> My Little Dashie: The Aft5rlife
>  by Rdasher12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Remembrance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edited by: Dreadnought



I live my afterlife one day at a time. Most of these days have been uneventful, always falling into the same routine: I wake up, have breakfast with my parents, walk and goof off all day, have dinner with my parents, and then hang around until I go to bed.

Living in an empty realm isn't very fun or interesting, but I make do with what I have. And on this one particular day, everything changed...

----------

I wake up with a sharp gasp for air as if I had just experienced a nightmare. I'm sweating a bit, but not enough for it to be concerning. Although sweating because of a dream like that is weird, as that was no nightmare. It was quite the opposite in fact. It felt so real, so... vivid. It was as if I was reliving the best memory of my life at that point. Which in all honesty, it probably was. 

The details of the dream are beginning to fade, but I scramble to put them back into place before they diminish completely and I replay it in my mind to the best of my ability.

----------

After ten minutes of walking, I found the box that managed to stay a prominent figure in my head. So prominent in fact that I don't think I would've been able to sleep that night if I hadn't gone back there for some closure. I looked over at the object. It was an ordinary, brown, cardboard box. Nothing more, nothing less. 

As I got closer, however, I noticed something bright inside that made my heart jump, due to the unexpectedness of it all. 

I anticipated nothing more than a few knickknacks, or with my luck, just some old socks. Needless to say, I was surprised, and I found myself feeling rather curious. It wasn't every day that I got the chance to see a color as bright and joyful as the cyan that I found myself staring at, that wasn't fake or animated in some way, shape or form.  

Of course, by living in the decaying suburbs of Detroit, the only colors I was accustomed to seeing were the boring brown, much like the color of the cardboard box, and the faint yellow of the dead grass that covered half of the sidewalk. Then again, those were the only colors I'd ever seen, the only colors I'd ever see...

Or so I thought.

In all of my thinking, I had reached the cardboard box. At this point, I had an abundance of questions just waiting to be answered. As much as I wanted to ponder on all of it, I knew it was time to put my mind out of its misery, and see just what was inside of this box. 

I forced out all thought to finally focus on what I'd come out here to do, get closure. At that point, all I'd done for myself was make more unanswered questions. After what felt like an eternity, I fully opened the box and examined what was inside.

This was where I currently stood: looking into a box at what my brain was taking as a simple toy, left to die along with everything else on the block. But, my heart was taking it as something that I wanted to believe so badly, yet found it impossible to. 

Until I saw it breathing. In fact, it appeared to be sleeping.

My hands were sweating, my breathing was erratic, and I was blinking my eyes trying to refresh my vision. 

Each time, the image stayed the same. Inside, was a sleeping... filly... Rainbow Dash. 

I knelt down, trying to get a closer look into the box. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was not a physical, mental, or extraterrestrial way how this could be here... how she could be here, in my gloomy, dark and horrid world. I examined the box further, and on the side in simple pen said: ‘Give to good home.’

One of the many things that popped into my mind besides the initial "Filly Rainbow Dash in a box" was the realization that the closure of finally knowing what was inside the box, only gave me so many more questions. How had she gotten there? Why was she there? Why was she a filly? After examining what I had started to think was a vision that I'd gone crazy after so many years of solitude, I saw that her flank was even barren of her cutie mark, proving she was indeed a filly. 

Along with those questions came another that I didn't even know where to begin with. Although literally none of them had any realistic answer, at least I could make up one with the logic of My Little Pony, which was something. But, who would give up a filly Rainbow Dash?

All of the many questions were making me dizzy, so I stood up, or at least tried to, in hopes of alleviating the nausea. But, being my clumsy self, I accidentally tapped the side of the box with my foot, and the inevitable occurred: she woke up.

----------

I open my eyes, as that was all that I recall from the realistic experience. 

Lately, I've been getting dreams that resemble the more memorable bits of my life, whether they were for better or for worse. But they would always have something off about them, like most dreams. For instance, the house I resided in so long ago might be distorted in some way, or in extreme cases, made out of gingerbread. The sidewalk crumbling beneath my feet might be purple, instead of its usual grayish concrete color. This got annoying to me rather quickly, always having my cherished memories tarnished in one way or another.

But this one was different. For starters, it'd finally caught up to when I was twenty-two. It'd been a couple days since I'd gotten one, with the last memorable thing being four years prior when my parents died. That was certainly one of the worst memories I had in my life. The worst up to that point, at the very least.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, that memory was the first one that I had with my Dashie, regardless if she remembers it, or not.

Second thing, nothing was out of context this time. It went exactly as it'd gone when it really happened. Was it because it was Dashie? Maybe in some strange way, my mind knew just how important she is to me and didn't make something silly out of it? If that's the case, I couldn't be more thankful.

Aside from all of that, I miss Dashie very much. As much, and if not more than I did when she was first taken away from me. No... when Celestia and Dashie's friends came to take her back home. How can I be so selfish? Just like I was when they first came to bring her back, when we inhabited my world. 

The day was September 17th, 2027, or as I like to call it, Dashie's twentieth birthday. It's been over nine years since that day. That is, nine years Equestrian time.

According to the note that Dashie left for me on that day, the one she later changed with her old magic: One day in Equestria is about a week and a half on Earth, give or take. I suppose I can calculate just how many years have passed on Earth. But I'll come back to that later, it's not important right now. 

To be honest, those nine years literally flew by. Unfortunately, not too much like the horrible six-month time period that I was prepared to end with a six-foot rope and my chandelier. That felt like an eternity. I convinced myself that I had the only thing that gave me a reason to keep on living in that world taken away from me, with hardly any warning. There were still so many things I wanted to do with her, that I thought I'd never get the chance to do again.

There were times where I wanted to end it, but I knew I couldn't. I knew Dashie wouldn't want me to, I knew that she would've wanted me to live on.

Now, I don't know if it was obvious, but back when we were first separated, there laid a lonesome thought in the back of my mind that there might've been some miraculous way that I'd get the chance to see her again, even if it was only for a few seconds. That sliver of hope was probably one of the few things that kept me going for those months. I didn't even have to see her, just knowing that she was somewhere out there with all of our memories would've been enough.

But even with that said, I want to hold her in my arms so badly. As much as the determination of a mother grizzly bear defending her cub. If anything got in the way of her cub's safety, whoever was getting in the way stood no chance of getting out of the situation in one piece. Much how if anyone got in the way of me getting to my Dashie. Thankfully it never did come to that, although there were a few close calls.

But anyway, back to my point. That depressing six-month time period felt about as long as the first three or so months of my life in Equestria, back when the only ponies who knew of my existence there were my two closest friends. 

No, that's not right, one of my closest friends, and my daughter, my Dashie. The sole reason that I left what could've been a normal life back on Earth, and that was the best choice I believe I ever made. Well, besides going back for the box, that was hands down the most important decision I had ever made in my entire existence as a human being. 

The choice that I made led to the path of the happiest life I could've ever hoped for, while the other path would've continued down Dreary Drive. Dreary Drive would've reached a dead end shortly after that... 

What I mean is, if I had chosen not to go back for that box, I probably would've gotten here within a year of that very day.

After another three and a quarter years of living in Equestria, somehow, someway, Princess Celestia found out about my existence there. Maybe Pinkie told somepony, who then told her? No, I shouldn't be so quick to judge her like that. She "Pinkie" promised, after all. Celestia probably just had some vision, like she always did. 

Man, that sure was some walk down memory lane. I feel happy whenever I think about my life, but I also feel sad for obvious reasons. "Life" here in the afterlife, isn't as good as everyone made it out to be, but of course it isn't. After all, how could they've known what it was really like up here? I don't blame them for my mild disappointment. 

Don't get me wrong, though, life here isn't bad. I live in this awesome house with my parents. As a matter of fact, it's an exact replica of the house I was born in, and the house both Dashie and I were raised in. Even better, it's what it was like when they first bought it, newly built! Even the furnace is brand new! Well, not that you'd need it anyway. The weather here is a constant sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, so there's no need for heating.

I do miss the house that I bought when Dashie and I moved. But apparently, I won't be going without it forever. My parents told me about this kind of magic that happens as more ponies comes through. They said that if you're married, then you have a replica of the house that you and your spouse saw as your favorite, and they looked to be twenty when they first got here. 

What's kind of cool is that when I did come along, since I was never married, I got to live here due to the fact that I never had a wife to share a house with. And that's something that I never have, and never will regret. 

When the next generation comes through, they'll look about twenty years old. You don't age here in the afterlife, not visually or literally. All you get is this feeling that you're older than the more recent arrivals. But it's not a bad feeling at all, as I've been told. This is all great news to me. Dashie and I will be able to play together, forever without me slowing down the fun because "I'm getting older."

Along with the feeling of being older, comes my house. Wait, no, our house. It was as much hers as it was mine, and nothing would ever change that. She took care of it just as much, and as well as I did. 

I've actually just noticed something as well. Even though I've been here for a good week or so now, I haven't seen my grandparents, or anyone further down my family tree. I didn't get to see them very often in person, they both passed away a year or so before I found Dashie, in a car accident. I guess it ran in the family for a while! 

Usually, it'd be rude to make that kind of joke, but seeing how we've all passed, only makes it seem all the funnier. I guess I'll have to ask them about it during breakfast.

I look at the time and see that I've been daydreaming for nearly an hour now. "My, how time flies." I sit up and stretch, then I get out of bed after hearing that satisfying "pop" in my back. I rub my eyes and yawn, and upon smelling muffins, eggs, and something that I haven't had in over a decade, bacon, I walk downstairs for breakfast. 

"Good morning, Mom. Is that really what I think it is, sizzling over there?"
> Chapter 2: Dashie's New Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wake up, the sun's glare hitting its target that are my now open eyelids. This makes my eyes burn, and I squint them to alleviate the pain. My mind is a mix of confusion and tiredness, as the bed I sleep in has its only window facing west, meaning that I'm used to waking up in dim lighting, due to the sun rising in the east. I must've slept in Dad's bed, since his window faces the opposite direction of mine in the sole bedroom. 

That must be why he always wakes up before me... Where is he, anyway?

I feel around the bed for the covers, as I woke up with none, and I feel a part of the mattress that's a bit damp. Drool, maybe?..

Upon noticing puffiness around my eyes, the realization of what's going on starts to sink in. 

I guess I cried myself to sleep last night... 

It doesn't take much pondering to remember why I did, which only makes me want to cry more. I think about letting myself, but I figure that the more I cry, the harder it'll be to move on with my life.

"That's if I ever can move on from something like this." I say that aloud, it's not like anypony can hear me. At this point, I don't care if they can. I know what I said was a lie. Of course, I'll get over this. It's a matter of when, not if. As much as I want to stay attached to Pops, I know that the right thing to do is to move on from him as quickly as possible. In order to enjoy the life that he worked so hard to lay out for me, it's what I have to do.

With that said, today is not the day. Even if I could muster the strength to get over it this soon, I know that there are too many things that still have to happen in order for me to move on. The biggest of those being... the funeral.

I choke a bit at that last part. Just thinking about attending my own father's funeral is enough to make me want to mope all day, but I know I can't. That's not what my friends want for me... not what Daddy would want for me.

With as minimal effort required, I get out of Dad's bed, and eventually out of his room. The exit to said room leading into our living room. Well, my living room, I guess. 

Saying that in my mind only makes me remember why it's my living room now. It just doesn't sound right, and I'm not sure if it ever will. But I guess I'll just have to find a way to get used to it. After all, this is my new life, and it's not going anywhere for a long time.

I enter the living room and look at myself in the mirror. I was right, my eyes are puffy. My mane doesn't look too good either, but right now, that's the least of my worries.

"Today... Today is a new day." I tell the mare in the mirror, and I have a feeling that I'll be repeating that phrase countless times to help push me into each new day.

Usually, I'd make some kind of breakfast at this point. But I don't think the knot in my throat would let me eat it. Not to mention that it's nearly noon already and I'd be eating lunch, anyway.

Last night, Rarity suggested that we all go out to the countryside and have a picnic to help get our minds off of recent events. 

"It will be simply de-lightful!" Rarity explained to us after she made the suggestion. Everypony was kind enough to walk me home from the hospital last night, which was probably something I needed. In my heart, I really just wanted to be closest to whatever reminded me of Pops. But in my brain, I knew it wouldn't be healthy to do something like that for any longer than a few hours a day. So, with that knowledge, and a bit of persuasion from Pinkie, I accepted.

Over the next thirty minutes, I'd gotten ready. All I really did was take a shower, knowing that it'd help me feel refreshed, as well as fix up my bed-head mane and puffy eyes. The clock on the wall read 12:30 pm, so they should be here any minute now.

The next several minutes are spent staring at a picture of Pops hung up on the wall, opposite of Grandma's painting of a field that yielded into a parking garage. The one with the colorful rainbow as the center of attention. 

KNOCK KNOCK

I hear the knocking that I was waiting for. This, unfortunately, snaps me out of my trance that was my first night with Dad.

----------

I remember hearing a light switch being turned on, which was what woke me up on that occasion. I was frantic to explore my surroundings and hopped out of the warm, leather jacket that he had me wrapped in. After jumping around the living room for a moment, I heard him ask me something. 

"What are you doing here in my world?"

I honestly couldn't understand him back then. Heck, if it wasn't for him, I never would've learned how to. I just looked up at him, with a confused expression. It looked to me like he didn't even mean to ask the question, as if he were only thinking aloud.

After a few seconds, he followed up that statement with, "Are you lost?"

I still had no clue what he was saying, but the word "lost" made me feel so empty inside, like I'd been misplaced. My ears drooped in response, and I looked down at the old, worn out hardwood floor.

"Oh..."

My expression didn’t sway.

"Well, until things get sorted out, I guess you can... stay with me." 

His voice didn't sound all that encouraging. I just stared at him, with a worried look, questioning the legitimacy of his words.

"Don't worry, I'm sure whatever brought you here, will fix itself with time. We just... gotta wait. Is that alright?" He said those words with a smile on his face, which actually made me feel a bit better.

After that "conversation" ended, he went into the kitchen and brought back some chopped up carrots. I was starving at the time, and ate them diligently. From what I remember, they were pretty darn good.

For the next hour or so, he walked me through all the rooms and showed me everything that was in the house. Well, everything except for this one room. I later figured out that it was his bedroom. I could only guess as to why he skipped that one.

After some time, we found ourselves back in the living room. At this point, I was exhausted. It was probably two in the morning, and fillies need a lot of sleep. So, I found this old looking recliner and I hopped onto it. Well, when I say hopped, it was really more of a climb. I certainly was no feline, but I managed. Getting comfortable, I curled up and closed my eyes to try and fall asleep.

After maybe half an hour of trying, I got really cold. I later learned that was due to the house's furnace not working properly. I wonder if it ever got fixed before we moved?

Anyway, the cold was getting to me, so I sat up on the recliner and looked around for something warm. All I could see was the man that'd brought me into his home sleeping on the couch. 

Jumping down from the recliner and climbing onto the couch, I then found a hole between his arm and his body, and I got cozy. His body heat eventually seeped in, much like it did when he had me wrapped in his leather jacket. After a few minutes of pure comfort, I dozed off to sleep.

----------

As I come to, I frown at first, because the realistic memory of us was now over. I'm sad again, but I know that now's the time to focus on other things. I take a deep breath and reply to the knocking. 

"Coming." I say, although not with the usual spunk and purposefulness that my friends have come accustomed to hearing over the years, but I guess that was to be expected. 

I fly over to the door as quickly as my wings will let me, which isn't quick in any terms. I open the door, and all I see is a pink blur before it tackles me down to the hardwood floor.

"Hey, Dashie!" Pinkie excitedly says, with as much energy and happiness to even make me give a weak smile.

"Heeey, Pinkie." I reply. She climbs off of me as quickly as she had latched on. I get up and give her a half-decent smile. There's just something about her... Even in the darkest hour, she'll still find a way to pull me out of my pit of despair, and into the beautiful light.

I see everypony else just behind Pinkie. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity are all giggling, proving that Pinkie's happiness could spread to literally anypony. A small smile even appears on Fluttershy's face. She was never the kind of pony to laugh, but it was obvious that Pinkie managed to rub off on her, too.

As we walk outside, I'm greeted by the bright, beautiful skies of Equestria. Vivid and joyous as it is almost every day. As we head off towards the hillside, I notice something in the sky, shining as brightly as it had the day before. 

I smile at what I know to be true, or rather, who. Not only is he here in my heart, but he watches over me from high in the sky as well. I give one last look at my dad and give a short wave before we head off in the opposite direction towards the picnic site, with a legitimate smile plastered on my face.
> Chapter 3: Begin Prep
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wake up. Not suddenly, but cheerfully. I've just awoken from yet another cherished memory. Again, the dream felt just as real as when it happened. This one wasn't quite as long as the others, but it was still great, and I'd say the cutest so far! 

----------

If you had told me three weeks ago that I was going to find a filly Rainbow Dash in a box on my walk home from work, I'd call you insane. I probably am in all reality, but I don't care. 

Rainbow Dash had gotten used to her new surroundings at this point, and she even started to understand the words I was saying, which was really encouraging.

After the first few days, I decided to give her a pet name. Calling her "Rainbow Dash" was a bit of a mouthful, at least for her age. I narrowed it down just simply "Dash" but I eventually leaned towards Pinkie's pet name for her. "Dashie" It sounded adorable, and I think she liked being called that anyway. 

She had really started to grow on me back then. At that point, she had brought nothing but pure happiness into my otherwise dull life. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea to get too attached to her. I knew for a fact that I wouldn't have her forever, so I felt that having a close bond like the one that we were forming was only going to make saying goodbye so much harder. My brain told me that, but my heart just couldn't help it. The sheer cuteness of her overwhelmed me, and to be honest, I was happier that way.

In my dream, I've only just gotten home from work, which was something that Dashie had trouble accepting on most days. I worked from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on most days so it was a struggle. Since I only had maybe six hours total with her on those days, I made sure to make up for it on the days I had off. We might play some games, or just simply cuddle and watch a NASCAR race. 

She absolutely loved NASCAR. The moment I flipped to that channel two weeks earlier, she was stuck to it like glue. I was perfectly fine with her watching that stuff, as long as it made her happy. At that point, it was all I could really do for her.

I walked up to the door and pulled my keys out from my pocket. Upon doing this, I unlocked the two deadbolts, the Masterlock, and finally the doorknob. I opened the door and quickly shut it behind me. You never can be too careful, especially if you have something living in your house that shouldn't even exist. 

When Dashie heard the door open and close, she hopped off the couch that was in front of the TV. She was watching SpongeBob, he and Patrick were on their normal wacky adventures and were full of laughter while doing so.

She trotted over to me and immediately stood on her hind legs, her front hooves extending out towards me. I know I've said this a few times now, but dang it I'm gonna say it again because it's true, my heart exploded! She just looked so adorable. All I could do was kneel down, pick her up and give her the hug she had been yearning for all day. 

"Hey, Dashie. How was your day?" I knew that she couldn't respond just yet, but the best way for her to learn was to listen to other people talk, and I was all she had. I needed to make up for that where I could. I start to put her back down, but then I heard something. No way, it couldn't be her, could it? 

"H-Hi... D-Da-d-a." For the umpteenth time, my heart exploded, twice. Not only did she just say her first word, she said her second! I couldn't help but feel proud as I looked into Dashie's eyes. I was the one who made that possible.

A single tear rolled down my cheek, and I embraced her once again.

----------

Reliving that memory sure is a good way to start the day I think. It's been about two weeks since I arrived in the afterlife. Well, I say that, but honestly, it feels like it's only been a few days. Not that I'm complaining. The faster time goes by here, the quicker I get to see my Dashie, and what a day that'll be! 

Now, I have no clue how time here compares to time in Equestria, so I really have no idea exactly how long I'll be waiting. But, it's no big deal, really. It's not like I have a limited amount of time here. Sure, I'm not getting any younger by waiting around for her, but it's not like I'm getting any older either. 

That's just the great thing about this place, you don't have to rush to fill in special moments while you still can. You, quite literally, have an eternity to do that stuff, without needing to worry about ever running out of them. What's even better about this place is that the longer you're here, the better it gets. 

As time passes, more and more ponies will come with it, although I feel a bit cruel for waiting on them. I, just as much as everypony else, want each pony that's still down there to live as long and have as happy of a life as possible.

