> Putting My Idol On The Altar > by Brian Jacko > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > A Temporary High > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I sat alone on the couch next to my Rainbow Dash plushie doll. The doll was sitting on a small table next to my couch while I watching My Little Pony Friendship is Magic on the television. There were pony figurines lined up across the table that the television was sitting on, as well as tons of other My Little Pony merchandise that I had been collecting over time. It was like I had my very own shrine the way I had things set up. It was just another day and there was no better way to escape the corruption and sadness that plagued my world on a constant basis, than with a show that had such a powerful impact on me. I was currently out of work, but I would be hopeful to find a new job soon. I'd also need to buy a new car, but there was no immediate rush for that. I never thought I'd watch this show in my life, but that very moment, when I got so depressed and suicide often plagued my mind, I gave it a try, and it changed my life. I was currently watching the episode called Fall Weather Friends where Rainbow Dash and Applejack get competitive and compete in the annual running of the leaves. I loved Applejack and Rainbow Dash so much. There was something about the two that just made me obsessive over them. I seemed to root for Applejack whenever there was competition between the two because Rainbow Dash can't seem to draw the line between confidence and arrogance. I often had trouble picking out which one I liked better, but I would assume that I'd have to go with Rainbow Dash because I think I liked her voice better, even though they were both very similar characters. Here came that part in the show that melted my heart and made me all teary eyed. It was the part in the show where Rainbow Dash and Applejack realized that their love and friendship for each other was more important than competition. I couldn't take it anymore. I reached over and picked up my Rainbow Dash plushie doll and squeezed it so tightly against my chest. I would do almost anything to hold a real life My Little Pony character. I would probably give my life just to hold a real life, in the flesh, My Little Pony character from the show even if it were only for a few seconds. All I had were these stuffed plushie dolls to give me a temporary high of happiness. I sighed and put the doll back on the table. Something on the table was in the way when I tried to put the doll back down, and the doll fell on its side. I looked at the table and removed some papers around. There on the table was my old Bible that I hadn't picked up in years. I couldn't bear to look at it. Religion was bothering me, and some of the people who I talked to didn't help my experience with Christianity at all. There was so much corruption in the church and I just lost all desire to read that book. I picked up my Rainbow Dash doll and placed her on top of the Bible. I was still a Christian and I still practiced the faith to the best to my knowledge. I still spent time in prayer nearly every single night, but I just lost the joy and drive to learn more and I became isolated from others. I hadn't been to church in years and I couldn't stop thinking about My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. It was like the ultimate escape and in some ways, it was even better than using video games as an escape from pain. I really didn't care to tell others about the message of Christ anymore. If I ever did talk to people, it was always about ponies. There were a few people who saw me lose my motivation for God and begged me to come back to church or to join some kind of bible study, but I didn't listen to them. I just wanted to be alone. Some people in the church got me furious, and made me want to distance myself away from the church even more. I turned off the television when the credits started to appear on the screen and sighed. Yes, I felt good because I just spent time with my most favorite show of all time, but I knew that high would crash and I'd need to come back for another fix. > Meeting Rainbow Dash > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I decided to go out for a walk. I didn't really care to be around people so I took my usual walk in the woods. It was a rather dark day and the sky looked as if it would rain soon, but I just had to get out and get away from the house. I made it through the woods and listened to each twig crunch loudly beneath my feet. A gush of wind blew right past me and the fresh scent of rain on the way would come and it was everywhere. I had my jacket on just in case it would downpour today. As I continued to walk down the meandering path, I saw something so bright and colorful that I had to squint my eyes. I quickly walked over and upon closer inspection, I couldn't believe what I saw. There in front of my eyes was Rainbow Dash sitting patiently right in the middle of the path. I was actually terrified for a moment because I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating or not. I stared at the little cyan Pegasus for a moment. I began to slowly approach her when I saw that she had blinked. "Are you real?" I managed to ask out loud. The pony blinked again and said, "Yes. I am real." I almost jumped back in shock. Her voice sounded exactly how she sounds in the show. "May I pick you up?" I asked. The cyan Pegasus nodded her head yes. She wasn't exactly a filly, but I could tell that she was very young. I very slowly reached out my trembling hand and touched her colorful rainbow mane on top of her head. She was in fact the real life Rainbow Dash in the flesh and somehow she was here with me. Her mane was so soft and warm and I could see her chest rising up and down. She was breathing and she was real. I came a little closer and put my arm underneath her belly and scooped her up. I sat on the ground and slowly brought her closer to me and held her tightly against my chest. I didn't even realize how fast my heart was racing, but I was so nervous and excited, that it took my mind awhile to register what was going on. I didn't know how she got here or why she was here, but it didn't matter. My ultimate fantasy in life was somehow a reality and nothing else mattered now. A few rain drops fell from the sky. One drop of rain landed in Rainbow's eye. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash became a bit fidgety in my arms and I gently put her back down on the ground. The rain started to fall down to the earth and I just had that feeling that it would start to rain in torrents. I heard some thunder in the distance, and I had to get her out of here and take her home in case it would start to lightning. These woods were usually abandoned, but once in a while I had seen other people walk through this area. I took off my jacket and wrapped the little pony inside of it and gently picked her back up. I put the hood of the jacket over her head so she would be more hidden from view. The hood was big enough to cover almost her entire head and face, but there was enough space for her to breathe easily. Even though she was well hidden, my mind was racing with all kinds of ludicrous thoughts about other people might being able to see her and calling the police or attempting to take her away from me. I began to panic and ran quickly back home through the woods. I must have not been paying attention, because my mind was racing with so many thoughts, that I didn't notice a large root of a tree sticking out from the ground, and my foot got caught in it. I fell down to the earth and Rainbow Dash slipped out of my arms. I was stunned for a moment, but I quickly got to my feet again and saw Rainbow Dash laying in a mud puddle. She was quite dirty, but she didn't seem to be hurt. I raced over to her and wrapped her up in my jacket once again. I took a slightly detoured route in order to avoid being seen by others. Thankfully, the rain was now coming down from the sky in heaping amounts and I did not see one person around. After a bit more traveling, I made it to my home and I held onto Rainbow Dash with one arm as I opened the door. I quickly walked through the door and then slammed it shut with my foot as I kicked backwards. I took off the hood and looked at Rainbow Dash. She was dirty and she needed a bath. I carried her into the bathroom and turned the water on in the tub. I felt that a warm bath would probably be a bit relaxing, since she is probably stressed out from being in a new environment and I could imagine that the fall we took was a bit upsetting to her. As I kept my hand inside the tub to feel how warm the water was, I turned to Rainbow Dash. She seemed to be staring at me with the most innocent eyes and looked as if she was wondering what I was going to do with her. When the tub was filled with enough water, I picked her up and plopped her down inside the tub. She turned to face me and sat down in the water. I opened up the cabinet under my sink and took out my most favorite brand of organic tea tree oil shampoo. This stuff felt amazing and would probably be great for her mane and coat too. I squeezed some shampoo into my hand and began to rub it into her mane. I then had her stand up for a moment so I can get the rest of her body. She let out an adorable sounding giggle when I got to her belly. I couldn't help but smile at her reaction. She was now kind of a like a giant soapy, sudsy bubble. I quickly rinsed her off hoping that no shampoo would get in her very large eyes. I was a bit surprised at how well behaved she was. I didn't expect her to enjoy her bath and thought that she might be a little fidgety, but she was calm and continued to stare up at me with those incredible innocent and adorable eyes. I got out a towel and scooped her up inside of it. She wrapped her front legs around my neck and sighed. I almost couldn't take it anymore. My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest at any moment. I was so happy at this moment. Nothing in the world could make me feel better than this. I walked out of the bathroom with her and turned the lights on in the kitchen. I sat down on a chair next to the kitchen table and dried her off with the towel. Rainbow Dash stared into my eyes for a moment and then I noticed her nostrils began to twitch faster and faster. She started to squirm in my lap, so I let her go. I watched as she hopped off of my lap and walked over to the microwave. On top of the microwave was a bowl full of apples. Rainbow Dash leapt up in the air and used her wings to hover closer to the bowl. She put her mouth on one of the apples and then accidently knocked the bowl off of the microwave. Apples went scattering everywhere across the floor. She came back down to the floor and walked back over to me. She crouched down low for a moment and then hopped back into my lap. She stared at me for a moment as if she were silently asking me if it would be ok if she ate this apple. I didn't say anything, I just smiled at her and she put the apple down in my lap and began to eat it. I couldn't take my fingers out of her soft and colorful rainbow mane. She was exactly like the cartoon show from her head to her hoof, and even her cutie mark was perfect on each side of her flanks. Rainbow Dash hopped out of my lap again when she finished her treat. She began to walk around the kitchen. I got up and walked behind her while picking up all the apples that fell onto the floor. I saw Rainbow's nostrils twitching like crazy again. Rainbow Dash went over to the refrigerator and put her mouth on the handle. She pulled back with all of her might and the door opened. She then stuck her head inside. Rainbow Dash's nostrils were twitching frantically and I could hear her sniffing. She leaned over a little more and then came out with a container of pasta. She came back over to the table and placed the container on top of the table. She tried to use her front hooves to open up the container, but she wasn't having much success. I came over and popped the lid off for her. Before I could even take it away to heat it up for her, she had drove her face inside and practically inhaled the contents. I couldn't believe how fast she devoured that entire container of pasta. She picked her head back up and her face was covered with pasta sauce. I got a napkin and wiped her face clean. Rainbow Dash looked up at me and said, "Thank you." The tone of her voice was so adorable and sweet and her voice cracked a bit when she said those two words. "You're so very welcome, Rainbow!" I said trying to sound as encouraging and as cheerful as I could. I wanted to please her and make her feel as welcome as possible because I didn't want to risk having her be unhappy and possibly wanting to leave me. Rainbow Dash looked around a bit more and said, "I'm thirsty." I wasn't sure what the best route would be, but I found a glass of water and filled it up. I didn't dare give her tap water because I had my own personal water filter