Painting our Life - 6 Colors

   My blood boils. I'm pissed off right now. That sound, no doubt, was a hand meeting Dash's face. A few students exchange silent whispers that enter one ear and exits the other. It feels like an eternity of forsaken silence as if somebody had just came in and shot every living being other than me with a machine gun. As if the bullets just went through me and I'm oblivious to the bodies dropping the the ground like raw pieces of meat around me.

   Another smack.

   I scream out an inappropriate four letter word followed by "-you, Quince." Some kids choke on their laughter; some gasp.

   Some ask who just dug their own grave.

   With strength and speed I don't know I have, I pull myself through the darkness and grab Quince, or who I think is Quince, by the collar of his shirt. He yelps with surprise as my fists and elbow meet his face. I push him to the floor and pin him down. Students in the gym whisper and ponder about what is happening in the solid darkness that has taken over our dance.

   I grab Quince's wrist and twist it as hard as I can. As if I'm opening a bottle of Pepsi. I'm not that strong, but the shock of being beat up causes Quince to plead for mercy helplessly. I raise my fist once more above his face. And strike. Quince bawls.

   I stand up and Quince pulls himself up. He scampers away and I hear the gym door open and shut close. I look down at my hands. They're a bit numb and I can't see a thing in the dark, but I can feel the crimson liquid from Quice's nosebleed drip down my fingers. I wipe the blood on my hands on my shirt as my eyes flit around in the darkness.

   "Dash?" There's no point in calling her by her fake human name now. Things tonight have gone far beyond my control. I bend down and feel around the ground. My hand bumps into something. Someone. Dash yelps and groans. "Don't worry. It's me, Kyle."

   "That hurt..."

   Strange.

   Dash would NEVER admit weakness. I didn't even bump her that hard. Just a light tap. I don't think it'd be that painful. "Are you okay?"

   Dash sniffs. "No." Silence. I bite my lip and wait for her to continue. "My legs burn."

   I sigh. "Think it's time for us to get them checked." Us. I repeat the word in my mind over and over. Us. Us. Us. Not Janet and I. Not me alone.

   Us. Dash and I.

   I realize my heart has been tearing itself for the past week without her. "Can you stand?"

   "No."

   I pull out my cell phone and press the emergency call button. In the middle of dialing 911, I notice the red 'No signal!' status at the top left corner of the screen. I curse under my breath. The connection can't reach because of the damn snowstorm. Just my luck.

   The gym door opens and someone walks in. Their footsteps tap against the gym floor.

   "Everybody CALM DOWN!" the principal hollers. Silence falls upon the entire gymnasium. "Now, we're having a power shortage and we're currently trying to locate our stored emergency electricity in the basement. It might take an hour or two and when we have the power back up, we can all find a place to sleep because none of you are going out in this storm." He claps his hands. Some kids hoot their approval of staying at school for the night, some let out a collective groan. "The girls will be sleeping in the academic hall and the boys will be sleeping in the tech hall." Every boy in the gym except me let out a collective groan larger than the previous one.

   The gym door clicks close, signalling us that there is no responsible adult currently in the same room as us. The silence is enough to kill me and save me from getting my ass kicked. I strain my ears and just on cue, the sound of footsteps against the gym floor begins coming my direction, echoing in the darkness. "Kyle, I know that was you. Nobody at this school would dare lay a finger on Quince. Only you would protect your little pony."

   Jakob. Shit, I forgot all about him! By the sound of the footsteps, I'm guessing he's not alone. "Speak up Kyle. Speak up! I know you're still here. You wouldn't leave her behind." I hold my breath as the bullies wander around the gym like wolves stalking their prey. Only, I'm the trapped rabbit with its leg stuck in a bear trap. Dash coughs.

   Crap.

   Rapid footsteps come my way. Some kids begin to whisper again. The events of this night has left them all speechless. I act quick, there's no time to think now. My hands meet Dash's arms and I pull her up from the ground. She whimpers, but doesn't protest.

   Straining my arm muscles, I hoist her onto my back as if I'm to give her a piggy back. Not hesitating for another second, I swiftly make my way to the end of the gym. There, I can feel my way for the door and possibly escape this abyss.