But, there just isn't anyone to talk to up here. I have my parents, but there really isn't too much to talk about with them, especially since they basically watched over all of my actions twenty-four seven after their passing. 

Apart from them, there's Granny Smith. She passed away about eight months before I did. Don't get me wrong, she's great to talk to, and she sure was lively back when she was twenty. The problem isn't the pony/people I can talk to, it's just the fact that, that's it.

Trust me, I was just as baffled when I realized that there are only four living beings here. Apparently, my parents and I are, and forever will be the only humans here. I'm guessing I was put in the "Pony" sector because I raised one as my own child, and my parents because I needed some sort of connection with my own kind. But, at this point, that's just a guess. 

The only reason I can think of to why Granny is the only pony here is simply her age. I don't recall ever seeing a pony as old as she was. Which is pretty spectacular when you think about it. Not only does it sound weird, it shouldn't even be possible. Either Granny Smith is basically the mother of every pony in history, or maybe it has something to do with Equestrian magic. 

I choose the latter, just thinking about the former gives me the creeps. I'm not even gonna go into that.

As for my grandparents, there isn't really all that much to say. My guess is that they were put in the "Human" afterlife. Any other sort of answer wouldn't make a lick of sense, so I'm gonna go with that. It's sad, I was hoping to catch up with them after all these years, but I guess I'll just have to cope with it.

Something worries me, though. Since I have no clue how long I'll be waiting for Dashie, she could technically be here as far away as sixty years from now, or as soon as within the next few minutes. In a weird way, it's kind of scary not knowing when her time will come. A part of me wants her to get here as soon as possible, but the rest of me knows that what I truly want, is for her to live the best life possible. I'd be pretty disappointed if her life were to be cut short for any reason. I don't want her up here until she feels that her life is complete. By that point, it's all up to fate.

I suppose that I'm not completely in the dark, though. Sometimes, when all I'm doing is sitting around thinking, I get short flashes. Flashes of what I hope is Dashie happily moving on with her life, and not random thoughts of what I'm wanting to see. 

In the first one, it seemed as if I was looking down at my old home, from high up in the sky. I would hear a weak voice every few moments.

The first I heard was "That's if I ever can get over this." Was that Dashie? Putting two and two together, she must've been moping around in the house. I hoped it'd only been a day or two, and not a week or something worse. I wouldn't want her to be sulking on my passing for that long, it wouldn't be healthy. 

After hearing that, I heard hoofsteps. 

Shortly after, I hear the words "Today... Today is a new day." Hearing this brought me some closure, knowing that she was, at the very least, trying to move on. After more steps, I hear the shower running, then more steps making it obvious that she had walked to the bathroom, took a shower, and proceeded to go back into the living room afterward.  

After what seemed to be a minute or two of silence, I saw five unique colors approach the house.

I could make out each one. There was pink, followed by purple, orange, white, and lastly yellow. If those colors weren't Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy then I'd be speechless. 

I eventually saw the door open, and a pink blur tackled a cyan one to the ground. Oh Pinkie Pie, I sure hope you can help her out with this. 

"Hey, Dashie!" Undoubtedly the voice of Pinkie. I could only chuckle, remembering the time she jumped through the roof of the first floor of SugarCube Corner and landed right on me, forcing me to the ground. 

After some thinking, I started to wonder if she could see me. According to the show, she could break the fourth wall. Now that would be something. If I could find a way to communicate with her, if that's even possible, then I can relay messages to Dashie! The thought of that filled me with joy, but I put it aside for the moment.

I could hear Dashie reply with "Heeey, Pinkie." It sounded like she was feeling a bit better. Thank you, Pinkie. I swear, she can pull literally anypony out of their despair. 

I then heard giggles, and I couldn't help but laugh with them. I truly felt like I was still a part of the group down there. I know that I'm not anymore, but I felt happy, seeing all of them happy. This is the closest that I can possibly get to my Dashie, as well as our friends, and I think I'm okay with that.

The next thing that happened left me in utter awe. Could Dashie see me? She just looked up at me, or at least in my direction. She seemed to smile as she did, but at that point, I just thought it was a coincidence. What really got me was when she moved her hoof up into the air and waved! There is not a physical, mental, or extraterrestrial way how she could be able to see me!

I was overjoyed, but the moment didn't last. She turned around and started walking toward, what I could make it out to be, the countryside. 

I snapped back to reality, or rather, snapped out of it. The afterlife certainly was no reality, the only connection I still have to that is back in Equestria. 

By now, I'm certain that she still has plenty of time before her life comes to a close. This relieves me, as I can now be assured that Dashie will go through with what she promised, to never even think about ending her own life to be with me. This also means that I have plenty of time to prepare for her arrival.

I want her time here to kick off with a bang! I'm talking fireworks, confetti, a huge party with all of her favorite foods, "The Final Countdown" playing in the background. It's going to be huge! 

I'm actually going as far as to find a way to make some kind of NASCAR race car. That may sound impossible, but this is the afterlife. I'm sure there's some way to create one. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it, at least here it is. 

With that said, I get up from my recliner in the living room. My parents are still napping upstairs, so I don't think they'll mind if I go outside to start the preparations. I walk to the door and give a good long look at a picture of Dashie that was right next to the main hallway. 

"Stay safe, Dashie. I'll be back soon." With these words, I open the door and head off into the distance, smiling ear to ear as I do.
> Chapter 4: The Funeral
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I look down at my speech for what must've been the seventeenth time by now. The said speech being for what I hoped I would never have to experience, my father's funeral. 

A few months ago, I'd call you insane, cruel even, if you told me that this was where I'd be today. Standing directly beside the open casket containing the lifeless body of my dad.

I look at him, and go over his features... since I know I won't ever get the chance to do so again after today. 

I start with his hair, nearly half of his once brown head had gone gray over the years, even though he wasn't very old. 

His shut eyelids were next. I wish I could see his beautiful blue eyes one last time, but I feel like it's better to let him enjoy his rest. 

His mouth was closed, shut tight by magic... to slow down the decomposing process. 

I sniffle as I move further down. He's wearing a tuxedo, which only makes him seem all the more elegant. 

Lastly, there are his feet. He had made the request that he be buried shoeless when his time came. A bit of an odd ask at first glance, but I understood why at least. With walking being such a big part of his life and such. They were worn out from years of walking back and forth from work, as well as our many trips to the old park. 

At this point, there's no denying that he did wonders to shape me into who I am today. If it weren't for him, I probably would've died of starvation, hypothermia, or something worse. The government could've found me and done some twisted experiments. 

I owe Dad my life. From this point on, I will make this life that's been set out for me the best it can possibly be. I will not, and can not let my life be tarnished in the pit of despair that nearly ruined my own father.

Talking about anything that has to do with my father makes me cringe. I'm not disgusted, just shocked by the reality of all of this happening right now. My heart is trying so hard to fool me into thinking that this is all imaginary, but the realness of it all is just too much to ignore. It shouldn't be ignored. My dad deserves my utmost attention, and I'm going to see to it that I deliver on that. 

I snap out of my thoughts, as I hear the royal hoof steps of Princess Celestia. She was put in charge of this... "gathering". I refrain from telling myself what this really is. I don't think I can take much more of this, and I need to keep my emotions in check for the speech. 

Princess Celestia walks closer to the podium and closer to me standing by the casket as she eventually reaches the top step. The world goes silent for a moment before she begins to speak.

"Citizens of Ponyville, we are all gathered here today to celebrate the life of somepony who was not a pony at all, but rather, a human. He was a dear friend to all of us and meant something special to everypony who is attending today." What she said warms my heart, but only hardly. 

In my head, I question her at first. She doesn't seem the slightest bit sad, but then again, she is immortal. She goes through this sort of thing a lot, so I guess it isn't surprising that she's acting like this. 

In a weird way, I sort of feel bad for her. Going through so many sad times, and probably wanting to cry, but she literally can't. Not only does being royal mean that she's expected to act a certain way, but it also means that she can't cry away the mournful times because she's experienced them too often to have it affect her like that. 

As a filly, crying always made me feel better. I think Dad once told me that crying made us feel better due to some kind of chemical reaction in the brain. 

I remember his exact words while explaining it to me. "Do you remember our first fight? After we cried for a bit, we felt better, and then we made up. That's a good example." 

Did I remember our first fight? Yes, yes I did, and I still do. I remember it as if it happened yesterday.

----------

I'd been in Daddy's care for maybe two months, or so. Yeah, that's right, two months exactly. It was November 17th, 2012. It was a Saturday, so he was supposed to be home. But, he got called in to cover a shift, and no one else could do it. So, I played around the house by myself as if it were a weekday. 

Everything was fine, mostly... sort of... not really... 

I made quite a big mess, there was pizza sauce on the floor as well as the furniture and my toys were scattered across the room. At the time I didn't really see it as a mess. Then again, I guess that was no different from any child back on Earth. 

I think it was nearly five in the evening by the time I heard footsteps approach the door. I was a bit occupied in trying to figure out how to use crayons and was finishing up a "drawing" if you could call it that. 

I heard each of the locks opened, and finally, the door opened and closed with a swift motion. I was nearly done at that point, all I had to do was put in a few more squiggly lines. 

I quickly did so and exited the living room. Upon seeing Dad at the fridge, I trotted over to him with the drawing clenched in my right wing. 

"Hi, Daddy!" I squealed excitedly as I hopped over the toys towards the kitchen. I still couldn't say too much at the time, but at that point, I had mastered those two words. 

"Hey, Dashie. Looks like you've had some fun today," he says as he surveys the mess I made. We can clean it up after I get some dinner." He opened the fridge, probably looking for the pizza that I ate earlier that day. Uh oh... He'd understand... right? 

I wasn't entirely sure why he said the words that came out of his mouth after that. Looking back on it, the stress of work along with the big mess that I made, and the fact that there was almost nothing for him to eat probably contributed to it. I guess his mouth just took control. His words were ingrained into my head the moment he said them.

"Rainbow Dash! You know, sometimes I wish you weren't even around! At least then I wouldn't have to deal with this stuff all the time!" His words were enough to make my eyes fill up with tears and I ran back into the living room, dropping the picture while doing so. 

I ran into the room and immediately sprawled out onto the couch, covering up my head with a pillow and sobbing into the fabric. 

His words echoed in my mind over and over. 'Rainbow Dash!' The only time he ever called me that was when I did something that I wasn't supposed to, so he definitely wasn't happy with me.

'Sometimes, I wish you weren't even around!' He didn't want me around anymore? Should I run away? I pondered it for a while, but at that point, I was too emotionally drained to act upon it. 

After crying for what seemed like an hour, I heard footsteps approach the room and I quickly covered my entire head with the pillow to try and hide from him. He seemed to tip-toe his way to the couch and sat down next to me. 

"I really like your drawing, Dashie. It's beautiful." His words went in one ear and came out of the other. I tried to ignore him at first, but something about him just reeled me in slowly. For the next few minutes, there was nothing but silence, all except my occasional sniffle. 

Then I heard the strangest thing, crying.

I slowly took my head out from underneath the pillow and all I saw was his weeping face, with his hands covering most of it.

"Why you cry?" It was my best attempt at a sentence. And to be honest, I wasn't too sad at that point, more confused, really. The sound of his tears only made me sad again, though, and I started to tear up myself. 

"I had a terrible day at work, everyone was mean to me, I haven't eaten anything since this morning, there's a big mess in the living room and now you hate me!" He said that, sobbing in between each reason. This made me feel guilty. I just couldn't help but feel bad for him. All the thoughts of what he told me earlier faded away as quickly as they were engraved. 

"Daddy, I don't..." I said, and dang it that must've been the truest thing I've ever said.

"I don't either, Dashie." He pulled me into an embrace, and I embraced him back with all the strength I could muster. 

How could I have been so stupid? Of course, he didn't hate me. If I ever see him again- No, when I see him again I'll be sure to apologize for that. 

For the rest of the night, we cuddled in the living room. He kept on telling me just how much he adored my drawing and I felt so happy knowing that he did. We eventually fell asleep while telling each other made up stories, and peace in the family was restored.

----------

The drawing... I think I still have that drawing. A few years back, Dad managed to get my shoebox filled with all of my special belongings, the one that I tried to take with me to Equestria. Along with the drawing, was my Indy 500 ticket, and a few pictures of us. How did he get that anyway? That's certainly something worth looking into sometime.

I fade out of my thoughts as I hear my name.

"I would like to introduce the pony who meant the most to our dear Brain Dash. The pony who considers him to be her father, as he raised her as if she were his own from a filly: Miss Rainbow Dash."

I take a deep breath before beginning the short walk to the podium. Time seems to slow down as I get closer, however. I look over at my father's body, but quickly look away in fear I'll lose focus. 

Okay, here we go. Focus, do not cry. I climb the steps up to the stage and continue my internal preparation. One funeral, forty-two in attendance. The attendees don't matter. I finish climbing the steps and I'm now a mere three hooves from the podium. The attendees... maybe I should worry about the attendees, do I want them to cry? No no no no no, stay focused, no crying. I reach the podium, and can't help but smile a bit, as I laugh on the inside from making a Cars reference. 

‘I'm faster than fast, I'm quicker than quick, I am Lightning.' That was always my favorite movie growing up. Thinking about it also helped keep me distracted from Pops. But all joking aside, I need to focus now. I look out at the small crowd and take a deep breath before I begin.

"Dad, for twenty-four years you took care of me. For twenty-four years you loved me, played with me, and made sure I enjoyed my life in both a world not meant to house me as well as one not meant to house you. I'm not a mare of many words, but even though I've told you this in person, I felt that you needed to hear it again, just so you know that it was all real. 

I love you, Daddy. You helped shape me into the mare I am now. I'm not sure what's going to happen. If life will ever be the same without you or not, but I want you to know that you did a darn good job of raising me, even if I was a bit stubborn at times and short with you during others. 

With Celestia's permission, I hope to allow you to have our photos, our memories, with you up there so that you will never forget. Again, I love you, and thank you. 

Your little daughter always, 

Your little Dashie forever, 

Rainbow Dash."

Saying that speech out loud pushes me over the edge. I start tearing up once I finish, and it's only getting worse as each second passes. In the crowd I can hear some sniffles, as well as Pinkie, balling towards the back. 

As I trot off of the stage, I can only imagine her crying much like she did when Princess Luna was reformed so many years ago, but I don't want anypony to see me like this. 

I stop at Dad's casket and look at him one last time. I give him a kiss on the cheek one last time before I look away. This is the final time in my life that I'll ever see my dad. Physically, at least. 

I want to look back at him, I really do. I want to do nothing but latch onto his body in hopes of some miracle that he comes back to life, I really do, but I don't. It's time to move on, now. I have to remember what Daddy wrote in his death note.

"Always remember, don't cry because it's over. Smile, because it happened." and smile I do. 

I look at up at the bright, beautiful skies of Equestria. The weather ponies made sure to make today as clear of a day as possible. My dad deserved that, at the very least. He wouldn't be able to see us all celebrating his amazing life if the skies were shrouded in clouds. I can only imagine his smile, as I look up at the rainbow that is my pops. 

With a sudden burst of energy, I fly up towards the rainbow, breaking the sound barrier and performing the sonic rainboom as I pass him. I feel an energy that I haven't felt in months, and I want to use all of that energy to remind him that I know he's there, and more importantly, that I've moved on from my loss. I smile at him, and it almost looks as if he smiles back at me!

I cry once again, but these aren't tears of sadness, these are tears of joy. I can now move on to the next stage of my life, knowing very well that my dad will be guiding me all the way.
> Chapter 5: Out of (Dead) Body Experience
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh my God..." 

The very thing that I've just witnessed was more alien than I ever thought possible. Something that no living being would ever have the ability to see, their own lifeless body being presented to the public, and later buried where they started their new life with their daughter. 

The experience was one of the few things that I can be surprised by at this point. I thought that I'd already seen everything there was to see. Truth be told, it'd be an understatement to say that I was high on the list of people who have seen and experienced the strangest things. 

I've experienced growing up in an already dying city, experienced my own parents passing away at a young age. I've gone through living in near poverty, as well as the sadness that came along with it. It may not sound like it at first glance, but that was really the more normal part of it.

I've also discovered someone that doesn't exist. Or rather, somepony that shouldn't exist. Not in that world, at least. I then took the rainbow-colored pony home with me and raised it. And I raised her as if she were my own daughter. 

So I've taken care of a pony, loved a pony, played with a pony, and above all else, I made sure that she enjoyed her life in a world that wasn't meant to house her. For a whole fifteen years, I did those things, only to be separated from her for six months.

I've been transported to a new world from an alternate dimension, and I became the only one of my kind in that place. I've been turned into a pony myself, even if it was for only a brief moment. 

I've grown wings from out of my back and became the first man to fly without any outside aid. I later had those very wings come to the end of their lifespan, meaning they had to be surgically removed, which left two scars that I'd live out the rest of my life with. 

I've attended Wonderbolt derbies to cheer on my pony daughter. I've had her be away from me for three whole years while she was off at a monastery for advanced training. I went back in time in order to get a birthday present just for her. 

I've been diagnosed with cardiac dysrhythmia, which would eventually lead to my own demise. I've laughed myself into a heart attack while escaping a magician trying to take control of my mind. I've fought the darkness that tried to take me away from everything that I cared about before my time had come. I've sat in a hospital bed for over a month straight. I've been brought back to life on numerous occasions. 

Perhaps the only normal thing that happened to me during my life was my death. Everyone dies, and there's no escaping that. Unless of course, you're an alicorn princess, but that's beside the point. 

I also ended up here, just like every person/pony does. It doesn't matter if I'm not in the afterlife that most every other person is, I'm still here.

But this... this has to have been the strangest thing that I've ever witnessed. This has to be the worst time of my afterlife.

It was one of those things where the horror of it all made me want to look away, but curiosity managed to keep my eyes keenly focused on everything that was going on. 

I was perched on my normal view of Ponyville, a short way up in the sky, not too much higher than the town hall. You'd think that everything on the ground below would be too far away to see, but one of the upsides to passing just so happened to be the ability to focus in on whatever was happening in a specific place. 

I saw a small stage that was in front of a group of about forty. It included Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike, Princess Luna, The Cakes, The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Crystal, and... 

Forest... dang it. I nearly forgot about him up here. I know that we settled our differences while I was still down there, but I don't think that he'll ever be on my good side. I still haven't given up the idea that he may be a human, whether he knows it, or not. But, I suppose that matter can be dealt with some other time. 

At that point, my mind was focused on finding Dashie. No matter how many times I looked, she wasn't in the crowd with everypony else. She had to have been close, though. I could just sense that she was nearby. We do have a connection, after all. 

I began searching near the stage. Either she was off on the sidelines somewhere, or behind the curtains. She must've been participating in whatever was taking place. I looked off the sides of the small stage. First, I looked right. Nope, nothing there. I then proceeded to look towards the left side. 

To my relief, I saw Dashie. She seemed to be frantically reading a sheet of paper, so she would be speaking. But, then I looked to her right. What I saw shook me to my core. 

"What the hell?!" No, no, no, no. That CANNOT be me. 

The thing I was looking at felt like an undead mirror. It was as if I were a ghost leaving my fallen body and I was about to go haunt someplace. There were no words to describe the feeling of defeat that encumbered me at that moment... 

For several moments I just stared at my corpse, hoping that it would magically disappear into thin air, so I could rest my eyes as well as my mind. I felt myself falling into the pit of despair that nearly defeated me back on Earth with no escape in sight. 

Until I heard an all too familiar voice that seemed to lift my spirits back to what was happening.

What she said quite literally made me float in the air. I would've been surprised, but the words that came out of her mouth kept me solely focused on her. 

I knew those words, and it made me beam with joy that she would use something so familiar to the both of us at what was likely my funeral. I felt as if I'd finally been completed after nearly a month of being in the afterlife. The whole time I've been here, I've never felt whole. Almost as if I didn't truly belong here just yet, but by then, I certainly did. 

What I saw next gave me a big smile. Dashie finished what she had to say and trotted off of the stage. At first, I thought that was it, but she almost instantly flew up towards me. 

I thought I felt some kind of softness press against my cheek just before she flew up. I wasn’t too sure what that could’ve been, but I didn’t really care right that second. I could hear the breaking of the sound barrier as she passed me, which gave me an energy that I haven't felt since I arrived here! 

Dashie then looked over to me and gave me the greatest smile that I've ever seen come across her face. I could only smile back as best I could, hoping that she could see me, or at the very least, sense me. 

