always leads me in the wrong direction... Hope. Hope is the only thing that I have left. Hope is the only thing that still keeps Dashie engraved in my memories, my soul... I had another nightmare last night, not worth mentioning. The solar eclipse is supposed to...happen...today.... Maybe it's somehow related to my nightmare..? I doubt it. Stuff like that doesn't just HAPPEN ...Then again, I did raise a living being from "another dimension" for 15 years. Plus, saw a real Pegasus (maybe I'm crazy. Hah! Or maybe I'm the only sane person left in the entire universe...). In General, a lot of crazy stuff has been happening to me lately, nothing of which I can, or ever will be able to explain. I slammed my bedroom door shut and slowly walked towards my bathroom (Yes, I do wacko stuff like that!). I shivered when my "just-out-of-bed" hand touched the cold doorknob. Hey, laugh all you want! Why don't you try touching a half frozen doorknob in the middle of march (or rather the end of march). I keep my hallway window open at night, don't even know why I dragged my stiff body into the bathroom. Should I brush my teeth? Nah...I haven't been brushing my teeth AT ALL lately, since Dashie left. I mean, every night she would sneak up into my room (when I'd just manage to fall asleep) and push me off my bed! She would laugh so hard...Good times... The reason? To get me to brush my teeth! I don't know why she was so obsessed with me keeping my teeth clean... I guess that's how she was. I noticed that her teeth always sparkled in the early morning sunlight. I never thought that characters from cartoons brush their teeth! Who knows? Maybe she still does! But Dashie was more than a "cartoon character" to me. She was...oh screw it! She still is my daughter, and always will be! Why did I even go to the bathroom? I always ask myself that question. Every day. Why? I guess it was old habit of mine. Brushing my teeth in the morning. I didn't want to find out what kind of prank Dashie would pull on me if I didn't brush my teeth before going to work! That prankster! I backed out of the bathroom, still thinking about the "good old days". I solemnly strolled down the hallway, right up to the hallway window, right in front of the stairs. I remember how Dashie tried to fly out of that window for the first time! She went to the other end of the hallway, and with a fierce growl, started galloping towards it at full speed! Then she started flapping her wings faster and faster, much like a hummingbird. When she reached the end of the hallway she leaped up into the air, but somehow managed to ram herself into the ceiling! I guess it takes much practice to master something like that. Since I've never flown, and probably never will, I have no idea how hard it is, or how long it takes to master. If anyone looked at me, just standing there, they would probably think I was some sort of psycho. A man, half naked, in MLP slippers, just standing in the middle of a hallway, looking out of the window. I wouldn't blame them. In fact, I think I would agree with them. After all, I'm living in a world of memories. Nothing but memories. I have no future here, in this world, that's why I'm trying to do something about it! I slowly turned my head around and looked down the stairs. The very same stairs that my little Dashie used to play on when she was young! That was such a long time ago. I noticed something strange, something out of the ordinary in my living room. Some sort of shape...? I wiped my eyes. Still blurry. I wiped my eyes again, then I saw it. A Pegasus!! Or rather, THE Pegasus! Right there! Right in the middle of my living room! I wiped my eyes and started vigorously blinking, hoping that I was just seeing things. I wasn't. He was really there! That very same Pegasus that I "met" many weeks ago. The very same Pegasus that mumbled those strange words as he galloped away into the dark, foggy forest. He slowly turned his head to face mine. By the look in his eyes, he probably understood how startled I was. He was right. I was damn terrified! I pressed my body against the wall and started shaking all over, mostly due to embarrassment (you see, I was still only in my underwear.) "W-w-w-wh-what-t a-are y-y-you d-d-doing h-here?!" I blurted out. > Chapter 6 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- There I was. In my underwear, on my staircase, staring at a winged horse. Sounds crazy? Yes it does. Unfortunately, crazy isn't the same thing as REAL. I calmed down a bit, but how did i do it? There was a mythical creature, most likely from a different universe, right there. Smack in the middle of my living room. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time I saw a winged horse who can talk. And it's certainly not the first time I've met a Pegasus. After I descended down the stairs, I managed to force myself to approach the Pegasus. I walked up to him and placed my hand on his back. "You're real...." I said with a "trying-to-stay-calm-even-though-i'm-having-a-hard-time-doing-it" voice. You see, Dashie told me a long time ago, that staying calm is the first thing you have to do in a challenging situation (much like this one). She May have been my daughter (she still is), but the daughter can always teach the father something! "Yes.... I thought you figured that out quite some time ago." He said, still staring at me. "Yeah... I figured that too" I replied, a little annoyed. There was something unusually familiar about his voice... It's like I've heard it somewhere. I don't know where. It's almost like this Pegasus was my best friend, or something like that . I don't get it...I don't get anything God damn it! "Why are you here?" I asked, while making my way towards the sofa in front of the television. I sank into the soft cushion of the sofa, and wrapped my arms around the back of my head, hoping to act like that kind of stuff like this happens to me all the time. I guess it does, kind of...Sort of... "That depends, what do you mean?" Said the Pegasus. He didn't give me enough time to answer. He just trotted right in front of my old television set and settled down, right there on the carpet. All this time he didn't stop staring at me. It's as if he was making sure I wouldn't try anything... For somepony who breaks into people's houses in the middle of the night and steals pictures, this guy had a lot of common sense. "Well...my question is completely logical. Why are you here? You don't just walk, or trot, into people's houses...right?". I don't know why, but after I said this, I started to grin like a total jackass. My stubbornness amazes me. I have no idea who this Pegasus is, or what he is doing here, and here I am, lying on my sofa, grinning my ass off? "Are you familiar with picture?" He said, taking a picture out from under the fold of his hind leg. It was a picture of Dashie! What was the picture doing behind his leg? How did I not notice it? AND HOW DID HE GET IT? "W-WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!" I screamed. I sat up in the sofa and looked and him straight in the eyes. "ARE YOU THE ONE THAT HAS BEEN STEALING ALL OF MY PICTURES?". I felt the anger boiling up inside me. It felt like I was about to burst! "Not exactly." he mumbled quietly "This is just a copy...". A copy? great. Now people, or ponies, are making copies of my personal pictures. How wonderful. How did they get their dirty hooves on them anyways? the Pegasus looked away. I thought I heard him muttering to himself... He got up, eyes still locked on me, and made his way towards my photo album on the table. he then picked up the album with his mouth and trotted over to me. "Open it up to the last page." he said quickly, while he mercilessly tossed the photo album into my face What's wrong with this guy? I thought ponies were supposed to be nice...Ha-ha-ha... I could hear the quiet, soft breathing of the Pegasus as I slowly flipped through the pages of my album to the last page. "Notice anything strange?" He said. His face was so close to mine, I could have probably grazed the tip of his nose with my tongue. (Even though I wouldn't have done that for all the cash in the world) "N-no..." I said, stupidly staring at the last page of my album, trying helplessly to notice something wrong. "How about that picture? The very last one?" He said, nudging my knee with his hoof. "What about it? It was here ever since my daughter left. I don't remember taking it with my camera, though.... She also seems to pretty startled...in the picture..." Said I, moving my face closer to the picture, trying to analyze it better (I needed glasses). "Doesn't it seem a little bit strange, that it was taken in the clouds, above your house? I find that very interesting. After all, she couldn't have taken it herself, since she has hooves instead of hands..." It's almost as if he was leading me to somewhere with his speech.... I forgot to notice, but how did this random-ass Pegasus know about Dashie, my daughter? He probably knows a lot of stuff, being a Pegasus and all...But I was the only living being who ever knew about Dashie's actual existence! Excluding the princess and the other ponies...Then a thought struck me. What if this guy, or Peguysus (haha...I'm so funny), knows the princess? What if he's from Equestria? (That seemed to be pretty likely, since I haven't seen any Pegasi anywhere else, except mythology). "Yes...Yes it is strange...Would you, by any chance, know who took this picture?" I asked, lifting my head up. The Pegasus glanced around the room for a few seconds, then, leaning very close to my ear, said: "Spike". -------------------------------------------------- "SPIKE?!?!?" I yelled. "You mean that little purple dragon guy? From the show?" I was so surprised!! Why would spike, Twilight's assistant, be spying on Dashie? How in the world did he get here? How did that Pegasus get that picture anyways? The Pegasus stared at me for a few seconds, trying to understand what I said. "What show...?" He said mischievously. "My lit-. You know what, never mind that. Just tell me something. How in the name of Celestia did you get into my world? How do you know that it was spike who took that picture?" My mind was overflowing with questions. How this, and how that...No point asking a stubborn Pegasus I guess.... The Pegasus looked away for a minute, then, turning his head back to face mine, he said: "I know many things..." This horse's attitude was getting on my nerves. Not only was he acting all jacked up, but he didn't seem to want to tell me anything either! "L-l-look...Just tell me what's going on here" I muttered through my clenched teeth. After all, my anger hadn't left me. > Chapter 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A quiet, peaceful morning? WRONG! There's nothing peaceful about trying to squeeze some answers out of a mythical creature. The pegasus let out a quiet snort and unfolded his unusually large wings, which stretched all the across the room, one wing in the living room, the other in the kitchen. I was right, he did look like he was a pegasus from ancient Greece. I picked up my hand and traced it through my thick, dirty hair (after all, I didn't take a shower that morning). "Um...Sorry about overreacting. I just don't know what's going on here, it's really confusing me." I felt like a child, apologizing to something that shouldn't even exist. In fact, i had a feeling he didn't even belong here. Heck, I shouldn't exist. My life keeps getting more miserable every day. The pegasus turned his head towards me, letting his long mane fall over his eyes, making him look even more dramatic than ever. "I am a messenger...From the princess herself". This answer didn't seem to shock me.. After all, I have been through A LOT of crazy stuff in my life. Not as crazy as this, though. "By the look on your face, you don't seem to be pleased with my answer. All right. You want the truth? Here's the truth. I'm not a messenger from princess Celestia, at least I'm not anymore. I was banished here. Ever heard of Hell? Well, earth is much like hell to us. All the killing, all the suffering, the lying...So much hate...So much abuse" Okay. This DID shock me...A lot...Hell? Earth was isn't like hell! Even through all the pain and misery, there are only two thing left. Love and hope. After all those years of caring for Dashie, I realized something. The only thing that kept me alive was love, Her love towards me. She reminded me of my parents, how they cared for me... How they loved me... The only thing that kept me from blowing my own head off was hope. Hope for something, something big. I always hoped that the world would never end in hatred. I always hoped that everyone could experience what I had gone through. Maybe they would understand... I could plainly see the tears building up in the corners of the poor Horse's eyes. "It can't be that bad...After all, you guys have a way back...right?" Said I, trying to calm the pegasus down. My anger was already long gone, replaced with sorrowfulness . Being angry never gets you anywhere (trust me). "No...Most of them aren't even in their right mind anymore. Our kind has grown stupid here...Mindless. In a way, I am happy that they aren't conscious. These so called "humans" made them work hard. All this hard work drove the sanity right out of them. They treated us like some kind of vehicles, machines..." He let another tear roll down his face. I didn't know horses (or flying horses) could cry... I guess that explains the myths about unicorns and pegasi.. I still couldn't grasp the picture: Horses are creatures from another dimension? Sounds about right...Actually, it doesn't. It sounds insane.. The pegasus started violently stomping on the hard wood floor with his front hoof. I kept trying to calm him down, but to no avail. "S-so...How do you still have your wings?" I whispered, half hoping that the pegasus wouldn't hear me. He neatly folded his wings into his side, and slowly made his way towards the carpet in front of my couch (after all, I still was lying on the couch). After he sat down, he started his story: "I am not like the others. You see, the princess didn't just dump our people here. She sent me to look out for them (actually she banished me, but that's not important). After all the thousands of years of watching over my people, I have seen nothing but constant abuse. The princess...she still has a heart... I know it. Even after everything, after all the pain and suffering, I am always ready to forgive her for what she has done to me, to all of us. "Her most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, has the ability to send other ponies to different dimensions. I know, it sounds crazy. But after that freak-thunderstorm they had, she found out she could do it. Why else would princess Celestia call Twilight her most faithful student? Twilight has incredible abilities!" "That still doesn't explain why Spike was spying on my daughter, or how that picture got into my album..." I said quietly. The Pegasus looked up at me. "You really think you were alone? You really think no one was looking after you and Rainbow Dash? Twilight Sparkle was (and still is) very careful about your world, and wanted to be absolutely sure that Rainbow Dash was here. I mean, you wouldn't like to go to hell and back again for nothing...No one would do that without being 100% sure...For the picture, I do not know..." "But why didn't rainbow dash turn into a normal "real world" pony? Why did she get younger?" Said I, a bit louder. "That, I cannot explain. Magic works in mysterious ways. All I know is that she was lucky to be alive." With this, the pegasus got up. "I really should get going." he mumbled as he trotted to the front door. I couldn't believe it! He was going to leave me! No way, not without telling me how to see my daughter again! I got up off the couch and ran to the door, screaming: "WAIT!!! WAIT!!!" "What is it?" he said, like absolutely nothing had happened. "How do I do it?" I gasped, clutching my knees. "How do I see her again...? My daughter." "Didn't I give you a clue a few months ago? Don't you understand anything? I can't even be here right now! Do you know what the princess would do if she caught me?" He said, half yelling and half neighing. "Yeah..Thanks for that. Thanks for everything you have done for me. You must understand how I feel" I said, still out of breath "As a matter of fact, I do. I have lost many loved ones in my life, and I know how it feels like. Now it is my turn to help YOU." After he finished talking, he kicked the front door off his hinges and went outside onto the front lawn. I dashed after him (not giving a damn about my front door), hoping that he wouldn't disappear into forest again. He didn't. "It is starting. It is time." he said, looking up at the sky. What's starting? I felt cold pierce through my entire body. Large shadows crept over the hills and the forests. The solar eclipse...It's starting... > chapter 8 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I looked up at the sky. My eyes met a thing of overwhelming beauty. After all, I've never seen a solar eclipse in my entire life. I'm sure the pegasus was amazed too, even though he didn't look too amazed to me. You don't get to see something like this every day! The pegasus quickly turned around to face me, and yelled: "Where is it? We don't have much time!" "Where's what??" I screamed. What was he talking about? I was freaking out, for real. This could be my only chance for something to change! For my dull, old life..... to change! I started frantically patting my pockets all over my body, not even sure what I was looking for. I though for a few seconds, then something hit me. Of course! The rune (or the princesses cutie mark, same thing)! "Christ! I left it in my house!" I yelled like a madman. I dashed through my open doorway into my house, and started digging though all the junk lying around my open doorway, much like a dog. "Where is it?!" I kept saying to myself. The album! I rushed into my living room. After stumbling around for a few seconds, and after knocking a few chairs down , I managed to find it. Thank God! I started flipping though the pages, looking for the piece of paper with the cutie mark on it. "I found it! I found it!" I screamed. I didn't even know what I was doing, but I had a feeling that this, what we were doing, was very important. Life changing... "Hurry up!" yelled the pegasus. I neatly tucked the album into my coat. It was the only thing I really cared about. It was the only thing I had from my previous life, my life with Dashie. I climbed over the sofa and ran outside, clutching the piece of paper tightly in my left hand. "Shall we begin?" Said the pegasus. "Begin what?!" I yelled through my clenched teeth. "What are we even doing right now?" "Not enough time to explain! This spell will help you see your daughter again, I think. I must warn you, I do not know what will come out of this. You might never see Earth again" Neighed the pegasus. I could see the excitement building up in the Pegasus's eyes. I guess I wasn't the only one to be excited. I was hoping, no, dreaming of this moment for months. I KNEW something was going to change! Something big! To be honest, I didn't really care what would happen to me. At least I'd be able to see my daughter again! My daughter! My little Dashie! My heart almost exploded with joy. But what if she forgot me? What if she doesn't remember me...? It's worth the risk. I have nothing left in this world, nothing. This world of hate and misery. All my pain...It will be all left behind, I hope. "Don't get excited yet! I don't even know if this will work!" yelled the excited pegasus, while he snatched the piece of paper from my hand with his mouth. I looked back at my house. Will I miss it? What will happen to it? I don't care, really... Wherever the pegasus is taking me, it will let me see my daughter again. That's all I care about. That's all I HAVE cared about for the past few months. Getting your daughter snatched up like that...It's not easy...It leaves a big stain on your heart, know what I mean?. A stain of eternal sadness... The pegasus looked up at the sky, and said loudly: "Sit sol et luna descendere luctus, metus! Hoc pater a, ad aeterna mundi solis! Mundi beatitudinis! Mundi non dolor!" What is he saying? What language is he speaking? This is just awkward... Me, standing in the middle of my front lawn, with a winged horse performing some kind of ritual in front of me. Stuff like that changes you, 'ya know? Literally...It changes you... overwhelming pain pierced through my entire body, from top to bottom. "What's happening to me?! What's going on?" The pegasus didn't answer me. He just kept on blurting out those strange verses, over and over again. In less than a few seconds, my entire body was engulfed in a purple essence. Okay, you definitely DO NOT see this every day! before I knew it, I was levitating one meter off the ground. I took one last look at my old house. "BOOM!"...................Darkness........... > Chapter 9 (the adventure begins) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *ATTENTION*: This is from the Dad's POV (Some people were confused!) I opened my eyes. Where am I? What just happened? Oh...Right...I remember now. That pegasus did something. He performed some kind of magical ritual. He said he would...Ugh...Send me somewhere. If he did, why do I still feel grass under me? Am I still on my front lawn? It can't be. My front lawn was always soft. It was always green. I'm lying on some sort of dry, crispy grass. Besides, the ground is way too hard! I realized something. Was I lying on a hard wood floor? I didn't really care, much. I was dead tired, and my body seemed to be a hundred times heavier (to me at least). Ugh...why is my body so heavy? God damn it! I can barely move... My hands? Where are my hands? I lifted my head a bit higher to examine my surroundings. Am I in a barn? How did I get in a barn...? There aren't any farms around my house... I tried to get up, but I couldn't. Whenever I tried to get up, my body would just flop back down to the floor. Where in the world did my legs go? I was so busy examining the room, or barn, that I forgot how unusually awkward my body felt. If only there were a way to know what the heck happened to me, and where I was. I heard a faint "clip clop" as the morning light gushed into the barn. I couldn't see who, or what, was opening the barn door. "Big sis! There's a stallion in our barn!" Said a soft, sweet voice. Where have I heard that voice before? It seemed so familiar! Wait a second...did she just say there was a stallion in " the" barn? aren't I the only one here? I guess not. I still cant move my stubborn body. Why in the name of God is it so heavy? This is getting a tad annoying... "Apple Bloom, we don't have time for games! Just get your little flank over here right now and help me with 'dese apples!" snorted another voice, with, it seemed, a light, Texan accent. "But sis! I'm not lying! A stallion is really in our barn!" squeaked the little girl (at least I thought it was a little girl). I heard a loud clank, as if someone just heaved something heavy onto the ground. I still couldn't see what was going on, because I was facing the damned wall! "Well, slap me with a moldy apple and color me flabbergasted! H-how did he...?" said the "Texan" woman. "I don' know!" squealed the little girl. "Ah' just came to get some morning hay for Daisy Joe, and he was just lyin' here!" "W-well, we'd b-better call Big Macintosh. I-I think he might know what's going on!" said the Woman, with a shaky voice. Big Macintosh...Big Macintosh...where have I heard that name before? I remember hearing it on TV...Something like that... Oh God...I think I know where I am...Am I in sweet apple acres? It can't be! This can't be happening! How is this possible?! I remember the pegasus telling me he would send me somewhere.. Where I could see my daughter again... I didn't expect that he would send me to Equestria! That stubborn mule! He could have at least TOLD me he was going to send me here. Who knows... At least I'm here! That's all that matters! The woman with the Texan accent must be Applejack, and that little girl must be...Apple Bloom, obviously... That still doesn't explain why I can barely move, God damn it! What that pegasus said...He said something might happen to me. So...What happened to me? My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden "Eeyup". "Do you know what he's doing here?" Said, apparently, Applejack. 