that removed all the terrible things that were put in our water supply on purpose. I was a bit of a health nut and most of everything I used in this house was organic. I wouldn't be sure how her system would react to drinking normal tap water. I went through the kitchen drawers and found what I was looking for. A straw. I pushed the glass of water over to her. She leaned over and her lips desperately tried to grab onto the straw. It looked a little pathetic at first, but she managed to grab a hold of it and began to sip from it. Even though my mind was still wired, thoughts began to creep into my head. I began to wonder how she got here and for what reason was she here. I was about to ask her some questions when suddenly she perked up. "Oh, goodness. I bet she wants more food," I thought to myself. "Rainbow, what else can I get for you to eat? I don't think I have much left for you," I asked out loud. Rainbow shook her head no and said, "I-I-I have to pee. I need to go outside." How could I not have seen that coming. This was not a cartoon, but a real life creature who eats, drinks, and yes, has to use the bathroom too. I looked out of the window and noticed my neighbor was working outside his house. It appeared that he was trying to fix the gutter on the side of his house. I guess he didn't mind the rain too much. I looked back at Rainbow Dash and said, "I can't let you go outside right now. It's too risky and someone may see you and want to take you away from me. This might seem terribly awkward for you, but I really don't have much of a choice right now." I put my hands under her two front legs and picked her up. I walked her back into the bathroom and put the toilet seat down with my foot. I carefully placed her on to the seat. Her four legs were wobbling a bit because she was trying to keep her balance. I briefly explained to her how it all works and she nodded her head in understanding. "Just try not to fall in," I said to her. "I'll leave the door ajar so you can open it yourself when you're done. I'll be sitting on the couch in the livingroom waiting for you." Rainbow Dash looked up at me and nodded her head ok again. I left the bathroom and made sure the door was only slightly open so that she had just enough room to nuzzle it open when she wanted to come out. I sat there on the couch with my hands folded on my lap. My legs were shaking like crazy because I couldn't believe this was all a reality. I waited patiently for her to come out. I was hoping that she wouldn't fall. I saw the bathroom door creep open and out she stepped. She trotted quickly over to me and leapt into my lap. She curled herself up into a ball much like a dog does after circling around several times. I watched her close her eyes and start to nod off to sleep. I was going to ask her some questions, but I didn't think it would be an appropriate time right now. I wasn't exactly sure what to do with her now. She didn't look fully asleep yet, so I poked her side softy and said, "Hey, Rainbow Dash. If you're tired, I can put you to bed. Do you want to sleep on your own bed or would you like to sleep with me?" Rainbow Dash opened up her eyes and stood up for a moment in my lap. She yawned and tried to wrap her little front legs around my waist and said, "You." My heart melted in my chest and I gently scooped her up and took her to my bedroom. My bed wasn't very big, so I turned one of the pillows on my bed sideways and gently put her down on that. Her body was just the perfect size for it. She was already asleep and I pulled the blankets over her body and tucked her in. I quietly got into the bed and turned on my side facing her. I could feel her breathing against my arm and I watched her chest rise and fall. I didn't want to sleep and I still wasn't sure if this was reality or some crazy dream. I truly believed that I wasn't going to fall asleep, but seeing Rainbow Dash sleep so peacefully made me quite tired, and I ended up drifting off to sleep within a few hours. > A Secret Mission > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I awoke the next morning when I felt this pressure on my chest. When my focus started to come in, I saw Rainbow Dash standing on top of my chest looking down at me. "I'm hungry," The cyan pony said. I couldn't help but smile because she was so adorable. "Ok, Dash. Let's get something to eat." I picked her up off of my chest and carried her into the kitchen. I placed her on the chair and began to think about what the ponies ate in the cartoon show. "Eggs.....Would you like some eggs, Dashie?" Rainbow Dash nodded her head yes. I still had a ton of eggs. I got all my eggs from a farm I knew of that took excellent care of their hens and fed them well. Rainbow Dash was a pony who ate a lot of food, and I could only imagine how much more food Applejack would eat if she were here with me too. I didn't know how many eggs to make. I normally only ate two, but I wanted to be safe, so I brought out eight eggs because this pony's appetite was voracious. I also put some bread in the toaster for the both of us. When the eggs were cooked and the toast popped out, I put it all on a plate and got out some cinnamon. Rainbow Dash stared at the bottle as if trying to figure out what was in it. "It's just cinnamon, Rainbow Dash. I love to put some on my eggs, would you like some?" Rainbow Dash leaned in closer to me. She got closer to the bottle when I opened up the cap. Her nostrils rotated a few times. On the third sniff, she looked up at me and said, "Yes, I would like some please." I poured some all over her eggs. I loved cinnamon and it was very good for balancing out blood sugar. I took my side of what looked like two eggs to me and put them on a smaller plate with my toast, and then I shoved the plate over to the little cyan pony who was already licking her lips. She drove her head down and ate all of the food within a matter of seconds. I couldn't believe how fast this pony could eat! "Is your tummy satisfied, Rainbow? You ate that food awfully fast. I can get something else, like oatmeal or cereal for you." Rainbow Dash shook her head no and said, "I'm full now, thank you." I smiled at her and scarfed my food down as fast as I could. I was always a fast eater, but I ate even faster today, because I wanted to do some special things with her. I knew she loved to exercise and play games because that's how she is in the show. When I finished the last bit of my breakfast, I looked at her and said, "Rainbow Dash, I just have some questions