To me, this proved that she was prepared to move on to the next stage of her life. She has a great career as a Wonderbolt going for her, and that position isn't going anywhere for a long time. I just hoped that I could see her races from here on out. It'd give me something to look forward to every once in a while, and I'm sure she'd love the support, even if she may not know that I'm even there.  

During all of my thinking, Dashie and everypony else left the area. As I came to, I began to look for them. After only a few short seconds, I saw them by the lake, the same lake I was teleported to over twelve years ago now. 

I kind of started to freak out at this point. The idea that the lake may've been where they chose to bury me crept into my mind. This gave me chills down my spine. I never did get the opportunity to buy out a grave site, I thought I'd have a whole thirty years or so to do things like that. Boy, was I wrong? 

The events that ensued over the next hour might've been something that I shouldn't have seen. I'd already been through a roller coaster of different emotions, from confusion to happiness, then to panic, which turned into a feeling of disgust, and defeat. Then it was back to being happy, then confused again, and now this. It actually made me feel more sickened than anything else. I became nauseous and had to sit down. 

The ponies of Ponyville somehow found the exact point at which I started out down there, and I was buried in that very place. I could make out the engravings on my tombstone. They read: 

Brian "The Human" Dash
August 10th, 1990 - June 23rd, 2037*.
A great friend to all.
"The best dad a pony could ask for."
- Rainbow Brian Dash (Dashie)

They put a star next to my date of death? Nevermind that. Dashie changed her middle name from "Danger" to my first name of "Brian"? Nevermind that. I'm the best dad that a pony could ever ask for? Now that was high praise. 

The roller coaster of emotions seemed to finally come to a halt, with a feeling of warmth engulfing my body. It was the best feeling that I'd felt in a long time, and I didn't want it to ever come to an end.

I turn back to my normal state before almost immediately falling asleep. The warmth that I was experiencing could only be imitated by resting at the bottom of a basket filled with a freshly dried load of laundry. So warm and cozy. Drifting off to sleep within mere seconds was inevitable.

----------

"The weather for today will be rather chilly, as the cold front we mentioned earlier this week has made its way from Canada. The high won't be getting any warmer than forty-five degrees Fahrenheit, and the low will be a frosty thirty. With winter fast approaching, there's a tough question that's been left unanswered in all of our heads, 'When will Michigan get its first snowfall?' I'm Brenton Balser, and you're watching the eight o-clock weather report. Have a nice day." 

"Well Dashie, I'm about to head off to work. Anything you want me to get you while I'm at the store?" I said as I walked into the living room. Dashie was watching the morning cartoons. She'd become quite fond of them over the course of a few months, and I too had come to enjoy them. 

"Dad, can I have a Spongebob toy?" She asked while pointing her hoof in the direction of the TV. Spongebob was visiting his mother, and she kissed his son on the cheek as she gave him a plateful of cookies.

"Aw, Dashie. Of course, you can. I'll be sure to pick one up on my way out." Back then, I was kind of iffy about getting her a lot of human things to play with. I had no way of knowing how it would influence her, being a pony and all. Not to mention just how tight my budget became after she entered my life. But I supposed that one would be fine. I could test out my theory, and go from there.

"Thank you, Dad!" She then trotted over to me and I kneeled down to embrace her as she did. She felt so happy, the energy emanating from her was enough to brighten up my mood, even on the worst of days.

"You're welcome, Dashie. Is there anything else?" I put her down and immediately felt her happiness leave me, but I knew that she would be here when I got back home, with the same spunk and attitude that I'd come to love.

"No, that's it, Dad. Have a nice day at work." I stood up upon hearing that and headed towards the door.

"Thank you, Dashie. I'll be back home before you know it." I proceeded to put on my old leather jacket and was about to open the door when I heard her voice again.

"Wait, Daddy! One more thing!" She dashed over to me and motioned for me to pick her up. So I did just that.

"What is it, my little Dashie?" I only called her that when things seemed serious. It helped to show her that I was giving her my undivided attention. 

With her hoof, she motioned for me to bring my face closer to hers. Usually, she would whisper something cute, or funny into my ear at that point. But, she had me guessing on that one. Not that I was complaining, or anything. She then pulled my cheek up to her lips and gave me the cutest peck that I'd ever felt.

"Aww, thank you, Dashie." I gave her one back and she giggled as I did. I could tell that she was having fun, the same kind of fun that any daughter would have with her father. 

I put her back down and gave her a big smile as I opened the door, walked out of the house, and began to close the door. All the while, Dashie looked into my eyes, smiling from ear to ear. I was just glad that I could make her happy. Glad that I could make sure that she enjoyed her life in a world that wasn't meant to house her. 

I pulled out my key and locked the two deadbolts, the Masterlock, and finally the doorknob so that no one would be able to find her. So that no one would take her, or something worse. She was all I had, and I was all she had. Even if that's not a good way for her to grow up, it's the best that I can do for her. 

From that point on, I vowed to do the very best that I could do for her, in order to keep her happy. In order to make her feel as normal as possible. My little Dashie deserved the best that I could manage, and that was what she would get.
> Chapter 6: The Emergency
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Everfree Forest: One Mile."

I wonder what Fluttershy's been up to lately? It's been quite a few weeks since I've seen her. Well, it's been quite a few weeks since I've seen any of my friends, really. That's just one of the many things that suck about being in the midst of our careers. Finding the perfect time that we'd all be in Ponyville to hang out has been next to impossible these days.

Twilight is constantly having meetings with the princesses, either at Canterlot or the Crystal Empire over newly discovered magic. 

Applejack's cousin, Braeburn, has been needing her help over in Appleloosa, ever since the better chunk of his side of the family moved to suburban towns. 

Rarity now has multiple boutiques spread across Equestria, and she's often visiting them to make sure that things are running smoothly. 

Pinkie makes Equestria-wide deliveries for the Cakes since they're getting a bit old to be doing that themselves. 

As for Fluttershy, she's actually the only one of us who's almost always here, but it doesn't make planning much easier.

As for me, I'm up at the Wonderbolt training facility every day of the week, and we travel to different cities twice a month to do performances, as well as races, which is an event that I can still say I'm superior in. It's pretty childish to be saying this at my age, but I quite literally finish those races in ten seconds flat.

That's not to say I'm old or anything. I only turned thirty-two just a few months ago. 

If this were NASCAR, I'd still be in the prime of my career. Back on Earth, those racers wouldn't retire for ages! But recently, I've felt my energy run out a bit earlier in the night than it used to. Not to mention that I've been finding it increasingly difficult to beat or even match my top time or speed on the Wonderbolt training course.

I bet Pops went through this sort of thing while raising me. I wonder how he coped with it? 

After thinking on it for a moment, I don't think I have the slightest clue... But, I suppose the best way for me to do so is to push through with more training! After all, anything can be overcome with a lot of hard work, right?

In all of my thought, I've been making my way to Fluttershy's cottage. It’s still the same cottage that's just on the edge of the Everfree Forest. At least that's one thing that hasn't changed over the years. We all still live in more or less the same places we always have, but we just aren't ever there anymore.

Normally, I'd just make a quick dash for her place instead of taking the time to travel there on hoof. But I've just come back from today's training session, so I feel a bit flustered. Plus, it’s kind of nice to soak in the beauty of the land, as well as the time to think that comes with it.

Wait, did I really just say that? That doesn't sound like me at all! Since when do I enjoy looking at the scenery? No, I like going fast. Really fast. I'm the fastest pony alive for crying out loud! Screw the scenery! I'm dashing my way to Flutter's place!

I spread my wings and launch myself into the air. Spotting my target, Fluttershy's door, I propel myself forward with all my might. Which leaves the all too familiar rainbow-colored streak in my wake.

"Ah, yeah! Still aweso-" 

THUD

My words are cut short as I slam into the wooden door. 

I slide off of the door, which surprisingly didn't budge an inch from the impact. I dust myself off and shake my head to clear my vision. Did she get a new one or something?

I thought that the noise would alert her to come see what it was, but all remained quiet. Maybe a little too quiet. I suppose that she might not be home right now. But I'll knock just to be sure.

KNOCK KNOCK

I wait a few moments for the door to be opened, or for some kind of answer. I get neither.

Several years ago, I'd just barge into her home and start looking around for her and probably end up finding something I'm not supposed to see. But, I decide against it this time. I'd like to think that I'm mature enough at this age to respect my friend's privacy, but I dunno...

She may just be in town doing some shopping, so I turn around and head back down the path that I used to get here. But as I continue, a strange feeling rises inside of me, like I haven’t done something right. Maybe this is telling me that I should find Flutters, that'd probably put me at ease. Just like Dad told me once. 

"Seeing you for the first time after those painful months we were apart made all of my worries disappear. Nothing else mattered then."

This was probably the same sort of thing. Chances are, she's in town, buying food for her animals or something. I'll just fly on down there, and all of my worries should disappear.

I quickly fly down to the town plaza, wanting to rid myself of this feeling as soon as I can. I circle the town, searching for the yellow and pink that was unique to her. 

After ten minutes of scanning the town, I fail to find what I was looking for. She's got to be around here somewhere, it's like she just disappeared into thin air, unlike my increasing worries that something bad may've happened to her.

I guess the best thing to do now is to check with ponies around town. There's not much else that I can do, really. 

I honestly shouldn't be so worried right now, this sort of thing used to happen all the time with Pinkie. She'd be all over the place, and back in an hour. I guess that's one good thing that's come out of getting older. Pinkie isn't a mid-twenties spaz anymore, and at the age of thirty-three, she doesn't really bounce much. Although, I feel kinda bad for thinking that Pinkie's dwindling personality is a good thing. That sporadic energy of her's is what makes her Pinkie. I don't ever want that to leave her, no matter how annoying it can be sometimes.

After coming back from my thoughts, I notice that I'm directly above Sugarcube Corner. Well, that's pretty good timing. I think Pinkie's in town today, so chances are she's here. Great! I can catch up with her, and maybe find out where Fluttershy trotted off to, as well!

I glide down to the sill of Pinkie's window, and I notice that her bedroom light is on. She must be in here, then. 

Before I can react further, something grabs me and pulls me inside. I struggle to get free for some seconds until smelling the scent of cotton candy that was unique only to Pinkie, and I’m set free almost as quickly as I was grabbed.

"Pinkie, what's the deal?! I know it's been a while, but you could at least say ‘Hi’ before grabbing me like that!" I'm a tad bit pissed right now. I'm not in the mood to receive any sort of affection, especially Pinkie's kind.

"I wasn't hugging you, I just needed you in here A.S.A.P.!" She has a look of worry in her eyes. This could turn out to be one of two things. It could just be Pinkie being Pinkie, and she needs me to help plan some kind of party. Or, the kind of thing I'm hoping it isn't, and something really is wrong, and I got a feeling that I might know what this is about.

"What is it, then? Do you need help organizing a party, or something?" I say that, although I doubt that's the case. I'm merely distracting myself from what might really be going on, to keep myself from freaking out. I need to stay calm here.

"It's Fluttershy, she's in really bad shape. I don't know how it happened, but I need your help!" Despite the fact that I was almost certain there was something up with Flutters, it still shocks me hearing my suspicions confirmed.

"Wait, what happened to her?” I'm managing to stay relatively calm right now, but the situation is starting to feel more urgent. I need to know what happened, pronto.

"I'm not entirely sure, she's been unconscious ever since I found her at the cottage, and she was lying on the ground. Quick, come look!" She heads off towards the bedroom, and I follow suit. She opens the door and heads in, as I go through, I have to squint my eyes due to the bright lighting in the room.

No words are spoken as we look upon our dear friend, who was lying motionless on Pinkie's bed. As I inspect her for any sort of answer as to what might've happened, I notice that she looks exhausted. Her mane is rather scruffy, and there are noticeable bags under her eyes. Aside from that, she seems to be sweating profusely.

"Pinkie, why did you bring her here?! We need to get her to the hospital right now!" I'm almost frustrated at this point. I know that thinking clearly and making smart choices is a lot easier said than done during times of crisis, but what kind of pony hides a friend in their room when they find them on the ground unresponsive? How did she even pull that off without anypony else noticing?

"I’m so sorry, Dashie... I guess I just wasn't thinking clearly and thought that all she needed was some rest. I found her early in the morning before most of the town woke up... I went to her cottage bright and early because it was Angel's birthday. I figured it'd only be an hour or so before she was back on her hooves, but once it was past noon, I really started to freak out. You're right, let's get her to the hospital!" 

Angel's birthday? I shouldn’t be surprised that she remembered.

With that said, we nod to each other and quickly, but smoothly, grab ahold of Fluttershy. Pinkie hoists her up onto my back and I carefully, but swiftly fly out of the bedroom window.

As I fly off towards the town hospital, I see Pinkie galloping on the ground below heading in the same direction. 

After a few short minutes, I arrive at the hospital, gliding through the doorway, I land inside.

"We need a doctor, stat! We got a pony down!" Almost immediately, several doctors notice me, drop their clipboards, and rush over. One doctor lifts Fluttershy off of my back with his magic and lays her on a gurney.

"We'll see what we can do, you wait here!" I hear one nurse shout as Pinkie comes galloping through the doorway and skirts to a stop right beside me. We both watch as the doctors pile into a room, and close the door shut behind them.

As I stare off into the now empty hallway, my mind can't help but flashback to the first time that I ever got sick. It wasn't nearly as bad as this, but it still felt awful.

----------

A strained "D-Dad." was all that managed to escape my throat. It felt so dry then, and my voice was even raspier than usual. 

In the eight months that I'd been living there, I hadn't ever gotten sick. But for some reason, that day decided to become the very day I did, and man did it suck. Luckily for me, it was a Saturday, so Pops could stay home and take care of me. Speaking of him.

"I'm here, Dashie, and I brought you some things that should help you feel better." He kneeled down next to the couch and handed me a small cup of water. I eagerly accepted it and gulped down half of the glass. I then put the cup on the coffee table.

"T-Thank you." The water helped, but I still found it hard to speak. It was then that I noticed he had two other things in his hands. One looked like a purple container, while the other looked like a tiny version of the glass of water he'd just given me, but without the water in it, of course.

"I also got you something that we call 'me-di-cine'. If you drink some, you should start feeling better in a little bit." He then revealed the purple container, untwisted the cap and poured it into the tiny cup. The way it flowed was kind of like maple syrup, but would it taste the same?

"Now, it might taste a bit bitter, but it'll make you feel better, and that's definitely worth it, right? You can't run around and play if you stay sick like this." I simply nodded my head in response. He slowly moved the cup up to my lips, and I opened my mouth and leaned my head back to let the syrupy liquid enter.

It tasted... pretty bad, actually. Nothing at all like maple syrup. I quickly swallowed the rest to get it over with. After finishing, I stuck my tongue out and gave him a sour face. Since it was like syrup, the taste really clung to my mouth. 

He realized this and handed me the glass of water from the coffee table. I gulped down the rest of it and pushed the glass back onto the counter.

"Now, I need you to rest for a couple of hours, okay? It won't work unless you get some sleep. I'll stay here with you. How does that sound?" To be honest, it sounded pretty nice at the time. When you only have one person in your life to interact with, you tend to want to be around them whenever possible. I gave him a smile as if to say yes, and he gave me a big smile back.

The pain unnoticedly disappeared after a few short minutes, as the heat of my blanket replaced it. I was in full bliss. Then again, that's a good way to describe the majority of my childhood. He raised me to the best of his ability and did a darn good job of it. It showed, too, as within a few short minutes, I'd fallen asleep at his side.
> Chapter 7: Beginning of the End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That should do it, another project done!" I've just finished working on yet another part of the surprise for Dashie's arrival. So far, I've made most of the food tables, as well as some drinking cups, and I've even managed to make a party cannon! As for how I ever managed that, I haven't the slightest clue. There's no way I'd ever be able to pull off something like this back on Earth. At least, not without buying everything, instead of making it. There must be some sort of magic involved with it, or maybe I just got lucky.

This has all taken me quite a while, though. About six months, but I'd say that's six months well spent. I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do. 

In fact, I'd probably be bored out of my mind by now if this project hadn't been keeping me busy, and to be honest, I wouldn't want to spend my time here in any other way. Sure, relaxing sounds nice. But being in the afterlife gives me the benefit of so much energy. It'd be a shame to let all of it go to waste.

After all, my parents had a welcoming party for me when I got here, as well. It was pretty humble compared to what I've got planned. But then again, it was just Granny Smith and my parents. 

Granny Smith made me her awesome apple pie, which for some reason tasted even better than it did in Equestria. And, my parents made me all my favorite foods from my childhood, which gave me quite a feeling of déjà vu.

It might sound small, but it was more than enough of a welcome. There was no need to make it any bigger than it was, but my daughter needs the best that I can possibly manage. Even if it takes me years to complete the preparations, it’s the least that I can do for exiting her life so soon... 

Although I'd prefer not to talk about that sort of thing, it's one of the few subjects that can still sadden me at this point.

On a different note, I sure could use Pinkie's help around here. It'd make things move along a whole lot smoother. By now, I don't consider saying stuff like that to be rude. Of course, I want them to live a long happy life, but that doesn't change the fact that things would be a whole lot easier with her around. With all of them around, really.

Pinkie, of course, could help me with planning as well as baking cakes and whatnot. 

Rarity could help “bedazzle” the scenery, and maybe make us special outfits for the occasion 

Fluttershy could organize some woodland creatures to help with the chorus, as well as helping us set up with her flight. 

Applejack could obviously farm apples and make her famous apple cider that Dashie goes crazy for. 

And lastly, Twilight could use her magic to help with the fireworks display to really make them pop, as well as levitate things to help us with the setup.

But, chances are, I'll be doing most of this on my own. I wouldn't want to interrupt my parent's relaxation to even ask if they could help me out. Their life was a whole lot worse than mine overall, so they deserve to enjoy every second up here. 

I’ve thought about asking Granny Smith to help out, but I don't think she could do very much. Then again, I don't even know if I could find her if I tried. She's all over the place now, which kind of reminds me of Pinkie Pie, but with more country. Well, they are both related, supposedly.

I might stumble across her every once in a while when I'm going on my walks, which I've actually started up again. 

When I'm happy, I walk. When I'm excited, I walk. When I feel like walking, I walk. Walking has once again become a second life in a sense. Or is it a third life, considering I’m in my second life right now? Regardless, this time, it's not to distract me from my once sad and lonely life. Now I walk because I enjoy it. I walk because it gives me time to imagine what it will be like once Dashie gets here.

Speaking of her, I wonder what she's up to right about now? Over the last few months, I've learned how to see the world below me on command. It almost makes me feel like some kind of god, it's pretty awesome.

I take the short walk from the center of town and get back home. I reach our door that is now always unlocked. There's no need for locks up here, they just aren't necessary. 

I open the door, walk inside, and hear my parents watching old movies from their younger years upstairs. Deciding not to disturb them, I head into the living room and find the couch. I then sit down and close my eyes.

The next thing I know, I'm in Equestria, still in my usual spot in the beautiful sky. I look around, life is still as busy as always for these ponies it seems. I can hear faint chatter on the ground, which must be all the ponies in the marketplace enjoying their day. 

I look off into the distance for my daughter's cyan color, spotting it just in front of SugarCube Corner. Either she's seeing Pinkie right now, or she's getting some cupcakes to take home. Looking at the sun, it should be mid-to-late-afternoon, so she must've finished her daily training not too long ago.

I see her glide down to Pinkie's window, immediately followed by two pink hooves snatching her up and pulling her inside of the room. I can’t see what’s going on for what feels like the longest time, but in reality, it's probably only been a minute or two.

I'm getting a bit anxious for some answers as to what might be happening. Sensibly, I should be thinking that it's just Pinkie being Pinkie and they'd come out of Sugarcube Corner any second laughing up a storm. But, for some reason, I have a bad feeling about all of this.

What happens next only gives me more questions as to what's going on. All I manage to see is a blue blur that must've been Dashie flying out of the window with something yellow on her back. Before I can analyze further, she darts to the left and quickly leaves my field of view.

As I look around for where she may've gone, I spot Pinkie Pie galloping in a specific direction. Chances are she's heading to the same place as Dashie, so I follow her with my eyes until a big white building comes into view. 

I look over at it to confirm what it is as Pinkie darts through the automatic doors. I examine the area above the blocked entryway and spot something that both shocks and confuses me: a giant red cross...

I haven't seen this place since... well, you know. 