'Nnope!" Replied...Big Macintosh...I think "Then who is he and what is he doing here?!" Wailed Applejack. "Ah' dunno" said Big Macintosh, with a confused voice. Wait second... That stallion they're talking about...could that be me? Did I turn into a God damned horse?? That explains why I can't move my body...I heard that horses weigh a lot. Like, 500lbs or something like that "Is he 'gunna be okay?" whispered Apple Bloom "Now you calm down, sugar cube. We don't even know who he is, or what he's doing here." Said Applejack I've had enough! I must get up! I must get out of here and see my daughter! I started struggling, trying to stand up. That's when I noticed the pair of wings firmly attached to my sides. I also noticed that my feet and my hands were gone, and in their place were four hooves. My skin was pale. It looked cyan...just like my daughter's. A tail! Oh God, I have a tail! I just recovered from the shock of....everything, when I noticed that my tail was...RAINBOW COLORED? The only thing that calmed me down was that I didn't have a "Cutie mark" on my ass...That would be so gay...Speaking of gay, how would you feel if you saw a male horse with rainbow hair? Yeah...I thought so. I wonder why I don't have a cutie mark...Is it because I haven't discovered my "special" talent yet? After all my struggling, I finally managed to get up. At last! Now...I can *FLOOMP*. I barely finished thinking when I fell flat on my face. At least I managed to turn around! "Hahahaha!" neighed Apple Bloom. "Apple Bloom! mind yer' manners!" yelled Applejack. I looked up. There they were, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, all standing under the barn door with the warm sunlight falling on their backs. I started slowly dragging myself towards them (I don't really know why) . Remember, I still weighed five times my normal weight. "W-what month is it?" I mumbled. They all simultaneously backed away, and that signature piece of grass fell out of Big Mac's mouth. Why are they all scared of me? Is it because I look like my daughter? I guess that kind of makes sense...Actually, it doesn't. Nothing about this makes any sense at all! "S-s-sept-t-temb-ber" Said Applejack, still scared. I looked down at the old, wooden floor. "H-how is that possible? September was over half a year ago..." I mumbled under my breath. Wait a minute...If one day in Equestria is one year in our world...That means that only half a day has passed since they took Dash away! I wonder if she'll remember me? Even if she does, she probably won't believe that I'm her father...Heck, I probably look like her real dad! If she still has her old memories, she'll probably think I'm her "real" dad! Oh god...How will I prove to her that I'm "Daddy"? Her not-so-human anymore Daddy? "Oh my! He doesn't look so good!" said Apple Bloom, "We should help this poor feller'! How about it, sis?" "I dunno" replied Applejack. "I-I guess we could..." > Chapter 10 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *authors note* this is still from the dad's POV. I never actually knew much about the Apple family. I didn't expect them to be so...family-like. In fact, they remind me of my own parents. They're so nice, even to strangers like me. I still don't know why I'm a male replica of my own daughter...It's so strange...Actually, the possibility of me being here at all is strange. I want to find out more about that pegasus who sent me here....Who he is (or was), what he's doing on earth. Right now I have to rest, regain my strength. This new body is such a pain in the...flank... I think I actually passed out in front of Applejack and her...siblings, because I came to in a soft, canopy bed with a red and white checkered blanket. I looked around the room. Boy, this place sure looks familiar, even for me. It seems like I've seen this room somewhere...Of course! This is Applejack's bedroom! But where's Applejack? I looked around once more, hoping to see someone (or in this case, somepony). Nopony was around at the moment. I picked my hoofed arm and scratched my rough, horse like rainbow hair . I can move! I can move my body! I tried to pull the blankets off my stubborn butt, but that didn't work too well... Oh that's right, I have hooves instead of hands. I'm such genius. Great. This new body will take some getting used to... I tried squirming out from under the heavy covers, but to no avail. I haven't tried using my wings yet. Maybe I can somehow...launch these blankets off my body...Christ, I'm getting some crazy ideas. I don't even know if that will work. In fact, I don't even know how to move my wings! They are quite big compared to my daughter's...I guess it has something to do with me being a stallion, or something like that. I tried moving my left wing, but all I got out of my efforts was a small, painful twitch. Ugh...How am I supposed to do this? Maybe I can ask Applejack! Crap, more insane ideas...I forgot... she's an earth pony. Damn it! How am I supposed to get out of here...? I feel helpless!! *Clip clop*. I think I'm on the second floor, because I can hear somepony going up the stairs...To my bedroom... I tried to hide under the heavy, colorful blankets. I sure was a sorry sight: A big, strong, male pegasus, who can't move his own wings, or even get out of bed... The door creaked open halfway, and a small head popped into the room. It was Apple Bloom "Uhm...Mr...Sir... uhhh...whut's 'yer name again?" I couldn't help but laugh under my breath! She looked so funny, and not to mention cute, looking straight at me with a "I'm-so-embarrassed-right-now-because-I-don't-know-you're-name" look on her face. "Just...Just call me Mr. Dash...I guess" Said I, still struggling to get out of bed. "Um...Mr.Dash you said? You mean...like Rainbow Dash?" said Apple Bloom, still staring at me. "I guess so...Wait, you know Rainbow Dash?" I said "Of course 'ah do! Everypony knows Rainbow Dash!" squealed Apple Bloom "Ah' heard from my big sis that she isn't in her right mind...Sis told me not to worry, that Twi' will fix her up!" FIX HER UP? Oh god! That means Twilight Sparkle will erase her old memories...Her memories of me... But that ALSO means she still remembers me! her Daddy! Crap...I forgot that I'm a horse. What if I get mistaken for Dashie's real father? "Listen, Apple Bloom, does Rainbow Dash have any parents, or any guardians?" I said "You know mah' name? That's so innerestin'! I've never seen you before..." said Apple Bloom, a little excited. To be honest, I sort of expect everpony I meet from now on to get a little excited... "That's great...So, Do you know if Rainbow Dash has any parents...?" I said, STILL trying to get out of bed. "'Ah' don't think she does.... Sis said she was adopted by a flight school, or something like that. By the way, you look a lot like her! Are you related to her!" said Apple Bloom with an even more excited voice. Oh great, this is exactly what I was afraid of.... "Uhm...Yeah...About that...I don't re-" I was interrupted by a firm, female voice, coming from downstairs: "Apple Bloom! Where are ya'?" "Oh no, oh no, oh no!! That's Applejack, my big sister! If she finds out ah'm up here, ah'll get in trouble!" squealed Apple Bloom. "Don't worry, I know you're sister quite well. She wouldn't do THAT..." I said, trying to stay calm "Ah-ah thought you're new around here! How do you know mah' sister?" said Apple Bloom. "Well...It's hard to expla-" I barely finished my sentence, when Applejack bolted into the room. "Apple Bloom! What did 'ah tell 'ya about botherin' our guest?" yelled Applejack at the top of her voice. "Oh...It's quite all right Applejack" I said awkwardly. I can't believe I'm talking to a Applejack! That feeling...That feeling of brony excitement suddenly came over me, again... Applejack smiled and said with a soft, soothing voice. "How do 'ya know 'mah name, stranger?" "Well...I was about to tell your sister..." I said. "Please go on" Said Applejack, while shoving Apple Bloom out of the room with her hind leg. She then turned to Apple Bloom and whispered: "Apple Bloom, get our guest some breakfast!" "His name is Mr. Dash!" said Apple Bloom through her teeth. She then turned away from her sister and trotted down the hallway. Crap! What do I tell Applejack? That I used to be a human? That I was sent here from another dimension by a deranged pegasus? That I know almost everything about her and her friends because i watched a TV show made for little girls? Decisions...Decisions.... > Chapter 11 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *AUTHOR'S NOTE* : I haven't been able to write a lot, since school has been getting in the way. I'll write moar soon! :D How do I get out of this awkward situation? I don't want to lie to Applejack...She's has the element of honesty, or something...What If she has some sort of Lying detection powers? Haha! I really am going crazy... I stepped absentmindedly backed up a meter or two and somehow managed to trip on my own back legs. "CRASH!". I backed up into the bookshelf! Christ...I'm an idiot... I don't know how, but my wings somehow managed to open up, bringing down a wave of books, and not to mention, a lamp onto my head. Ow. I always find a way to hurt myself! There I was, stupidly sitting on my ass, completely covered with books, and my enormous wings stretched across the entire room. How normal. "I-I'm sorry.." I blurted out. "Sorry for being so...clumsy!" "It's okay sugar cube!" Laughed Applejack. "Ya' know, It almost looks like you've never used your wings before! How silly!". "Yeah...I-I uh-" I was interrupted by a loud crash, which came from downstairs, I think. "Darn it! That Apple Bloom! She always manages to break sumthin'! Ah'll be right back, Hon." Applejack glanced at me once more, then she bolted out of the room, and down the hallway to the staircase. I don't know how she keeps that hat on her head! She always moves so fast... That was close! It looked like she was about to...Nah, It's just me. It's probably just me...I guess...Thank God she didn't guess who I really am...She probably would have brought me straight to princess Celestia! What if the princess sends me back to earth? I know it's my home, but I don't want to go back! Great, now I have to find out how to properly use my wings. I can't go marching through Ponyville like this...I look ridiculous! my wings are all over the place! I don't think Applejack can help me with this problem, since she's an earth pony. Maybe she DOES know something about flying..haha...It's worth a shot, though! I still have to get up off the floor, and I can't do that without tucking my wings back in! Damn it! I'm stuck in an eternal loop of falling over and not getting up...I guess I'll have to wait for Applejack to come back... I tried dragging myself out into the hallway, but my wings wouldn't let me move. I guess I forgot that I have FOUR FEET... Applejack and Apple Bloom trotted into the room, and Apple Bloom was carrying an empty silver tray in her mouth. Applejack gently placed her fore-hoof on Apple Bloom's back, and said: "Whew! Sorry, about that! Mah' little SISTER here managed ta' mess up "a few" things down in our kitchen.." Apple Bloom tried to say something, but the tray in her mouth caused her to helplessly mutter a few muffled sounds. She tossed the silver tray on the ground and angrily looked up at her sister. "wah' are 'ya always blaming me? It's not fair! Juss' 'cus you're bigger, doesn't maker you right all the time!" she squealed "Well, who else 'cudda done it?" snorted Applejack. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then they broke out into a heated argument. I had no idea what they were arguing about, but it wasn't pleasant to watch two characters from an "innocent" TV show arguing about something which obviously wasn't that important. Enough is enough. I leaped up off the ground and stood up, causing books to scatter all around the room. My body was so enormous compared to the ponies', that it seemed like I was a father towering over my children. "Applejack! Apple Bloom! What in the name of Celestia are you arguing about? Is it really that important?". Ugh...where's big Macintosh when you need him? "Oh....uhh, sorry. It's just that Apple Bloom here managed to drop your breakfast on the kitchen floor!" said Applejack. She then turned her head to face Apple Bloom, who was solemnly staring at the hard wood floor. "Oh, it's quite all right...No need to trouble yourselves... I'm not hungry at all!" I said, biting my tongue. What a big fat lie! I was starving. It felt like I hadn't eaten in months...I was afraid of eating anything, because this body might have reacted to the food, or something like that. Yes, It's stupid, but it's always good to be cautious... "HA! don't lie to me sugar cube!" Neighed Applejack "You've been asleep for 5 days!" FIVE DAYS?!?!? That's five years in earth time! I feel so sad thinking about how fast time flies on earth... probably something like a day ever minute or two... I struggled to move my wings again, but they just wouldn't budge at all. Maybe I'm using the wrong muscles? I mean, I've never used them before. Makes sense, right? I tried moving my shoulder muscles. Nothing.. I never was good at anatomy, especially horse anatomy (which I don't know AT ALL). Or in this case, pegasus anatomy...I have no idea what muscles to move... "Having trouble there, hon?" Said Applejack with a very reassuring voice, and a cutesy smile glued to her face. As soon as Applejack finished smiling like a madwoman, Apple Bloom squealed with excitement: "Look sis! Look! He doesn't have a cutie mark, Just like me! Maybe he can join the cutie mark crusaders!". Then Apple Bloom started excitedly jumping around the room. This day keeps getting crazier and crazier! Applejack probably didn't believe her sister, because she marched around my outstretched left wing and started staring at my...flank...How NOT disturbing. "Uhm...you can stop staring at my flank now..." I mumbled. "Oh, umm..hehe..Sawry...It's just so odd that you don't have your cutie mark yet!" Said Applejack with an obviously bad "poker face". Applejack trotted over to Apple Bloom and whispered something in her ear. Apple Bloom nodded and left the room. "So, you want me to show ya' around the farm?" said Applejack "Oh no, It's all right. I know this place pretty well". I said, without realizing the mistake that I had just made. OH CRAP! I just said that I know this place pretty well! She probably thinks I'm some sort of creepy stalker! DAMN! What do I do? What do I do? What do I do???? > Chapter 12 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I turned my head from the window to face Applejack, she had a "what-the-hell-is-going-on" look on her face. What have I done? What if she finds out who I really am? I have no idea what to do. In fact, I'm screwed! I gotta think of something to say, fast. Amazingly enough, Applejack didn't seem to make much of it. I just absentmindedly said that I know my way around her farm, even though I've "never been here before". To be honest, I know everything there is to be known about the farm. During those long, tormenting months without Dashie, the only thing that calmed my nerves down was reading about Ponyville. I know absolutely everything there is to know about the place! I just have to keep my stubborn mouth shut! If I keep on lying like this, nothing good will come out of it. I hope you know why I'm not telling the truth to Applejack... If I tell her the truth, It'll probably shock the "Jack" out of her, or she'll just call princess Celestia and get her to... banish me...back to Earth, "the world of eternal torment". "A-ah don't understand...You jus' said that you were new around here...How in the world would you know your way around the farm?" Said Applejack suspiciously. "Well...All Farms in Equestria...h-have....similar Architecture..?" What a lame answer. Hey, you try lying to Applejack, the queen of honesty. Applejack lowered her head, low enough to see the lonely orchards through the window over the rim of her hat. She stood there for a while, just looking at the floorboards. She then lifted her head up a bit and started gently tapping her fore-hoof on the hard, wooden floor. What IS she doing? Is she thinking about something? I don't know...I stil know almost nothing about the ponies' character yet, except that they're always happy, or something like that...Yeah, right... Applejack lifted her left hoof up and slowly wiped her nose with it. Okay...I gotta break this awkward silence, before something...odd...happens. "Well, Applejack, thanks for taking care ofme for so long. I appreciate all your help, but I think I really must be going...Got things to do!" "Ow, sorry hon', Ah' was just thinkin' about sumthin'. Ah' remember seeing a stallion, much like ya', at our farm when ah' was jus' a filly'" Said Applejack, with a noticeable smile stretched across her face. "Maybe it was you? Hehe!" I can't believe she's mistaking me for another horse, or stallion...Whatever, It's better than the truth, I guess. I know I can't keep this secret forever, somepony's going to find out sooner or later. "If ya' need any help with navigatin' aroun' Ponyville, or anythin' like that, feel free to ask me! I'm always here." She kept staring deep into my eyes...Awkward...? She blushed, smiled once again, and turned her head around to face the open window. Who's this other "stallion" she was talking about? Maybe it was Dashie's real father...? Doubt it... But really, who else could it have been? Why would he be in Sweet apple acres? Okay, never mind that. I have to make my way towards Ponyville. I slowly walked, or trotted, towards the doorway. *CRASH!*. Great, I forgot to tuck my wings in! It sucks that I don't know to do that...I guess I can try to...walk through...sideways. Crap, this isn't working! If I keep this up, I'll probably break something else. I'm amazed at how Applejack is so calm about...Everything! I mean, I've probably knocked over a hundred vases and lamps, not to mention a few old-looking books. "Need sum' help there, hon'?" Said Applejack. I was so busy trying to get out of the bedroom, that I hadn't noticed Applejack's sudden movements. She already managed to reach the other side of the room, and was standing right beside me! My own ignorance always amazed me... "Oh, um, I'm sorry about...whatever I did" "Oh, It's all right! Ah' got a thousand of those vases!" She chuckled. "Now, let's jus' lower ya' through that window over there. ah'm pretty sure you can flah'! he-he!" She thinks this is funny...Haha. Yep, you guessed it. I can't fly for jack (pun not intended). In fact, I always had a very distinct fright of...heights...You might think I'm pathetic, but even YOU might find it hard to fly when you have no control over your own wings (if you even have them). Applejack crouched, and leaped over my outstretched, stiff-like wing, and firmly placed her hooves against my flank and started pushing me towards the giant bay window on the far side of the room. I can't believe it! She's going to push me out of the window?! I can't even fly yet! And I sure as heck can't fall from a second story window! Wait, she doesn't know I can't fly...yet! What do I tell her? I struggled to turn around, but her strong, apple-bucking legs easily overpowered my hopeless movements. "STOP!" I screeched. "I have...uh...wing cramps! I can't...fly!" Applejack stopped pushing me and picked up her fore-hoof to wipe the sweat off her damp forehead. "wah' didn't ya' just say so? Sweet mother of Celestia, you sure are a heavy fella! Even mah' brother, Big Macintosh, is a tad lighter than ya'! Ya' know? Ah' think somepony might help you with those nasty wing cramps! There's a sweet little pony, a good friend a' mine, who lives in Ponyville. She's extremely shy, especially to strangers, so I don't know if I'll be able to get her to meet you." She probably just mentioned Fluttershy. How in the name of Celestia will Fluttershy help me? Doesn't matter, I guess. I always wanted to talk to Fluttershy, mostly because she's so adorable! "Oh, you mean Fluttershy?" I said, while STILL trying to tuck my wings back in. Applejack put her hooves on her waist and looked at me from under the rim of her hat. "Ah' swear...It's like ya've lived here before! Ya' seem to know everythin' about Ponyville!" "yeah, It comes...naturally..." (What a liar!) You can't really call watching a show meant for little girls "natural". I swear to God, I probably know almost everypony in Ponyville! Applejack clapped her hooves together, creating a silly "clop-like" sound, and said: "Well, ah' guess ah'll go get Big Mac, He'll help 'ya get over to Fluttershy's!" --------------------------------------------- A cart. I'm in cart filled with hay. How embarrassing! Thank God I'm covered with it. I can't risk anypony seeing me, especially my own daughter. There's almost no chance that'll happen, but I always have to be cautious. I don't know what Fluttershy will do to help me, but it should help my supposed "wing cramps". I never expected Equestria to be so...Beautiful! The wind blowing through my hair, or mane. The colorful birds chirping in the trees, the Big, warm Celestian sun! The road, the trees - everything seems to have it's own...spirit! Everything seemed to be, in a way, alive! Did I fail to mention everything seemed to have "cartoony" look to it? I thought that it wasn't this simple, and that the "real" Equestria was just like our world (if there even WAS a real Equestria). I was wrong. Apparently, I was too ignorant to realize the obvious. I'm in a different dimension, right? So if the dimensions are different, why shouldn't 3D turn to 2D? Third dimensional, Second dimensional. How did I not realize this earlier? I know it sounds crazy, but it makes so much sense! The cart stopped. I guess Big Mac finally reached Fluttershy's house, on the edge of the Everfree forest. I poked my head up out of the hay, just to make sure that we were actually in the right place. I examined every single detail of our surroundings, but Fluttershy's house was nowhere in sight. In fact, we weren't anywhere near the forest. Looked like we were in the central plaza of Ponyville! Out of nowhere, I heard a high pitched, annoying voice babbling some unusual sounds, which barely sounded like words. That voice... It sounds so familiar! In fact, I do believe it's PInkie Pie's! Why the heck would she stop to talk to to Big Mac? I turned my head around, just in time to meet the gaze of Pinkie Pie herself, who somehow managed to park her flank right in front of my face in a split second. That's Pinkie Pie for you... Always doing the impossible! "OHMYGOSH! Dashie! what are you doing here? Why are you in Big Mac's haystack? Is it comfy? Are you hiding from somepony? Who are you hiding from?! TELL ME TELL ME!!!!!" Great, not only are her crazy antics drawing attention to me, but she thinks I'm Dashie! *CLIFFHANGER FTW!