for you. Where did you come from and why are you here? Do you have any ideas about how you got here?" "I am a gift, and I am sent here on a mission to help you," she replied. "A gift?" I asked. "Who sent you here as a gift for me and what is your mission?" "It is not the proper time to tell you right now, but when we get to that time, your eyes will be opened." I leaned back against the chair and was in utter confusion. I had no idea what she was talking about nor did I want to make her uncomfortable by further probing her with more questions. I just took her word for it that I would understand soon. I began to think of ways to please her and make her happy. "Hey Dash, would you like to play some kind of game or would you like to take a walk with me at night time when there will be less of a chance of other people being around? I know how much you love to move your body, and I'm sure you must be bored right now." Rainbow Dash hopped off of her chair and walked over to me. She jumped into my lap and said, "No. That is not a part of my mission. We have to do something together. We have to build something. I am here to help and guide you to something bigger and better. I am here to fix what went wrong in your life." I stared at her with the most dumb founded look on my face. Rainbow Dash is supposed to be a wild, tom-boy pony, similar to Applejack who got down and dirty. I had no idea what she wanted me to build, and I couldn't figure out what she meant by guiding me to something bigger and better. What on earth could be bigger and better than having my own little real life Rainbow Dash? I also couldn't pin point what she meant by fixing what went wrong in my life. I had to be the happiest man on the planet right now. "What do you want to do, Rainbow Dash? Please show me what you mean." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and hovered in the air. She began to drift away from me. I got up out of my chair and followed her into the livingroom. She landed on the floor next to the front door and said, "We have to go outside. We have to start it." I put my hand to my heart and cringed at the idea of going out in broad daylight. It wasn't like I lived in a terribly busy town, but there are many people out there and it was broad daylight. "Do we have to go now, Dashie? Is it part of your mission to do this in the day time?" Rainbow Dash nodded her head yes. "We have to do it now. Please, let's go." I bit my lower lip hard. I grabbed my coat and wrapped it around her body. I put the hood over her head and cradled her in my arms. "Where do we have to go, Dashie?" I asked her. "To the same spot where you found me," she replied. I closed my eyes shut tightly and said a prayer, hoping that no one would see us and that we would be safe. I opened up the door and we ventured outside. A person happened to walk by the moment I stepped out with my most prized possession. I gripped her so tightly against my chest and turned my body to the side, hoping that this person wouldn't see anything. When the person walked by, I made my way back over to the woods. I took a few different routes that I felt had the least chance of running into more people. Sure, I had to walk by a few others, but I made sure to veer off the path and turn my back to them. I tried not to look too suspicious and acted like I was just looking around in the sky and enjoying the beautiful day. Little did the people know that my heart was pounding in my chest with such force from anxiety and fears going through my mind. Eventually, I was able to make it to the woods and I was now standing still with her in my arms. I removed the hood off of her head and said, "Ok, Rainbow. We are here now. What do we need to do?" Rainbow Dash hopped out of my arms and stood on the ground next to me. I started looking around everywhere making sure that no person was in sight. I started to panic when I noticed that Rainbow Dash was galloping away from me. I started to chase after her. "Wait! Rainbow Dash! Where are you going? Please wait for me." Rainbow Dash ignored me and continued to run. It appeared as if she was looking for something on the ground. She suddenly stopped in her tracks. "I found it. This will be the start of our project together," Rainbow said. She bent down and picked up a stone in her mouth. It was very flat and long. Rainbow Dash perked up a lot and she looked very happy as she trotted over back to the place where I had originally found her. She laid the stone on the ground and looked up at me with those eyes that I was so mesmerized by. "It's your turn. We need to do this for you. Find a stone and we will work on this together." I stared at her with a bit of a puzzled look on my face. "What is it that we are doing here, Dashie? What are we building together?" "Your time to know is premature and you will not understand until we finish. Please do this," she said. I didn't dare question her. All I wanted to do was to make her happy and if it meant not understanding and putting piles of stones together, then I would be more than willing to do it. I would do almost anything for her to make her happy. Rainbow Dash and I searched all over the woods collecting stones. We brought many stones back and Rainbow Dash was helping me organize them into some kind of circular fashion. I still couldn't figure out what was going on, but we kept doing this together until night settled in. I was beginning to get fatigued and it was getting very dark. Rainbow Dash grabbed a hold of my pant leg with her teeth and tugged on it. You need to rest now. Your body is a temple." "What did you say?" I asked her. She said it again. "Your body is a temple and you need to rest." That sentence sounded painfully familiar to me, but I had forgotten where I had heard it from. I untied the jacket that I had tied around my waist and scooped up my lovely little pony. I covered her up and made my way back home. We were both starving and ate an enormous dinner. Thankfully, I realized that I still had tons of leftovers and we feasted on that together. We didn't even get to eat lunch because we were so busy together outside. Rainbow Dash hopped off of the chair and came over to me. She began to tug at my clothing with her teeth. I got up and followed her into the bedroom. She hopped onto the bed and settled down on her pillow. I looked at the clock and couldn't believe how late it was. I normally couldn't go this long without food in the day, but somehow I made it through and it was now time for bed. Perhaps I was