Upon seeing the cross, certain flashbacks start to float in my mind. Flashbacks to my last month or so alive, back when the darkness was doing everything in its power to take me away, but I quickly fix my attention to something different, and frankly, something a whole lot more important. 

Why are they in there? Who are they in there for? Is there any way that I can find out? Why can't I look inside buildings, anyway?

These questions are all fighting for the spotlight of my attention, but then it hits me. When Dashie flew out of Pinkie's bathroom window, there was a yellow blur that seemed to be dangling on her back. 

Could that really be who I'm thinking it is? No way, it's got to be something else. Maybe it was some other pony and I'm getting paranoid. I know that sounds rather selfish to say, but, we all have our priorities.

I wait and wait for some sort of relief to my ever-growing concern. But, after fifteen minutes of staring at the hospital doors, nothing happens. 

I decide to distract myself from what’s happening and I begin to think happier thoughts. One of my more cherished of these thoughts just so happens to be Dashie's first birthday. A birthday celebration sure sounds nice right about now, I think I'll reimagine it for a bit to pass the time.

----------

"Good morning, my little Dashie," I whispered into her ear as the sun started to rise. Today would be big, and I wanted to make sure that we made the most of it. I had stuff planned for the entire day. 

We would start with her favorite breakfast and later pick out a cake. Then onto what I thought would be her favorite part of the day, going outside of this stuffy house and playing at my childhood park.

It'd been an entire year at that point. Dashie could fully communicate with me and she was even starting to learn how to read English! And yet, after all that time, she never stepped hoof outside of that house. 

It wasn't like I didn't have a good reason to keep her inside for all that time, but every day for that past month or two, I'd see her sitting next to the window right next to my front door. She'd just stare off into the vast distance of the outside world. 

I wasn’t worried about her ever being spotted, we lived on a dead end street, so that was the least of my worries. But I could see the longing for fresh air in her eyes. So, for those past few days leading up to her birthday, I poked around after work looking for the best spot for her to play where no one could spot her.

Oddly enough, the old playground where I played at as a child seemed to be the best place for her. So, I decided that I shall take her to the park. The only question at that point was, how would I get her there? 

She was still relatively small, so I was able to hide her in the same leather jacket that I'd used to bring her to my home on that day a year ago.

I looked back at my then six-year-old Dashie, who'd finally started to wake up. I wanted more than anything else to see her eyes, both on that day as well as now. They had always managed to make my day the moment that I saw them. 

I heard her yawn, as she rubbed her eyes. She then pushed herself up and stretched. Upon finishing, she began to open her eyes and mouth.

"Good morning, Dad." Her voice filled me with joy, but before I could respond, a sudden feeling hits me in my shoulders and it's enough to force me out of my memory, as well as my view of Equestria.

----------

As I come back to my normal stance, I see my father shaking me, trying to wake me up. I hear him spout some words, something like, "Get up, son. You have to see this!"

Upon hearing his words, I quickly stand up and drowsily follow my father outside of the house. I rub my eyes as I fully come to, not yet realizing what’s going on. As I look around for some answers, I see my mother come out of the house right behind us and come to a stop right next to my father. Before I can ask any questions, she speaks.

"Honey, who do you think it is this time?" 

More confusion is poured onto me as I look around for whatever my parents are talking about. Right in front of me, what seems to be a half-yellow, half-pink portal appears in the ground. The wind seems to pick up a bit as the portal starts to grow in size. I can't hold back from asking something.

"Dad, what's going on?" 

"The same sort of thing happened when you showed up. Judging by the colors, I'd say that the Element of Kindness is coming to us earlier than expected..." 

His voice is mellow and indifferent. How could he be alright with what's happening? This is horrible! Not only is Fluttershy's life ending far too early, her Element of Kindness won't work anymore. What if something bad happens down there? How will they defend themselves? 

I struggle to make complete sense of what's going on, but the portal starts spinning so fast to the point where I have to look away or I'll get dizzy.

A loud noise emanates from it, startling me. Before I can contemplate what it might've been, the sound of a small explosion passes by as the spinning becomes hypnotic. I'm forced to shut my eyes and my world turns to black. Then, silence...
> Chapter 8: Rainboom Gone Wrong
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, today's finally the day, the day that my friends and I take a trip down memory lane and go on a new adventure! It's been so long since we've done anything like this, not since we settled into our own lives about six years ago. 

I've been wanting to go on this adventure for what feels like forever. So for my thirty-fifth birthday, I asked to travel to a secret place that I've never seen before.

After so many years of living here, finding new areas that I've never encountered have become few and far between. Equestria is a pretty big place, but when you're as fast as me, well, maybe as fast as I used to be, you get around a lot quicker than you probably should.

That's not to say that I'm slow now, I'm still plenty fast. I just can't seem to keep up with my record, nor is my endurance what it used to be. Not to mention that every few years we get a new recruit added to the team. And with each new recruit, I come a bit closer to losing my dearly loved position within the Wonderbolts.

It's pretty frustrating, actually. No matter how much harder I train compared to the rest of the team, I still can't improve. Whereas the younger team members seem to be doing the exact opposite, but that's another story for another day. I shouldn't be worried about that right now. Today is my day to enjoy, and enjoy I will!

Luckily for me, the week of my birthday just so happened to be one of the few weeks that I have off from Wonderbolts training. If this weren't the case, we'd either have to do this so early that we couldn't possibly enjoy it or so late that I'd be both exhausted from training and from the lack of sleep. Everything aligned perfectly, and it's a pretty satisfying coincidence for everypony.

My birthday celebration was just last night actually. Pinkie, of course, was the pony behind all of it. She may not be as energetic as she used to be, (albeit most ponies wouldn't guess that she was any older than thirty seeing her energy) but her party-planning skills haven't dwindled one bit! 

She's still way beyond my own expectations of being the Element of Laughter as well! After all these years, I still haven't managed to find a pony who could crack me up as much as Pinkie always could. I can't help but smile whenever I see her.

Well, I suppose I'm getting a bit off topic. Anyways, the party was fantastic, I can't think of a better way that it could've possibly gone! 

Although to be honest, I'm not too keen on being any older than I was about two days ago. Thirty-four didn't sound too bad, it sounded like an age where I could honestly say that I was just as capable of doing everything that I could do as my twenty-nine-year-old self. And by that I mean just fresh off my advanced training up at the monastery.

But when I think of the age of thirty-five, I just don't see myself in the same way. I'm scared that this might be the age where things really start to go downhill, and more so than my current position within the Wonderbolts can handle. I hate more than almost anything to say this, but I just don't have a good feeling about this year. I hope that I'm wrong about this, but unfortunately for me, seldom is my gut feeling ever wrong about anything.

Oh Celestia, what am I doing? I literally told myself just a few moments ago that I wouldn't think about this mess, no matter how much it bothers me. 

"Rainbow Dash, darling. Why the puzzled face?" Undoubtedly the voice of Rarity being generously concerned as she always is, which is one of the many reasons why she's such a great friend.

"O-Oh, i-it's nothing. Just thinking about how lucky I am to have friends like you! Seriously, this adventure has been absolutely awesome so far!" 

That's not quite what was going on inside of my head, but it's certainly a much more positive aspect to throw out there. I’d rather not bring up my balancing act of a career geared towards young athletic flyers while I slowly become the oldest member on the team. They shouldn't have to worry about stuff like that. After all, it's not like they can do anything to help, at least, in no way that's legal. No magic, Twilight.

With great timing, Twilight chimes in with her own cheerful attitude towards the conversation, "Oh, well if that's all, then you're welcome! We knew it'd be good for you, as well as everypony else to be truthful. It's nice to be doing this and we're all looking forward to the fun!" 

I'm not too sure why, but whenever I hear her voice, I feel a sense of assurance. Twilight genuinely comes across like she knows what she's talking about. Thinking back to all of our past adventures, it's probably true.

We proceed with our journey on the valley path, and as we do, I can't help but think of Fluttershy. This valley is one of the most beautiful that I've ever seen, and I've come across thousands if I had to guess. 

In this particular valley, there seems to be a countless number of birds, butterflies, and woodland creatures. There's not a doubt in my mind that she would absolutely gobble up this place. I wouldn't be surprised if she went crazy like she did back at our first Grand Galloping Gala!

It's a big shame that she left us so soon. The doctors weren't even one-hundred percent sure why she passed away in the first place. Some said over-exhaustion, others proposed she may've been attacked by a wild animal from the Everfree Forest (even though there were no signs of injury), while a few even suggested that it may've been the doing of another pony's magic. 

There's no concrete evidence that supports those last two ideas, but it does seem a bit farfetched that a pony could pass away due to exerting themselves to the point of collapse. You'd think that a few days rest, as well as plenty of water and electrolytes, would get them back to normal in no time. I just don't feel like there's one true answer to why she died exactly.

Oh, here I go again worrying about things that are out of my control while I should be having a fun time with the best friends in all of Equestria. I really got to learn to get over this stuff. I've already done enough daydreaming to the point that I've missed quite a few scenic views, and probably several good conversations with my friends. Any more of that and the entire adventure will be over in ten seconds flat.

We eventually reach the campsite for the night. It's pretty dark outside, so it's impossible to see where they've taken me. Nevertheless, I can't wait until I can see the place with my own eyes during the sunrise tomorrow! 

We all tediously set up our sleeping quarters for the night on top of what I'm guessing is a hillside. It should give us an absolutely perfect view of the sunrise! Rarity packed her fold-up mini-mansion which takes up almost all of the room, but I don't really mind. It's not like I brought anything that needs more than a dozen hooves or so worth of space.

I lay out my tent and we all say our goodnights. We had planned to tell scary stories around the campfire like we used to, but we're all beyond tired at this point. It's probably past midnight by now and it's only a matter of hours before Celestia raises the sun. With all the extra energy we've lost over the years, I can't see us being able to enjoy ourselves tomorrow while only running on a few hours of rest, so it's best that we get our shut-eye while we still can.

Later that night, as I'm sleeping away the hours of darkness, I have a dream. It's a bit hard to call it that, though. It felt so real, so... vivid, as if I was reliving it as opposed to having a flashback to it.

----------

"Now Dashie, I know you're excited for this, but I don't want you flying too high up there. Let's try to keep it around the cloud line, okay?" My dad's voice went in one ear and came out of the other. It wasn't that I didn't want to listen to him or anything. I had always paid close attention to his instructions before, but, that day was different from all the other visits to the park. 

Somewhere I got it in my head to see just how fast I could fly, probably due to me being a NASCAR and, well, a general racing fan. For some time I was making up tricks and stunts of my own, giving them names. My dad would just sit on a bench he'd fixed up and cheer me on. We never had to worry about getting caught, no one was ever around anymore. In fact, on our block, the last person left over a year ago.

"Alright, Dad! Can I go now?!" I was raring to get going, jumping up and down and fluttering my wings like I was going to burst if I couldn't go in the next few seconds.

"Alright Dashie, you can go now, but promise me that you'll be care-" At that point, I couldn't hear what the hay he was saying. Something about being careful, I think. 

Back then, I put warnings like those aside. I felt invincible, to be honest. Then again, didn't all kids feel that way? Like they could do anything that they set their minds to? I certainly did, whether it ended with me getting hurt, or not, I'd always get right back up and try again. I knew for a fact that I was going to be a great flyer, I just had to keep trying to improve. 

Dad had only just described to me what a cutie mark was, which is what really motivated me that day.

"It's sort of like a picture on each side of your flank that shows others what your talent is. It's a pretty special thing to obtain, and it's going to take a lot of hard work and determination to earn, but I know you can do it. After all, what you're made of is what you're made to do." 

At the time, I didn't really understand what he meant by that last part, but I quickly figured out that I was made to be the fastest flier to ever exist! Although I wasn't actually made of wings, that's what I resembled. Hearing that explanation from him only made me want to get it even more, so we immediately set off for the park, which is how I got to that point.

The next thing I knew I was up in the sky, far beyond the cloud line that Dad set for me, but that wasn't what I was thinking about then. All through my mind, it was nothing but speed, speed, and more speed. 

In NASCAR, the race car's top speed is about two-hundred and thirty miles per hour, so that was the goal that I'd set for myself. I had no way of knowing just how fast I was really going, but giving myself something to shoot for only got me more thrilled to go as fast as my wings could push me.

Right before I set off, I could hear Pops cheering from down below. This made me smile from ear to ear knowing that he was watching me. To me, it felt like I was performing for an audience, even if it was just my dad. I guess it was good practice for what I do nowadays.

I set my sights on where I wanted to fly. I then stretched my wings and leaned back before thrusting myself forwards. The acceleration was immense! 

As I approached the cloud line I heard a high-pitched humming noise that felt like it was surrounding me. My dad came into view which only pushed me to pump my wings just that much harder. This made me realize that I wasn't just doing this for me, I was doing it for Dad as well. He wanted to see me succeed at what I was meant to do just as much as I wanted to succeed myself, maybe even a little more.

I narrowed my eyelids as the wind made it even harder to see. It felt like the air around me was flowing through like it did on race cars. It was almost as if I could see the turbulence with my own two eyes. The strain that my wings were going through made them feel like they were set on fire, but I had to keep pushing. I couldn’t stop, not now. I had the gut feeling that I was reaching my top speed and nothing was going to stop me until I broke it!

I'm not too sure how I ever pulled it off. I guess all the right things factored for me; how I positioned myself, my mental focus, and possibly my dad on the ground watching and cheering me on, but I did it. I broke the sound barrier and created a sonic rainboom overhead.

BOOM

That was all that I heard as a huge burst of energy launched me forward at a speed that felt five times faster than those race cars could ever go! A bright, shining circle of rainbow spread across the sky in seconds. A short flash came from my flank and I looked over to see what'd happened. Not only did I get my cutie mark, the very mark that would define me for the rest of my life, but I'd also done something that nopony had ever done before.

A Sonic Rainboom.

----------

I wake up from what must've been the most energy filled sleep I've ever had. I immediately spring out from my sleeping bag within the tent and jump out to greet the new day. As I look out, I can see Celestia's beautiful sun rising just above the horizon. The energy that I feel is so overwhelming that I can't contain it any longer.

I spread my wings and launch myself into the air, gaining more and more speed as I ascend past the cloud layer, I feel rejuvenated. I know that this might be my best chance that I ever have from this point on to perform yet another sonic rainboom; it's been so many years since I've been able to do it. 

Ever since my dad's funeral, I just haven't felt the energy needed to perform such a straining stunt. But right here, right now is my chance to do it again, to feel like I've regained my purpose. This is something that I must do in order to achieve that.

I reach into the sky for as long as I can before looking back down upon Equestria, the campsite nothing more than a mere spec. 

I lean back, and with a powerful thrust, I begin my descent. Squinting my eyes and making my hooves as aerodynamic as I possibly can, I shoot myself out of the rocket that is my pair of wings. The waffle cone of air begins to surround itself in my wake, but I don't dare look back. If I do, all my speed will be lost.

The next few moments are all a blur to me. My eyes seem to glow a clear white as I reach the thinnest point of the waffle cone of air.

BOOM

I want to look back so badly, but even if this were possible, I couldn't see a thing.

I keep flying with all of my might as the adrenaline rush filled me with enough confidence to make me shout out loud due to what I just achieved.

After I feel the rush start to leave my body like somepony unclogged the drain. I slow my descent by opening up my wings and flapping them up and down repeatedly. My muscles are screaming for a break at this point, but I can't give them that just yet. 

Slowly, but surely, I reach the ground. The glow in my eyes leaves and all that fills my vision now is the most magnificent Sonic Rainboom I think I've done in my entire life. The pure essence of it fills me with awe!

"So awesome..." 

It seems like hours pass until the rainbow over the sky finally clears. I'm smiling that same smile that I gave when I heard my dad cheering me on so many years ago. 

This is one of those moments in life that I just know that I won't be forgetting, but more than anything, I just can't wait to tell Pops about this! He'll be amazed! Maybe he already saw it and we can share what each of us experienced. The thought of this fills me with glee. 

I finally look behind me to see my best friends all filled with utter joy as well. The looks on their faces should be absolutely awesome!

But, as I turn around to face them, in the exact same spot that I was just moments ago before doing all of this, I see nothing. Not a single pony, nor any of the tents that they occupied. The only evidence that they were ever even here was the sizzling of the night-old campfire, whose sound filled the area.
> Chapter 9: It's a Lot Like Moving
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The weather here these last few weeks have been absolutely wonderful, today especially. I have an idea or two regarding why. Maybe the afterlife has its own sort of seasons and this one just so happened to be as lovely as it is? Or possibly the weather reflects the kind of mood that everyone's in? 

These are both plausible explanations. It is the afterlife, Equestria's afterlife, after all. Some pretty amazing things can happen in Equestria, so who knows what kind of spectacular things can happen here?

Right now, I'm actually outside enjoying this amazing weather, while also working on preparations for Dashie's arrival. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I might be nearly done! It's surprising, to say the least. 

The things I've managed to put together up here would probably be next to impossible to do in Equestria, much less Earth. It's given me a feeling of accomplishment. Then again, I guess that's not saying much when it comes to me, it's not like I accomplished much of anything back on Earth. At least, not until I found Dashie. 

Finding her back on my cruel, dark, and horrid world was hands down the most significant thing that'd ever happened to me. Before that, the most that I'd ever accomplished in my life was landing a full-time job at my local Walmart, and last time I checked, that certainly doesn't beat raising a child to adulthood, much less a filly to a mare in a world not even meant to house her.

As much as I love thinking about all of this, it's probably better for me to focus on the task at hand. I need to get as much done with what I can do on my own so it's easy work by the time everypony else gets here.

I guess that leads me to my answer on why the weather's been so nice lately. Along with this weather, has come a lot of woodland creatures. 

There are birds chirping, squirrels galavanting, hedgehogs burrowing, caterpillars snacking on leaves, which then turn into what's likely the most important creature here of them all, butterflies. You name it, it's probably around here somewhere.

As I say that, three sets of flapping wings catch my attention and I look up from my thinking to see three butterflies fluttering past. I don't think I've ever seen three together, certainly not three flying in unison. They begin to fly towards something across the plaza.

Well, when I say "plaza", It's really more like a small, flat, grass trimmed field with a circle of hard light brown dirt in the middle. I'm not sure what else you'd expect, there's hardly anyone here at all, so who needs a fancy plaza with our numbers? In time our population will increase and I'm sure we'll make something fantastic out of it, but I think it's alright for now.

I'm getting massively off track. It's a shame they don't have any pills for ADD here. Thinking about my ADD opens up another good question, but I'm only digging a hole for myself at this point, so I'm not going to get into it.

The butterflies descend and land on one of the fold-out tables I've crafted. I look above the table and that's when I figure out not only why three butterflies would be flying in unison, but the weather as well. Her pure presence here must reflect on the whole environment, and frankly, I like it this way. I mean, who wouldn't? It's absolutely stunning!

The pony I was talking about seems to be having a conversation with the butterflies. "Oh, why thank you so much, you adorable darlings! Do you really think that my mane looks lovely in the sunlight today? It's been so long since I've felt this young, I'm not used to it!" 

Hearing that gives me a big smile. I too felt so young and energetic for the first few weeks of living here, and I still do, although I've gotten used to it after nearly a year. You just can't beat the feeling you get when you're first here. It's indescribable! I'm glad that Fluttershy gets to be surrounded by her favorite animals, and the environment is similar to Equestria's as well.

I walk over to her and greet her with a grin. "Having a good morning, I see?"

"Oh, it's the greatest! How couldn't it be when I get greeted by the most exotic butterflies I've ever seen?" She continues to gaze wondrously at the butterflies. She's got a point about the whole exotic thing, each one is patterned with its own exuberant colors, pink, blue, green, purple and white all splatter against each butterfly’s wings, without a doubt the coolest looking ones I've ever seen. Not that I keep track of that.

I reply with a jokingly positive tone, "Well, that sounds lovely, Fluttershy. But I think that only happens to you." 

The closest that I've ever gotten to being greeted by butterflies was when flies swarmed me as I walked out the door every summer before work. Seldom would I see butterflies going to and from my job, even during the spring months.

I decide to change the subject before she tries to teach me how to talk to animals. As awesome as that would be, it's a lost cause. 

"So how was sleeping in the new cottage last night?" 

Even though she's been here for nearly three weeks, she's had some trouble adjusting to her new surroundings and spent the first few nights with me and my parents. 