* don't worry, more coming tomorrow! > Chapter 13 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's hard NOT to laugh when Pinkie Pie is shoving her nose into your face, but I had to keep calm, as if things like this happen to me all the time. She's always so silly! She just wouldn't go away... Now I know why everypony thinks she's so annoying! If only I can find some way to distract her so I can get out of here! Out of all the Ponies to bust me, Pinkie Pie's probably the worst. Not only did Dashie NOT manage get away from her, but Pinkie loves to chat. If she knows I exist here, then the entire town will know in a few minutes! I tried to sink deeper into the hay, to hide from her deathly gaze... But Pinkie kept on moving her face closer to mine. I'm amazed she couldn't tell the difference between Dashie and me. I mean, I'm probably three times Dashie's size! I guess Pinkie Pie doesn't have the ability to notice minor, or important, details. I tried the best to mimic my daughter's voice, and, amazingly enough, Pinkie Pie obviously couldn't tell the difference (I wasn't too surprised). She probably didn't notice anything, because her head is always filled with crazy ideas, which probably drown her common sense. "Oh, hey Pinkie Pie... I'm kind of busy right now... Could you... could you please leave me alone?" "WHAT?" squealed Pinkie Pie. "Busy slacking off in Big Mac's hay cart? Sounds like Dashie!" "Um...Yeah? That's great..." said I, trying to talk with a high pitched voice. Pinkie Pie smacked her forehead with her hoof. Don't know why. Probably because she's Pinkie Pie? "Well...Since you're feeling better, promise you'll stop by Sugar Cube Corner today!!!" Said Pinkie Pie through her clenched jaw, still pressing her hoof against her forehead. Uh oh. The last thing I want to do is get Dashie into trouble! You all probably know what happens when somepony breaks a pinkie promise, right? I looked around, trying to look for a way out of this awkward situation. I was just in time to notice twilight sparkle, with spike on her back, standing in front of the book stall on the other side of the market square. Pinkie Pie followed my gaze and noticed her too. "HEY! There's Twilight Sparkle! I can invite her to your get well party, since you're feeling all better and stuff!!!" screamed Pinkie Pie. She took one last look at me, and darted towards Twilight Sparkle. What get well party? The LAST THING I want to do is "meet" Twilight Sparkle! She'll probably see right through me... Not to mention, I do look a lot like Dashie's real father, apparently. I wanted to tell Pinkie Pie to leave Twilight Sparkle alone, but she already somehow managed to get to her already. That's Pinkie Pie for you. I could see they were talking about something. By the worried look on Twilight's face, I guessed that they were talking about Dashie. I gotta get out of here, I'll probably get busted soon! I stood up, and hopped down over the side of the carriage. It must be hard NOT to get noticed by everypony, since I'm probably the second most colorful pony in Ponyville. I tiptoed around the corner of the carriage and tapped Big Macintosh on the shoulder with my fore-hoof. "Eeyup?" "Look, Big Macintosh, thanks for all your help, but I really have to get going...Somewhere!" "Eeyup!" "Okay, um, tell your sister I said hi!" "Eeyup." Man, how does Applejack communicate with this guy? All he does is say "Eeyup" and "Nnope". Whatever, I have more important things to worry about right now. I actually think I'm slowly getting used to my new body, because it doesn't feel too heavy anymore! That's a big bonus, because I can move much faster now, and hopefully get away from Pinkie Pie... I stood behind the cart for a few more seconds, then spotted a small cottage on the other side of the cobblestone road. Okay. I can do this. I can make it. All I have to do is make it to the cottage, and everything will be...Just fine... I dashed out from behind the carriage, and noticed that Pinkie Pie wasn't with Twilight Sparkle anymore. Great. For all I know, she could be following me right now. The only thing I could think of at that time was: I have to get inside that cottage. It's like my brain stopped functioning properly! I galloped up to the front door, and started violently banging on it with my left fore-hoof. "Hold on a minute!" Said a very "familiar voice. I'm sure I heard it on the show before, which didn't comfort me one bit. I could feel sweat streaming down my face, and my entire body. I was nervous. I had never been this nervous before. I could feel my entire body shaking. How would you feel if you had to stand on a doorstep in front of a heap-load of ponies, and you were trying to hide? It's hard to stay unnoticed when you're hair (or mane) is rainbow-colored! The door creaked open, and standing there was nopony other than Cheerilee. Cherilee...I'm amazed I still remember her name... I darted through the doorway like madman.. "Now! What's this all about? Who are you?" She screeched. I bucked the door, so that it would close. I just stood there, panting, and soaked in my own sweat. I may have only sprinted a few meters, but I wasn't completely used to the overwhelming mass of my new body. "I-I'm sorry, Cheerilee. -*pant*- I'm Just trying to hide from..-*pant*-..somepony!" I blurted out, gasping for air. I must have shocked the living hell out of her, because I could see the fear building up in her eyes. She slowly backed away from me. "H-how do you know m n-name?" She whispered. "W-what do want?" I slowly picked lifted up my head to face her. Not only did I scare the crap out of her, but my stupid wings also found the perfect time to pop out. She screeched and hopped behind a sofa standing on the carpet in the middle of the room. ----------------------------------------------------------- There I was, towering over poor Cheerilee with my wings spread out across the entire room. "W-wait! Don't be scared!" I said, trying to calm myself down. She slowly crept out from behind the couch, and looked up into my eyes. "You remind me a lot of Equestria's fastest pony, Rainbow Dash." She whispered, trying not to sound scared. "Yes, We're...Related..." I said. As soon as I finished my sentence, her eyes lit up with sudden joy. "Really? Are you here to see her? I heard that she isn't feeling too well after they brought her back. Maybe you should go visit her now...? Somepony told me she's in the east tower of the Canterlot cast.e!" She said, with a bit of excitement in her voice. "Actually, I'm on my way to Fluttershy's... Thanks for telling me where she is, though." I don't want to see Dashie...yet... It feels like I'm going to die If i don't see her soon, but I don't think she's ready for the shock. Neither am I. Author's note: Sorry if the chapter is so short. I'm getting ready for my exams, so I don't have much time to write! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > Chapter 14 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why do I feel this way? Every second of every day... It feels like my chest is going to implode! I have no clue what's going on, or what's going to happen to me in the future. All I want is to see my daughter, but a mysterious force is keeping me away from her. It's almost as if someone, or somepony, is pushing me back, forcing me from from my daughter. It must be hard for Dashie. If the rumors are true, and they really haven't erased her memories yet, she's probably thinking of me right now. The stress of being pulled away from my grasp, her father, must be tearing her apart! I don't know why I haven't even TRIED visiting her yet. Oh, that's right. She's locked up in Canterlot. If only I could fly... The irony of this situation is overwhelming. After all those weeks of teaching Dashie to fly, I thought I would have remembered something about flying. Wrong. I can't even get my flank off the ground and into the air. No, It's more than that. I can't even control my wings yet. I can't move my wings a fraction of an inch. If Dashie really is, or was, the best flyer in Equestria, then she MUST be able to teach me to fly. The problem is I can't even GET to her without flying. Sure, I can trot straight through the front gates of the castle, and get caught by the princess. She'll send me back to Earth. No problem...? I still haven't found out who that mysterious pegasus was, the one that sent me here. How could he have sent me here If he wasn't a unicorn? I thought Unicorns were the only ones who use magic. Maybe that wasn't magic...? Maybe he used a portal, or rather, THE portal...? He said something about being the princesses messenger... Why in the world would Celestia want me in Equestria? She said that I don't belong here! Well, I'm here, so I guess she was wrong! I'm trying to meet Fluttershy. The reason? She's the only pegasus I trust, except Dashie, of course. The problem is, I don't even know where she lives. Sure, I can ask Cheerilee. What If Cheerilee doesn't know? I'll have to wander around Ponyville looking for her house all by myself! But After scaring the living daylights out of Cheerilee, I couldn't bring myself to ask her... I mean, that would be just plain creepy. Imagine someone, or somepony, breaking into your house, looking for somepony else. Awkward much? I stood in the center of the room for a few more minutes, while Cheerilee carried on with her morning chores: Watering the flowers, checking her students' homework. You know, things you would expect every other teacher to be doing. She didn't pay a lot of attention to me. It's almost like I wasn't even there! You know what I was doing... I was thinking...Thinking about everything that has happened, everything that will happen. I slowly lowered my head down, and let my long, colorful hair touch the cold, hard floorboards. *plink*...*plink*... Tears started streaming down my hot face, and dripping down...down onto the floor. Why? Why would something like this happen to me? Why couldn't the princess just leave me alone? We would have been happy, Dashie and I. There were so many things we could have done together. Gosh, I don't know why I'm crying! I probably look ridiculous right now... I shouldn't even be sad, I should be happy! After all, I'm in Equestria. I CAN and I WILL meet my daughter. Anything...I would do ANYTHING to see her...just once...just to embrace her one more time, to feel her little heart beating against my chest again!... I miss her so much.. Cheerilee saw me, bawling like a little filly. What else could I do? I don't have much time until they replace her old memories...Her memories of me, of her childhood with me. She won't remember me. She won't want to talk to me. She'll shield herself from me. She won't love me anymore! Cheerilee silently approached me. She tried to make me lift my head up, but I wouldn't. I couldn't. I was too heartbroken. She nudged my chin with her hoof, and said: "What's the matter?" I told her. I told her everything: How I found Dashie, how I raised her for fifteen years, how much I loved her, how they took her away from me. I don't know why I told her. I just wanted to shake this heavy feeling of abjection off my shoulders. Amazingly enough, she believed me. It didn't matter how crazy my story was. She understood how I felt. She motioned me to sit down on the couch. I told her that I couldn't, because my stubborn wings wouldn't close. She nodded, then trotted over to the couch and sat down herself. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then began: " Many years ago, long before I became a teacher, I had a daughter. Her name was Sugar Meadow. She was a beautiful filly... yet she was ill, very ill with an unknown sickness. I was desperate, desperate to cure her of this unknown disease. I even called the princess to my aid, but alas, she couldn't do anything about it... Not too long after her fifth birthday, she left our world... I decided to become a teacher, because the cheerful faces of the children I teach remind me of my little daughter..." I felt a sudden feeling of sympathy overrun my self-pity. She lost her daughter. I haven't lost my daughter...yet... I still have a chance! I can still fix this. __________________________________________________________________ I approached Cheerilee. She was sitting on the couch with her hooves folded in her lap. As I apprached her,I noticed my colorful reflection in her large, damp eyes. Wow. I really DO look like Dashie. No wonder Pinkie mistook me for her. I have to leave as soon as I can, but not without thanking Cheerilee. After all, It is my fault that I reminded her of her daughter... I nudged her cheek with my nose, and let her know that I was thankful for her understanding my unusual situation. "Thank you for understanding me. I'm sorry if I made you cry..." She looked up at me, wiped her eyes with her elbow, and smiled. "Oh, no reason to apologize! It's my fault...I'm such a drama queen!" "I don't want to bother you anymore, but do you know where a certain mare lives? Her name is Fluttershy." Said I "Oh, you mean the one who loves animals? Yes, of course! Everypony knows where Fluttershy lives!" Said Cheerilee, while blowing her nose on a small, purple, frilly handkerchief. > Chapter 15 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- We all have awkward moments in our life, don't deny it. That was a very good example of one. Back on earth I didn't have many friends, except, of course, for Dashie (Even though she was my daughter). I never was much of a "people person". I never felt like talking to anybody. I always kept my thoughts to myself (even from Dashie), and pondered over them on my every day walks. I locked myself away from the rest of the world. I was happy, Dashie was happy, and that's all that mattered to me. Every night, after I tucked Dashie into her race car bed, I would head downstairs and put on my old, heavy raincoat. I wore that coat the day I found Dashie. That thought boosted my spirits! I always wore that coat on my walks, even if it wasn't raining. I still remember that evening...That dreary evening. The evening that changed my life, forever... You're probably wondering why I loved going on walks. Not only did the evening air fill my lungs with fresh air, but my walks gave me more time to think. There were many unanswered questions circulating in my head at the time, and I needed time... Who doesn't? Many of them were left unanswered. They are buried...Deep in the depths of my subconsciousness... If Dashie accidentally "came into my world", then how did she get in that cardboard box? Who put her in that box? Why would anyone do that? I'm afraid to think what somebody would have done with her if they found her before I did...Luck. If it wasn't for my immense luck, I probably wouldn't even be here right now. Where did all my luck come from? I don't know. Probably never will. I must remember, that even if she IS my little Dashie, she's all grown up now. She can live without me. It's sad, but parents have to accept the fact that their children will eventually become adults, just like them. What am I doing here anyways? I love Dashie with all my heart, but Intruding on her life like this won't make anything better. It won't fix anything...She's not a filly anymore! It's not like she needs me, or anything like that... Why am I so selfish? What if she misses me as much as I miss her? I gotta to stop getting my hopes up. I don't even know if she remembers me anymore. Sure, the old Rainbow Dash is cool and all, but I don't want to lose MY daughter! I don't want to lose my little Dashie... In fact, I don't care about what's on the outside. I don't CARE if my daughter is a cartoon character from a children's TV show! No mater who, or what she is, I will always love her... I don't want to lose her cute little laugh... I don't want to lose her cute little smile! Her personality is unique to me... I raised her, I cared for her. She's my daughter. It never worries me that she isn't physically related to me. Love keeps nonsense like that at a distance. Love is special, and don't you ever forget that! Love kept us close like two peas in a pod. We were meant to be together. I was meant to be her father, and she was meant to be my daughter... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enough us enough. I'm going straight up to Twilight Sparkle's door, and bucking it off it's hinges! Nothing, not even magic, has the power to keep us apart. Who does she think she is, keeping Dashie under lock and key! Screw the truth, and screw the future! I don't care what Celestia says. Besides, if she's so obsessed with "friendship" and "kindness", why doesn't she give a damn about Me or Dashie? It doesn't make any sense! She sure has some nerve to do something like this! How silly of me... I don't even know where Twilight Sparkle lives! I also forgot that I'm a cyan, rainbow-haired stallion. It won't be easy to conceal myself from everypony, especially Pinkie Pie. I'm pretty sure I'll get mistaken for Dashie over a hundred time today... Pinkie Pie knows everpony in town, so I probably won't be surprised if they all think Dashie is fine, and strolling down the streets of Ponyville! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I didn't think a crowded marketplace was the best place for me to be at the time. I noticed that all the ponies in the marketplace stopped what they were doing, just to stare at me! Things like this can make a person (or a horse) nervous! I started shaking. Not with fright, but embarrassment (Did I mention that I was nervous? haha). I never was more embarrassed in my entire life. Now, with hundreds of eyes locked on me, I couldn't help feeling a little bit afraid. This went on for a minute or two (It felt like two hours to me). I couldn't take it anymore (doubt you would've, either). I took a few steps backwards and yelled "What?! What is it?!" at the top of my lungs. Nothing. They didn't say anything. They just kept on staring at me. I felt cold sweat streaming down my forehead. I felt a series of shivers go down my spine. I desperately tried to escape that "awkward" situation. What if I get busted? I couldn't think of anything else to do. I ran. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I didn't know where I was going, and frankly, I didn't really care. I heard a voice yell "Wait, stop!", but the voice soon faded away, along with the market. Soon, all I could hear was the thumping of my heart, and the sound of my my lungs fiercely gasping for air. It felt like my head was going to explode. Not because I was exhausted, but because I was trying to decide what do do: Go to Twilight Sparkle's house, or go to Fluttershy's house. If I go to Twilight, she might tell the princess. Everything will be over... If I go to Fluttershy's...I don't know. Surely Fluttershy won't tell Twilight, right? I don't know! I don't have much time to decide! I barely managed to reach the end of the long, cobblestone street. I was tired. Christ, I've never been more tired in my life! While I was helplessly panting in the middle of the road, I noticed a small group of pegasus ponies pop out from behind the roof of, apparently, Sugarcube Corner (There aren't a lot of pink, gingerbread-looking houses in Ponyville...) . They were laughing, and, in general, having a good time. I had a compelling feeling that "Rainbow Dash" used to hang out with these ponies. They all acted so...so similar to "her". I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Everything was fine until one of them, seemingly the leader of their..."gang"...happened to notice me. "Hey girls, look! It's Rainbow Dash! She's all better! HEY RAINBOW DASH!" She yelled. For Celestia's sake! Not again! *Author's note*: This chapter was a little bit short, but you know...School n' stuff... I've been thinking this over this for days, and I still can't decide whether Dashie's dad should go to Twilight Sparkle's, or to Fluttershy's! I would appreciate it if you post a comment about this issue. Thanks for all the support! Bronies 4eva ^(~3~)^(Ω) > Chapter 15 1/2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I felt my heart vigorously thumping in my throat. I was out of breath. My sides were aching. My knees were shaking. I'm sure I pulled more than a dozen muscles! The agonizing pain my hooves caused my eyes to twitch. I desperately called for help, yet not a single sound escaped my mouth. I felt like I was going to drop dead. Why did I do it? Why did I choose to run away from the marketplace? Back then, it seemed like a good idea. Now I'm collapsing from exhaustion. I struggled to keep a firm grasp on my waking consciousness. No use. The colorful houses, the road, the carriages, the pegasi - everything merged together into a messy, colorful soup. Soon, the blurry image of reality faded away completely. It wasn't hard for me to understand that my new body was in a very, very poor condition. My knees gave out, and I felt my entire, 900lb body impact with the hard, jagged road. I had just successfully caused myself to pass out. How wonderful... Even in my drowsy state, I still could make out the faint echos of various voices, circling around in my head. "Girls, girls! come here, quick!" Said one of them, presumably the leader. They all crowded around me, and started thoroughly examining me. In fact, I think one of them was sniffing my hair... I heard them whispering amongst themselves. I couldn't understand what they were saying (most of the time), but I thought I heard one of them mention Dashie, my daughter. "Then It's decided! We take...uh...him...to Twilight. Maybe she knows who he is. I think she might be able to help him too. He doesn't look too...healthy." Said the leader of the "gang". The thing that disturbed me was how in the name of Celestia they found out that I wasn't a female...Talk about personal space... I felt a dozen-or-so hooves heave me up off the ground. They carried me to the curb, and placed me on something hard, probably on one of those carts (which was parked on the side of the road). The pegasus, who was holding my head, didn't seem to want to let go. CLUNK! my head hit the hard, wooden planks of the carriage. I felt a sharp, stabbing pain shoot through my entire body. "Ow!" I screeched. "Ugh! I knew I shouldn't have taken her with us! She's nothing but trouble!" Said the leader, while wiping the sweat off her forehead with right hoof (I was peaking out of my right eye, so I managed to see what was going on). "I-I'm sawry! It won't happen again, boss!" Said a rather dull, dopey voice. The leader turned around, and fiercely growled in the face of the nit-witted pony (I couldn't see her face clearly, because I was still a bit drowsy) "I already told you....DON'T...CALL...ME...BOSS!!!" She barked at full volume. (she almost gave me a concussion!) The poor, frightened mare backed away from the leader, and shut her mouth in remorse. I also noticed that the pony's eyes weren't fully symmetrical. Is that who I think it is? Yes it is! It's Derpy! I was excited, because I never thought I would ever have a chance to meet Derpy hooves in person. What luck! I felt a warm feeling of Brony excitement fill my entire body. How can somepony be so mean to Derpy? I mean, who doesn't love Derpy? I remember, back in my world, Bronies would always support her "appearances" on the show. Maybe they STILL haven't figured out the full extent of her clumsiness... Meeting somepony in person is different than seeing them on a TV show! The leader-pegasus hopped down from the cart, grunted, and said: "Okay girls. Let's get a move on! After all, Twilight's house is only a block away!" I can't believe it. I was only a block away from Twilight Sparkle's house. So near yet so far! *Author's note*: I wrote this as an addition to the previous chapter (Since some of you guys wanted "Dad" to go to Twilight's. I decided to set things straight. Hope you enjoyed it! > Chapter 16 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My body obviously couldn't take much more. My eyes rolled back in my head, and I blacked out. I didn't see, nor hear anything for a very long time. Maybe Twilight will help me? She's always full of surprises (no, really). I never liked her, though. As soon as I watched the first episode of the show, I immediately knew that she wasn't (and isn't) going to be my favorite pony (even though I wasn't a devoted brony back then). I wasn't exactly fond of her "attitude". She was, well, how do I put this...A bit prideful... I know this doesn't make much sense for you, but it sure as heck makes sense for me. Besides, she's too organized. I'm not saying organization is bad, but you know... things can get a little...immoderate (like insanity, for example!). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I came to in a large, king sized bed. Large, even for a enormous stallion like me. The heavy (they seemed heavy at the time! I was weak beyond belief...), purple covers were straining my neck, and, unfortunately, I couldn't move. Even though the bed was very soft, my body was screwed up in a very, VERY uncomfortable position, which made me want to yell at the top of my lungs! I swear...I gotta take it easy from now on. After all, who knows what might happen if I keep pushing myself to the limit! I have to let myself adapt to this new body (as if I haven't been trying...). I tried to turn over, so that my wings wouldn't be painfully lodged against the bed-stand anymore. The only thing I actually managed to do, was shoving my own hair up my nose (don't ask me how). I was in a state of substantial, uttermost despair. Not only did I fail to get into a more comfortable position, but my mane also "decided" to creep down the side of my face and "sneak" into my nostrils! My head was so full of garbage at the time, that I didn't stop to think where I was, or how I got here.... Of course! I'm obviously in Twilight Sparkle's house! Where else could I be? The only substantial problem, was that I couldn't move a single muscle in my body (believe it or not, again). How am I supposed to communicate with Twilight Sparkle? What if she sends me back to my own world without even listening to what I have to say? (Now that I think of it, these thoughts were exceedingly childish.) I impatiently tried to shake the heavy-as-heck (it seemed heavy at the time) blanket off my weak body. The only muscles that seemed to be functional (I could barely move them) were my leg muscles. After I discovered this, I began violently banging my hooves against the foot of the bed, causing the entire room to shake, from the ceiling down to the floor. (VERY childish behavior...) Imagine how silly I looked! A large stallion, furiously smacking a foot-board with his hooves, while simultaneously sneezing (from hair) and moaning (from pain). Sure, it sounds humorous, but nothing aggravated me more than the thought of not being able to move, again. (Sweet Celestia, I've never been so indignant in my entire life!). This madness continued for about five to ten minutes. I finally managed to scrape together enough self-control to calm myself down. What else could I do? I was alone, stuck in a pony's house. Who knows how long I could have stayed here? I made up my mind. I was going to wait. For what? I don't know. For who? I don't know. Twilight sparkle never leaves her "tree-house" library for long, right... (I thought she loved books so much, that she never left her library. Silly, right?). I was determined that she was going to arrive shortly... *Insert jeopardy theme* one hour, two hours, three hours... Where is she? By the way, where's spike? Spike is always doing something for her: like rearranging books, dusting her shelves, cleaning her telescope lenses... Where is he? Where is everypony? Why do I have to be the one that gets left alone? Dashie... She's lonely right now, I know it. I can feel it. I can't explain this invisible "link" between us... It's just...I don't know! It's something that only a father can understand... I'm not the only one feeling dejected...Unwanted... She doesn't know why she's here, in Equestria. She doesn't know why they brought here here. I doubt she even knows I'm here. That thought always made me heavyhearted... She doesn't know I'm here... for her... I'm always there, no matter where we are. A single, pitiful tear rolled down my cheek, and, after hanging on my chin for a few seconds, fell, creating a small, melancholy blotch on the uneven surface of the blanket. I always ALWAYS forget the sole purpose of my presence in Equestria: my daughter. I absolutely must see her. Not for my own necessities, but for her. Only for her... I started vigorously rubbing my fore-hooves together (I could move again, after struggling for three hours), trying to warm myself up. How silly of me! I forgot that I have hooves instead of hands. Like I said before, things like this take time to get used to. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My bed *(or rather, Twilight's bed) was situated on the second floor of her crazy-looking tree-house. Only a few feet to the right was spikes "cradle-basket-thing". Oh, did I mention that there were lots, no, tons of books absolutely everywhere? There were books on the floor, on the windowsill, , etc... How does Spike keep everything in order? Knowing Twilight Sparkle (not to mention, her checklists), she tries to keep her house clean at all times! Bookshelves, bookshelves, and more bookshelves. All stuffed with who knows what! Cookbooks, spellbooks (even schoolbooks!) - anything you can think of. Man, I don't like calling other people (or ponies) names, but I had to agree with everypony else: Twilight is an egghead. I love reading, but not to this degree! This is just...just plain nuts! I solemnly glared out of the large, bay window on the other side of the room, expecting something drastic to happen. "What a wonderful evening. I wish I could go for walk..." I said aloud, with a hint of disappointment in my voice. "Me too. You don't get a lot of glorious days like this in September!" > A pleasant surprise (Chapter 17) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I froze, from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes (or hooves). I pressed my teeth together, which caused my jaw to jitter (violently). I closed my eyes, and tried to hide my rainbow-colored mane under the covers. What's the use...? Twilight Sparkle probably already knows who I am (I sure hope not). There's no point in hiding anymore! You know the feeling you get deep inside your gut; when you reach the highest peak of a roller coaster, and you know you're about to have the time of your life? That's how I felt. I wouldn't say I was excited, but I sure as heck knew that things were going to change. From then on, everything did change. I felt different, more confident. The truth is, I almost lost hope. At last, hope was restored! My life veered into another direction; Like when you're idly cruising on the highway, and you notice that you're about to miss your exit. You pull yourself together, and you set yourself on the correct path. You know you'll have to cross no-man's-land, and momentarily break the law. It's worth it. Because no matter what you do, you must always stick to the right lane (pun totally intended). In other words, never give up! My great grandfather fought in the second world war. the 442nd Infantry Regiment. Why am I mentioning this now? It's hard to explain... My father never told me much about my great grandfather, mostly because he knew very little about him. I remember seeing him flipping through our family album. He stopped turning the pages. He was leaning on his left arm, and looking at a picture of a man in uniform. "Who is that that, daddy?" I said my father looked up at me, clutching my teddy bear. He smiled, and looked at me with his kind, twinkling eyes. "That, son, was a very brave man. He was your grandfather." ...Was... I sure as heck knew my great grandfather was a man who never ditched hope. Hope was part of him. It was a part of his soul. D-day. Death. Lost hope. So it goes. All these memories spontaneously flashed through my head, as I was desperately trying to hide myself from fate. "Fate" was in the form of a small, vulnerable-looking purple mare, who's gleeful eyes glistened in the setting sun. I merely caught glimpse of her smiling face, as I was helplessly trying to conceal myself under the covers. The window creaked open, and I heard a series of small, light footsteps. A rather gruff (actually, not too gruff), boy-like voice broke the silence: "I dunno twilight, we don't even know who this guy is! He could be harmful..." Spike, the little devil! Always worried about Twilight. I guess you could say it's, in some way, cute... Twilight averted her gaze from my bed to Spike. "Spike! How much harm could a stallion like this do? I mean, he can barely move!" laughed Twilight Sparkle. "Besides, he looks like Rainbow Dash! His colour scheme is very similar to hers. Maybe he's a distant relative?" I don't know why (I don't know why I do anything anymore), but at that moment I felt sudden urge to breach their conversation: I cleared my throat, trying to get Twilight's attention. It didn't work the first time, so I tried again, and again, and again.. Enough is enough! Why won't anypony pay attention to me!? I violently pushed my hooves against the lower part of the bedstead, which caused my back to slam against the wall. My head rammed into the hard surface at 100mph, and I let out a cry of pain. That's not all: A few moments later, I heard a scraping sound above my head. I looked up just in time to see a dozen thick astronomy books plummeting downwards, towards my face! I shut my eyes, and my fore-hooves shot upwards to protect me from the "books of death". Ready for impact! Nothing... I opened one eye, then the other. I lifted my head upwards, and stared stupidly at Twilight sparkle, who had a bright pink aura around her horn. I noticed, that she (and Spike) were staring at something above my head. My jaw dropped, and I looked upwards, yet again. *WHAM!*. A small bookshelf detached itself from the wall, and "harmlessly" collided with my face, splitting itself in two (the bookshelf, not my face)! Not only did that pesky shelf give me a nosebleed, but Twilight and Spike started laughing hysterically at my pain! She released her telekinesis spell, and let the heavy books tumble onto my already-painful forehead. This infuriated me, but not for long. The cute tingle in her laugh caused my hot temper to subside. Besides, who can stay angry at a pony? I never raised my voice at Dashie (never will), even though she was a crude prankster! I rubbed my aching head with my hoof, and tried to get out of (the) bed. Spike rushed to my bedside, and started shoving me back under the covers. "Ow! I feel fine, no reason to keep me here any longer!" I exclaimed. Twilight Sparkle shrugged, and said calmly: "You're in very bad condition. I don't really know why, though". She then trotted over to my bedside, and started collecting the fallen books (using telekinesis, of course). She then tossed them onto Spike, and said: "Can my number one assistant put these books back where they belong? Just not over our guest's head, because he might knock them down again!" She made herself comfortable on a nearby beanbag chair (at least it looked like one), and took out a pen and ink, a small notebook, and reading glasses (don't know where she got all those things from, but I barely know anything about magic either). That's Twilight Sparkle for you! always trying to learn, trying to get her facts straight (It's something that she obviously can't live without). In fact, I was expecting her to do something like that. Things like that define a human's (or pony's) personality. Personality is the visible aspect of one's character. In other words, It specifies their actions (Future actions, past actions - it doesn't matter). She heaved sigh, put on her reading glasses, and opened her notebook on the last page (she obviously used it quite a lot.. "Right, so... Let's begin, shall we?" She said, with the usual change of pitch at the end of her sentence.(I had to stop myself from hugging her! She looked (and sounded) so cute! I guess that might be the main reason why humans aren't allowed in Equestra....) Spike, arms full of books, rolled his eyes, and said: "Twilight, you know better... Leave the poor guy alone! You already purposefully dropped your entire collection of the Starswirl the Bearded's astronomy books on his head!" A few moments later, I heard a soft tap on the front door (I had a strong sense of hearing, with those new ears etc...). Twilight looked up from her notes, and said: "Spike, get the door! It's probably Fluttershy... She's the only pony who barely touches the door when she tries to knock on it!" "I'm kind of busy right now!" Grumbled spike, who was already on the top of a bookshelf ladder. *tap, tap, tap*. I decided I could be of use, since I was always cooped up in bed all day long. I threw the blankets off my body, and leaped off the bed. My wings momentarily spread across the room, before I neatly folded them back. I shook my head, trying to get my mane in order. I calmly approached the front door, while the others gaped in amazement. *BANG!*. I bucked the door open, and stood towering over poor Fluttershy. Because of my height, I couldn't see anypony before I looked down. "I-I'm sorry...for...I-I-" Whimpered Fluttershy. *Author's note*: I typed this up on my phone (I was on a train), because I love you guys so much /)(^3^)(\. > Fluttershy (Chapter 18) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I-I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't mean to...intrude..." Whimpered Fluttershy She lowered her head to the ground, and slowly backed away. Poor Fluttershy! She was shaking all over, just like a brittle leaf. She closed her eyes, and locked her teeth together, and started shaking more than ever (I could hear her teeth chattering). It took me a few moments to realize that I was scaring her... After all, I was twice her size... Twilight Sparkle nudged me aside (quite rudely), and trotted over to Fluttershy, who was still cowering on the ground: covering her face with her hooves. Twilight pushed Fluttershy's hooves aside (with her nose), which revealed her large, blue, twinkling eyes (I always liked Fluttershy's eyes). "Fluttershy! You're embarrassing me." Whispered Twilight (she obviously didn't want me to hear her). "Just call me Mr. Dash..." I muttered under my breath "...Mr. Dash! Right! How could have I forgotten!?" Shouted Twilight (typical). Fluttershy slowly got up, eyes still locked on me, and said (quietly): "Oh...It's just that...he's so...big!" Twilight quickly turned her head to face me, and smirked. "He's...Not from around here!!" She yelled (at full volume, quite annoying....) If Twilight was trying to calm Fluttershy down, she wasn't doing a very good job. It was almost like she was doing the exact opposite! I figured something like this would happen. Twilight never did have the ability to keep herself under control. She always overreacts about things that aren't even worth mentioning... I decided to try and calm Fluttershy down myself. To be honest, I didn't know if I could do it. I mean, Fluttershy is a very frail and vulnerable creature (should I even mention that she's frightful...?) Many things, big and small, scare her (obviously). I heaved a sigh, and slowly approached the frightened mare. As I got close to her, I heard Twilight whisper something in her ear. I wasn't paying much attention, but I thought I heard her say "Rainbow Dash". When I heard Dashie's name, I felt an icy-cold chill run down my spine (even though "Rainbow Dash" wasn't my daughter"). They both looked up at me, and Fluttershy smiled (showing all her teeth, a typical cutesy smile). "Um...well...T-this is embarrassing!" Chimed Fluttershy. "I-I didn't know you were...related to...her" She blushed, then looked away. "Well!" Said Twilight sparkle (a bit calmer this time). "Now that we know each other, we can finally go inside and have a decent conversation!" Twilight snatched Fluttershy's mane with her mouth, and firmly dragged her into the library. I smiled, and followed them inside. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We made ourselves comfortable on a large carpet near the fireplace. Twilight Sparkle took out her notebook and her reading glasses (again, I don't know how she does it), and said: "O-o-okay! What did you say your name was again?" "...Just call me Mr.Dash...." I said nervously, because I didn't want them to know my real name, of course. Twilight didn't mind calling me Mr. Dash Fluttershy was engaged in a heated conversation with Spike about phoenixes, or something like that. Typical Fluttershy stuff. I wasn't paying much attention to Twilight, because she was senselessly muttering something to herself (under her breath). She began vigorously flipping through the pages of her notebook with a puzzled look on her face. "That's odd...I don't remember meeting any of Rainbow Dash's relatives...She never mentioned them, ever! I guess that's something she just didn't want to...talk about..." Mumbled Twilight. Dashie doesn't have any relatives? How can that be? I'm no geneticist, but I know that rainbow ponies don't randomly pop up around Equestria...Surely she had relatives... A father...? A mother...? From what I heard, Dashie was in flight school ever since she was a little filly! Why would anyone want to ditch her? She was the cutest thing in the world when I found her (and still is)! Her large, pink eyes always brought a smile to my gloomy face. Her big, glistening smile always brightened my day. I'm sure Dashie was about that age when her "parents" dumped left her all alone... "Dash? Mr. Dash..?" Said Twilight, with a hint of curiosity in her voice. "What are you doing...?" Apparently, I was 100% spaced out while those thoughts raced through my head, just stupidly staring at the ceiling of the tree-house. Twilight smiled, tucked the quill she was writing with behind her ear, and got up off the carpet. She then started happily trotting around the room (for some unapparent reason). "I'm sure you'd like to meet all of my friends! There's Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rari-" "Can I see Dashie?" I said quietly. What I don't need is more time down the drain. I need to see my daughter. Twilight stopped dancing around the room, and curiously raised one eyebrow. "Dashie...? Where have I heard that before...?" She plopped onto the floor, and began scratching her head with her hoof. "Ugh! I can't remember... I know I've seen you before! I recognize your voice.." She said through her clenched teeth. I was scared to death. My body changed, why didn't my voice change?! Why didn't I think of this before?! Twilight has an excellent memory! I was too damned stupid to think before I spoke, and now I'm in danger of getting discovered! .....I'm too fed up with having too keep my identity safe anyways. I'm a stallion, and I'm in Equestria. I don't see anything wrong with me being here! If Celestia said I wasn't meant to be in this world...THEN WHY AM I HERE??? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I stood up, then shook my colorful mane (hair tends to get into your eyes when you're a stallion). "Okay, if you really want to know who I am...I'll tell you. Just promise you won't tell anypony, okay?" said I, while nervously biting my lower lip. Twilight Sparkle looked at me, then at Fluttershy, who was still busily arguing with Spike. "Pinkie promise...?" I said. Twilight nodded, and said: "I promise! You can trust me... as a friend!" "I'm Dashie's father." Twilight smiled (again), and said: "There's nothing wrong with that! Why would you want to keep that a secret?" I lowered my forehead, and looked deep into her large, violet eyes. "You've met me before." *Author's note*: Yep. Another chapter complete. I'm sorry if it's so short >_>. I haven't had much time to write. Time, time time! Anyways, I've been working on music lately, because I'm going to make a song soon! Shouts out to all ya' awesome bronies out there (and pegasisters too!). Brohoof! > The truth (Chapter 18 1/2) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight raised both her eyebrows, then took a step forwards (I was freaking out). "I don't remember seeing you anywhere..." She said. "As a matter of fact, I don't think anypony's seen you before!" "That's what I wanted to talk to you about..." Twilight Sparkle took another step closer to me, and curiously squinted her eyes. "What do you mean...?" She said suspiciously. "W-well...I'm not from around here..." I mumbled. Twilight got even closer to me, and looked straight up into my eyes (she was so close, that I could feel her chilly breath on my neck) "Where are you from, then?" She said. I bit my lower lip (yet again), and looked in the opposite direction, trying to divert my gaze from Twilight's "death stare" (seriously). Judging by her behavior, I figured she already knew who I was, and what I was doing here. What other options were there? I mean, here I am: a stallion, nopony knows who I am, or where I came from. I'm looking for "Dashie", and I'm obsessed with staying undercover. It's kind of obvious... A bright mind like Twilight's always notices things of that nature. "......Earth" I whispered. Twilight's jaw dropped open, and she let out a hushed squeak (much like Fluttershy's). She backed away, mouth still open, and said something that I couldn't understand (gibberish). Spike and Fluttershy stopped arguing, and started paying attention to Twilight. I thought she already knew where I was from...? "Uh, you okay Twi'?" Said spike, while scratching his head. Twilight shook her head, rubbed her eyes against her mane, then blinked a few times (she did this repeatedly). She stood up, and made her way towards Fluttershy and Spike. "I-I don't understand...How did you...?" She said, while nudging Fluttershy out the front door with her nose. Fluttershy tried to climb over Twilight (back into the room), but Twilight kept a firm grip on Fluttershy's mane with her mouth. "U-um, okay Twilight...I had a great time...I-I ho-" *SLAM* I shrugged, but not without giggling at how Twilight mercilessly got rid of Fluttershy. (Poor Fluttershy!) "Beats me, I don't know how I got here myself!" I exclaimed. After Twilight finished bolting the door shut, she turned around and said: "Well, you didn't come here yourself, did you...? "No...Not exactly" I was amazed at Twilight coolness. It's almost like she expected this to happen (maybe she was)... I thought she would call the Princess to take me away! "What's the last thing you remember?" She said, while taking out her quill and pen (and putting on her silly reading glasses). Typical... Meanwhile, Spike was struggling to unbolt the door and let poor Fluttershy in, who was frantically banging on the windowpane and calling for help. He realized he was too short to reach the handle, and he dashed into the other room, looking for a step stool. He couldn't find one, so he grabbed the largest book in the room, and used it as a "height-booster". Twilight didn't seem to be paying attention to the chaos brewing behind her, and was calmly scribbling something in her silly notebook. I stood there and gaped at the front door. I looked like it was going to pop off it's hinges from all the rattling! "...Twilight...?" I said rather quietly "Yes...?" She replied "Don't you think you should let Fluttershy in...? I mean, she's freaking out...from the dark...probably thinks something's out to get her..." I neighed (yes, neighed. Believe it.) "Oh, she'll be fine!" Giggled Twilight (who was obviously enjoying herself). I looked at Twilight, then at Fluttershy (through the window). Fluttershy looked so desperate (and innocent), that I decided to help her (I always loved every living create, especially animals...ever since I was a toddler. That's why I decided to take care of Dashie). I marched to the door, kindly pushed Spike aside (he somehow mysteriously unlocked the door), and forced it open (Something was leaning against it, probably Fluttershy). Fluttershy bolted into the room, and hugged my neck. She hung there for a few seconds, before saying: "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I was so...scared..." I grinned, and said: "Figured" She then flopped onto the ground, blushed, and looked away. "I think I have a solution" Said Twilight. *Author's note*: Since some of you couldn't wait for the next chapter, I decided to write this filler for the previous chapter right before I release the next one. > The passing (Chapter 19) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle looked very confused. It looked like she didn't have a solution after all... I don't think she had anything to do with my appearance in Ponyville. Perhaps it was just a freak of nature...? Wrong. There are no accidents. The pegasus on Earth made me think so. I must be here for a reason, and that reason is Dashie. How many days, no, weeks have gone by? I still haven't seen my daughter. I hate to think about it, but I can't help remembering Earth. Fifteen days, fifteen years. Fifteen years have gone by. There's no going back now. No ties are left with My universe. All the bridges have been destroyed, ceased to exist. It makes me sad, thinking about my old house. I don't care what's happened to it