so fascinated by Rainbow Dash that I forgot about my hunger. I pulled the blankets over Rainbow Dash, tucked her in and laid down in the bed next to her. She looked at me and said, "Thank you for doing this. You will understand soon and your eyes will be open. I love you." The words "I love you" pierced right through my heart, and I was so very happy that I was able to make her happy. "I love you too, Rainbow Dash," I said with a beaming smile. I watched her slowly close her eyes and drift off to sleep. Of course, it took me several hours to fall asleep myself because I was so excited that she was still here with me. I did fall asleep within time as I pondered what this was all was about. > Putting it all Together > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I awoke the next morning to the sound of scuffling in my room. I looked for Rainbow Dash, but she was gone. I began to panic and looked across the room. There she was trying to open a very small box that I had left on my desk. I got out of bed and hurried over to her side. It was a small box that held a piece of jewelry inside. I took it from her hooves and opened it up for her. Inside the box was a gold necklace that my Mother had bought for me long ago. On the necklace was a cross with a gem stone in the center of it. The gem stone was my birthstone. It represented the month I was born. Rainbow smiled as she looked at the necklace. "I want to wear this," Rainbow Dash said. I don't know why she wanted to wear this. It was my favorite and only piece of jewelry that I had worn in the past, but I obeyed her wish and took the necklace out of the box. I unlatched the back of it and gracefully put it around her neck. When I was able to hook the back of it, I stood back and looked at her. She was looking down at the necklace and smiling. "Thank you for doing this for me. I want to wear this if it's ok with you." I had no objections and I actually felt it made her look pretty. I led Rainbow Dash into the kitchen. I scooped her up and raised her close to the top of the refrigerator. I didn't have many cereal options, since I only ate such a select few brands of cereal, made by a few companies I trusted, but it was the healthiest and best cereal I could possibly buy on the market. Rainbow Dash pointed with her hoof at my favorite cereal. Ezekiel 4:9 cereal with almonds. I put her down and took the box off the top of the refrigerator. Rainbow Dash hopped up onto the chair and waited patiently for her breakfast. I opened up the refrigerator door and took out some almond milk. I got out two bowls and filled them up. I also put quite a bit of cinnamon on the cereal because we both enjoyed it. Rainbow Dash began to inhale the cereal and was done in no time. I had to take a bit longer to finish myself, but when I finished, Rainbow Dash was already getting fidgety and wanted to go back out to the woods. I got up when I finished eating and was getting ready to walk over to the front door. I stopped when I realized Rainbow Dash was walking back to the refrigerator. I assumed she wanted something else to eat, but I was shocked to see her walk right by it and down the stairs to the back door. I followed behind her and watched her go down another set of stairs into the basement. I became very confused and asked, "Rainbow Dash, what are you doing down there?" I did not get an answer from her. It was dark down there and I couldn't see what she was doing, even though her coat was so very brightly colorful. It sounded as if she had found something and was trying her best to tug at it. I heard a loud crashing sound, and just as I was about to flick the light switch on, I saw her come into view. In her mouth, she had a shovel and was struggling to pull it over to me. She placed it down at my feet and said, "This will be part of the mission. We have to take this with us today." I was very confused, but I knew that if I asked any questions, that I'd get the same answer from her. This was getting stranger by the moment. I bent down and picked up the shovel. "How did you know where to find this, Dash?" I asked her. Rainbow Dash began to head up the stairs and said, "You leave the door open when we sleep together at night and I went searching for it when I realized you were sound asleep. I also found one last important thing for our mission together." I followed closely behind her and watched her walk back into the livingroom. She walked over to the front door and leaning against the door was something inside of a bag. She must have found where I kept the bags and put something inside of it. I came closer to her and was about to grab the bag to see what was inside, until she got in my way and said, "No. I will take the bag." I was trying to piece this all together. "So wait, Rainbow Dash. You want to take this bag, and this big shovel with us to our special spot? This is going to look so strange to the other's if they happen to see me. How am I supposed to carry you in my arms with this big shovel?" Rainbow Dash reached behind a table and pulled out a carry on bag. She brought it over and dropped it at my feet. "You can put me inside this. I found it last night." Again, my mind was racing with questions about what we were doing, but I bent down and unzipped the bag. Rainbow Dash picked up the bag she wanted to take with us, and walked on top of the carry on bag. I pulled the sides of the bag over her head. I made sure to not zip the zipper all the way up so that she had plenty of air to breathe. I took a deep breath and opened up the door. I had to look ridiculous with a carry on bag strapped over my should, and a rather large sized shovel. I saw cars going by my house. Today was Sunday and that probably meant more people would be outside. I shut my eyes tightly for a moment and said a quick prayer that somehow, no one would pull me over and question what I was doing with a carry on bag and a shovel. As I made my way to our special spot, my heart was racing and I found myself sweating whenever someone looked at me for more than a few seconds. Thankfully, not one person said a word to me and continued on their merry way. I placed the bag down near our little building project and unzipped the bag. Out she came with the mysterious bag that she was holding in her mouth. She walked over and placed it in front of the pile of stones. She then turned around and said, "You need to start digging. Please dig here." Rainbow Dash pawed at the ground and marked the spot where she wanted me to dig. I started to