I questioned why she would need that much time to adjust, figuring simply because she was Fluttershy. But looking back on it, it's not like I ever slept in an empty house while I've been here. Thinking about doing that doesn't sound too comfortable anyway. So even though I didn't actually say anything, I still feel bad about judging her.

Fluttershy quickly responds to my question, almost as if she had rehearsed it. 

"Well, I was a bit restless at first, but after I got comfortable I fell asleep in a flash. A lot like how I came here." 

Or at least that's how she described it. Of course, when she first got here and things finally settled down we were rather curious as to how she passed. But that's just it, she doesn’t even know herself. She told us that all she remembered from the experience was lying on her couch reading a book and all of a sudden her eyes flashed and she couldn't see a thing. Next thing she knew, she was here.

Once again, I respond in a joking manner. "So does that mean you fell down and got transported to a completely different world, too?" 

It’s a lot like moving to a new home when I think about it. I remember the one time I moved back on Earth. Man, that was a rollercoaster ride of emotions kind of day.

----------

I believed Dashie was then fully grown. Rounding in at about three feet tall, she had reached full size. She was still only ten years old according to my math, but I figured that she was actually more along the lines of fourteen or fifteen possibly in actual years. She certainly wasn't a newborn when I'd first found her. 

So, we celebrated five missed birthdays and officially moving day. That's right, moving day! We moved from my parent's house, thanks to me finally saving up enough money, plus getting lucky at a casino, which wasn't planned in the slightest. We bought a nice house a whole hundred miles away from the city. It had a lot of open land and there wasn't another house within five miles, so it was just me and her. 

She could fly around all she wanted, whenever she wanted. She was happy, although she did miss the old park. It was gone at that point, along with anything else left in that area. A large business bought all the land, flattened it, and built a large factory there. It was an amazing boom to the economy, and people started building homes again! I was glad, but... it just wasn't for us. That amount of people would've hindered her going outside, and I wasn't going to force her to stay inside all day unless it was raining out.

I'd also gotten a new job at a bank, it paid much more than my old one did. From then on, I wouldn’t have to worry about just barely scraping by. Everyone has to keep some sort of budget, but I could be much more lenient with my new job.

I was going to miss my old home. The home that I'd lived in from birth all the way to thirty-two. But I was positive that the move was the best choice that I could've made at the time. It gave both of us a well deserved fresh start.

Getting to the new home was quite an enjoyable experience for Dashie. It was her first time ever riding in a vehicle! I never had one of my own. The only one my family had got destroyed in the crash. It sucked, but it's not like I ever needed it. It was only a twenty-minute walk to work every morning. 

Don't forget, walking had become a second life to me. Even with the depressing scenery, walking helped me to look past all of that and see the true beauty of my surroundings. Thinking about it now, I realize that if I didn’t walk during the majority of my free time then I never would’ve found Dashie, and that makes it all worth it.

Anyway, she had to hide on top of a cloud over my house while one of my only friends helped me get the boxes into the UHAUL. It was pretty hard making sure that he didn't happen to pick up any of Dashie's boxes. That would've been a tough one to try and explain, so I made sure to put them all in the back so he wouldn't notice them as much. Fortunately, it worked. I said my thanks, gave him a goodbye hug, and that was the last time I ever saw him.

Dashie then came down from the cloud as soon as he was out of sight. "Can we go now?! I wanna get in the truck" 

She then energetically hoofed the passenger door of the UHAUL, basically demanding that we get going. It didn’t bother me one bit, I expected that to happen. After all the racing she watched, of course she was going to want to get to experience the feeling of being in one for herself. 

I even contemplated letting her try driving in an empty lot somewhere, but I decided against it. There was no telling how that could've turned out. As awesome as she was I didn't think her hooves would be very good at driving much of anything, much less a truck.

Not wanting her to accidentally damage the door in all of her excitement, I quickly replied. "Alright, Dashie! Yeah, we can go! Just let me open the door for you, silly!" 

I quickly grabbed the door handle and swung open the passenger side. Dashie eagerly jumped in and I closed it behind her. I jogged around to the driver's side of the truck and opened the door, basically vaulting myself inside.

Somehow, Dashie had managed to get the seatbelt on all by herself. We had practiced it a few times, but I was still surprised she could do it. I wanted to make her more self-reliant, even with things you wouldn't expect her to be able to do without help. I'd say she did a pretty good job and I was proud of her, to say the least.

"Well, it looks like you're ready to go, then!" Who was I kidding? Of course, she was ready to go. She nodded vigorously and I took that as a sign to head out. So, with a crank of my wrist, I brought the car to life. I then put it into drive and off we went.

The whole way she was nothing but smiles. I had her keep her head low and made sure to stay in the right lane at all times to avoid anyone seeing her from the same side. But even with the precautions, she was loving every bit of the trip! That was the first time that she'd seen the open road. And it'd been quite a few years myself. 

Her pure joy eventually got to me and soon we were both filled with happiness, her because of the new views and experiences, and me simply because I got to see my daughter happy. I wasn't much of a parent before all of that'd happened, but I knew that making your kid happy was the ultimate goal. At that point, I was passing that test with flying colors.

We eventually arrived at our new home in the middle of nowhere. Dashie helped me get the boxes out, but it still took the rest of that day and we were absolutely exhausted by the time we finished. We almost had to sleep on the floor, but I managed to slide a couch into our future living room. 

I picked her up and laid her down on the couch. I then rummaged through a few boxes and eventually stumbled upon a comforter. Bringing it over to the couch, I sat next to her sleepy body and covered her up.

A few moments passed and I was about to doze off to sleep as well, but then I heard her voice. 

"Goodnight, Daddy. I love you." My heart exploded, twice. It'd been a few months since she had last called me "Daddy". Usually, it was simply "Dad" or "Pops". She even added in "I love you."

The first time this happened on her birthday six years ago, I nearly freaked out because I didn't know what to do. But this time around I was quicker to react. 

"Goodnight, my little Dashie. I love you, too." With that, I bent over and kissed her on the forehead, and we both dozed off into sweet dreams.

I still couldn't believe that I had her for ten years at that point. My God, time went so fast... I wished that it would slow down, so that I could've had more time with her. I didn't know when, but I had the sudden feeling that our time together was running out. All of it had been too good to be true.

----------

I slowly come back to what’s actually happening. Although, to be honest, reliving that old memory made me happier than I've been in a while. I wouldn't mind not coming to for a while, but it was no use as I felt a strong breeze that shook me straight out of it.

All of the animals surrounding Fluttershy and most likely talking to her notice this breeze as well. They perk up and scatter towards the trees. 

Startled, Fluttershy turns to the fleeing animals in confusion, "Wait. Why are all of you running off so soon?" 

As swiftly as the breeze came through it turned into a steady wind. In the back of my mind, I have a pretty good idea as to what's going on, as much as I hate to think about it. I hope with all of my heart that I'm wrong, but unfortunately for me, seldom is my gut feeling ever wrong about anything.

Instead of waiting for the wind to pick up, I swiftly gather all of my tools and stuff them under a tarp that was tied down so that nothing could get blown away. 

"Fluttershy, I think we should head back home before the wind gets any worse. I hate to say it, but I think I know what's going on.”

As I start the short trek home, Fluttershy is soon following. "Well, if you don't mind me asking. Whatis going on?"

I don't want to tell her in a way that might frighten her, so I come up with a better way of putting it. "Let's just say we might have a new pony moving into the neighborhood.” 

She looks at me quizzically, but eventually catches on.

There isn't another word said as we walk to the house. The wind didn't pick up at all like it had last time. But we go inside the house just to be safe.

Several minutes pass before the wind dies down enough to go outside. I question if what I think is going on is really happening or not, but what else could it possibly be? There's never been any more wind than a slight breeze here. At least not until Fluttershy showed up.

A few more minutes later and I'm wanting to go look around to see if I can confirm my suspicions. I half-jog my way around the plaza, expecting to see a random pony that I may or may not have ever seen before. Either way, I’d be in for a depressing day. I'd have to go through hearing the story of their entire life and how they passed, and that's never something you want to hear.

More than anything I just hope it's nopony that I'm close to. Not Dashie, nor any of her friends. I may sound selfish when I say that I don't want them here because I'm not done with preparations yet. But I'm really just trying to lighten the mood before it inevitably gets dreary.

What I see coming out of the much larger portal with an incredible mix of colors surprises, confuses, and saddens me all in one brutal hit. My eyes go narrow as I stare at not just one, but four different ponies in the distance. I honestly don't think that I'm right in the mind at this point. I can't believe my eyes.
> Chapter 10: Reflection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been a long time since I've taken a day off. A lot of things have happened in my life up to this point, so I've decided that I need a day to reflect on everything that's happened. Loads of unanswered questions have piled up throughout my life. So much, in fact, that I've created a sort of mental list of them in my head.

How did I get put in a cardboard box when I got sent to Earth? 

How did I end up where I was when Dad found me? 

How did he ever raise enough money for us to move? 

What were the odds that a cartoon made up by humans completely replicated how things were in another dimension? 

How did Celestia find out where I was on Earth from way back in Equestria? 

How did Dad find out that we could see each other from different dimensions? 

How exactly did he cope with the decision to leave everything he had back on Earth just so he could be with me? 

How did he manage to stay hidden from Celestia for three and a half years before being discovered?  

How did he get that heart disease anyway?

How did the darkness exist inside of him? 

Was he truly happy with his life? 

Can he see me from where he is now? 

Is that where all of my friends went as well? 

Why can't I share dreams with him anymore? 

Am I happy with how my life has gone, and how much time do I have left before I join my dad in the afterlife?

All of these questions are dancing around in my head and I'm struggling to stay focused. I don't think I can do this right now. All I can seem to do is stare at my newest addition to the house, a television. 

It seems that Equestria is finally starting to catch up with Earth on the entertainment side of things. It was introduced as a new idea a little over a month ago and quickly hit mass production in all major parts of Equestria. It took a few weeks for it to get to Ponyville, but trust me when I say that it sold out pretty quick. I was lucky to get my hooves on one before they ran out of stock. 

I'll admit, at first, I didn't think it was a good idea to introduce TVs into Equestria. Dad always told me stuff like that was a gateway to bad things. 

He'd say that one of the reasons why humans are such a bad influence on their planet is due to instant media. I never really could figure out what he meant, or if he was even was being serious. Rarely did I have any sort of access to the internet back on Earth. But after what Pops told me, I hope it never becomes a problem around here. 

Eventually, I caved into the idea that having a TV might help remind me of Dad. Aside from our pictures, his journals, his Mom's painting, and his gravestone, there isn't much to remember him by. I'll get anything that helps me think of him just a little more.

I've had the television in the house for a few days now. But for some reason, I just haven't felt the need to use it yet. I suppose it might be because it’s such a big change. Heck, I haven't watched TV for seventeen years now. I can't imagine what it must feel like for everypony else in Equestria, seeing something so different for the first time. 

I thought about introducing Equestria to the idea of television when my dad first came back. But he said that he didn't really want that sort of thing here. He sounded pretty serious when he told me, which wasn't a tone I heard from him very often.  

"Just take a look at this place, Dashie. Apart from you, it's the most beautiful thing of nature that I've ever laid eyes upon. It's so quiet and peaceful. It'd be a shame if stuff like TVs and the internet ruined all of it, don't you think?"

I guess I sort of understand what he was trying to say. Somehow, someway, all the technology back on Earth lead to those cruel cities, much like the one that we lived in for the first decade of my life. But it sure has been tough going this long without seeing any motor racing. 

Back on Earth, it became part of my weekly routine to watch as much racing as possible. It didn’t matter what it was, I was going to fit it into my schedule if I could. I wouldn't dare rest until I'd watched everything that there was to see. Practice sessions, qualifying, heat races, and the main races. In short, if any form of racing was ever broadcasted, I'd probably be watching it. I even ventured as far out as watching police chases if there wasn’t anything else to watch.

Now that I think about it, there might actually be some kind of cart race on one of the TV channels. Maybe watching some of that would ease my hunger a bit. 

I fly over to the brown entertainment center and grab the remote with my teeth. Upon returning to the recliner that I bought some years ago due to its uncanny resemblance to the one we shared on Earth, I get comfortable and switch on the TV with my wing. 

The first thing that pops up is the news, unsurprisingly. Canterlot News Network? How original of them. I've never really been the kind of pony for news. We don’t even need to predict the weather thanks to how we control it ourselves, so that bit of the program probably goes by pretty quickly. That really just leaves us with boring stories about how stockings get lost on clotheslines or something equally as boring.

I begin flipping through the channels, hoping to find some kind of racing, and if not, at least something that would intrigue me. I'm bored out of my mind right now.

"Lyra how could you?!-" Next. "Music video, music video, we are in, a music vid-" Never been much for those. "Welcome back to Disc of Riches!-" Rip off of Wheel of Fortune. "Here you can see the Cow in its natural habita-" Eh, documentaries would only be fun for Twilight, and she isn't even here to enjoy them. "This is Family Feud!-" Oh, they aren't even trying with that one.

"Ugggh, there's nothing on! Now, what the hay am I supposed to do?!" It's honestly pretty frustrating to have dished out six-hundred bits for this bad boy and not even be able to find anything good on. These ponies really need to step up their game.

As I stare at the TV, I feel a gentle breeze come through my window and oddly enough, the first thing that comes to my mind is walking. Walking was like a second life in a sense for my dad. Heck, I’ve come to enjoy it here and there too, thanks to him.

I turn off the TV with the remote and set it down on the coffee table in front of me. I get up, stretch, and then head towards the door. As I open it, I’m greeted with another breeze that flows through my mane. It seems to be one of those days where the only way to describe the weather is simply awesome. The temperature is just warm enough to the point where a breeze feels welcoming but doesn't cause a chill. I'd say it's a perfect day for a walk. 

----------

I've been out for roughly three hours now, and though it's only five in the afternoon, it's grown dark. The weather team has a storm is brewing, and soon I'll be getting hit by the brunt of it. I suppose that’s what I deserve for flipping through the news channel… I turn around to begin my walk home, though I don't rush. My energy these past few hours has been non-existent. I feel so lost as I walk through the woods that surround my home. No, our home. It's as much my dad's as it is mine, and nothing will change that. 

The rain has begun, but I don't quicken my pace. I just walk, much like my dad had so long ago. The distant memories of all my pain and sorrow back when he first died begin to seep back into my mind. I haven't had these thoughts in years. The pats of water on the tree leaves help keep me distracted. It's a peaceful sound, one you'd never hear in Ponyville. 

The rain is picking up and my mane is now soaking wet. I'm sure I'll be sick tomorrow, but I don't care. I've felt sick for a while now; a mental callback that's been tearing me apart. All I can think about is the time so many years ago where I was in a very similar environment like this, and frankly feeling a lot like this as well. 

It all started with the one day I decided to scroll that little bit further through the TV channels in an attempt to find something new to watch. Most of the stuff that I discovered was barely interesting enough to bat an eye at. 

But one channel really caught my attention: The HUB. It'd just gotten through a set of commercials and faded into a cloud-filled room. It was certainly eye-catching even without what happened next, but what occurred then is what really had me in shock.

At that moment, I was distracted by some leaves gliding around just outside and I wasn't looking at the screen. I remember hearing voices coming from it though. 

"Number fifteen, let's go." Then some kind of flashy entrance music played, quickly followed by another voice.  

"Rarity... is ready!" It sounded a bit British and I'd certainly never heard the name before. 

Then the first voice chimed back in, "Look, ladies. I don't know what to tell you, there's only time for one more performance. If you both want to compete, then you'll just have to go out there together." Well, that certainly sounded like plot convenience. What kind of professional competition doesn't allow an extended amount of time to perform if needed?

The British-sounding Rarity replied. "Well, Rainbow Dash. Shall we?" 

That was when I nearly choked on my own spit in surprise. Dad always told me that my name was unique to me and that no one else had ever or will ever share it with me, so hearing my name on TV wasn't quite like anyone else hearing their name on some kind of game show.

I quickly recovered and darted my head to the TV screen. There, practically staring back at me, was me... All huddled up in a ball looking like I was going through some kind of anxiety attack.

At that point, my jaw was agape with a great feeling of misplacement. Part of my mind just wanted to rub it off as some coincidence, while the other part was a tank full of questions. I started to feel frustrated by this.

The details of what happened for the next few minutes almost flew right by me. Something like me and the one called Rarity that I was supposedly friends with flying out to a kind of stage in the sky. Well, not me. The other me. The one that's making me question my entire existence as a pony. 

Rarity then said "Good luck, Rainbow Dash. Just do your best. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty to change our music. That ‘Rock and Roll’ doesn't really match my wings." She then flew off into the sky.

The painful amount of confusion that was inside of me wasn’t comparable to anything. I just kept on staring, jaw still dropped. Rarity was performing some kind of weird ballet moves but my mind wasn't really fixed on that. I felt emotionally blank for some seconds, but then quickly came back to what was happening on the TV. 

I heard my own voice coming out from the surround sound speakers and the confusion inside me started being replaced with anger. I kept on asking myself, "Does Dad know about this? If so, How long has he been keeping it from me?" 

"Come on, Rainbow Dash. You can do this, just remember the routine... Phase one." This was followed by her flying around clouds both left and right, which ended in failure and she plowed into the barrier. 

"Nice work, Rainbow Crash!" she ignored the bullish brown pony in the stands and quickly recovered to go back to where she was, seemingly to continue whatever she was doing.

Rarity pulled some more ballerina moves and the other me tries to motivate herself. "Time for phase two." 

She then flew towards a group of clouds and circled them. But this too ended in failure, one cloud nearly hit someone that seemed to be of some kind of importance.

Meanwhile, Rarity was still doing stupid ballerina stuff that I didn't really care about. "And now, for my grand finale! I will fly right up to the sun and beam my beautiful wings over the whole city of Cloudsdale! Oh, they'll be talking about it for years!" She flew straight up toward the sun and it went back to the other me still looking worried.

"Looks like this is my last chance to turn things around. Phase three: The Sonic *gulp* Rainboom. Wings, don't fail me now!" Any hope that I had left that this character was someone besides me left. I was the only one that could perform the Sonic Rainboom, and there were never any second guesses about that.

She then flew upwards, quickly passing the level of her said friend. The ponies in the cloud-like grandstands stared up in awe as she did so. 

Rarity then reached the sun, looking worn out. "Look upon me, Equestria! For I. Am. Rarity!" She opened up her wings in front of the sun and a light shade of rainbow beamed down on all of the ponies and they gave their "Ooohs" toward her. Strangely, her wings seemed to burn and eventually disappeared out of thin air. She looked over her left side in surprise and immediately started plummeting towards the ground.  

A purple pony confirmed my then silent suspicions. "Oh no! Her wings evaporated out of thin air!" This was followed by three other ponies in weird looking jumpsuits and goggles going after her. All three of them got knocked unconscious by her flailing limbs.

The other me noticed this and responds in an instant. "Hold on Rarity! I'm coming!" She darted downward and began the plunge toward the white pony. High pitched wind screeched by as she got closer and closer to her with every passing second. The waffle cone of wind resistance formed around her. Tears streaked from the other me’s eyes for a brief second. Much like the tears that were starting to form on mine... She gave a grunt and one final push. 

BAM! She broke the sound barrier. 

I'd done it before, myself. But it was a whole new perspective when I watched someone else do it. Well... it was still me, but you get the point.

"A SONIC RAINBOOM! SHE DID IT! SHE DID IT! WOOOO!" I would’ve told you who said that, but at that point, I was already full of tears and could hardly see a thing.

CLINK

The sound of keys landing on the floor emanated throughout the room. My dad had come home. Anger took full control of me and it exploded.  

"How long..." I asked him, no emotion in my voice.

"I..." 

"How long have you known about this?"

"I..."

I turned to look at him. Tears in my eyes and my mane even more messed up than usual. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN ABOUT THIS?!"

A tear ran down my dad's cheek as I yelled at him. He eventually sat down next to me, turned off the television, and told me everything. 

He told me about the show, about finding me, and answered any other questions that I had for him. 

I had a lot... Most of them stemmed from the show. From which he answered what he truly believed. That though I am Rainbow Dash from the show, that I myself was a different pony from the one in the cartoon.

He tried to explain it to me, but my bullheadedness took over and I continued to lash at him, and he took it all.

After our argument, I flew upstairs into my bedroom and slammed my door shut. I stayed in my room for about a half-hour sobbing into my pillow. Eventually deciding to fly off into the woods and find some tree to sulk in. I was so fed up with sadness and anger that I didn't want to see his face ever again. 