since, but that house holds many memories of Dashie and me - the happiest years of my life. Fifteen years is a long time. I can't go back... I don't want to go back... In fact, I was longing for a miracle to happen. I didn't want to rot in my old house, doing nothing but remembering the "good old days". Memories are memories, and nothing can change that. No how hard you try, you can't make memories a reality. Reality - the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. I was curious whether those many years with my daughter were a reality. They were. That makes me happy... Some of you might say that all this, that Equestria is just a fragment of my imagination. Even if it is, who cares? I'm happy. Happiness is all that matters. Joy... So it goes. So many questions, so little time. Why was spike on Earth, keeping track of my actions? If Twilight didn't send him, then who did...? I didn't feel like asking Twilight any questions. Her hooves seemed to be overflowing with many things, seemingly more important than my curiosity. She did look very jittery, very nervous. Fluttershy seemed to have disappeared to a dark corner of the library, never to be seen again (that's what I thought, quite silly). Spike was still struggling with the door, trying to close it this time "Ugh, Twilight, what's with these doors of yours? I'm too short to reach the darned handle!" He grumbled. Twilight lowered her notebook, and glanced over the rim of her glasses, just in time to see Spike furiously hopping up and down, helplessly trying to reach the doorknob (Twilight yelled at him for using her Encyclopedia as a stepping stool, so he didn't dare do it again). "Maybe I can cut a hole in the door, so you can go in and out as you please!" She chuckled. Spike rolled his eyes, and quickly pattered up the wooden stairs to his bedroom. Twilight seemed to have noticed Fluttershy's absence (finally), and started twisting her head 'round and 'round, trying to locate the shy, mellow mare (no, I didn't want to say "yellow"). "Where's Fluttershy?" She asked. I heard a faint mumble from Twilight's bedroom: Just Spike going to bed (I think he tried to answer Twilight's question, but already was half asleep). "Probably hiding somewhere." I answered. Just then, a frail squeak came from the darkest corner of the room (It sounded like an old, rusty door repeatedly opening and closing). I suddenly felt sorry for Fluttershy. She's always scared...Always afraid something will happen to her, or her friends. I mean, she can't even go outside when it's dark! I reverted my attention back to Twilight. She had some sort of twisted, confused expression on her face. It looked like she was still trying to figure out what to do with Fluttershy...How to get her home, to her animal-friends (she's the only one who takes care of them). "Dash, if it's not much to ask, would you mind escorting Fluttershy back to her house...?" She said, while rubbing her chin with her hoof. What's gotten into her? Doesn't she realize I'm the reason Fluttershy is hiding? "T-that's okay...I-I'll...Go home by m-myself!" Squealed Fluttershy. She pranced across the room, towards the front door, gasping for air (she wasn't moving too fast, though). "Fluttershy!" Yelled Twilight, while shutting with her magic. "Please! Let him escort you to your house! Besides, you can show him where everypony lives." Fluttershy stopped right next to the front door, then lowered her head to the ground. Her cheeks turned a tinge of bright red (It almost looked like she was blushing). she looked so embarrassed! Her sorry appearance almost made me want to hug her. "Okay...I guess...um...that sounds...great..." She whispered, with her head still near the ground. Twilight crossed her hooves, and slowly nodded her head. "Well..." Said Twilight. "I'm going to bed. You two can head out anytime. Good night!" She yawned, then slowly made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. Good night indeed...? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Okay, Fluttershy! Let's go?" I said, sounding a bit adventurous. I caught a glimpse of Fluttershy's twinkling eyes from under her long, bright pink hair. "B-but it's...s-so...dark..." She whimpered. "There's nothing to be afraid of! Come on, that's why I'm here to escort you." I said with a gentle smile spread across my face. I couldn't believe I was actually facing the real Fluttershy, not some phony cartoon character! I could barely hold in my Brony excitement! I had to... because I realized I looked a bit creepy, smiling away so late in the night (not to mention, with Fluttershy next to me). I tried my best to stay calm, but Fluttershy always seemed to get scared of something: whether it was a bush or a tree, or perhaps a rock. Every few minutes she would let out a loud squeak, and hide behind me (from what, I don't know). By the looks of it, we were getting closer to Fluttershy's house. I haven't watched the show for...what, fifteen years...? But I still recognized some of the "famous" landmarks (Sugarcube corner, the bridge, etc). So I knew we were getting close. Fluttershy wasn't much of a people's person (or in this case, a pony's person). When I tried to strike up a conversation with her, she would just mutter something and look away. I guess that's why she's called Fluttershy - she's timid. So it goes. We were passing a green field with a few oaks growing in the center (and around the vicinity). Aside from all the tents, there was a two (or three, if you count the tower-looking thing on the top) storied house. It had a few pillars here and there, two horse-looking shapes were on either side of the house... I wondered where I've seen it before. Wondering...Wondering...Nothing. Nothing came to mind, I just couldn't remember. There wasn't any use asking Fluttershy... I thought she'd just look away and blush...again. Fluttershy noticed my seeming curiosity , and said (in a hushed voice, of course): "That's...Rarity's house...It's nice, isn't it...? I like her...style" I glanced at Fluttershy, who was grinning (she seemed to have cheered up for some reason), and then at Rarity's house. All the lights in the house were shining brightly, and I could make out a chaotic cacophony of voices, talking all at once. Exactly what I expected. "Should we drop by for a visit? I haven't seen Rarity yet (which was true, I guess)" I asked. Fluttershy did a little cutesie nod, and grinned again. The indistinct voices grew louder and louder as we approached Rarity's house. Soon, we were near enough to Understand what the residents were saying: "But I didn't put it anywhere, Sis!" Yelled a high-pitched voice, much like Applebloom's (but without the southern accent). "Well, I declare! Sweetie Belle! Go up to your room right this instant! I don't want to tell Mother!" Gasped another voice, that sounded much like an English Duchess from the middle of 18th century... Rarity, I presume. The other voice belonged Sweetie Belle, her sister (and not to mention, one of the three Cutie mark crusaders). I took a deep breath, and slowly approached the purple door (It had two diamond-shaped windows, one near the top, one near the bottom). > Rarity (Chapter 20) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I didn't want to interfere with anypony's private buisness, but what else could I do? I reached out, and lightly tapped on the lower window, not expecting much of an answer. The arguing ceased, and I could have sworn I heard more than two voices whispering to each other. One of them sounded very familiar... Fluttershy was getting more and more anxious, almost like she was expecting an evil force to attack us at that very moment! "Oh...Rarity...please...open the door already..." She whimpered All I could hear was a mushed up chorus of voices: I couldn't make what they were saying, and neither could Fluttershy (I asked her if she understood them, but she was too busy trying to hide under me to hear the words coming out of my mouth. (I had to gently shove her away with my elbow to keep her from slipping under me). After four to five minutes of "organized chaos" (not to mention the banging and scuffling coming from Rarity's house), I heard a faint *click*, and figured Rarity was unlocking the door. She was. Since Rarity had never seen me before, I decided to push Fluttershy ahead of me, and back away into the musky shadows of the front porch. I didn't want Rarity to freak out (I've had plenty of that). Fluttershy hesitated at first, but then let it happen (or maybe she gave up her struggle, I don't know. She was still trying to hide from who knows what). The door opened (wide), spilling bright, cheery light all over the gloomy porch. There stood Rarity in all her glory. She was wearing a fashionable sleeping gown, and had a large amount of teal-colored hair curlers neatly resting on her head. "Fluttershy! What are you doing out so late...? Come in, come in! I have something want to show you... Oh, you look simply fabulous!! Have you been applying that new facial cream I bought you? Hmm?" she chimed, while firmly embracing Fluttershy in one of her friendly hugs (she didn't seem to notice me, even though I was positioned right behind Fluttershy.) "I um..." is all Fluttershy said (not too talkative). After a minute or two of Rarity's senseless jabbering, she finally averted her gaze, just in time to meet mine. I was a bit restless: a modest sneer found it's way onto my face (I was afraid I was developing a character similar to Rainbow Dash's: Cocky and rude). "Oh my!" she exclaimed "Who is this? Why, I've never seen him before! Fluttershy, you never told me you-" "Oh, no...we're not..." I said, embarrassed. "We decided to drop by for a visit!" "my condolences..." Said Rarity, with a smug expression on her face. I've never seen Fluttershy so red in my entire life (even though I haven't seen her much). Cheeks flaming, she stepped into the room, and slipped behind a crate, which was overflowing with stylish hats (Rarity hadn't noticed a thing, of course). Rarity pulled me inside, slammed the door shut, and proceeded to the kitchen. She beckoned to us to follow. I nudged Fluttershy out from behind the crate with my nose, and gently pushed her towards the kitchen. Rarity sat us around a small, round table. I decided to tell Rarity who I really am, and why I'm here. After a few minutes of "I see", "Uh-huh" and "So that's why your mane is so, so rainbow-colored! Hah!", a series of loud bangs and crashes reached my ears (presumably from upstairs), soon followed by a loud "Darn it! Nuthin' yet!" I could sense the anger boiling up inside Rarity: Her face turned from snow-white to bright-red. It looked like her temper had finally reached the brim of her rickety patience. she yelled at the top of her lungs: "SWEETIE BELLE, WE HAVE GUESTS!!! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME... TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO STAY QUIET!!!" A small head peeked out from behind the kitchen corner. As soon as I saw that large, pink hair bow, I knew who it was: Applebloom. It looked like the cutie mark crusaders were having another sleepover at Rarity's. "Mr. Dash! What are ya' doin' here?" she squealed in her usual, high-pitched southern voice. She zipped past Rarity (Rarity had gotten up from the table, and was heading upstairs to have a talk with Sweetie Belle, about her behavior and such...), and leaped onto onto me at full speed, laughing. I wasn't expecting such a response, and she knocked the air out of my lungs, causing me to *OOMF* (even for a filly, she was quite heavy) After mercilessly trampling me, she looked up, and noticed Fluttershy (Fluttershy was in the state of shock: her eyes were bulging, and her intense breathing reminded me of Dashie, gasping for air after one of our morning jogs). "Fluttershah'! You're here too! How excitin'! We're gonna have so much fun!" She shouted. "U-um...o-okay..." Gulped Fluttershy. I was curious whether Scootaloo was present (because I hadn't seen her before), so I asked: "Um, Applebloom, are all the cutie mark crusaders sleeping over at Rarity's house?" "Wah', of course we are! It's a tradition! Every Saturday we gather our things, and head over to Sweetie Belle's! Ah' can introduce you to them! I bet Scootaloo will go nuts when she sees ya'! Ya' gotta meet the rest of the cutie mark crusaders!" She replied. I couldn't help but smile at the exhilarating expression on Applebloom's face, and, not to mention, her large, twinkling, expressive eyes. Rarity's obnoxious voice could be heard once again as she was herding the rest of gang downstairs: "Now! You two learn to behave yourselves in front of our guest! I don't want any of you to make a bad first impression to Rainbow's father!" "You mean the Rainbow Dash? The coolest, and the most awesome pony in Ponyville?!" Squeaked a rather familiar voice (I guessed that was Scootaloo, even though she sounded a bit different, not what I had expected at first). Here they come, straight into the kitchen. First came Rarity, then Sweetie Belle, then Scootaloo. Scootaloo's eyes lit up with excitement when she saw me. "WOW! You're Rainbow Dash's father!" I-I can't believe you're here, in Ponyville!" She said nervously (with a jumpy voice). She flapped her tiny wings (I was amazed that she still couldn't fly), creating a soft hum. She dashed past Rarity and Sweetie Belle, mouth gaping, eyes shining. She stopped short, inches away from my legs, and slowly circled around me, admiring every aspect of my "so-similar-to-Rainbow Dashness". You couldn't imagine how shocked she was when she noticed I didn't have a cutie mark. "Why don't you have a cutie mark...?" She yelped "It's hard to explain..." I replied. "Y-you're just like her! I-I can't believe it!" she cried out. "This is so awesome! You can join the Cute mark crusaders, and find your special talent!" She excitedly hugged Applebloom, and flopped onto the floor from exhaustion. "Really...? Scootaloo, please...No reason to get all excited!" Said Rarity, while fixing her hair curlers (she looked quite silly, yet venerable). "Mr. Dash won't ever join your silly little group!' "I'll consider it, kid!" I said, while patting Scootaloo on the head. I was overflowing with excitement. How many bronies get to meet the cutie mark crusaders in person...? (Not to mention: Rarity and Fluttershy) I think I was almost as excited as Scootaloo! I felt a slight tug on my mane, and I looked down to see Sweetie Belle, who was smiling like crazy. "Well, sis and I talked about it, and we decided that everypony should get together, and go visit Rainbow Dash in Canterlot Castle! It'll be so much fun! How about it?" *Author's note*: As you have probably guessed, I'm getting near the end of this story (not the end of the general storyline, though). If you want me to keep on stretching the plot out, or if you want me to end this quicker, please leave a comment! Thanks bro /)^3^(\! > Today's the day! (Chapter 21) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rarity's hospitality warmed my cold heart (I guess that's why she's the spirit of generosity). I didn't have many friends back on earth, so her kind actions meant a lot to me. I never had any sleep-overs, no parties, nothing... The only thing that kept my life from veering down into the vile state of modern human society was my ability to love. I don't mean love like...like love love... I had the ability to accept others. It never mattered to me whether they were homeless, sick, etc... People are people, and they all must put their differences aside and care for each other. Unfortunately, not many people were like me: loving and kindhearted... Dashie was the element that harmonized my life: Loyalty. It stuck to her like a magnet; It didn't matter if her temper often gave away, or if she was a bit rude sometimes. Loyalty was her thing. Two lively sparks, sharing their feeble light with the rest of the gloomy world. That's who we were: Trueheart and Kindheart...Fastened together with a bond beyond explanatory adequacy. Not much "happened" that night, after Sweetie Belle proclaimed we should visit Dashie the very next day: Rarity urged Fluttershy and me to sleep over at her house. I readily agreed, but Fluttershy was worried about her forest-friends, and kept on whimpering how they would miss her, and how they couldn't live without her etc...But she simply couldn't refuse Rarity's generous offer, and tried to calm herself down by reminding herself (every 10 seconds, out loud) that "A-angel-bunny will take care of...everything while I'm away"! While being a devout Brony back on Earth, I never actually saw the second floor of Rarity's house (maybe I was just too ignorant to notice)! All I can say is that I've never seen a more stylishly furnished house in my entire life (remember, I didn't have much of a life back on Earth). Sofas, Divans, tapestries - luxury beyond extent. Fluttershy had already been in Rarity's house, so she didn't think much of it. The dull, drywall rooms in my old house caused me to loathe all buildings and structures; it caused my yearning for the outdoors to grow every day (long evening walks - ring any bells?) The very hyper cutie mark crusaders were ruthlessly stuffed into Sweetie Belle's room (by Rarity), still jabbering about "how fun tomorrow will be!"; Rarity sure as heck knew how to deal with those young fillies. I, myself, was led into down the hallway to a spacious room; the dark-purple walls were covered with various treasures- blue ribbons, red ribbons, medals, trophies - everything possibly imaginable. "Rarity, what is this place?" I asked, while gaping at the various trinkets. "Oh! Isn't it marvelous?" She replied, with a hint of friendly pride in her voice, "This is my father's room! He was Ponyville's finest quarterback, you know...Back in the day!". "Ponies play Football...?" I muttered to myself. "How amusing!" Rarity curiously raised her eyebrows, and said: "Hmm? Did you say something, dear?" "Oh, never mind. I was just talking to myself." I replied, anxiously (I was tired, and more than happy to find myself face to face with a comfortable-looking bed). I wanted to ask Rarity about her parents, where they were and such; but I was too tired to care about anything except sleep (not to mention - my own comfort). Rarity nudged me with her elbow (if ponies have elbows), wished me a good night, and calmly trotted out of my room, down the carpeted hallway. I flopped down onto the soft, cozy bed, closed my eyes, and yelled "F*ck!" at the top of my lungs (I still hadn't gotten rid of my old style of talking). I, a genius, had laid down on my own outstretched wings! Minding my own clumsiness (and forgetfulness, and the pain), I rolled over, heaved a sigh, and shut my heavy eyelids. I had finally gotten my much deserved sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What a bustle! What excitement! I hadn't even gotten out of bed, yet Scootaloo and Applebloom had found their way into my room, and were jumping all over me, trying to wake me up! Sweetie Belle entered the room, carrying a tray of dark-brown severely burnt food (if that even was food) between her teeth. "Shcootaloo! Applebloom! What did you do? I wash gonna sherve him breakfasht in bed!" She squealed, voice muffled by the silver tray, clasped tightly by her jaws. Applebloom hopped off of my bed, and gracefully landed on the hardwood floor; soon followed by Scootaloo, who rapidly flapped her tiny wings in mid-air. "Aw, come on Sweetie Belle! Ah' can show ya' how to make a real breakfast for a real stallion! Mah' big sis taught me how!" yelled Applebloom. "I know how to make breakfasht..." Mumbled Sweetie Belle, stay still in her mouth. I didn't want them to argue over such matter-less things, so I told them I wasn't hungry (which wasn't true, of course). Kids are hard to control - they're so energetic (I know this because of my previous experiences with Dashie). I trotted downstairs to find Rarity, who was applying some sort of facial cream onto a squirming, uncomfortable Fluttershy. They both had towels tied around their heads and, in general, looked simply adorable. "Dash! You're awake! Good! I need you to help me with something!" Proclaimed Rarity, while holding Fluttershy down with her hind legs. After a few minutes of Rarity's "makeover", The cutie mark crusaders tumbled down the stairs, ready for the adventure: "Lets go to Twilight's first!" Screamed Sweetie Belle "Ah' think we should go to Applejack's..." uttered Applebloom. "I agree with Sweetie" Said Sootaloo. "After all, Twilight is the closest pony to us..." "Whatever..." Mumbled Applebloom in disappointment. It didn't stop there. They kept arguing about who's house we should visit first. Rarity didn't pay much attention to them (I guess she was used to the cutie mark crusaders antics). She was too busy doing whatever she was doing with Fluttershy. I urged everypony to get themselves ready for the trip to Canterlot (I don't know why, but it always seemed like Canterlot was very close to Ponyvile, but it wasn't). Rarity had an extra saddlebag for all the members of our "adventurer's club", or whatever Scootaloo called it; She was delighted to receive a saddlebag which was previously own by Rainbow Dash (for me, Rainbow Dash was a completely different pony, not my daughter). Fuss after fuss, we finally left. I can't believe I'm actually going to see her, Today! *Author's note*: E-E-EYUP! As you have probably noticed (Lol), this particular story is nearing the end! I believe I have written way too many chapters (I do believe 20-30 chapters is the most anybrony can expect) . I think I should widen my borders, and write more, new fics. I LOVE writing! Now, I want to answer seven questions (which people keep asking me, Lol): 1. How does Dashie's father look like? -Now, I've been getting this question way too much (I love answering your questions, guys; so keep asking!) He isn't a pony, he's a stallion. He's a bit taller than the princess, and he's well built (like Big Macintosh, but more graceful...) His mane isn't exactly the same as Dashie's... (in style his hair is more gruff). Well, that should be enough... 2. What will happen when Dashie meets daddy? -Read and find out 3. Will Dashie believe her father is daddy? -Read and find out 4. Where's Pinkie Pie? -She'll show up soon, don't you worry! 