really wonder just what was going on. "Rainbow, I know you told me that I am not allowed to see until we are finished, but please tell me that whatever it is we are doing, is making you happy. Is this truly how you want us to spend our time together?" Rainbow Dash blinked a few times and then smiled. "Yes. This is our mission, and this pleases me." I let out a sigh of relief at the fact that I was making her happy even though I could not figure it out. Rainbow Dash began to paw at the ground with her hoof again and said, "I need you to dig. I will go out and find some more stones." I walked over and stuck my shovel directly into the spot that she marked onto the ground. "How deep does this need to be, Dash?" I asked. "I'll let you know when to stop," she replied. Rainbow Dash turned and left me. Every now and then I would look over my shoulder to check on her. Most of the time I could see her far off in the distance, but when I couldn't see her, I would panic. She would always end up coming back to our project. She would give me some praise and tell me that I was doing a really good job. When I felt that the hole was big enough, I stopped digging and waited for her to come back. I was overcome with temptation to look inside the bag that was leaning against the pile of stones, but I respected her wish for me not to know until she was ready to tell me. When she did return, I watched her put another stone on top of the pile. "Dash, is this good enough?" I asked. Rainbow trotted over and looked into the hole. She nodded her head yes and said, "It's fine. Thank you for doing this. We need to add one more stone, and I'd like for you to be the one who adds it." I looked over to the pile, and there was just one stone that could be added on top to make it look balanced. Rainbow Dash led the way deep into the woods and we found our last stone together by a stream. "I want you to carry it," Rainbow Dash said. "I also want you to carry me back to our special spot." I took the stone and put it into my pocket. I then bent down and scooped her up into my arms. I couldn't even begin to describe the sheer amount of happiness I was experiencing to have her back in my arms. This creature meant the world to me. She leaned her head against my shoulders and wrapped her front legs around my neck. I walked back with her to our special spot and whispered in her ear. "Ok Dash, we are here. Are you sure you want me to be the one who puts the last stone in place?" "Yes, I want you to do it," she replied. I walked closer to the pile of stones and reached into my pocket with one hand as I cradled her in my other arm. I carefully placed the stone on the one spot that needed to be filled. "Ok, Rainbow. It's all finished. What do we do now?" "Put me on top of it," she said I put my other hand under her and gently placed her on top. Rainbow Dash looked up at me and said, "I want you to take off my necklace and keep it as a reminder of me." My mind began to race with questions as I didn't know what she meant by that. "Dash, what does that mean? You're not going anywhere are you?" Rainbow Dash didn't answer my question. "Take the necklace off of me," she said again. My hands were quivering with fear and I had a hard time unlatching the hook because of how hard my hands were shaking. The thought of her possibly leaving me terrified me. I now stood there with the necklace in my hand. "Put it around your neck. I want you to wear it," she said. It was difficult for me, because I was so shaky, but I did manage to put the necklace around my neck and hook the end of it from behind my neck. Rainbow Dash looked down at the bag that was leaning against what now looked like some kind of small table that she was standing on top of. "You may take out what I put inside the bag for you now. Your eyes will now be opened and you will know what to do." I reached inside the bag, and to my horror, it was the sharpest kitchen knife that I had. It all made sense now, and a wave of dread and fear over took my mind. I dropped the knife to the ground and my whole body began to shake violently. I fell to my knees before her and put my head in my hands in great distress. I let out an agonizing moan and started to sob heavily. I felt Rainbow Dash put her hoof on my shoulder. I rose back up and wrapped my arms around her little body and kissed her colorful mane on top of her head. "I can't do it! You want me to sacrifice you, don't you? I would lose my mind if I had to take your life. Please, Rainbow Dash, why are you having me do this? Do you know that you mean everything to me?!" Rainbow Dash somehow broke free from my hug and she used her front hoof to wipe the tears away from my eyes. "That's where you went wrong. I mean the world to you and I replaced the very most important thing in life. You were unknowingly worshipping me and you lost focus of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God tried to admonish you about the dangers of idol worship through other people, but you refused to listen, and you isolated yourself from others. God decided to get a little more creative and create me to lead you back to Him. He has greater plans for you, and you were wasting much of your time being alone and watching My Little Pony Friendship is Magic episodes. You forgot that you were created for community. You were tired of religious wars and corruption, and you thought you found the ultimate escape when it came to love and acceptance, but you seem to have forgotten that Bronies and Pegasisters fight a lot, and if some of them had access to weapons and met face to face, there would be blood shed even though this show is all about love and friendship. This fandom has become like a cult-following and it is dangerous. They argue about the most stupid things like what the rainbow represents in the show. They have forgotten that the rainbow has and will always represent God's loving promise to man. They try to sexually corrupt my character and make me out to be a lesbian like how they want all the other ponies in the show to be like that too and draw nasty pornographic pictures of me and post them on the internet. They don't realize that there is no true peace without the love in Christ. You gave your life to Christ a long time ago, and you have forgotten much about Him. You were living your life for me and not God and it was hurting you so much even though you didn't realize it. The whole purpose of me existing here is to lead you back to Him and to rekindle a hurt relationship. Please pick up the