But above everything else, I just felt... misplaced.

----------

I guess that leads me to here, sad and alone among the countless trees and the sound of raindrops. It's now pouring out here, the tree canopies are barely holding back the torrential rain. As I'm hammered by the water droplets, I stop to look around and find my bearings to return home. I'm not lost; most of this area is easy to traverse once you get used to it. It's just that I'm also looking for something as I walk, though I don't know what it is…

I press on, keeping a steady pace through this rain. Suddenly, I spy a large, thick tree. Its stature sticks out amongst the rest, and from looking at the barely wet grass underneath I can tell its many branches are holding back even this hard rain. I need to take a break, so I walk under the tree and sit down. 

This is the kind of tree I imagine Dad would hide under in this rain. I wish it to be true, but I know that's impossible. I close my eyes and lean against the tree trunk as I think about my life... our life, together as daughter and father. We had grown so much as a family and were fortunate enough to have very few fights. None of them were as heartbreaking as the one I just recalled.

I feel a tear running down my cheek as I imagine Dad's face again. The sadness in his eyes, mixed with defeat, just tears me apart. I want so badly to go back in time and stop myself from doing that, but I can’t do that. What's done is done.

“I'm so sorry...”

I speak out loud, not caring for nopony is listening. I'm alone in these woods, besides the wildlife. In this rain, they're hiding as well, and the ones that aren't are far from a being such as I.

“I'm just so sorry, Daddy.”

I continue to cry as I keep my eyes closed, leaning against the tree. The rain continues to pour around me. An occasional drop hits my head, but I don't care.

CRACK

I open my eyes from the sudden sound and look to my left. I'm shocked at what I see before me, looking at me with teary eyes herself, was me... Or at least a younger version of me, covered in burrs and tree sap along my mane and tail, standing a couple feet from myself. I'm wet, with both rain and tears. I hadn't even heard my own approach, then again being a Pegasus I am very quiet and light on my hooves.

Then, I see my dad almost right next to me. On the inside, I am so thrilled. I want to lunge at him and hug him for hours on end, but I can't will myself to move. All I can do is watch what's in front of me unfold.

The other me doesn’t speak and instead walks over to him, not caring what noises she made under her hooves. He doesn't move; he just sits on the ground and watches with his own wet eyes. She looks so horrible, and yet so beautiful at the same time. My coat would need a good cleaning, but I think that was the least of my worries.

Without a word, other me sits next to him, not making eye contact as he looks off into the woods. He can only look at the other me, clearly wishing to do something. But he holds back, probably thinking that it'd be too sudden. Finally, the other me is first to speak.

“I... I heard you,” Her voice then gets quiet as she whispers, “and I'm sorry too.”

He simply smiles through his tears; my stubborn attitude was still showing as I always had difficulty apologizing, “Dashie, you have nothing to be sorry about. It's my fault, simple as that.”

It seems his point doesn't get across, as the other me finally looks to him with a sorrowful face.

“Dad. Do... do you still love me?”

He quickly hugs the other me tightly.

“Of course, Dashie. I've always loved you. I still love you, no matter what. Not even a small fight such as ours could ever change that.”

The other me returns the hug, as they sit there and cry together. They continue to apologize, him for the truth and her for raising her voice and storming out. I want more than anything else in Equestria to be able to move my body, just enough to feel Dad's warmth. I feel a twitch in my wing. I push with all my might, trying to just touch Daddy once more. My wing, very slowly, approaches my father.

After some time, the rain subsides while they remain under the tree.

“Dad.”

“Hm?”

“Can we go home now? I need a shower, bad.”

It seems like an eternity, how long it takes for me to reach him with my wing. My wing brushes his shoulder. Success. My heart jumps for joy, almost like it exploded! But then, everything around me starts to fade.

He lets out a chuckle, and she too laughs as he stands.

I try to hold on to Dad with all the strength I can summon, but it isn’t enough. The mystical force that had bound me before has me again. I squeeze my wing on his shirt sleeve, hoping he would stay with me, but he disappears, out of my sight. And so did I, the other I.

I shoot straight up from my previous position. I look back to where I was. I had fallen asleep under the tree, and was dreaming. But, I could have sworn I actually felt Daddy's shoulder. I stand up, and peek out from under the tree, and look up. The clouds have been swept away, and in their place stands a majestic rainbow. It’s beautiful, and not because it reminds me of Daddy, but because it is Daddy. I just know it to be true, even though I had no way to prove it. I must have stared at that rainbow for an hour.

The rainbow begins to fade, so I turn to head home. My heart is bouncing with so much joy. Had my Daddy found a way to communicate with me from up there? I have no idea how to describe what I saw, but it was the best I had felt in weeks. It’s only then that I notice how tired my wing was. I also feel it clutching something, something tight. I look down, and in my wing, the wing I tried so hard to reach Daddy with, is a piece of shirt cloth...
> Chapter 11: Longing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is a point in every child's life when they have to leave their parents. Whether it be for better or for worse, it must happen at some point. I now sit here in my living room, by myself, sulking over the journals I found in the attic a few weeks after his passing, which held distant memories of Dad and I.

It just dawned upon me that it's been three whole years since Pops passed away. The only other time I ever went this long without seeing him was back when I went to advanced training for the Wonderbolts, and boy were those three years tough. It's just been that much harder to cope with this time around.

It's been nearly a year since I've felt his presence from wherever he may be now. I'm not too sure what that means exactly… It’s probably nothing, but I can't help but worry about it.

After I got over his death, I was never really worried about how long I'd be waiting to see him again until recently. These past three years have taken half a lifetime to pass. I just wish that the time I had with him here in Equestria would've gone just as slowly.

The only thing I can recall happening slowly in my life with Dad was when we thought it'd be our last moment together. When I was taken back home and we weren't supposed to see each other ever again. 

I've always been grateful that he got to live with me for an extra nine years in Equestria, but nothing could ever beat the experiences that I had with him back when I was just a filly.

Even with over twelve years passing since that day, I can still remember it as if it'd just happened….

----------

Not only was the day I left Earth forever my twentieth birthday, but it also was the day that we planned to see the Blue Angels perform live at an airfield not too far from there. I can't even fathom the odds of that. With one year on Earth only being a single day in Equestria, they probably would've had to get it all figured out in fifteen days flat, maybe give or take ten minutes if they were lucky.

I remember that we finished eating our breakfast about an hour before and we were just about to head out the door. I was wearing a Blue Angels hat I'd got from Pops a few days earlier as a teaser for what I was supposed to see on my birthday.

"You ready to go, Dashie? I've got all of our stuff ready." Pops had everything we could've needed laying out on the dining room table, from a cooler filled with cold drinks to sunscreen and a camera. I guess he was planning on taking a bunch of photos of me close to the jets in the clouds so we could add it to our scrapbook, but of course, that never happened.

"You bet I am!" I shouted from my room as I burst through my door and zipped down the stairs, just barely missing a vase next to the bottom.

I came to a halt just a few feet from him, looking eager to go and my makeshift saddlebag filled to the brim with all sorts of handy stuff.

Dad replied, matching my excitement "Well, you sure look ready! Just let me grab our stuff and we'll head out the-".

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Never in the years that we lived there had anyone ever knocked at the door. Heck, I didn't even know what to do if someone did show up. Pops simply told me to go to my room while he took care of it. Once I shut my door, I put my ear against it. I could hear him asking who it was knocking, but it was a bit muffled.

"Who is it?"

I couldn't make out the words of the response, but it sounded like a woman. After a few seconds of pause, I heard the door open. This was followed by what I could only think was awkward silence... 

"Ooooh, so this is what an alien house looks like on the insi- OH MY! YOU HAVE A KITCHEN! I'm starving, are you starving? I can make us some-" If I was confused before, I definitely was at that point. That voice didn't sound the same as the one from before...

"Easy there sugar cube. We're just here fer Rainbow, so we ain't got no time for any eatin'... No matter how hungry we are." When I heard the first part of my name, my mind started to race a little. The voices, as muffled as they were, sounded somewhat familiar, but even then the only voices I knew besides Dad's came from the T.V.. Just how many people are down there, anyways?

Pops chimed in, "Uh, we have some leftovers from dinner last night. You're more than welcome to some." I kind of wanted those leftovers for dinner tonight...

"Ah'll go keep an eye on her," The country girl spoke again.

"I'm quite surprised, I had expected a little more resistance to us entering."

"Why? I know who you all are."

"Ah, so you do know then."

Something about all of this gave me a bad feeling. This was the first time I'd even heard Dad talking to someone besides me unless it was on the phone, and I certainly had never seen it. At least it didn't seem like these people were trying to hurt him. 

Taking my ear off of the door, I looked around my room for anything that I might have forgotten to put in my saddlebag for the airshow. I had set it on my bed when I first got in, which I had forgotten to make this morning. Oops... I knew I was always going to be Daddy's little Dashie, but that didn't mean that I could act like a child.

I walked on over to my bed and used my wings to help me reach over and straighten up both sides, but as I did, I accidentally bumped a box under my bed with my hoof and its contents spilled out onto the floor...

I stopped what I was doing and sat down on the floor to put everything back in the shoe box, but halted when I saw the contents. Inside was a bunch of memories of Dad and I. It had pictures, race tickets, old toys, and my first feather that shed from my wings when I was a filly. I had put all of this stuff in there as a kind of memory box, but once I figured out that I was sort of from a cartoon, I decided that I'd try to take this with me in the very unlikely scenario that I did have to leave Pops. 

I finished putting all the things back in the box and I closed it before putting it back under my bed. My attention then shifted back to the conversation Dad was having with whoever was down there, if they were still there. 

"You see, my student-"

"I know who she is, get to the chase," The woman that I heard when the door was first opened spoke again, or at least tried to before my dad cut in, seeming a bit ticked. I was really confused as to why he was acting all rude. It wasn't like him then and it certainly never was at any other point in my life.

I couldn't make out all of what the oldest woman in the room was saying, but I tried my best regardless "Yes, of course... She was working on a spell... storm development... too large of a storm... magic to try and dispel it, it shot... Dash was unfortunate... the blast, and it... well, here. So... retrieve her, simple enough I'd imagine."

I was reaaallllly confused at this point, and worried... What storm was she talking about? We haven't had one here in months, not since the beginning of summer. At that point, I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay. As long as they didn't see me, it'd be fine, right?

I slowly opened my door and spoke "Dad? Is everything alright?"

"Uh... 'scuse me sugar cube," Applejack started, returning from the kitchen, "did ah jus' hear Rainbow call ya ‘dad’?"

"Do you care to explain?"

After another awkward silence, Dad replied.

"Go into the living room and make yourselves comfortable, I'll be right down with her."

I could hear him walking towards the stairs on the hardwood floor of the living room, eventually making his way to and up the carpeted steps.

"Dad?"

"Yeah Dashie, I'm coming up. We..." He paused. "... we need to talk."

And that's what we did. He told me who was down there, and that they were there to take me back. I had seen the cartoon every so often and found the wacky adventures pretty entertaining. But I had given up any thought that the Rainbow Dash in the show was me and I only saw it as another cartoon. 

When he spoke with me and explained that those very ponies I didn't believe in were downstairs, I brushed him off with a laugh. I didn't buy it for a second and thought he was playing some joke on me. So, he took me down to the living room.

"DASHIE!" Pinkie shouted, jumping onto me to my bewilderment.

I was quick to shove the pink pony off, "Hey, get away from me!" I was taken aback by the sudden amount of ponies filling the room. They all looked at me with worry.

Pinkie's cotton candy mane went straight as she looked in confusion.

"You... don't recognize me... do you?"

"No, or any of you," I continued. I feel so bad looking back on it. Twilight, Pinkie, AJ, Fluttershy, and Rarity, I knew that these ponies were supposed to be my friends, but so many things had happened differently that I didn't know the truth fully. And neither did they, so Pops had to explain it all.

"I..." he started, "Dashie, take a seat please so I can talk to them."

I sat down in my recliner. The entire time I looked at all the ponies who occupied the couches and center rug in front of the fireplace.

"How long ago was she sent over here?"

The question caught them off guard, but Twilight cleared her throat as she spoke, "About fifteen days ago, why?"

Dad had a moments silence. I've been here a whole lot longer than that...

"Well," he continued, "It's been a lot more time than that here."

"How long?" Twilight asked.

"... Fifteen years."

All the ponies, besides Celestia, had their mouths agape.

"That don't es'plain why she don't know us," Applejack said.

"Well, that's the thing. When I found her, she was... a filly."

"Come again?"

"From my math, I think she was no older than four or five years old."

Now Celestia looked surprised.

"You mean to tell us, that you've been taking care of Rainbow Dash for fifteen years since she was a small filly?" she asked.

He nodded and looked over to me, I had no expression on my face.

"We... she is..." he started, but couldn't hold back the tears any longer, "I know it's not true... god, I wish it was, but-"

To this day, I still don’t know what he was trying to mutter exactly… But Celestial was quick to relieve him from his difficulties.

"I understand, the ‘Dad’ now makes sense," Celestia cut him off, holding a stern look on her face. She was thinking, trying to piece together in her mind what'd possibly happened.

For a few moments, it was quiet, besides the breathing of six ponies, a human, and myself. Finally, I broke the silence.

"So, what's supposed to happen now?"

Pops looked to the princess before she responded.

"Well, it's quite simple. Twilight?" Celestia looked to her pupil, who instantly perked up hearing her name, "Do you still remember that memory spell? From the Discord incident?"

Twilight simply nodded, as she stood from the couch and hopped onto the floor.

I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. I tried to remember the Discord incident from the show, but all I could remember was how wacky their town got from his antics for a while.

"No, wait please," Dad started. Twilight stopped, and looked to the princess, "Just, give me a moment with her, please. All I ask, since... since this is the last time we'll see each other."

He'd given up on holding back tears, and at that point, he was openly crying, which was something that I had only seen once before. I didn't look too great either, though. He walked over to me in the recliner, and knelt down to meet me eye level as he spoke.

"Dashie, my little Dashie. I love you with all my heart. You have done wonders to open me up from the man I once was. You..." he paused for a moment, "... you have brought me so much joy in my life that I can't possibly ever thank you for."

At that point, I too began to cry.

"These fifteen years we've had together, talking, playing, flying; all those have been so special to me. I just want you to know, that - I will forever love you. It doesn't matter if we aren't biologically related, or from different worlds. I don't care what you may ever think of me, or if you even remember me, but right now, you being my Dashie, I want you," he poked me in the chest, "to know that fact. If there's ever a problem that happens, and you need me, don't hesitate to find a way to get me, okay?"

I could hear some sniffling from behind me; I could picture Pinkie Pie crying like she had after the two princesses reunited in the first episode of the show.

"D-d-do I have t-t-to go d-d-daddy?"

It'd been a few years since I had called him "Daddy" aloud. Most of the time it was simply "Dad" or "Pops". It felt good, I wanted him to know that I still cared for him enough to call him Daddy, like the first few times I said it to him, ages ago now.

He simply nodded his head, as he stood up. I jumped up onto him and hugged him tightly. My tears dropped onto the back of his neck, and he returned the embrace.

"It's your actual home, Dashie. You don't belong here. You need to go back to where you belong."

"I belong here, with you!"

I wasn't yet convinced that me leaving him forever was the right thing to do…

"No, you don't. You're limited here, only able to fly around the house. You have no friends, or other ponies you can relate to. I was only taking care of you until this time would come, but I never thought it would be this painful."

It remained quiet for a few more moments as we held each other tight. I didn't fight back or want to resist what was happening, at that point I knew as well what had to be done.

"I love you, Daddy..."

"And I love you too, my little Dashie."

We separated, as I lowered myself to the ground.

At this point, all the other ponies had tears flowing, even the princess herself.

Twilight stepped closer to me, sniffling once before her horn glowed. I wasn't sure what was coming, but it hurt so much... but I knew it was right. It was what had to happen, for me, for my friends, and in retrospect, for Pops. As explained to me once we reunited, he could know I was actually going home, that I'd be around my friends and could fly where ever and whenever I wanted to, without any limitations. I could enjoy my friends' company once more.

I nearly closed my eyes, but then I remembered something "Wait!"

Dad looked from the floor to me, as I backed away from Twilight, "Before I go, I want to get something."

I flew up to my room, and was quick to return with a shoebox in her front hooves after a brief last look at my room. However brief, it was enough for me. Looking back on it now, I remember that I wasn’t able to bring it with me. I was lucky to be able to get it later down the line. Although how exactly was something I wouldn't find out until I read through Pop's journals. At the time I wasn't sure if I'd be allowed to take anything back with me, but I figured I might as well try to. I quickly wrote a letter on a piece of paper and set it on the coffee table.

I looked back to Dad, while still crying, but with a smile on my face. I had realized this was how it must end, and knew he knew that as well.

"I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash." Twilight started. "I... I honestly wish there was another way to do this. I wish I didn't have to do this. But..."

"Can't..." I started, "can’t he come with me?"

I was just simply speaking my mind, not actually asking the question. As much as I hoped the answer was yes, I knew what it really was...

"Rainbow Dash-" Princess Celestia started, "He can't join you in our world much like how you can't stay in his. This was all never meant to be, and the world around us wasn't made to house you. And yet..." Celestia looked at Dad, smiling, then began to look around our living room. All the photos of us together, all my knick-knacks and belongings strewn around the room, "... and yet, something beautiful happened here. Something I can't fully explain.

"When I realized where you ended up, I expected the worst. I figured you to be ruined, tainted and tarnished from this world's cruelty. But now, I see that it's quite the opposite. That here, this man that has raised you, shows me that you were in good hooves- Or, hands as it were."

Celestia then looked back to Dad, "I can't speak for you, but from what I see in front of me, the amount of love you both share and have shared together, tells me that you raised her as if she were your own. Even with the obvious differences, you still raised her unbiased as to her species, her origins. You raised her as your daughter, which only makes this entire ordeal so much worse."

I absorbed her words, as well as the others in the room.

"So, I must say to you, dear sir, please do not hold my student accountable for this. It was never her, nor anypony else's intention to cause this much hurt to either of you. If you must blame somepony, I would ask for you to blame me. I am the one that helped bring them here, to take Rainbow Dash back to her home... away from you."

Dad didn't look at any of them. He was breathing heavy and breaking down with sobs. 

"...Just how could I blame somepony? For sending Rainbow Dash here?” He sniffled, then cleared his throat as he continued. He nearly choked up as he tried to speak. "These have been the best fifteen years of my life. I wish to thank you, Twilight, and the rest of you. Thank you, for what you did. Thank you, for all that came out of this. And finally thank you, for all my years, my life, and my love... with Dashie." He tried to smile at Twilight between the sobs, but she looked on the edge of tears herself, and could only look away before she cried herself.

Celestia then stood from the rug she laid on and walked over to him.

"No need for thanks, good sir. Instead, I wish to thank you, for taking care of one of my little ponies. She would've never made it without someone much like yourself."

Celestia closed her eyes and then leaned her horn towards him. He didn't move; I wasn't sure what was going on as her horn touched his head. After a moment, she drew her horn away, still smiling as she stepped back.

"Thank you."

Then, another pony spoke up.

"Thank you, sir," Twilight added, finally able to speak through her tears.

"Thank ya," Applejack said.

"Thank you, darling, for caring for our Rainbow Dash," Rarity spoke.

"Um, th-thank you," Fluttershy quietly said.

"THANKS!" Pinkie shouted, as she sprung up to Pops and hugged him.

He laughed a little from her extrinsic attitude. 

He then remained quiet and nodded, then looked back to me, as I also wore a smile on my face.

The ponies all returned to me as Twilight's horn began to glow once more.

"Are you ready now, Rainbow?" Twilight asked again, returning to me and starting her magic.

I simply nodded, as I closed my eyes and awaited the inevitable.

It seemed time slowed down as Twilight's horn approached my forehead. My mind was forcing random memories of Daddy and I together. I could vividly remember the splashing of the bathtub from my bath times before I showered myself. I could still taste our many failed attempts at baking and cooking in general. I still smelled the outdoors from our times at the park, where we were able to run around endlessly and have all the fun in the world together. There were so many memories, that I simply let flow through my mind, as I knew I might not remember any of them the next time I opened my eyes.