5. Why hasn't the princess showed up yet? -Because she hasn't (spoiler: she'll be at the end of the story to explain all that's happened) 6. What will dad's cutie mark look like? -Feel free to offer designs. I'm not saying I can't do it, it's just that I want you guys to feel special :D! 7. When will it all end?!?!? -dunno Thanks, and tune in again soon! Thanks again! /]^3^[\ > Filler chapter (Applejack's) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- We left Rarity's house house at noon, and I expected the journey to Canterlot to be a paint in the flank. I didn't want to spend an entire day on the train, nor did I want to trot there by foot (or hoof). I, out of pure boredom, asked Rarity if she'd ever seen a human before (in Equestria), and she told me she had only seen a human once, and not in Equestria (I can guess where, and who). I asked Fluttershy too, but she didn't respond (seemed like she didn't want to respond: her sullen eyes were locked onto the muddy path. Fluttershy, unlike Rarity, didn't care much about her hooves getting covered in foul mud; her thoughts were aimed elsewhere. A small, sorrowful frown attached itself to her face, giving her an unpleasant, mournful look. One measly thought stuck to me while we were rounding up the rest of the gang: Why? Why is Fluttershy so sad? Shouldn't she be happy? We're visiting Dashie! Everypony should be happy! It was rather foolish of me to think that, because Fluttershy is always sad (don't accuse me of over-exaggerating; if you were there, you'd understand). Our little "adventure" didn't go as planned: We got scattered all over Ponyville, each following his/her own leads. The first pony I visited was, of course, Applejack. I hadn't forgotten how she generously accepted me in her own home, much like a member of the Apple Family itself (I also rather adored her southern-American accent). With Applebloom as my guide (of course), we found our way to Sweet Apple Acres. I knew we were getting close, because I could distinguish the mixed aromas of apple blossoms, hay, and manure, carried by the sweet, early-spring air (a rather pleasant smell). I realized how lucky I was to be here, in Equestria! Bronies don't even dream about getting here. In fact, most of them don't even know it really exists. The sound of Applebloom's frail hooves "clip-clopping" on the gravel road; the colorful birds in the trees, greeting us at every corner with a tweet of delight. A smile found it's way onto my cheerful face every time Applebloom let out a squeak of enjoyment; as she hopped up and down, desperately trying to reach the nests on the tips of the blossoming apple trees. Life is beautiful! My eyes caught the bright reflection of the early-morning sun on the bright, glistening steel roof of the Apple Family barn. Applebloom zoomed ahead of me, over the edge of the hills, shrouded with mellow-green grass. "Sis, sis! Where are 'ya sis? Guess who's here again! Guess where we're going today!" She screeched at the top of her lungs. Finally, after a few moments of silence, A soothing voice reached my ears: "Now, calm down! calm down!Would ya' stop pokin' me? Ah'm try'na catch forty winks!" "But sis! We're going to Canterlot today!" squeaked Applebloom (remember, I could only assume what was going on, because I was still hidden behind the hill by the front gate). "Canterlot...? Who said anything about Canterlot? Where'd 'ya get that crazy idea?!" I found it necessary to ease into their conversation (to explain what was going on). I shook my gruff mane, and slowly crept out from behind the grassy mound, head low to the ground. Applejack gasped with excitement when she saw me: Her lowly frown transformed into a smile of pure joy! "Mr. Dash, w-wah', what are 'ya doin' here?" She exclaimed, emerald eyes gleaming (It almost looked like she was blushing) I stood (with Applejack) by the old, dust-ridden, creaky wooden gate for at least fifteen minutes, discussing our future plans. *VERY IMPORTANT*: This chapter is VERY short. It's not much of a chapter, to be honest... More like something I scraped together in an hour or two. I've been very stressed out lately, and my mood doesn't seem to support my usual cheerful writing. I'm sorry if this didn't meet your expectations.. > Realization (Chapter 22) + what's going on > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After our long conversation by the front gate, Applejack, without saying good bye, wandered off, away through the endless corn fields, probably looking for Applebloom (Applebloom's constant thirst for adventure always caused her to disappear). The sun had already begun to set, and I was afraid the day would soon be over (surely Celestia could spare a few more precious hours of daylight). The cold, dark shadows of the distant hills loomed across the sullen farmyard. The sunlight eased through the soft, green leaves of the apple trees on the very top of the mountain behind the farm; the warm rays of sunlight scattered over the fields of growing vegetables, giving them a rather appeasing look. Shadows or no shadows, I was left waiting until Applejack's return (that is, if she would return). The shadows grew; They grew and they grew...They drenched the farm in their downcast essence. Very little sunshine was spared... Out of the sheer darkness (not too dark, though; my keen eyesight was very useful at times like this) came a sound, much like the growl or the squeal of a wild animal. I tossed my head back, as to get the hair of my mane off my eyes, wondering who (or what) had made that rather "frightening" sound. Hoof-steps. I heard heavy hoof-steps in the distance, every minute or two; getting closer and closer...louder and louder! All the muscles in my body got very tense, ready for action! Big Macintosh. False alarm. I had panicked for nothing... Big Macintosh was quite busy, herding a numerous amount of sheep back into the Apple Family barn. The growling? Nothing but good-old Winona, Applejack's faithful dog. I happily greeted Big Mac; He didn't seem to amused to see me, probably because I was popping up everywhere, all over Ponyville (I wouldn't have been too surprised to find that everypony already knew about me). He also greeted me with hist usual "E-e-eyup", and, after a low-toned howl from Winona, Big Mac urged the sheep to enter the dark barn. Winona...what an interesting name! I had never payed much attention to that dog since her first appearance in the episode "Applebuck Season", yet here she is, right in front of my eyes! I stood and I stood, waiting for Applejack and her "dotty" sister. The lights in the Apple-Family house flickered on, which made the entire Apple Family barn look very home-like. Still waiting... I comically lifted my hoof to "look at the time on my watch". Rather amusing - not having hands (or watches) anymore... I'm sure some ponies have watches...I would expect some residents of a high-class society, like Canterlot, to wear watches... Heck, maybe Dr. Whooves wears a watch! (who am I kidding?) I don't even know if that's his real name! If Equestria exists in a different universe, how did we (or they, the humans, now that I'm not human anymore) know about us, the ponies? (don't take me wrong, I'm still 99% human on the inside) Why did everything Lauren Faust create magically fit in with where I am now? If Equestria was created by humans, how is it here... how does it exist? I took the liberty to sit down, and my creative thoughts continued: I'm forgetting about the major time difference between Earth and Equestria... Every day is a year... If that's true, then Celestia exited for over four hundred-thousand years! That's not far from the beginning of humankind (I think; I'm no history expert)! From what I know, she used to banish major criminals to an "unknown" universe... From what that pegasus back on Earth said... Our bodies change...Could that means the criminals were transformed into humans...? Could those pony criminals have been the first real humans on Earth? Why wasn't Dashie transformed into a human...? I'm sure that only a certain spell has the ability to change the structure of a living organism's DNA...The one that requires a Lunar eclipse, or the one that uses the immense power of a thunderstorm combined with equally powerful magic... I can't really go over my own head here, I know very little about magic, or portals, or anything like that. I can only assume what really happened... One thing is certain: Earth's universe is tightly fastened to Equestria's universe; without it, humans wouldn't have ever existed! Evolution? This...this is far from evolution... How did Lauren Faust know so much about this "fictional" world? How did she know about the mane six? Questions left unanswered... Maybe she used to live here... maybe...maybe she was a pony! If she was banished to earth fifty years ago (earth time), then she must have been banished to earth only fifty days ago (by the Equestrian timeline)! Again, I'm not certain about this, but I'm certain enough to go ask the Princess herself. I must see Dashie first... This issue isn't more important than my daughter, but it's definitely worth looking in to. So it goes... I had already begun to doze off; the lights in the Apple Family house had already gone out long ago (if Big Macintosh wasn't worried about Applejack and Applebloom missing... enough to go to sleep; that means they must go on a ton of late-night adventures, much like this one!) *clip clop, clip clop* What was that? I lifted my head off my fore-hooves, and strained my ears. . *clip clop, clip clop* Again... It sounded like somepony, or some ponies were rushing along the gravel-laid road (again), towards Sweet Apple Acres (at full speed)! There were definitely more than two; more than three; more than six! It didn't sound like mild clop-steps anymore, it sounded like a horde of ponies was headed towards Sweet Apple Acres (I might have over-exaggerated a bit; I was very , very tired) I shook my head, in disbelief of what I was hearing. Ten dark silhouettes popped out from behind the nearest hill; I couldn't see a damn thing! It looked like there were six big ones; and three, no, four small ones! The last one was carrying a lantern, hanging off a rather short iron rod. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not, but I was very sure that the last one (carrying the lantern) was Spike himself (he was a bit slower than the rest of the gang, that's why he appeared last). The three small ones must've been the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and, the rest...Well, you can guess... The dark figures stopped abruptly, and circled around me (not disturbing at all?). It took a few more seconds for a tired, panting Spike to make his way past the rest of the gang, right in the middle of the "circle" (his small lantern gave off enough light for me to recognize most of the mane six and the Cutie Mark Crusaders) . Then, a very loud, high-pitched voice broke the awkward silence: "So-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o...this is what he looks like? Hm-m-m-m... I think I might've seen him before! Oh! He's the one who was hiding in the back of Big Macintosh's hay-cart! How exciting! Dashie's daddy! O-o-oh, I can't wait to see the look on Dashie's face when she sees him! *squeal of excitement*" Pinkie Pie... Who else could it have been? Not everypony maniacally bounces up and down, repetitively... over-and-over again (most of the time). She seemed very, very curious as to who I was... (even though she just announced I was Dashie's father), and kept pressing her cold, pink nose against mine "to get a closer look"... That's Pinkie Pie for you (I had to stop myself from smiling at her cheerful smirk...She always cracks me up!) Twilight Sparkle, who was carrying a rather heavy-looking saddlebag, nudged her way through the rest of the ponies, right in the middle of the circle, next to Spike (Applejack tried not to make eye contact with me; it seemed she was a bit guilty about leaving me next to the old, rusty front gate for a few hours). She gracefully cleared her throat, closed her eyes, raised her eyebrows, and began: "Now! isn't it nice to see us all together?" She said, while glancing at all the members of the group (including me). "We've gotten together toda-" "Twigh', stop with the silly talk ah'n get 'awn with it already..." Mumbled Applejack (I sniggered). Twilight frowned, then continued: "Fine... Applejack and Applebloom gathered all of us together, because we're heading to Canterlot...tomorrow...To see Rainbow Dash!" My face twitched when I heard Twilight say "Rainbow Dash"... I don't know, but I don't like the thought of my daughter being addressed as...Rainbow Dash... "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! We can throw her a super-duper-awesome-best-friends-forever-and-ever-party when we get there!!!" Yelled Pinkie Pie, while bouncing up and down (faster than ever). Twilight Smirked, turned to face Pinkie Pie (still bouncing) and said: "Pinkie Pie... I don't think we should do anything exciting...we might Scare her! After all, she did live in a different universe for over fifteen years... We don't even know if she's back to normal yet..." "back to normal"... Dashie... ----------------------------------------------------My life problems------------------------------------------------------------ *Author's note*: I'm kind-of down right now...My girlfriend is moving to Finland... The only good thing that happened t me was that I aced my Final Math exams by a hundred and twenty percent (totally awesome Rainbow Dash reference). I know I should be posting this in my blog, but I don't really want to... She was a super-awesome Pegasister; in fact we met before we knew anything about MLP. We didn't convert each other, we're both naturals. She was loyal, like Rainbow Dash (not to mention, super awesome and cool!); Kind, like Fluttershy; Generous, like Rarity; Truthful, like Applejack; Smart, like Twilight Sparkle; and she loved to party, like Pinkie Pie...! The girl of my dreams, gone! ---------------------------------------------------Related to my Sequel-------------------------------------------------------- As you all know, this sequel is nearing the end (yes, I've mentioned it over nine thousand times; yet I never had the chance to actually finish it). The storyline is nearing an end, and, I promise, it will be a very happy ending! Anyways, thanks for reading this chapter! Don't forget to post comments in the comment section below! Ya' know, I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written! > Chapter 23 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------Sorry that it's so short - Continued in author's note----------------------------- Our rather unusual gathering lasted till dawn. Twilight was prone to starting arguments about many things not worth mentioning (Rarity's hair - for example). What I hadn't noticed was that Spike had been holding that iron lantern since the beginning of the "conference"; It looked like he had the life squashed out of him. If that wasn't enough, he drained the last few drops of energy out of his body by wearily dragging himself next to Rarity (much to her discomfort, nah just kidding). I'm amazed Spike still sticks to Rarity's side, even though he's obviously been friend-zoned down to Oblivion (I'm sure he's the only one who doesn't notice a thing - he's too stubborn). He's a Dragon! How can a lizard be so fond of an Equidae? I'm not a hundred percent sure of how "things" work in Equestria, but I'm very sure that...that is similar to asking the sun to leave the sky. Things dragged on for quite a while. The sun peeped over the edge of the faraway hills, shrouding Equestria in Celestia's warmth. Birds flew to and fro, searching for interesting activities to occupy themselves with; the Apple Family barn door creaked open, and out came a sullen herd of cows, alongside Big Macintosh. Indescribable beauty, everywhere. I was getting a bit uneasy, because Twilight had been jabbering for over four hours. I don't even know what she was talking about...Something related to the stars, I think (most of the gang fell asleep - including the Cutie Mark Crusaders, of course). Twilight's eyes continuously hopped left and right to see if anyone was actually listening to her. When her eyes met mine, I cleared my throat, and gave her a stern look, as if to say "Let's go already". She smiled nervously, and, without hesitation, yelled at the top of her lungs (I didn't doubt she woke up half of Ponyville): "All right, listen up! If we're going to get to Canterlot in time to visit Rainbow Dash, we have to leave now!" "Hmf..." Mumbled Applebloom, obviously annoyed with her sudden awakening. "Aw' right', let's go then...' yawned Applejack. Rarity tapped Spike on the head, who had already curled around her front legs, sound asleep. "Wha...? What are we still doing here?" he said, while smacking his lips. "Well, surely you didn't expect us to carry you to the train station?" Growled Rarity. Spike, who was wide awake by then, hastily shook his head and apologized for...being rude, I guess. Twilight Sparkle led us down the gravel road, through Ponyville, and out to the town's train station; the short journey didn't take longer than five minutes, thanks to us being able to trot (or walk) much faster than humans usually do. Nopony said anything, except for an occasional squeak from Fluttershy (why, I don't know). The Cutie Mark Crusaders fell behind often, and, much to their delight, I offered them a ride on my back. It would have gone much better if Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hadn't been fiddling with my mane the entire time. Apparently, Twilight has a free pass to the Ponyville express (if that's what it's called), including a pass for any number of passengers; in other words, we didn't have to pay for our tickets. I found this rather dandy (Spike told me about it), because I had no means of earning any money. I made my way towards Twilight, who was busy sorting the tickets, and asked her why she couldn't teleport us to Canterlot. She seemed quite annoyed with my question, so I instantly backed away, not waiting for an answer. I'm sure there's a good, logical reason why she can't (or won't) do it. After waiting for what seemed to be a hundred years, the train finally arrived. It's architecture reminded me of a gingerbread house; probably why Pinkie Pie began frantically licking the engine-car; rather silly if you ask me, but she's Pinkie Pie, which obviously renders my arguments invalid. I asked Spike if she does silly things often (even though I potentially blew my "cover" at Twilight's house); I didn't want to look like a creepy stalker who knows everything there is to be about the Mane six (how clever of me...) Spike casually brushed my fabricated question aside, as if it were a sack of unwanted garbage. I'm sure everypony asks him every possible question related to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie's antics always spare me a good laugh! "All aboard!" yelled the mechanic with the silly mustache (I don't find it possible that ponies have mustaches). I observed a rather small family of unicorn-ponies saying their farewells to a young colt, most likely being sent to the school for gifted unicorns in Canterlot. The mother (a stocky unicorn most-likely in her mid-forties - that's how it looked like; I don't know how long ponies live) pulled a small, beige-colored handkerchief out of the back pocket of her frilly dress, took a deep breath, and, sparing the handkerchief no mercy, tried to blow out all the emotions related her son leaving her household. The father, on the other hand, (an average-looking earth pony) didn't seem to display any emotions at all. Their children were bawling, sad that their big brother was leaving them - for a long time. I kept my eyes glued to the parents and their children; deep in thought. Mind wandering, I didn't notice pinkie Pie, who sat directly across from me. She had her signature "what are you doing" look glued onto her pink face; and was twisting in every possible direction to try and get a better look at my face. When I picked my eyes up, her face was only inches away from the tip of my nose; she looked rather curious as to what I was thinking about a few seconds ago. "Need anything...?" I asked. Pinkie shrugged, and said: "Not really! Just felt like poking around!" - which proceeded with her dashing half across the car to sit next to the unicorn who's family I was observing. I didn't want to see what means of torment she'd use to cause him to fly out the window at light speed, just to get away from her. Head in hooves, I sat and blankly stared at the golden fields the train was passing. "Ya' know, mah' great-grandfather used to work on 'dem fields there." Said presumably Applejack, who had silently crept up form behind. I asked her what those fields were for, then, for a split-second, she pulled a look that made me feel like a jackass. "Oh, right, you're not from around here, my condolences..." she mumbled. Even Applejack can tell if others understand her facial-language. "'Dem fields are for nothin' other than growin' wheat! The finest wheat in Equestria, may I add!" she said proudly. "Wah', that's the very same wheat mister and missus Cake use for their delicious cooking!" "Best in Equestria!!!" yelled Pinkie Pie from across the train-car. I swear to God, that mare has ears of steel! I find it hard to believe that somepony's ears can be so keen while having a conversation with somepony else. She is Pinkie Pie after all... Almost there... -----------------------------------------------Author's note------------------------------------------ Sorry if this chapter didn't meet your expectations. I was away for a very long time, visiting relatives in Canada and the US, and friends. I was at Bronycon 2012. I'm pretty sure I saw some of you there! I'm back home, and I felt like writing! This chapter is a little bit short - something I whipped up as fast as I could! I want you guys to enjoy my writing! Brohoof to all of you! Cheers! > Chapter 24 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The chilly early-morning moonlight poured through the wagon car's windows. Beams of cold florescence danced across the sleeping ponies, as if asking them to wake up, begging them to play with them. Alas, nothing. Solemn shadows blanketed the car's floor, as if reflecting the moonlight's sullen loneliness. I noticed the Silhouette of Pinkie Pie's snoring mouth; opening and closing, opening and closing. It's almost as if time had slipped through my hooves. I felt no sense of time as I as I sat there, gazing at my motionless friends. Yes, friends. They may not know me as much as I know them, but I could feel their sense of security around me; especially Applejack. I glanced to the side, and I noticed that Applejack had fallen asleep on my shoulder. I pushed her head back onto the seat, which left her snoring, mouth open (much like Pinkie Pie). She mumbled something like "Well, ah' never!", then heaved her head back onto my shoulder, which caused her hat to fall off her head and back into my lap. I sighed again, and gently placed it back onto her head. "I hope we're almost there..." Said I while yawning; I took one last look outside, then nodded myself to sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "YAY! CANTERLOT! WE'RE HERE!!!" Screamed Pinkie Pie at the top of her lungs. That mare's voice sure can pack a punch to the ears! She zoomed past Spike, nearly knocking him over (he was delivering something to Rarity); whirled around Twilight Sparkle, who had recently woken up. "Careful Pinkie!" she bellowed, while grabbing hold of Fluttershy's mane to catch her balance. Fluttershy let out a ear-piercing yelp, which shook the entire train car. Pinkie Pie stopped short, just inches away from my face (why does she do that so often?). She grabbed my cheeks with her fore-hooves and shook the living heck out of me. "COMMON Mr. DASH!! WE'RE HERE" She yelled. While Pinkie Pie was quaking my head, Applejack lost her balance and tumbled onto the floor. "Wha-? What just happened...?" She asked. I had never seen Applejack so confused in my entire life! Her facial expression alone was enough to make anyone laugh. Pinkie withdrew from me, and her feet literally tangled up with each other. She fell back on the floor, laughing. She fell onto Spike, who was still struggling to get up after Pinkie Pie knocked him down the first time. This all happened in a matter of a few seconds, which is amazing, because it took me so long to describe what happened! I helped Applejack up while Spike was still choking under Pinkie's weight. "Ra-ri-ty" he blurted out between breaths. "Pinkie Pie!" Shouted Rarity; "Get off of Spikey-wikey right this instant! It isn't ladylike to squash someone while laughing at them!" "I'm...not...laughing...at Spike!" She gasped. "Well then, who are you laughing at?" Asked Rarity. "I dunno!" She replied, seemingly to have forgotten why she was laughing in the first place, "Mr. Dash started it!" No I didn't! "Figured..." Mumbled Rarity. Twilight had been helplessly trying to talk to Fluttershy for the past minute or two, who was sprawled on the floor with a silly look of shock on her face. We haven't even left the train, and chaos had already consumed us! Which made me think: "I wonder what Discord's up to...?" "All right everypony!" Yelled Twilight, who had somehow managed to Calm Fluttershy down, or just threw her back into the seat. "Princess Luna is going to be escorting us to the Royal Canterlot Castle, so everypony please be at your best behavior! That means you, Pinkie..." Pinkie Pie sniggered, and slapped Applejack on the back of her head, which caused her hat to fall off, again. "Owch! Pinkie! Wah' was that for!?" She yelled. "Oh, nothing!" She giggled, then hopped away towards the door. "I swear to Celestia..." She whispered to herself, "That mare is such a hoof-full!" (I sniggered at how she said that instead of "handful") Princess Luna.. It's been such a long time since I'd seen her last time. I may have not mentioned this, but I'd had many visions of her back in the days when Dashie left me. Quite confusing. I wonder why she offered to lead us to Canterlot Castle... She rarely shows up during the daytime, so this must be pretty important for her, I guess. I'd never met her before, how does she know who I am..? Does she know much about me...? What does she have to do with Dashie and me? If Celestia doesn't know I'm here, how does she know I'm here? Surely Twilight didn't tell he. I approached Twilight, who was nervously tossing things into her Saddlebag. I put my mouth right next to her ear, and whispered: "Twilight, you didn't-" My sentence was interrupted by a trembling blast of royal trumpets. Great, I wasn't expecting a royal welcome... Her ear twitched, then she whispered hurriedly: "Not now, Dash! I'm sure Luna's already outside waiting for us!" Wait, what? What was the occasion? Why is everypony taking this so seriously? Why is Luna here leading us to the Castle? -These questions were of utmost importance to me throughout those last few moments. It is quite curious if you think about it: A royal welcome; Princess Luna; and the list goes on and on... I bet Twilight couldn't fit every awkward moment of this day onto one of her crazy over-sized scrolls! I was beginning to wonder if anyone else knew about me except, for my friends in Ponyville (and I hoped that Dashie still remembered me). The crowds yelling; The echo of the trumpets continuously whistling in my head; Twilight Sparkle yelling - all this hullabaloo squeezed the logical sense out of me. I had nothing left to do but stupidly follow Twilight outside, expecting the worst. I expected to be looked down upon as an outsider, somepony unfit for the royal Canterlot society. I was afraid they would mistake me for an intruder, and ruthlessly drag me down to the dungeons (although I couldn't figure how they'd actually do it, since I was roughly twice their size). The sun stunned my over-exposed eyes as I exited the train car (right behind Twilight). I quickly shut them, and turned away from the blinding sunlight, most likely exposing my rather unenthusiastic nervous-like smile to the entire upper-class of Canterlot, or so I thought. I was snapped out of my trance by a firm kick to my right leg. "Owww-!" I whispered. After grasping my leg in pain for a second or two, I noticed the sunlight had stopped ruthlessly frying my face. I lifted my head up, very slowly, expecting the Sun to have hidden behind the clouds. ("Silly me!" - I thought, "The sky is blue as ever today! There most likely aren't any clouds anywhere..." Out of all the things that could have blocked the sun, I least expected it to be princess Luna herself (I never found out who kicked me because I was engulfed by the mane six, and any one of them could have slipped under me and whacked my leg; I still blame Twilight for the crime, though). Words could not describe the shock I had experienced at that very moment: My jaw almost flew off it's hinges; my left ear started to twitch - my face was a battlefield fit for mixed emotions. I stood there gaping at her for quite a while (or maybe it just felt like a long time). I couldn't say anything - my throat was glued shut. The thing that still amazes me to this day is that she didn't show a singe bit of annoyance; she was smiling. Princess Luna smiling, in front of me! I hadn't said a single word, and all I saw in her eyes was Love and Tolerance... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Luna had always been my favorite princess. Not that I dislike princess Celestia (I still, to this day, have a tiny grudge on her for taking Dashie away from me, but I guess it had to be done) , it's just that I understand her. What I mean by "I understand her", is that I feel her pain. I know the feeling of loneliness, loss of hope, sorrow - everything of that sort. Princess Luna is most likely the only Princess who would ever properly understand my feelings. I had always felt sorry for her, even though my life was almost constantly balanced on scales between life and death. I hadn't mentioned it, but if Dashie hadn't come into my life, I probably would have ended it myself. It sounds quite mediocre, yes. Some of you might even call me a quitter, almost as if I hadn't tried hard enough. I'm not asking anybody to share sympathy with me, no. I just want you to understand why I sometimes felt similar to Luna - banished to the moon for a thousand years. “We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.” -Orson Welles There will be someone waiting for you at home, waiting to brighten your day with their laughter, with their cheerful smiles. Princess Luna was driven close to insanity; it almost seemed as if anger and oppression had overpowered her ability to love. Remember: no matter what you do, no matter how hopeless you seem - a spark will appear in your life; a life changing moment; a spark that ignites your inner feelings, a spark that fills your dark sullen life with happiness, hope, acceptance, joy, inspiration, friendship, and, most importantly - Love. Luna was the first to lead me to these thoughts (I realized most of this the day I found Dashie) Luna may not know this, but we have very much in common (SPOILER ALERT: I was wrong, she did know) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Come on... Say something!" - whispered somepony (I couldn't tell who, because my ears were drowned in the noise of laughter, trumpets, and other strange things (were they laughing at me...?) "U-um, Ugh...Hi?" I said quietly. Luna's smile stretched further across her face, almost from ear to ear. I knew she wanted to laugh, I could see the urge in her face! Her cheeks were slowly turning bright pink, and I noticed the air building up against them (she really did feel like laughing at me!). She quickly turned away, and let out all the air built up behind her cheeks, it sounded much like a leaf blower (I think I heard her giggle too) "GREETINGS!" She yelled in her royal Canterlot voice as close as possible to my face. She then burst into uncontrollable laughter, and fell onto the ground, grasping her stomach with her hooves. "Never seen a Princess do that before..." I mumbled, quite annoyed with her ruthlessly humiliating me in front of the entire city. She hastily got up, brushed herself off, and apologized (I could sense that she was still laughing on the inside). "I'm Princess Luna, but I'm sure you already know me..." She, for some reason, ended her sentence in a hoarse whisper and a wink. How on Earth does she know who I am? We've never met before, and I doubt that Twilight ever mentioned me to her. There are some things you just can't explain... Hm, I wonder...Maybe we are in some ways closer than I thought.... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Come on everypony, up the stairs! Come on, let's go! We have a lot of stairs to cover!" Yelled Luna from the top of the overhanging cliff. "Easy for you to say!" I gasped, "You can fly!" While trotting through the streets of Canterlot, Luna and I had become quite good friends. We chatted with each other while the other ponies (and one dragon) messed about. Pinkie Pie was shoving her face into every store window she could find; Fluttershy was busy doing whatever she does (most likely being shy, or observing animals; I dunno, Fluttershy stuff); Rarity was constantly bugging Spike about how she looked (Spike would always reply with "Absolutely marvelous!", which made Twilight Sparkle shudder); Applejack wasn't really doing anything, she was just blankly staring at me and Luna; the Cutie Mark Crusaders were constantly trying to climb onto my back, hoping for another joyride (Luna kept on sweeping them way using her magic). "Try using the wings on your back!" She replied, barely restraining herself from laughter (again)... "That's not funny, you know!" I panted. "Besides, try flying with three fillies on your back!" Yes, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had finally climbed onto my back, but they could stay there due to their constant complaints about the height of the stairs. It was fine with me, I guess. I tried spreading my wings again, one by one, but I only succeeded in knocking Spike down a flight of stairs (much to his discontent, and much to the laughter of the Cutie Mark Crusaders) "Ow, watch it!" He yelled as he got up and rubbed his scaly forehead. "Again!" Yelled Scootaloo, who was laughing louder than everypony else. "Looks like Spikey-wikey just had the ride of his life!" Giggled Pinkie Pie, while staring at a rather annoyed Rarity. "Humph! Laughing at somepony's pain is not ladylike, Pinkie Pie..." Growled Rarity. For best friends these mares sure do get in a truckload of arguments (believe me). After an hour and a half of climbing steep staircases (and watching Luna fly up each flight with envy; Fluttershy didn't want to use her wings, "It's too s-steep" she would say), we finally reached the last flight. I never knew this, because Luna, every few minutes or so, would sarcastically say: "We're almost there! Come on, just a bit more!", then giggle away to her own content. Pinkie Pie didn't even look tired; in fact, she looked more energetic than a squirrel on steroids! "Ooh, I know this place! We're getting near the castle entrance!" She said (very fast, I could barely understood the words coming out of her pink mouth) How would Pinkie remember a route like this? It's like we were led through a maze of staircases! "Pinkie Pie" I said, "You mean you've visited Dash- err, Rainbow Dash before?" "Hmm Hmm!" Snorted Pinkie Pie, "Of course! gazillions and bazillions of times!" "Don't listen to her" Yelled Rarity from the lower flight of stairs (Spike was riding on her back, because the stairs were too big for him; and he probably didn't feel like getting knocked down again) "We only visited her once, and it wasn't what you'd call the best of visits..." Wasn't the best of visits? It sounds like Dashie was her normal self then, or just traumatized from the sudden change of dimensions (don't forget that she's a few years younger than her "normal self"). "Lets keep a move on!" Luna yelled from the window of one of the towers (How's she get up there?) "We still got a lot of stairs to cover! Besides, my sister doesn't even know we're here!" She sniggered. "Princess Celestia doesn't know we're here!?" Yelled Twilight. "Why doesn't she know we're here!? Do you know what she'll do if she finds out we're visiting Dashie without her approval!?" Of course Twilight Sparkle needs Princess Celestia's approval for everything... "Don't worry, kiddo!" Laughed Luna, "It's all gonna be A-ok" She then snapped her hooves together, much like a human snapping their fingers together. I never expected this kind of extreme cool behavior from a princess, much less Luna! It's almost as if she was a normal pony from Ponyville, not the Princess of the night! "Do you remember what your sister did to you the last time you didn't listen to her?" I said loudly (not loud enough for everypony in the Castle to hear). Princess Luna frowned. "That was a long time ago. Besides, it was more or less my fault.." She then disappeared into the enormous Castle tower. "Are we gonna stand aroun' n' chat all day, or are we gun' get up 'dem stairs?" Cried Applejack "It ain't an easy task gettin' up dem' spiral staircases!" If Applejack says it's hard to do, it sure as hell is hard to do! (sounds like Applejack's been here before too. I wonder how many interesting things I'll find out before the end of the day?) --------------------------------------ภ๏tค ๒єภє--------------------------------- I wanted to make this chapter the final chapter, but what the heck. I can't fit everything in one chapter! I decided to make this the "before last" chapter, just to give myself enough room for the last chapter. I really enjoyed writing this one, mostly because I laughed at everything everypony did. Yes I actually laugh at what I write; Mostly because I have to imagine everything happening in my head before writing it down. The reason for the enormous pauses between chapters? Well, I've been mastering the use of both FL Studios 10 and Ableton Live 8 (not to mention WaveLabs), and it's been a pretty cool experience! If you have any questions regarding the plot, or about basically anything, feel free to send a message to me and I'll answer it as soon as possible! > Chapter 25 "The end" Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Author's note*: I simply couldn't fit the entire ending in one chapter (Part 2 will be released in a day or two). As you have probably noticed, this chapter is really long. I don't regret putting all my effort into finishing it! I know you guys want a good ending, and there's plenty of things I wanted to clarify before the end. Some of the mysterious happenings in my previous chapters confused all you guys. Just you wait 'till the next chapter - everything will be explained! I'm really excited about reaching the pinnacle of my story; I've been trying for months to get myself to finish these chapters. (I'm sure you've noticed that my chapters are getting longer too!) "Come on! What'r 'yall waitin' for?" Sneered Applejack. "There is no reason to be so rude, Applejack!" Said Rarity, "Humph! Everything takes time! Not everyone was raised in a tomboyish fashion like you were!" Applejack heaved a sigh, then slowly shook her head as she climbed the first few steps of the the dark, twisted staircase "Let's not start this again!" She called behind her back. When Applejack had gone well out of earshot, Pinkie Pie rushed in front of me, just as I was going to lift my leg onto the first step. "Do you know why Applejack is so cheerless today!?" She said in a hoarse whisper (not much of a whisper, since I could tell very well that the rest of the ponies had heard her too) "Well, I really don't-" "Because she's all like grrrr and I'm all like hahaha!! And I really don't know what's wrong with her today! She's usually so happy yet I haven't been able to cheer her up! It makes me so sad!!!" She then threw her face onto my shoulder and began sobbing away (does anypony in Equestria understand the meaning of "personal space"...?) I nudged her face off my shoulder, and said: "We really shouldn't be worrying about things like that just yet... Meeting my daughter is the most important thing to me right now! We should get going..." I had only managed to increase the volume of her ear-piercing sobs. She lay there on the stone floor, grasping my back legs, cuddling herself, and letting streams of tears flow out of her eyes. "Twilight!" I yelled. "Do something about the girls and Pinkie Pie; I'm going to catch up to Applejack on the stairs, okay?" I'm not entirely sure if Twilight overheard me throughout all the ruckus ; I'm sure she'll take care of it. The only thought hovering in my mind was me meeting Dashie. I let the chaos melt away behind me as I rushed up into the darkness of the staircase. My hooves created a rather familiar *Click* as they skipped across the cold stairs. I rummaged through my weary mind to try and find a memory related to this peculiar sound (I hadn't noticed, but my speed had increased quite a bit; whenever I looked down, I saw the stairs flicking by as if I was watching an escalator of immense speed rushing beneath my feet) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I remember! Now I remember! Back on Earth, Dashie and I used to go for brisk walks out in the open countryside; One evening, she begged me to follow a new route through the woods, which she had discovered the day before. I gladly agreed, adventurous as I am. My sides ached form laughing as I watched her happily prancing through the tall grass on the front lawn (never could find the time to mow it). She's always full of energy, always ready to take on anything! I watched the autumn leaves crunch under my feet - now that's something you can't forget! I took a deep breath of the refreshing air, which autumn had always offered to me with great pleasure. Dashie asked me why the leaves fall off the trees; I told her that little darling ponies, much like herself, caused the colorful leaves to drop away their "homes". She looked up at me, young eyes full of wonder, and asked me where the other like her were. I answered that I didn't know. We had decided to walk a bit longer, since days like these aren't occasional. After half an hour oh Dashie trying to trip me by diving under my feet (what a prankster!), we came across a sullen stone staircase, seemingly leading up into nothingness. Of course, being adventurous and all, Dashie leaped for the staircase and promptly began leaping from step to step, higher and higher into the darkness of the woods. "Come on, daddy!" She giggled. "Oh no you don't!" I laughed. "C'mere!" I chased her for a few minutes, yet it seemed to get darker even faster! The staircase grew more tattered. I was no match for her superior agility, so she just slowed down a bit to let me catch up to her. "Gotcha!" I yelled as I picked her up and spun her around. "C'mon, let's go home." From that day on, she always asked me what was at the top of that old, stone staircase. I always answered that I didn't know. The sound of Dashie's hooves skipping across the stone staircase filled my mind. I began to wonder if she would really be there, at the top of this staircase... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hadn't noticed the slight appearance of Applejack's slim silhouette in the dim light which was being let through the tiny cracks an crevices of the aging staircase walls . She seemed to be buried in her own thoughts, occasionally mumbling something to herself; Obviously too occupied to notice me. "Hey..." I whispered, "Is something bothering you?" Applejack jumped a bit, started to see me. "Oh, I'm sorry if I scared you..." I mumbled. "Nah' it's okay sugarcube..." She sighed, "It's just that Rainbow's so... different...A-Ah' Don' feel like Ah' know her anymore..." She solemnly shut her eyes and lowered her head to the floor. After giving head a few shakes, she stood up and said: "Well, no use whinin'! Let's get a move on'!" (this is what I like in Applejack) I was momentarily overrun with mixed emotions: For one thing, I was more or less happy that Dashie was normal; On the other hand, I felt a bit sorry for her friends, since they don't know her anymore. She may still have the appearance of Rainbow Dash, but on the inside, she's different (I hope). There are a few similarities, but she's still not the same to them. I always had been afraid they would've done something to her to change her back to "normal". Distant voices echoed throughout the tower; causing my ears to tweak up. Sounded like Twilight had finally gotten everypony onto the stairs (Pinkie Pie's screams drowned the rest of the nonsensical jabbering). How do the mane six put up with Pinkie Pie? I mean, she's not somepony you'd want to be around all day long. I fancied her crazy behavior back when I was still a young, but actually being around her is quite different (sorry to all the Pinkie Pie fans out there, but this is more or less a true). "I see you've already made it all the way up here! I'm impressed!" Luna had been blankly standing right in front of us the entire time! (I know she's the princess of the night, yet I never expected her to be able to be unnoticeable in the darkness. "How much 'till the top?" Asked Applejack. "Humph" grumbled Luna, "I expected a bit more from Ponyville's number one athlete!" "Wha-? No! I just wan'ed to know how much 'till we reach the top!" she growled (never was too fond of Luna) "Oh, settle down!" Luna laughed. She vigorously shook her head trying to bring herself back to normal. Her tiara would have hit the solid stone staircase if I hadn't caught it in time. "Whoa! Thanks!" She laughed, "Those are some mighty good reflexes you got there!" "Don't thank me; I've been catching falling fillies for the most part of my life" I giggled. Twilight and the rest of the gang caught up to us while we were chatting away. "What...What are you guys doing here...I thought you already...reached the top!" She panted. "Well, we haven't yet..." Grumbled Applejack, "We've had a bit of a...interference" She then frowned and looked at Luna (Luna shrugged, quite unusual for a princess - I couldn't help smiling) Fluttershy had slipped behind the rest of the group, trying to stay unnoticeable (just being Fluttershy, I guess "Fluttershy!" I laughed, "Why couldn't you just fly tot he top? You have fully functional wings!" "O-o-o-oh, well it's awfully high and-and I don't really like heights..." She whispered. "Figured..