knife and do the deed." I bent down and picked up the knife, my hands were quivering and shaking so hard with fear. I had seen enough movies and played enough video games to get the idea on how to slice a throat, but there was no way I understood how to apply it in real life. This wasn't a movie or a video game. I didn't simply press a button on a game controller, or click a computer mouse button to make a pixilated imaginary character do something, and I never had any desire to kill or destroy anything in real life. My trembling hands put the knife to her throat. "Rainbow Dash, I have no idea how to kill and I don't even know if this is by the right part of your throat that I need to slit." Rainbow Dash looked down at the knife and then looked up at me. "The positioning is fine, just do it now." I accidently dropped the knife because I was so shaky and upset. "I can't do it, Rainbow. I just can't," I said. "If you truly love me, then you will let me go. My whole purpose here is to help you rebuild a relationship with our Creator," she said. "But how much will this hurt you, Rainbow? I can't bear to see you suffer." "It will be quick," she replied. "I want you to think about the suffering of Christ on the cross and I want you to know how much it hurt God when He wanted to show you love and you blocked Him out with me." More tears filled my eyes when I focused on the work and love of Christ. I was still panicking though and was thinking about Rainbow Dash. "Will I be able to see you again? Will you be in Heaven with me when my time comes to leave this earth?" I asked. "That is not important for you to know because you would end up living for me again. I can not tell you. You will just have to wait and see. Focus on Christ from now on. Please, the longer you wait to do this, the more difficult it will be for you." I closed my eyes shut tightly for a moment, and then picked the knife up. I placed it exactly at the same spot I had before. Just before I was about to pull through with the deed, I felt something grab my hand and I heard a voice I hadn't heard before say "Stop." I opened my eyes and looked down at the knife. There was another hand on top of my hand. I stared at the hand for a moment because there was something so different about it, and I couldn't take my eyes off of the scar on the hand. I heard the voice from behind me call my name and I slowly turned around. When I saw this man, I instantly fell prone to the ground and dropped the knife. I didn't know who he was because I had never seen him before, but my spirit was telling me that He is the Son of God. There was something so powerful about His image that I could not pick my head up and look at Him again. He called my name again and said, "Do not be afraid." I slowly picked up my head up and looked at Him once more. I didn't have to ask who it was, I knew deep down inside who this man was even though I had never seen Him before. I tried to speak, but no words came out of my mouth. Jesus raised his arm and opened up his hand and said, "Rainbow Dash, come here." Rainbow Dash instantly hopped off of the altar and stood by the side of Jesus. Jesus bent down by me and picked up the knife that I had dropped. He reached out his other hand and grabbed my wrist and gently pulled my hand out. He put the knife back in my hand and said, "Rainbow Dash will not be sacrificed." I got down low and I thanked Him so many times. Jesus called my name again. I picked my head up and watched Him walk over to the altar. He looked down at me for a moment and then stood on top of it. "You will sacrifice me instead." My mouth hung open and my body began to shake crazily. I almost dropped the knife several times. "Y-y-you want me to kill you?" I asked. "Yes. I am the ultimate sacrifice for sin." I stayed there on my knees and couldn't move. "Come," Jesus said. "Slice my throat instead of slicing Rainbow Dash's throat." I didn't want to move at all, but yet my I somehow managed to rise to my feet and walk over to the altar. "Come stand on top and sacrifice me," Jesus said. I slowly stood on top of the altar and was next to His side. Jesus Christ kneeled down and said, "Take my life instead." I came a little bit closer and put the knife to his throat. I paused for a moment and watched my hand tremble. "Do it," Jesus commanded. It was almost as His words forced me to pull through with the action. I put some pressure on his throat with the knife and I pulled it across His throat. The blood gushed out of His throat and He fell down quickly. I looked down at the knife and there was His blood on it as well as on my hand. Fear and dread took over my mind. I dropped the knife and I ran through the woods at full speed. I didn't know where I was going, I just had to get away. I had murdered the ultimate man of peace who is God in the flesh. I continued to run through the woods and was nearing the edge of it, when suddenly, a light had shined so brightly in front of my eyes and a voice spoke to me. "Stop!" the voice commanded. I felt as if the Holy Spirit forced me down to my knees. I knew the voice that was speaking to me was God the Father. "What do you want with me? I just killed Jesus!" I raised my bloodied hand to the sky. "Look what I did!" I cried out. Father God spoke back to me and said, "I sent Him to you, just like I sent Rainbow Dash to you as well." "I don't understand what is going on," I said. A voice coming from behind me called my name. I turned around and saw Jesus Christ standing there, cradling Rainbow Dash in His arms. He got down low with me on the ground and shifted Rainbow Dash into one side of his arm. He reached out His hand and touched the side of my face. "You have kept Rainbow Dash as your idol for a very long time. You have great passion for this show, but you had let it get in the way of your relationship with Me. I'm not taking your passion away from you, but I will change what you love for the better. You will be my shining light for this fandom of people." Jesus took His hand off of my face and then kissed the side of my cheek. He stared lovingly into my eyes for a moment. He then stood up and said His final words before ascending into the Heavens. "Peace be with you." I shot up out of bed and put my hand to my chest. My heart was beating so fast. I looked around my bedroom and I realized that this was all a dream. I very rarely dream, and nothing has ever been so vivid and real to me. I instantly walked over and turned my computer on. I put my hand to my forehead and couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in my dream. I went online and noticed that someone had sent me a message. It was from one of my Christian friends who gave much opposition to My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. I opened it up and there was a message telling me that he became a Brony and that he saw an episode that he thought was incredible. He also sent me a picture that was related to the episode that he saw, it was a picture of Princess Luna and a joke about her dream weaving powers. The timing of such a thing was unreal. I totally believe that God truly had visited me inside this dream, and I got on my knees and prayed. Jesus told me in my dream that He wanted me to be His shining light in this fandom, and I had no idea what he wanted me to do to be that shining light, but I humbly asked for His help to give me ideas, if in fact this was His will for me. I finished my prayer and went into the kitchen to eat breakfast. As I was eating, I became struck with new ideas to tell stories that seemed to come from out of nowhere. I was never known for creativity, and I really had no desires to write before. I made some mental notes in my head as I finished breakfast and then went back to my computer. I suddenly began to remember scriptures and I applied them to my story ideas as I typed them out. Not every story I made could be considered Christian, but I tried my best to apply a Christian principle or theme to many of them when I felt like it could fit. Now that God was the focus of my life, I began to enjoy My Little Pony Friendship is Magic even more than I did before. I would find things that happened in the show and would think of scripture that relates to what happens in the stories. I could see the love of God in this show now, and I could practically feel His love for me through this cartoon. All of this made the experience that much more enjoyable. I still had my plushie dolls, figurines, and many other collections in my home. I took my Bible and put it directly into the center of my massive pony merchandise collection. I then took my Rainbow Dash plushie doll and placed her front legs on top of the Bible as if to remind me about that dream and to write stories. Even though My Little Pony Friendship is Magic used to be in control of my life, I now had a new mission, and I would do my best to fulfill it, as best as I possibly could. I made more of an effort to visit friends, and I wasn't as much as a recluse as I once was. I shared the joy of Christ and His free gift of salvation as much as I could and even tried to reach out to others, by making a special creation through one of my most favorite video games of all time. I continued to live out the rest of my life and tried my best to continue to write in my spare time. > Meeting My Maker > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My time had come to leave this earth. I took my last dying breath. I found myself standing on a cloud with a golden road that led up to a giant golden gate with precious pearls and jewels set in them. I noticed that there was someone waiting for me and was standing in the center, in between the two gates. It was Jesus Christ and it was His glorified body. He looked just like He did before when I first met Him in my dream. The glorious light hurt my eyes and He was so magnificent, even from a distance. I stumbled over to Him and fell at his feet. I wrapped my arms around His ankles and began to sob. I kissed His feet several times. Jesus bent down low to the ground and put His index finger under my chin. He slowly lifted my head up and I was face-to-face with Him. My God. My entire body was shaking, partly from feeling like a total failure in life, and also partly because I was before His mighty presence. I had a hard time speaking, but I managed to abruptly let out the words, "I have failed you so many times and my life could have been so much better. Please, show compassion and mercy on me!" Jesus Christ began to show me visions of what my life could have been if I lived in a more Godly and pleasing manner to Him. I broke down crying at the things that I could have done, but failed because I made terrible decisions. There were so many things I missed out on in life and it broke my heart to see all of the possibilities before me. When Christ showed me the very last vision of how I could have lived my life, I turned my head away from Him and began to sob into my arm. "I can't be here, Jesus. I don't deserve to be in Heaven after what I have done." Jesus calmly called my name and told me to come closer to Him. I struggled to pick myself up. I was so burdened with guilt and shame. I stood there trying to control my emotions. Jesus took His hand and wiped the tears away from my eyes. The moment His hand touched my face, the tears stopped flowing. "Come with me and receive your crown my child," Christ commanded. I followed Him through the gates and the moment I stepped foot inside, all regrets, remorse, and pain had left me. I had a new and glorified body and I was now perfect. I got down very low before Him and began to worship and praise Him. Jesus Christ took a jeweled crown and placed it upon my head. I looked up at Him and waited to hear the words that I so desperately craved to hear my whole entire life. "Well done, good and faithful servant," He said. I fell back down on my face and began to worship Him. Jesus called out my name again. "I have another reward for you," He said. I looked up and I saw that He was holding Rainbow Dash in His arms. He got down to my level and placed her in my arms. I began to stutter. "Y-y-y-you saved her just for me?" I asked. Jesus smiled and said, "I know how much you enjoy her. I have another surprise for you." Suddenly, Applejack appeared from behind Jesus and then followed by Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle. The ponies walked over to me and stood by my side. Rainbow Dash leapt out of my arms and stood at my side. There were three ponies on my right, and three ponies on my left. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were the closest to my side. Rainbow Dash spoke up and said, "We were all created to worship and we will give praise to our Creator." It was almost like it was right on que. All of the ponies and myself bowed down at the same time. No one was told to bow and we were all in perfect sync with each other. I would be at peace here for all eternity and I would worship my Creator with my little pony friends by my side. The end.