A single tear ran down my left cheek, as my eyes were moving under my eyelids. For a split second, I imagined that Daddy was doing the same thing I was, forcing our fondest memories all at once, for we believed this would be the last time we ever saw one another.

Finally, I could feel Twilight's horn reach my forehead. There was a bright light, and when I opened my eyes again, Dad was gone, and so was everything else. It was as if the entire world had dissapeared.

----------

By now, I’m just as teary as I was back then. While I was reliving that big memory I was also going through our scrapbook. Starting off with a picture of when he'd just found me and took me back home with him. It then went through my childhood. My first bath, first words, my doodles and drawings, my first flight, the sonic rainboom along with my cutie mark.

It went into my teenage years as well. Our moving day, us together after we got home from making up in the woods, our Indy 500 experience, as well as multiple NASCAR races.

The last photo we'd taken of me before I went back home was just a few days prior when he gave me a Blue Angels hat to tease what I would see for my birthday.

I'd come to the end of my life on Earth in the scrapbook now, and unfortunately, I had to modify my original note so he could have the choice to live out the rest of his life with me in Equestria, or let me become the Rainbow Dash from the show with no memory of him.

But, despite that, the minute or so that I spent writing it gave me a lot of time to reflect and think about everything, so I remember it as if I had written it just yesterday.

Dad,

For fifteen years you took care of me. For fifteen years you loved me, played with me, and made sure I enjoyed my life in a world not meant to house me. I'm not a mare of many words, but even though I told you this in person, I felt you needed a written version of it so you will know it was all real.

I love you, Daddy. You helped shape me into the mare I am now. I'm not sure what is going to happen, if I will remember any of this or not, but I want you to know that you did a darn good job of raising me, even if I was a bit stubborn at times and short with you during others.

With Celestia's permission, I hope to allow you to keep our photos; our memories, with you so that you will never forget. Again, I love you, and thank you.

Your little daughter always,

Your little Dashie forever,

Rainbow Dash.

I look up at my grandmother’s rainbow drawing and smile. Every time I see it, it reminds me of all the fun Daddy and I had.

And thus I now have the strength to keep on going, to exist another day with happiness, knowing that I will see my Daddy again. It doesn't matter if it's in a hundred years, or if I see him tomorrow. Regardless, I will make the best of it.
> The Final Chapter: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

My front door slams shut with a light kick of my hind leg. After a tiresome day’s work at the weather factory as manager, I sought a nap. Stretching my wings, I make my way to the bedroom.

I've been alone for years now, my friends all disappearing supposedly into the great afterlife after living a fun, joyful, and loving life. I'm the youngest of us all, giving me more time in Equestria. Now with all of my closest friends gone, I'm living a sad life. The occasional visits from the grown up and now disbanded Cutie Mark Crusaders do bring me some joy in life, though.

I see the note that rests on the bookshelf, the letter that my dad wrote to me on his deathbed. I take it out of its stand and laid down on the couch. In pencil, the letter reads.

“Dashie, I know your memory isn’t what it used to be and your hearing is going, that's why I'm writing this in a note. I raised you from a filly into the mare that you are today, in a world that wasn’t meant for you. For half a year you were without me, taken from me and put where you belong, but not with who you belong: Me. For those six months not a single day went by that I didn’t think about you, not a single second went by that I didn‘t think about you. After four and a half months when I arrived in Equestria for the first time, my only thoughts were to find my daughter, my little Dashie. Only to be sent back to Earth for another month and a half.

When I woke up in the clearing near the lake, I began to look for you. I found you, crying, I knew that we’d be together forever. I still remember all of our adventures together, my wings, learning how to fly, your races and performances, our mutual dreams, flying together. I still remember your fillyhood on Earth, your first bath, first words, doodles and drawings, our baking mishaps, your first preened feathers, getting your cutie mark. I remember it all, I will never forget. Dashie, I’ve lived a good life, but my time has come, I’m an old man now, everybody has to die eventually. Don't be sad, because I'll be waiting for you up there until your time comes, but don't make me wait too long. As the old wise saying goes, ‘Don't cry because the good times are over. Smile because they happened.’

I will be watching you, whispering advice in your ear. If you ever need me, just know that I'm a part of you. Remember that, and never forget your old man. I hope you had a good life, because I know I did.

Love, Dad.”

This letter brings tears to my glaucoma-ridden eyes. As I make my way to Dad's bed, I can't help but shed a few tears in remembrance of my father once more. I fall asleep, still remembering my time with Pops. That night, I flew with my father again in my dreams before succumbing to peaceful release.

I'm in the sky, just not the one that I'm accustomed to. This sky seems endless, and almost golden. Before me are my best friends, all back to their young selves. They seem to be gleaming with joy. The sight is heavenly. I myself am once again young. All of my age and impairments have washed away like stains of dirt. Suddenly, a voice speaks up behind me, each word like a beautiful symphony to my ears.

“Hey Dashie, it’s been a while.”

“Heya Pops. Yeah, it has been a while. How’s it been?”

“Oh, you know. Same stuff, different day.”

We both give each other a big smile and look on at the beautiful sky that stood before us, its sheer beauty making it almost impossible not to stare upon. We're traveling at quite a pace despite the lack of effort. It feels satisfying, needless to say.

After a few more moments of this, I feel a hand grab ahold of my left hoof and I look over at my dad, smiling ear to ear. Normally, something like this wouldn't be worth anything more than a glance at, but this time it was different. So much different...

The feeling of his soft hand on my hoof sent waves of random memories of him, each one more heartwarming than the last. From the faint memories of watching cartoons together on the old couch before and after his work, to many of our adventures in Equestria. I feel a slight tingling sensation coming from his hand and passing through my entire body, and I'm not entirely sure what that could mean. But at this moment, I don't care about that.

This feeling I'm getting as we fly through the seemingly endless sky before us has me in absolute bliss. I haven't ever felt as peaceful and tranquil as I do right now.

The serenity of this place coupled with the fact that I'm with Dad right now is unbelievable. All of this is too good to be true.

The fact that I'm with my dad right now... I can't even believe my own thoughts. I've reunited with Pops!

It honestly hasn't sunk in yet. I thought I'd be welling up with tears of joy right about now, but all I seem to be getting is a smile.

Well, I guess there's time for that later. Right here, right now, nothing else matters to me except this.

I tune out my own thoughts so that I can better focus on what's going on, and I'm quick to realize just how dead silent this place is. Normally, there'd always be the sound of wind passing me by as I moved through the sky, so the fact that I hear nothing is quite surprising. But even if you exclude that factor, you'd think I'd at least hear my breathing. It's at the point where the only thing I hear is the high pitched ringing coming from my own two ears.

I remember Twilight telling me that the ringing sound was just my ears "doing their job", to put it simply.

Finally, I'm the one to break the silence.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Where are we going?"

I look over to him, expecting a response. To my confusion, he gives me a grin and chuckles a bit.

"Oh Dashie, I'd hate to ruin the surprise. Just keep hold of the temptation to get it out of me for a little while longer, alright? We'll be there in ten seconds flat." This is followed by another laugh from him as he made fun of one of my old catchphrases, even though I haven't said them myself in years.

I simply give him a nod and take in the marvelous sky before me. Although it was short, our conversation warmed my heart. It'd been a long, long time since we'd ever had one, and I missed them dearly. He even remembered my tendency to be stubborn about things he kept from me, and I used to stop at nothing until I found out just what he was hiding.

Half of the time this only led to ruined surprises, of which I immediately regretted solving, but I just couldn't help myself. It's a part of who I am. Or should I be saying "Who I was" at this point? I guess it doesn't really matter, although I can easily imagine Twilight correcting me on such a statement.

A few moments later, I see a small speck off in the distance getting bigger by the second.

My dad and friends must've been up to something with this whole thing, as he begins to speak as the speck's features become recognizable.

"Alright Dashie, I know you hate it when I do this, but I'm gonna have to blindfold you. Don't want you to see the surprise too soon."

"Come on, Dad, do I really have to?" I really don't like being blindfolded, although I can already tell that I'm not going to win this argument.

"Oh, come on Dashie, do it for your old man."

"Well, you sure aren’t old anymore, Pops. But, okay. Just know I’m only doing this because I don't wanna ruin your plans." I might be stubborn, but I know just how hard my pops works to make special surprises for me. I'd be a bad daughter to ruin them for no reason.

"Thanks a bunch, Dashie. Now just hold still for a second." He pulls out a blindfold from his pocket and puts it on my head, tying it at the back and then makes sure that I can't see through it. That was the last I saw for what felt like an hour.

---------- (5 minutes later, switching to Brian's POV)

As we all approach our realm of the afterlife I can't help but get excited. After nearly four years of hard work preparing for Dashie's surprise, I'd finally finished just days before we all found out that my daughter's life had reached its end. I never really had any clue what was going on in her life or how much time had passed, at least not since Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity arrived here all at once. Maybe that had something to do with it? I guess it's not important at the moment, because right now, we're about to land in a field just on the outskirts of the village center where the entire party has been set up.

There are considerably more ponies here now than there was a year or so ago, the parents and siblings of our friends having arrived just a bit before everypony but Dashie had. So I was able to get help from quite a few of my friends from Ponyville with the setup of the party.

We land just a short walk away from the town center. I signal for the group to head over to the surprise so they can make sure that everything is as perfect as it can possibly be. My Dashie deserves the best and that's what she's going to get.

As the group quickly but quietly heads toward her surprise I notice that Dashie is fidgeting around with the blindfold, eager to see where in Equestria she'd been taken. So I guess it's a good thing that we aren't in Equestria at all!

"Alright Dashie, we're nearly there now. Just walk forward with me and we'll be there in ten seconds flat, and I mean that literally this time!"

"Alright, fine Dad. I'll play your little game, but only because I love you."

I can't help but smile. It's been a long time since I've heard those three words coming from her, or any words for that matter, but those three have always been special to me.

What I do next will surely surprise her. I walk right in front of her and tap her on the shoulder.

"Tag, you're it!"

I quickly begin running in the opposite direction towards our destination. I look behind me and see her looking shocked before shouting to me and running in the same direction.

"Hey, no fair! I can't see a thing!"

Despite that, she shows no signs of difficulty while she runs after me and, to my surprise, is catching up quite rapidly. But with the short distance, I reach the surprise destination and turn around just in time to catch Dashie out of the air and we both fall to the ground.

Not that we care, or anything, we're both too busy laughing at each other! Me laughing at her for running with a blindfold and her laughing at me for even thinking that a game of tag would be a good idea in the first place.

In the midst of our laughing, Dashie's blindfold comes loose... I guess there's no more hiding it from her.

---------- (switching back to Dashie's POV)

I find myself being picked up right off the ground as I was running and I end up falling on top of who I'm guessing is Pops. I can't help but let out a loud laugh as old memories from the Grand Galloping Gala as well as my fillyhood come to mind. It seems that Dad is remembering the same things as he's laughing just as hard.

As I get up, I notice my blindfold slipping off of my head. My brain tells me to secure it as fast as I can to my keep from ruining the surprise that Dad worked so hard on, but by the time my muscles are ready to react, it's too late...

I'm bewildered by what I see. Right in front of me are all of my friends, each of them holding up a picture of me during different stages of my life...

It starts off with a picture of me when Dad first brought me into his home.

My first bath.

My first words.

My first drawing.

My first preened feather.

My first flight.

The Sonic Rainboom and my cutie mark that came along with it.

My 9th birthday on that same day.

Some of our baking mishaps in no particular order.

Our moving day.

The day we made up after our big fight.

Us at the Indy 500.

Me at my first NASCAR race!

And the last picture of me ever taken on Earth with me wearing my Blue Angels cap on, just a couple of days before being taken home by Princess Celestia and my best friends.

To my surprise, it continues into all of our fun times in Equestria as well. 

The first day of our lives together there.

Us building his new home.

The small house being finished, along with his small welcoming "party" that included him, Pinkie Pie, her pet alligator Gummy and myself.

It continued even further, with a picture of us relaxing with each other in his homemade house.

Then us at the Canterlot Castle six months after Princess Celestia found out about my dad's existence there.

Then one of me crossing the finish line after winning my first Wonderbolts race with Dad cheering me on in the background.

A picture of us and my team celebrating after a performance in a bar.

Then a picture of me helping my dad learn how to fly when he first got his wings.

Then nearly two months later with Dad successfully getting them removed after they failed.

Later that year, I had to leave Ponyville and my dad for three whole years for Wonderbolts training and unfortunately, there weren't any pictures in between that time. 

But it did pick up when I got back, my welcome home party. 

Then came my 29th birthday... By now, I'm running out of ponies that I know, which means that there must only be a few pictures left. 

And I'm right, there's a picture of Dad and I whistling to the tune of our favorite songs from Earth while cleaning up the house.

Sadly, there was only one final picture left of us, my dad and I posing in a sort of family portrait the day after he got home from his second to last visit to the hospital just a couple of months before his death.

I'm speechless, I don't even remember half of those pictures in Equestria ever being taken, but it's so awesome that they exist!

---------- (switching back to Brian's POV)

All I can do is stare at Dashie as she looks upon the first surprise. I was ecstatic to get all of our photo album pictures copied and enlarged while even managing to remember every date in which those pictures were taken and got them all labeled as so, but I was never entirely sure how Dashie would feel about it. Granted I'd mastered the skill of reading her face, but it's been a while and I'm a bit rusty.

When I see that she reaches the end of the timeline, I wait for her reaction. For a few seconds, she looks down at the ground, still processing what she just saw.

Finally, she looks up at me and gives me a full-hearted smile that in turn warms my own. This is then followed by her reply.

"OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!" She runs at me full speed and I get tackled to the ground with a big hug.

"Haha! Glad to see you like it, Dashie!" It warms my heart seeing her happy once again and even more so that I can actually give her hugs now. There must've been so many times in Equestria where she needed an embrace but I was no longer around to give her one, so it's pleasing knowing that issue won't arise ever again.

"Like it? I love it! How did you ever pull this off?"

"Oh, you know, just some afterlife magic. It's amazing what you can accomplish up here." I add a wink at the end for good measure.

"I honestly don't know what else to say Pops, you really outdid yourself this time. I couldn't possibly ask for a better surprise, so thank you!" We both get up off of the ground before I reply back.

"Aw, you're welcome Dashie. But, you don't actually think that this was the only thing I was up to this entire time, do you?" I give her a mischievous grin as she looks at me in confusion.

"What do you mean, Dad?" her confused look still remains, all I can do is laugh a little bit as I look up to Vinyl Scratch and point to her.

"Hit it, DJ!" With a push of a button on her turntable and a flick of the left disc, 'The Final Countdown' begins to play throughout the town center, Pinkie activates her party cannon, and everypony along with my parents help pull the cover off of all the food tables and Rainbow Dash memorabilia. 

Dashie's ears perk right up in reaction to her favorite song as confetti and streamers fly everywhere. Upon seeing all of her favorite foods on the snack tables and the other knick-knacks from her life, her jaw drops.

"You like what you see?" I have to raise my voice a bit due to the music and I can't help but be a bit cocky with what I say as I caught her off guard. Her surprised expression quickly turns into glee, just like a filly in a candy store.

"You just made my day 20% cooler!" she laughs a bit at the end, making fun of her old catchphrase.

"Oh, it gets even cooler than this, Dashie! Come on, let's have some fun!" I pick up the blindfold that was on the ground and motion her to follow me into the small crowd and she follows suit, smiling ear to ear.

The next few minutes are spent eating snacks and chatting with all of our friends, laughing and catching up with everypony we hadn't seen in a while. Dashie would get the occasional visit from one of the many ponies that she had experiences with at some point in her life. Including Gilda, The Flim Flam Brothers with some of their apple cider to give, and AK Yearling, with a fresh batch of Daring Do books that she'd made whilst in the afterlife.

At one point, my parents even stopped by to talk to us.

"Your dad sure did raise a beautiful mare. Although I can't say the same for him!" My mother is always one to throw in a brutal joke and of course, we all laugh at this.

"I actually think that you rubbed off on him more than he did you! Can't say I'm disappointed!" My father is definitely right about that one, she was the one who managed to break the hard shell that'd formed over my heart when my parents died, and I'll be forever grateful for that.

Dashie can't help but blush from the compliments she'd been given. "Haha, I like you two already! I still can't believe that this is the first time that I'm getting to meet my grandparents!"

My parents eventually parted ways with us, and we resumed our celebrating. A few minutes later, I leave the group to go refill our apple cider mugs, but as I reach the cider barrels, I notice something strange out of the corner of my eye, or rather, someone?

I look to my left to focus on what I saw, and I can't believe my eyes. What I'm looking at is another human... He couldn't possibly be my father, he looks way too different. Whoever he is, he's talking with Mayor Mare. The ex-Mayor of Ponyville notices that I'm staring at the back of the unknown human being and calls my name.

"Why, hello there, Brian! Care to join us in our little chat?" I nod to her and walk towards them giving a curious gesture towards the man all the while.

"Yeah, sure." I reach the two and look directly at the man. "Hey, I don't think we've met. I'm Brian, Rainbow Dash's dad. And you are?" He gives me a warm smile as he speaks.

"Oh, we've met before, albeit a long time ago and I didn't look anything like this until I got here pretty recently. I'm Forest, the pony that was found in the Everfree Forest, hence the name." Everything clicks inside of my head at the name "Forest". So I was right all along, he was a human the entire time!

He spends the next few minutes explaining how even though he was just a human turned into a pony through the unknown power of the Everfree Forest, he didn't know it himself until he passed. No way am I settling for that conclusion, but it can wait. Plus, it kind of makes me feel bad for him since I was constantly getting on his case back in Equestria, and undeservingly so. Towards the end of our conversation, I apologize for how I used to pressure him all the time and we part ways after a firm handshake.

I go back to refill all the mugs and return to our friends. I hand them back out and as I hand Dashie's hers, she looks at me quizzically.

"What took you so long, Pops?" It takes me a few seconds to conjure a decent answer. I don't think it's important that she knows about the whole "Forest" thing, even though it'd feel great to prove to her that I was right all along, I'd prefer not to ruin her happy mood. After all, that's what I set out to do when I made all of this happen, and proving her wrong wasn't ever on my list.

"Oh, just catching up with an old friend from Ponyville. Nothing to worry about." I give a fake smile, hoping she wouldn't ask who it was as I had no idea what I'd say then. Luckily for me, she doesn't and simply nods, satisfied with my answer. I breathe a sigh of relief.

A few moments later and I find myself getting a bit anxious as I still had another surprise left to show Dashie. So I wait for a good opening in all the chatter going on between Dashie and her best friends as well as any other discreet friends that visited her.

I tap her on the shoulder as I speak. "Hey, Dashie? Mind coming with me for a minute? I got something else that I want to show you still."

She looks back to me with a curious look. "Oh sure, Pops. But I can't possibly imagine what's left for me to see. You've already thought of everything that I could've ever asked for an event like this!"

My mischievous grin returns as I reply. "Oh trust me Dashie, what you've seen so far is definitely not all you could've ever asked for, not by a long shot!" I beckon for her to follow me and we weave our way through the crowd until we escape it. Outside of the town center, I take out the blindfold that I used earlier.

Dashie notices this and rolls her eyes at me. "Oh come on, Dad. This again?" She's probably fed up with the whole blindfolding thing at this point, but she'll thank me later.

"Sorry, Dashie. But this is something that we gotta do. If you see any of it before I have it all set up, it'll be a dead giveaway." She gives me a short nod in understanding along with an annoyed groan and I apply the blindfold seamlessly.

We walk another short way out of the town and come upon part of her surprise, a racetrack. In fact, I made sure when it was being constructed that it copied Michigan International Speedway to the millimeter. It was our home track back on Earth, and it was the one we went to for most of our NASCAR outings, making it her favorite by far.

I guide her through the track tunnel that will take us to the infield and I guess the feeling of asphalt on her hooves as we exited the tunnel was reminiscent to her.

"Wait, what're we walking on? It feels kind of familiar." I can hardly hold back a chuckle as I watch my daughter try to guess what she's walking on. The fact that her favorite thing to watch back on Earth relied so heavily on asphalt and yet she had trouble identifying what it was, just seemed pretty funny.

"Oh, you'll see my little Dashie. You'll see." From there, there's no talking until we reach pit road where the best part about this surprise was.

I make sure she's facing her surprise at the best angle so she can see the entire thing. "Alright, Dashie. You ready?"

She replies back to me sharply. "Are you kidding? I was born ready!" With that, I untie the knot in the back of the blindfold and let it fall to the ground.