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- With Luna in the lead, we continued our exhausting climb up the twisted stairs. "Oh, oh!!! I remember that brick over there! It's all funny-shaped!" Screamed Pinkie Pie. "How could you have possibly remembered a brick!?" groaned Rarity. "Silly! I remember things, *snap*, just like that!" she giggled. Then began maniacally hopping up and down. "Pinkie Pie!" yelled Spike, "Stop doing that! You're going to knock me over again!" "Aw, don't worry Spikey-wikey!" Chimed pinkie Pie, "I'm super careful all the time, around the clock!" "Sure you are..." Mumbled Rarity, "That's why you nearly destroyed my shop last time you went visiting..." Twilight's annoyance grew. Not a big fan of arguing: always shaking her head, and every few minutes giving me a stern look, as if asking me to tell everypony to settle down (I smiled back at her, like I didn't understand what she wanted; the last thing I wanted to happen was me having to take charge of everypony) Speaking of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they were still tirelessly tugging along behind the rest of the group, chatting about the many possibilities of being able surprise "Rainbow Dash". "Girls, I don't think surprising her is anywhere near a good idea..." I said sternly. Scootaloo (a well known "Rainbow Dash" fanatic), sadly said: "Not even a tiny surprise...?" "Not even a tiny one!" I laughed We grew wearier with every step we took. I had never expected the tower to be this big! "When are we going to reach the top already!?" Groaned Rarity. Luna stopped for a brief moment, and thoughtfully stroked her chin. "We're nearly there, I believe!" She exclaimed. "It doesn't...feel like we're anywhere...near the top! Panted Spike (I couldn't ever understand how he managed to keep up with us, his stubby legs were never much of a sight to behold). "Hey!" yelled Twilight, "We've reached the first door!" (Twilight and Luna were blocking the view from everypony else) "Indeed we have!" Said Luna "Weeeeee!!! Let's go!!!" Screamed Pinkie Pie (way to be enthusiastic...) Guarding the entrance to Dashie's "chamber" (or whatever room was beyond that door) was an enormous, over-sized oak door, decorated with many beautiful patterns plated with iron. The entire door was much like a work of art itself. "Whoa, what's with the unnecessary security?" I groaned. "You mean this old thing?" said Luna, "It's here just to give this dark passageway a mysterious look, if you know what I mean...To make it more interesting" "Mysterious indeed..." I mumbled, "So how do we get it open?" "Correction!" She shouted, "How do I get it open." Luna tapped the center of the wooden "barricade" with her horn, commencing a rather loud and annoying groan. "Ha! I love doing that!" She said proudly; "Everypony step back!" She shouted, "These things sure can pack a punch; don't ask me how I know that..." The Cutie mark crusaders slipped out of their hiding place behind Fluttershy, and rushed past the rest of the group to hide behind me. The doors sent ear-piercing echos throughout the entire Stairwell. "This thing sure seems lah'der than last tah'm!" Shouted Applejack while pinning her ears to her head. "Sounds the same to me!!!" Yelled Pinkie Pie. "Everything's the same for you!" Bellowed Rarity. The doors swung open with ease, making me wonder why they groaned like a starving giant's stomach. Curiosity led me to ask Luna about them. "Don't ask me about those doors; I really don't know anything about them." She replied, "If you really want to know, just throw give my big sister a visit, she'll most likely let you know." "Thanks, but I'd rather not..." I muttered. Before us stood a long hallway aligned with beautiful stained glass windows on either side. The sunlight which passed through them created many interesting patterns on the Granite floor. It would have resembled the Canterlot throne room had it been a little larger. "Welcome to the overpass, or whatever my sister calls it!" Shouted Luna. Her voice echoed back to us, giving another faint impression of the largeness of this apparent hallway-like passageway. She proudly climbed the small stairs leading up to the "overpass" between the castle and the tower. "I don't remember this room on my model..." I muttered. Pinkie Pie tugged my tail, then whispered into my ear: "Model!? What model? Tell me about it!!! I want to make a model too!!" I softly elbowed her away, then replied: "It's not important. I'll tell you later." "O-o-o-okay-y-y-y" She squeaked. Back in on Earth, I had put together a lot of time and effort to complete an accurate model of the Canterlot castle. I kept in the top shelf of my wardrobe given to me by my parents; I remembered every tiny aspect of it, yet I had no memory of this, this overpass thing. It was modeled from picture on the internet, so I'm not entirely sure it was, well, accurate. I cautiously entered the long hallway-like structure, half expecting it to fall under my weight. "C'mon, what are y'all scared about? Let's go!" Applejack said rather loudly. "I-I don't know... I-I think it isn't safe!" Whispered Fluttershy (she doesn't really ever not whisper). "AJ's right!" I cried, "If we don't hurry, we might not get there in time!" "In time for what?" Rarity mused. "Um, well, Dashie might not be awake...?" I replied, "So let's hurry up!" I pushed past Twilight Sparkle, who had Spike on her back, and galloped onwards through the pale light coming through the stained glass windows. "No reason to hurry!" Yelled Luna. She flew over my head and dropped down in front of me, blocking my way. (our faces would have touched, had she been any closer); "We have plenty of time; besides, my sister isn't anywhere near here, so don't you worry" She whispered (then winked). Don't tell me Luna knows my secret!? Maybe she's a good guesser? I just tried not to think about it. I let my head fall to the floor, and said quietly "All right, just don't do that, you scared the living heck out of me!" Luna smirked, "There's plenty more where that came from!" "I'd rather not know..." I mumbled. Luna and I chatted away while the rest of the astonished ponies (and Spike) caught up to us. "Prepare yourselves!" Shouted Luna. "We've got another flight of stairs to conquer!" "WHAT!?" cried Rarity. "I simply can't take anymore stairs..." "Don't worry, Rarity!" Laughed Applejack. "Don'cha remember that the staircase leadin' up ta' Rainbow's room isn't any bigger than your own staircase?" "Oh, right..." Rarity sighed. Luna opened the other door leading to the staircase (almost identical to the last one, but trimmed with gold-like metal). Once again, an annoying groan shot through the entire hall, shaking every bone in my body, down to the last one. The entire group (including me) covered their ears; only Luna blankly stood there like nothing had happened. I guess listening to yourself using the "royal Canterlot voice" all day long, around the clock, gets you used to loud, obnoxious noises. The door swung open, just like the last one, and Luna proceeded to head up the stairs to the incoming light from the room in the tower. Was Dashie really in that room? Was I really about to meet Dashie!? My began racing faster than a rabbit's; My face drenched itself in sweat. I began shaking, barely able to move! I must...I must! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack stayed behind with me and Pinkie Pie. "Can-ya tell me what a model is now!?" Whispered Pinkie Pie. ... "Pinkie, leave the poor 'feller alone!" Said Applejack, "He don't need no questions now; I mean look at him!" Applejack wasn't joking - I was quite a sorry sight. For a big guy like me, I was acting no better than a filly! My actions had a reason, though. My mind simply couldn't accept the fact that Dashie was just a few steps up some stairs. What if they'd done something to her!? (I was in doubt that they had done anything to her - according to the description of Applejack). "Donno watcha waitin' for, Mister Dash!" Giggled Pinkie Pie as she hopped up the stairs, out of sight. Applejack shook her head, then turned towards me. "Come on, Mr. Dash. Less' go." She said calmly. Applejack has a unique ability to calm someone down just by talking to them in a soothing voice; I always thought she had been the most pleasant pony I had met in the past week or so. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step by step, breath by breath - I approached the staircase leading into Dashie's room. With every step, the unpleasant "choir" of voices protruding from the room got louder. I shut my eyes, then proceeded to climb the last few steps leading to Dashie's room; my face was rather scrunched up from me trying to squeeze my eyelids together. I felt a warm gush of air meet my face, and my mane freely mocked the early summer breeze. A sudden silence fell across the room, as if somebody had pressed an "Equestrian mute button". I mustered up enough courage and strength to peek out of my left eye - I honestly wanted to know why everybody had shut their mouth as I entered the room. I found out why. Standing slap right in front of me was Princess Celestia herself; Eyes nearly level with mine. I felt a cold shudder shoot through my spinal cord - I knew this wasn't good, and I figured Luna would be in trouble all because of me! The Princess had an unpleasant frown on her face, almost as if she had expected me to arrive. I couldn't make out the rest of the contents of the room - Celestia's face was in the way. The only thing I could see were her disappointed, purplish eyes (I tried to seek out a reflection of Dashie in them, but to no avail). She turned away from me, and headed towards a large bed in the middle of the room. As she stepped away from me (the rest of the ponies held their tongues), my eyes quickly scavenged for any signs of Dashie; there were none. I couldn't see her anywhere. The only thing that caught my eye was a brown, box-like thing sitting in the middle of the king sized bed. No words spoken, I pushed past Princess Celestia, towards the brown box on the bed. It was empty. A few scribbles on the side of the box caught my eye, they read "Give to good home". I couldn't hold back my tears - this was the exact same box I had found Dashie in, and the exact same box I had given to her... It was empty. The rest of the group had such a comical look of bewilderment in their eyes, especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Pinkie Pie. Some of them had their mouths wide open (they obviously had no idea what was going on). I turned to Princess Celestia, who was having a quiet talk with Luna, box in my mouth (I had grown used to carrying things in my mouth), and said (with much effort): "Where is she?" Celestia's eyes met mine, and she stood up a little higher (most likely trying to look taller than me). She approached me, then said in an unusually calm voice: "She's home." "What home!?" I snarled. Some of the group cast each other worried looks; the Cutie Mark Crusaders hid behind Fluttershy (who was already shaking like a leaf on a winter morning). "She's where she belongs - her home." She said in same calm voice. "How do you know she belongs there!?" I said a bit louder (I was losing it - my entire journey had led to nothing, and Celestia simply wouldn't tell me where she had moved Dashie to!) "Psst!" Pinkie Pie squeaked into my ear (I had no idea how she had gotten so close to me; I was really losing it - sweating and breathing like a bull on steroids), "I think she meant that she moved Dashie to her own home!" Pinkie was most likely talking about that giant cloud-looking thing, where "Rainbow Dash" used to live. Why would Dashie move there, and why would she forget to bring something as precious as the box I was currently clutching in my teeth!? Not a word was said for a solid two minutes. I looked at Luna, Twilight sparkle, then Princess Celestia (who was still frowning), then at the balcony. "Screw this!" I yelled. I sprinted towards the balcony. I didn't know what thoughts were racing through my head at that moment, but I knew what I was about to do was insane. I pushed past Princess Celestia, leaped over the bed, and trampled Spike (no one seemed to notice except for Twilight). I had startled everypony with my unexpected actions, and not one of them dared move a muscle. The Balcony grew larger as I mindlessly charged to the grasp of the outdoors. "Wait! Let Fluttershy come with you!" Yelled Applejack. "A-Applejack, Um, it's aw-awfully high from the top of th-this tower..." Fluttershy squeaked. "Dun't matter!" Yelled Applejack, "He's gonna jump off the darned tower, and you just try and don't stop him!" Applejack grabbed Fluttershy (who was mumbling nonsense, obviously scared like hell), tossed her on her back like a used sack of potatoes, then charged in after me. The warm summer sunshine engulfed my entire body, I felt full of energy, ready for anything! I stopped short at the edge of the balcony, astounded by the beauty of the Equestrian countryside. The distant mountains cast vast shadows down upon Ponyville. The evening sun danced happily in the reflections of the numerous lakes and rivers. The rivers reminded me of blood vessels - each carrying life to every corner of Equestria. My thoughts were stopped short by Applejack, who had gained enormous speed and couldn't find the time to stop short (She obviously hadn't expected me to stop on the balcony!) Moments later, I noticed a screeching blurry yellow thing tossed over my head. Applejack had thrown Fluttershy over the railings of the balcony! (the look on my face had caused Scootaloo to burst into laughter - not something I would have done if one of my friends had been thrown down a few thousand feet; I wondered why none of the Princesses had given half a rat's ass about Fluttershy!) - They most likely expected her to use her wings... "BUCK!!!" Shouted Applejack Fluttershy grew smaller and smaller, and her screams grew more distant. She didn't show any obvious signs of using her wings! "My time to shine!!!" I yelled maniacally as I slipped over the edge of the balcony. *Another Author's note*: You've hopefully noticed the enormous amount of dialogue I've stuffed into this particular chapter. I decided it'd make the characters more lively if I had more conversations going on. If you have any questions about the plot, because you just can't wait for the next chapter, or just want something to be explained, or just want a shout out in the last chapter, just message me and I'll reply to you as soon as I can! > Filler because you asked me to release something > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a quick summary of the beginning of the last chapter "The End" It howls in your ears, it's currents cut through your face; it squirms into your body into every possible place; The wind. I had never felt the wind blow so hard against me. Back on earth, I never fancied anything extreme (unlike Dashie, of course). I planned on going skydiving with her, you know, to "share the experience". My guts gave out, I couldn't do it. I felt bad about myself for a few days afterwards, seeing Dashie all disappointed like that. I knew we would've had a blast, if only my heart hadn't told me to stay home. I never really could grasp the reason why people would put their lives in danger for fun. Maybe it made them proud of themselves, maybe they want to do something interesting before the end of their short lives. I always wondered what had happened to my house, what had happened to all my possessions after my "disappearance" from that world. I feel like a rambling old man, telling you all this. I don't suppose you really care about me or what happened to me; or maybe you do, that's your choice. Some of you may be tired from hearing me talk about the past, but what else do I have but the past? My future is unknown to me. I will try to make the best of it, yet I can't shake this sensation from me, almost as if I know what's going happen. I like happy endings, and I'm certainly looking forward to one. Maybe everything will go well, maybe Dashie and I will live happily ever after; maybe Princess Celestia will mercy my poor old soul. I may look young and daring on the outside, yet on the inside I am nothing but an crippled old man, waiting for his own happy ending. I liked that old house, it stores so many memories within it's forgotten crumbling walls. That old tree in the yard, the long, dazing grass. I loved it all, yet I left it all. I don't want to say that I miss that place, but sometimes I think to myself: "What would have happened if Dashie and I stayed on earth?". That question certainly bewildered me; constantly inching it's way into my exhausted mind, much like a parasite. Sometimes I would just give in and think of the times when nothing mattered, nothing except her. We enjoyed spending our Sunday evenings lying on the cool, wet grass, gazing at the stars. She would hum a soothing melody to herself, and when I asked her where she heard it, she would tell me she couldn't remember. There she sat, next to me, staring, wide-eyed, humming her melody. I felt rather awkward, rather out of place. It felt like I didn't belong here, and sometimes I would leave her there, by herself, knowing that girls of her age sometimes need to be alone with their thoughts. Sometimes I would tell her stories of the great Princess Luna, who's image had been engraved in the moon for a century, ever awaiting it's release. She never asked who Luna was, or if she even existed. One night, when the moon had long disappeared behind the forest-covered hills, I heard a faint sobbing drift through the dark hallway. I crept here and there, looking for it's source. I knew it was her, but something inside me wanted to prove that it wasn't her; so I kept on searching. I didn't want to get involved; sometimes I would lay in bed at those times and sob myself; deep down inside I knew she wouldn't stay here forever. I thought that she wanted to go back to wherever she came from. some days she looked torn like an old rag; torn between me and this dull, gray world, and a colorful world full of magic and friendship. I couldn't blame her, I didn't really like it here either. When I found her, I knew our time together wouldn't last forever. "Daddy?" she would whisper in the dark. "What are you doing here?" I would reply. "Go to bed, it's late. "Daddy, w-what's going to happen when I grow up? She would reply to me; then hop out of her little bed and hug my legs. I wanted to tell her things would be as they are, just fine, we would live together happily ever after, but I couldn't; I knew that wasn't the case, I knew things wouldn't always be like they are now. I would look down at her, pet her soft rainbow hair, and say: "I don't know, honey. Things aren't the way they seem. Things change. You may think not; you may hide your head under your covers, yet there's no avoiding it. In a blink of an eye, in a mere second, everything will change. You might ask yourself: "Who am I, where do I belong?". Only one answer comes afloat in the deep, dark lagoons of your mind: I don't know, I don't know, I don't know... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Squinting my eyes didn't help. I couldn't see a damn thing! I could only hear Fluttershy's ear-piercing screams. Why doesn't she use her wings? What have I gotten into!? I don't know how to fly! I tried to keep a calm state of mind. I had read a lot about teaching your pet birds how to fly, since I had to teach Dashie how to do it. Dynamic images of birds spreading their wings flashed through my mind. What the hell am I doing!? I can't remember a God Damned thing! If I don't do something soon, Fluttershy and I are going to die! > The end - part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unless you've gone skydiving, you would never understand the feeling of the adrenaline rushing through your veins; the thumping of your chest as your heart races faster than a Ferrari! This Enigmatic feeling, this feeling of being...alive! I don't know, I can't explain it. It's almost as if nothing else matters! You feel like yelling and laughing at the same time, it's insane! I tried turning my face away from the fierce wind cutting my face, but that didn't seem to help. I had to keep my eyes on Fluttershy! After all, she's the reason I slipped over the railing in the first place! I wanted to go faster, almost as if I've been flying my entire life! I did learn a trick or two from that book I read, back on earth, about teaching baby birds to fly. Who am I kidding? I don't know how to fly! If only Dashie were here to help me! Stop, remember the episode where she saved Rarity from certain death? I have to replicate that situation! I must do it to save Fluttershy! I don't think there will be another batch of butterflies near the ground to save her... Wait a second, this is Equestria! I can evade the laws of physics! Here goes! I began vigorously shaking my shoulders up and down, trying to get my wings to move. That didn't work! How am I supposed o know what muscles to move!? I'e never flown in my entire life! I glanced back at my wings, they were still neatly tucked into my sides. What the hell have I gotten myself into!? I can't even fly, and here I am, jumping over railing to save other ponies! Stop, I gotta think. My wings occasionally opened up, if only I could remember how to do that! All these thoughts raced through my head in the matter of a few milliseconds. I tried everything, but nothing seemed to get my wings to budge! I scorched my face into a sneer, and thought to myself: "What's the matter with you!? You're Rainbow Dashes father! You're in Equestria! You can do anything!". With this, I felt something on my back move. I quickly glanced back, just in time to see my wings spread out, just like great big albatross! My wings were enormous compared to the wings of other pegasi. What am I doing? My wings are stopping me! I dreadfully realized that my outstretched wing were actually making me slow down! Fluttershy was only but a speck in my eyes now! What if she'll hit the ground!? It'll be all my fault! I felt a hot gush of tears drench my face. "No!!!" I yelled. My wings arched backwards, causing the air to flow past them freely "I won' let you die!!!" I screamed (I'm pretty sure the other heard me, I don't even know how) The lashed my face and my shoulders as I shot down with amazing speed. I stuck my legs out in front of me, trying to block the wind from whipping my face. I felt a very strange sensation, almost as if the tips of my hooves were on fire! I didn't care! My mind was set on one thing: Save Fluttershy! I leaned forwards, and vigorously flapped my arched wings. My hooves were flaming hot! It spread to my forelegs and then to my shoulders and face! Then something strange happened. I quickly opened my eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of my legs. There was an amazing aura around them! Almost as if it was a mach cone! What if it is a mach cone!? I must be nearing the speed of sound! I must be getting closer to Fluttershy! (Remember, all this happened over a matter of a few seconds, so we weren't falling very long). My whole body was flaming. The friction of the air was indescribably painful. It felt like my skin was going to be entirely torn off my body! I stretched out my body like an arrow, and the friction became o unbearable, that I started to yell from pain! At the same time, an odd electrical sensation jerked through my body, almost as if I fell into a pool with a toaster. I opened my eyes again, and I saw something that I'll remember for the rest of my life: There was an enormous Aura all around me, in the shape of a cone! I understood right away - this is a mach cone. I must be going so fast, that the air around me is flaming hot! I glanced ahead of me, Fluttershy was getting closer and closer! Electricity jolted through my body again, as I saw a strange electrical build-up forming in front of me. It spread around my entire body, and *BOOM* "YAHOOOOOO!" I yelled, as I broke the sound barrier. It felt like someone had stuck a stick of dynamite between my butt cheeks and set it off. I was dazzled! I didn't care about the pain, I had just performed a sonic Rainboom! Just as all these dazzling events settled, Fluttershy zipped past my head! No! I'm flying too fast! I spread out my wings, trying to make myself go slower. But just as I thought of turning back, I whirled around, almost as if my body knew what to do! I zipped back upwards. I had gone quite a long way down, so Fluttershy was yet again a speck in the sky. I kept my eyes focused on her, not paying attention to anything else. I felt a burning sensation on my hip (or buttocks); it felt like someone was pressing a red hot iron against me! I tried flapping my legs, but that didn't help. I didn't dare look back, I was afraid of losing sight of Fluttershy! Just as the burning sensation settled down, I spread out my arms (or legs) to try and grip Fluttershy. This is insane, we'll get crushed to death at this speed! I let her zip by me, yet again, and zoomed back down again. I hadn't noticed, but quite a crowd had gathered under us. It looks like my Sonic Rainboom caused quite a commotion! As I got closer to Fluttershy, I noticed a dazzled expression on her face, almost like she'd seen a ghost! "I-I um..." She squeaked. "Tell me later, gotta save you!. I said firmly. "Wh-what's that on your-" She squealed. "Later!" I yelled as I threw my arms around her shoulders. I caught her as gently as possible. (Well, if causing her to blurt out "OOF" is gentle enough...) I noticed the crowd below us had grown to enormous proportions ("Don't ponies in Canterlot have anything better to do?" I thought). I heard many of them muttering things like "Who is that...?" and "Is that the mare that disappeared a few weeks ago?" "No, that's not a mare, that's a stallion!" etc. I didn't want any unnecessary attention, so I swerved away from the crowd (some fillies below, in the crowd, ran after me, shouting with excitement). I easily cleared the Canterlot wall (I still was flying at an impressive speed, and hadn't noticed, until now, that a rainbow was unfurling behind me wherever I flew). "Where's he going?" Muttered Twilight from the highest balcony of the tower (Everypony there saw everything, Scootaloo was freaking out, because of my sonic rainboom; not to mention, the force of the blast knocked them over). "'Ah' have a hunch..." Whispered Applejack (leaning very close to Twilight's ear). I headed straight for Ponyville (you could just about see the Apple orchards on the horizon). The sun was getting low, and just about disappeared behind the looming hills. When the last ray of sunlight vanished, I slowed down. My heart began to race, I knew where I had to go. I had to see her. I had to see my little girl. How was I to know whether she was home or not? Heck, I didn't even know where she lived! All I had in my memory were faint images of her house, which I had seen on the show. I hadn't watched any episodes for at least a decade! My eyes zigzagged across the country-side. I hoped I could notice something familiar, something I had seen before. The only thing more or less familiar was the silhouette of twilight's enormous tree-house. "How do I find Dashie?" I muttered to myself. I felt a few drops of cold sweat trickle down my neck. What if my baby girl wasn't home? What if Celestia had lied to me? What if Dashie's memories of me are being erased right now! "Where are you!?" I yelled. My voice echoed through the empty streets. Nobody had heard me. I hovered over to the roof of sugar-cube corner (I happened to notice it. How could you not notice a giant house made of candy?) ant sat down on top of the chimney. "Where are you..." I sighed. YES A NEW CHAPTER.