---------- (switching back to Dashie's point of view)

The annoying blindfold that's around my head falls to the ground and I look up to gaze upon whatever my dad had up his sleeve this time. What I see makes me freeze.

Sitting on the ground is an actual... real... NASCAR race car...

I step closer, trying to get a better look at the beautiful hunk of metal before me. I can't believe what I'm seeing. There shouldn't be a physical, mental, or extraterrestrial way how this could be here... how it could be here, in this simple, old-timey, bare-bones afterlife. I examine the car further and on the side in simple Sharpie says "Rainbow Dash" copying the style that I used to use for autographs to a tee.

I'm at a loss for words as I stare into Dad's eyes. Moments later, he speaks up.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Get in and drive the thing, that's what it's there for!" A big smile involuntarily forms on my face as I nod furiously and fly towards the car. He runs after me and takes down the window net so that I can climb in. I give him a tight bear hug as he hoists me inside of the car and then buckles me up.

Attached to the skinny steering wheel on either end are two hoof-shaped holders so that I can steer properly and the pedals had been readjusted so that I could reach them with ease. I gaze upon the blank digital dashboard as well as all the other bits inside of the car. A big rearview mirror in the center and a smaller circular one just outside of the car. My gazing is halted as I hear Dad's voice.

"You remember how the drivers would start it up?" I think back to my days of watching NASCAR on the TV trying to remember how to start the engine. After a short few seconds of this, it hits me.

I look to my left and flip all of the necessary start-up switches and finally hold the ignition switch up and the grunt of the V8 engine comes to life. Although I struggle to hear him, my dad says a few more words before I hit the track.

"Remember to shift gears at 9,000 rpm, keep it nice and smooth, have fun out there and most importantly, don't wreck it!" He says this jokingly more than anything else. Although it's pretty surprising hearing all of this car talk from my dad, he must've been studying this sort of thing so he'd know what he was dealing with.

---------- (switching back to Brian's point of view)

I take my head out of the car and point my finger towards the end of pit road signaling that now was the time to go. She notices this, puts the car in gear and rockets onto the track almost as fast as she would if she were flying.

She had a lot of fun, I knew she would. She was always asking me if there was some way that she could possibly drive one back on Earth. There wasn't anything that I could do about it then, but anything is possible here in the afterlife it seems.

I got inspiration for the design of the car from the #16, the same car that I cheered for back on Earth while watching a rerun about four and a half months after Dashie had been taken home. I copied its cyan base paint scheme and it was practically a replica aside from her name on it. I would've copied it off of her favorite driver, but she never really had one. I guess she just enjoyed the racing as a whole and didn't feel the need for one.

I had a stopwatch in my left hand thinking that she'd like to know what kind of times she ran. She'd already tied the lap record on her fourth lap, and at this point, she was a few tenths faster, which is a lot of time in the racing world, apparently.

This went on for quite some time, she only came back to pit road after she ran on out gas. Once she had the car stopped, she climbed out beaming with pride at what she just did.

The whole walk back was filled with chatter, her about how it felt driving the car and me about what great lap times she was running. I think it's safe to say that she's satisfied with everything she got to do today. She's happy, and therefore, I'm happy.
> The Final Chapter: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We return to the town center as the sun begins to set over the horizon. Most of the ponies have gone back to their homes and the center is nearly empty now, with only a few having small conversations here and there.

Dashie's first day in the afterlife is almost over, it seems. From what I can tell, it's gone pretty well. Now it's time to wrap it up in a nice rainbow-colored bow by settling into to our not so new home.

Since Dashie has finally come through, our house appeared just a short walking distance from my parent's home. It'll be the first time that either of us have stepped foot or hoof inside our old home in fifteen years for me, and nearly double that for her, so it's going to be an interesting experience finally settling into it once again as it'll be the last place that we ever call home. We'll be living in that house for an eternity as of today, I don't think that'll be settling in anytime soon.

Dashie and I begin the short walk from my parent's house to our new home and we can see Fluttershy's cottage after a bit of walking. This is then followed by Pinkie Pie's portion of Sugarcube Corner, Rarity's Boutique, AppleJack's home and barn as well as a sized down version of her Sweet Apple Acres, and lastly Twilight's tree house library.

This brings us to our final destination: home. I can just see it off in the distance and it's getting more recognizable with each breathing step. I think back to the time that I first got the house so many years ago now. Struggling to save up any sort of money that I could while also feeding a second mouth was tough, but I pulled through in the end with some motivational support from Dashie. Not to mention getting lucky at a casino one evening. 

But that's another story for another day, now's the time to take in everything that my home still has to offer.

We finally reach the asphalt driveway in front of our home and I can't help but smile as we walk up the four steps towards the front door.

"Well, Dashie. Are you ready to go inside our home?" I honestly didn't think I'd be making as big a deal out of this as I am, but I just can't help it for whatever reason.

"You bet, Pops. Even standing just outside has countless memories going through my mind. Mowing the insanely large lawn, flying above the tree line, coming home from our little fight, playing around in the yard and so much more. I can't wait to see what else goes through my mind once we're actually inside the house!" 

I too, had many of those memories dancing around in my head. So many wonderful moments that I've cherished since they've happened, and I can tell that Dashie has done the same.

"Same here, Dashie. I'm just happy to finally be settling down, it's gonna be nice for a change." With that, I reach for the silver door handle, turn it to the right, and push it open.

Like a breath of fresh air, I'm greeted by the interior of the house. I notice the distinct smell that filled the entryway first. It smells just like I'd left it back when I got teleported to Equestria. It's an odd mixture of both Dashie and me, although mostly me as she wasn't in the house for those last six months, but I'm sure the normal smell will return in short time.

I take in the sight of the main hall as we slowly make our way through it. Now, I'm not too sure how this whole "house in the afterlife" thing works, but there was obviously some tinkering going on within our home, whether it be the result of magic or through some other means. 

I say this because on either side of us, hanging on the walls, are all of the pictures that we'd put up over the years of living here. Baking a cake, playing out in the yard, a normal family portrait and a few other memories filled up the short hallway.

This doesn't really make any sense without some alterations, because back when Dashie was taken home, Princess Celestia magically got rid of any evidence that she ever existed in my world, which included all of her toys and our pictures as well as any part of her room or any inventions that I made to make life a little easier for her. 

Even the small strands of her cyan coat that managed to engrave itself within our hallway rug disappeared. I have no idea how magic was able to pull that off, I tried for years to get it out but to no avail. 

So basically everything that could've lead to anyone finding out about her existence was erased from my world, all except for two things. The memories that I cherished so dearly and our lone photo album with the note that she wrote for me inside.

We make our way through the kitchen, not saying a word as we remember all of the fun times that we had baking cakes and preparing Thanksgiving meals above everything else.

Following the flow of the house leads us into the living room, where so many memories were made. Sleeping in this very room the day we moved in due to us being too tired to get out the beds, as well as watching Saturday morning cartoons like we always had, and Dashie getting taken back to her true home. 

And personally for myself, reading the note that she wrote for me countless times to the point that it was engraved in my brain, and watching that one NASCAR race and rooting for the #16 as its colors and overall spirit reminded me of Dashie. This, of course, lead to that cyan feather glowing and transporting me to Equestria for a few brief minutes and a month and a half later being taken there permanently to live out the rest of my days with my daughter.

I sit down on our couch and let out a sigh as I do. Dashie notices this and does the same. We have a moment of silence to take in our surroundings. We haven't even ventured upstairs yet, but that can wait until later. 

Once the gravity of the situation settles in, I break the silence.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"

"You bet it is, Pops. So many great memories all rolled up into a single house. The whole time I lived here, I never really stopped to think about all the memories that were made in a single room alone, much less the entire place." 

It warms my heart that she feels the same way about all of this.

I give her a warm smile and she does the same back to me, and for some reason, I can't help but start laughing. At first, it's just a slight chuckle, but it quickly turns into all-out laughter. I get a confused look from Dashie at first, but just like a yawn, my happiness spreads onto her and she joins in on the laugh-fest, with both of us seemingly without a care in the world.

We nearly fall off of the couch because of all the laughter, and we realize that we should probably settle down before we break something. By the time we get all of the giggles out of our system, we both have tears flowing down our face.

Apparently, laughing that much really takes it out of you, as I must've fallen asleep at some point. I honestly expected myself to be wide awake due to such an interesting event, but after the long hours of celebrating and unveiling secret surprises to Dashie, my body had other plans. 

We share a short dream together, of both of us flying through the golden sky once again.

I'm not sure how long I was out before I awaken, but it doesn't matter; as I close my eyes, I feel something against my side. I look, and sleeping beside me is the not so small any more cyan mare; her rainbow mane and tail still, her head resting on the inside of my elbow.

I know the meme gets old, but I must say it. My heart exploded.

Laying there, sleeping and curled up beside me had me smiling ear to ear. Her gentle breaths are barely heard. The hairs on her mane tickle my arm, but I hold back any movement to itch. The warmth of her body against my stomach warms my heart. I guess three years isn't a terribly long time, but it's how long I've been waiting for a moment like this to happen again. My own little pony, a Rainbow Dash plushie to sleep with and hold tight. And now I have a real Rainbow Dash once more, a mare, sleeping at my side; content as though she's known me since birth, as she basically has.

Right now, there's nothing else that matters to me. All of the time that I'd been waiting for her goes unnoticed as nothing else can come remotely close to the feeling I have right now; this joy I'm experiencing at this moment as I lay awake on my couch. She is here. She is real. She is back. Right now, she is my little pony. She is...-

KNOCK KNOCK

I jump a little, caught off guard by the knocking. I'm annoyed. Why do we have to be disturbed during moments like this? That's when it always happens, you know; when everything's perfect and you don't have to worry about anything.

Okay, I'm overreacting a bit. 

I carefully move Dashie, making sure not to wake her and head towards the door. I open it as quietly as I can, and upon seeing five of my favorite ponies on the patio looking up at me, I step outside and carefully shut the door behind me.

"Sorry for not answering when you knocked. Dashie's on the couch sleeping, are you wanting to see her?" From this, Twilight is the first to answer.

"Well, sort of... We have some news to share with the two of you. It's kind of important."

Before I can respond back, I hear the front door opening behind me as Dashie must've heard our talking and came outside to see what it was all about.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" Before any of us could answer her, Pinkie Pie bounces up the front steps and nearly tackles Dashie to the ground.

"Dashie!" The pink mare gives Dashie a tight hug and she returns it. This gets some giggles from our friends before Rarity chimes in with an answer for her.

"Well, darling, we were hoping that we could speak with both of you. We've made an important discovery and thought that you two should hear about the news."

Dashie gives her a smile as she replies. "Oh, sure! We'd love to hear it, right Dad?"

She looks to me waiting for a quick answer. "Oh yeah, sure thing. Come on in and make yourselves comfortable." I turn around and open the door, gesturing for everypony to come inside. Dashie flies in first, followed by Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and lastly Pinkie Pie bounces in.

I close the door behind them and see that they've all gladly made themselves at home by sitting on both the furniture and the living room rug. They're positioned oddly enough like they were the first time they were ever in this house, but I'll leave that to a coincidence.

I take a seat on the couch next to Twilight. Dashie, as usual, opts for her recliner.

"So... What's the news?" As much as I think about it, I can't seem to figure out what it might be, and judging by Dashie's confused look, she's probably faring all the same.

Twilight is the pony to answer. "Well, as you both can recall, four of us strangely disappeared from Equestria and ended up here along with Fluttershy. We thought it was worth finding out exactly what caused that to happen in the first place. Simple enough, I'd imagine."

I instinctively look to Dashie awaiting her response. Her ears droop and her head hangs low, and although I'm not showing it, I feel very much the same on the inside.

Dashie looks back up to Twilight and her friends with a frown upon her face. "That must've sucked so bad... having your lives ended so abruptly without being able to fully enjoy them. I can't imagine how that must have made you guys feel."

To the surprise of everypony, Fluttershy chooses to speak. "Oh, Rainbow Dash, don't feel bad for us. We all agree that our lives were wonderful and we wouldn't want our time to end in any other way except by being with each other."

Dashie perks up a bit at Fluttershy's words and gives her a nod in return. Seeing this, Twilight continues.

"So, after many attempted spells in my library, we're proud to say that we've got an answer!" Twilight looks around the room, waiting to see if anypony had anything to say to that. When it becomes apparent nopony was, she continues.

"Basically, I used the same spell that Princess Celestia used to go through dimensions so that we could observe Equestria. We figured some sort of energy was behind our disappearance, so we observed other situations where a disappearance could occur to see if any strange energy filled the area in which it was happening. After a few times, we realized that there was a pattern with every scenario. Each time, a certain wavelength would present itself at a certain measurement. We then sampled this energy and identified it as a sort of energy booster."

Both Dashie and I give Twilight blank looks. Her explanation seemed to go on a tangent and felt impossible to follow. Twilight takes notice of this and gets up off of the couch.

"Let's make an example," Twilight walks through the kitchen and seems to be looking for something. I almost get up to help when I see her walking back into the living room with an air freshener spray bottle, of all things. "Think of the room as the atmosphere in an area of Equestria, and think of the chemicals inside this spray bottle as the energy booster I mentioned earlier."

Twilight begins to spray upwards with her magic as she continues talking. "When the air pressure in a given area is just right, it releases this unnoticeable chemical into the air in small doses, which in turn boosts the motivation, confidence, spell intensity and overall energy levels of a single pony in that area. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and I disappeared just after Rainbow Dash performed the Sonic Rainboom and this leads us to believe that she got the energy booster."

I listen anxiously as Twilight continues. "Just to make things clear, Rainbow. Your Sonic Rainboom had nothing to do with our disappearance. We believe it's much more likely that the chemical in the air had a negative effect on anypony it didn't affect positively."

To this, Dashie looks somewhat relieved, although I can't imagine that all of her unnecessary guilt has vanished just yet.

Twilight pauses for a moment, gathering her words. "So, the real answer as to why we disappeared would be that the negative chemical in the air might've mixed in with the remanence of a teleportation spell that occurred shortly before the disappearance. This mixture must've gotten into our lungs and, by chance, teleported us here..."

The purple mare looks towards us waiting for some kind of reaction. After a few seconds of silence, I speak.

"Well, although that's kind of confusing, I guess it's a much better answer than any of us could ever come up with. Good job Twilight, but one thing still doesn't make sense with that answer. You said that a mix of the chemical and a teleportation spell teleported you all here, but then what about Fluttershy? She didn't disappear. From what I've been told, she just got really sick and passed for unknown reasons. "

The book-smart pony looks up at the ceiling while holding a hoof up to her chin. Moments later, she replies.

"Well, I guess if a teleportation spell can mix with the chemical, then any other spell could as well. Maybe Fluttershy happened to be near the spot where somepony had recently used a dehydration spell to dry themselves off or something... That may sound quite unfortunate, and it is. But I don't see a reason why it couldn't be possible."

I almost speak up again, but this time Dashie beats me to it.

"That's so awful... having that happen to you guys due to some strange weather phenomenon. It's not fair. There's gotta be some sort of spell that you can do to let the five of you spend some time in Equestria to make up for it."

As fair as that would be, I doubt there's a spell for something like that. Even magic has its own limitations. Luckily for everypony, Applejack stifles Dashie's idea.

"Well as nice as that sounds, I think wer' happier here. Nothin' to really go back to fer us, most of our family's up here. So thanks fer the offer, but I think I speak fer everypony when I say that won't be necessary."

The four other ponies caught up in the mess chime in one by one.

"Absotutley-lootely!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

"Oh, why absolutely, darling!" Rarity replied.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Applejack!" Twilight praised.

"Yeah, I'm happy here." Fluttershy commented

They all look to Dashie with toothy smiles spread across each of their faces. I chime in myself, not wanting to miss a chance to be smug.

"Well, it looks like your mind's been changed for you!" I can't hold back a laugh, and the others, even Dashie, join in with me for a few seconds.

After the laughter subsides, she responds. "Yeah, Dad, I guess my mind has been changed for me. But hey, if you're all happy, I see no reason why I can't be happy!"

Before anypony else can say a word, Pinkie Pie excitingly makes her way in. "Awww, group hug!"

I'm still not too sure how she ever pulls off stuff like this, but she somehow gets her two hooves to wrap around all of us and squeeze us together into a big group hug. I guess I'll just leave it to her being Pinkie.

After a minute or two of hugging, she lets us all go from her grasp. We say a few more words to each other and our friends eventually leave with smiles plastered on their faces.

---------- (later that evening)

The sun is beginning to set, all of our friends have gotten up and left, assuring us that they'd be over tomorrow. Dashie has stayed up to help me hang something on my wall. My mother's painting, the only piece of decor I'd brought from my old home. It seems everywhere I go, this painting follows. We hang it just above the fireplace, a suiting spot. It was the centerpiece of the room and, other than Dashie herself, was the most colorful thing in here.

“It’s as beautiful as always, Dad.” she leans her head on my thigh. I rest my hand on her mane and stroke it gently, staring at the picture.

“I agree, and I agree because it's you,” I say quietly. She looks up at me for a moment, her rose eyes looking into mine in the realization that I'm purposely copying what I said on one of my first few nights in Equestria. She smiles when she understands why, and I return the smile back. “Dashie, wanna bunk in with me tonight?” I ask her. She smiles even bigger.

“Thought you’d never ask! Race you to the bed!” She yells and is gone in a flash. “I win!”

I can't help but laugh a little bit, noticing that she's gotten in on the copying. “Yes, Dashie, you win. You always did!” I call back to her. “I’ll be right there, I just need to do something,” I say, my voice getting quieter as I say it. I walk up to my mom's painting, and I rest a hand on it. “I did it, Mom. I’m finally happy again, just like you wanted. And this time we can all be happy, together,” I say quietly, a small tear slides down my face. I stand there for a moment, realizing what I just said. ‘I’m happy again, and I forever will be because of-’ my thought is cut off.

“DAAAAD! Are you comin' or what?” Dashie calls from the bedroom.

“Yes, Dashie, I’m coming!” I shout back, “because of her,” I continue my thought out loud.

“Huh? Did you say somethin’ this time Pops?” Dashie says, poking her head out of the door from upstairs.

"Yes, actually,” I smile, “I did. Maybe I'll tell you someday. Here I come!” I turn and run up the stairs for the doorway she's sitting in. Her face instantly has a grin on it, and her eyes are angled right at me. She bolts back into the room, with me hot on her rainbow tail.

----------

Laughter can be heard through the small window in the bedroom as Dashie and her father play and wrestle deep into the night. When they turn out the lights, they connect in their dreams again like they had back in Equestria. They are flying over the golden sky just outside of their home. Even after all this time, nothing has changed in her father, he's still keeping up with her. She looks back and to her surprise, finds “Pops” right next to her. She opens her wings and pulls up into the sky, he follows her up, no more than a foot behind her. Together they loop and roll in their dreams, deep into the afterlife's golden night.

----------

At some point I find myself waking up, with Dashie's sleeping body all but wrapping around my own. I try to go back to sleep for a few minutes, but it comes to no avail. I turn on my side table lamp to its dimmest setting and grab the photo album from the nightstand.

I go through the whole thing, from my childhood with my parents to the lonely times I experienced after their death and before finding Dashie. It then picks back up again after finding her and a slew of photos are crammed into the next few pages before she got taken back to Equestria. 

With this, is the original note that she wrote for me along with the modified version. I'm not too sure how that happened, but it doesn't really matter. I didn't add to it during those six months away from her as I just didn't feel that anything remarkable had happened during that time. But of course, the photo album managed to sneak its way into Equestria somehow and we added to it a whole lot more.

It seems that Dashie tried continuing it herself after my passing, but she never truly looked happy in any of the pictures that she added. And now, this leads us to today. The beginning of our eternal peace with each other. We're going to find a whole lot more to put into this photo album, I'll have to get a new one eventually.

I turn to the first blank page in our photo album, and I feel a single tear slide down my left cheek. I still got a lot of life ahead of me, an eternity actually. And I plan to make the best of it.

For myself...

As I say those words in my mind, I feel the warmth and softness of Dashie's cyan coat rub against my arm. My heart explodes for the thousandth time in my life. I can hear my beautiful daughter mumbling to herself in her sleep. 

"Goodnight, Daddy... I love you."

I smile as I lean forward and kiss her on the forehead. "Goodnight, my little Dashie. I love you too."

For my little Dashie.

THE END