   "Get him! Get him now!" Jakob's words ring my ears. Sweat drips down my face. There are no second chances; once they get ahold of me, I'll be pounded to pudding. I strain to hear footsteps around me. Jakob is only a few feet away and the others are right behind him. I imagine that they linked their hands together to form a barrier I can't escape, but they aren't bright enouh to do such a thing. I slide against the wall, feeling the flat surface with my free hand, feeling for the steel gym door.

   Dash yelps. "Let go!" Something pulls us back. Someone.

   "I got the girl by the hair! What do I-" He doesn't finish his question before I whip around and my fist meets his face. Whoever I had punched stumbles back, letting a four letter word escape his mouth along with some threats. Unfortunately, Jakob also heard.

   "He's over there! Matt, where are you? Are you alright?" Jakob's voice grows as he draws closer and closer.

   "I think I'm going to get a nosebleed..." mutters the kid I punched. Jakob curses.

   "Run," Dash whispers in my ear. I snap back to my senses and walk as fast as I can through the pitch black darkness while carrying a one hundred pound person on my back. My fingers brush against the concrete wall.

Come on... Come on...

   The brick wall ends and my hand hits a cold metal surface.

   Bingo.

   I make haste and push open the door and stumble into another room of darkness. No light shines in the darkness. I pull out my phone and press the sleep button. The screen glows. The light shines on the lockers, creating eerie shadows. I hear the gym doors behind me open. Without hesitating, I press sleep on my phone again and the screen shuts off.

   "We're gonna kick the crap outta you." Jakob laughs. His friends echo his laughter. "C'mon guys, he's still in here somewhere." I close my eyes. Dash is holding her breath. I wish she could stand and beat the crap out of them right now. That's not going to happen in her current state.

   I grip Dash's legs tightly, ensuring she won't fall off my back. How am I going to run while she's on me piggyback style? This is never going to work, we're as good as dead.

   I quietly sidestep down the hall. "Come on you little pussy. Stop hiding in the shadows," Jakob sneers.

   "Hey Jakes, one sec bro. Check this out," a voice snickers. "I'll just turn my phone's screen to maximum brightness and-" A light flicks on. It's not very bright, but enough illuminate the darkness around the person holding it. I make a quick head count. One... Three... There's five of them, including Jakob.

   "There they are!"

   "Let's kill em!"

   Without hesitation, I tighten my grip on Dash even more and barge out of the athletic hall, grabbing a random coat from the hooks on the way out. It's not as dark in the main hall. The moonlight shines in through the large glass windows circling around the main entrance. The footsteps behind me signal that we aren't safe yet.

   Here I have two choices, go to the office, where the adults will most likely deal with the bullies but seperate Dash and I for the night. Or exit the building and deal with the intense weather conditions. With only a second's time of thinking, I figure I'd rather die than let Dash suffer on her own for the night. With my free hand, I push open the school's front doors and barge into the freezing cold with Dash on my back.

   Stupidest idea ever. My body temperature immediately drops. Dash groans and coughs. I throw the coat I grabbed from the athletic hall over Dash's back. It's not covering all of her, and probably won't prevent the cold from sneaking in, but it's all I can think of right now at the time being.

   For a second the snow blinds my vision, making it obscure and hard to see. I squint and blink rapidly, trying to see through the blizzard. My legs struggle to hold both mine and Dash's weight. Hot tears form in my eyes, warming my face the slightest and they roll down. The tears melt away the suffering of my eyes for a few brief seconds. I can see. My hands feel frozen stiff as I carry Dash through the parking lot. This'll be all over once I reach my car and I can drive Dash to the hospital.

   The snow pelts against my face. Each flake feels more like a jagged spear trying to penetrate my seemingly iron skin. I curse under my breath. My hands are killing me by now. I swear they've turn an ugly purple or blue by now in this cold. I can't feel my stiff fingers. It's as if the bones beneath my flesh are encased in ice.

   It's painful.

   Beyond painful.

   Every step I take feels like the last. Every step feels like someone has added an additional ten pounds to my coat. I want to collapse. To hit the ground and stay there and rest. Like there isn't a single care in the world.

   My legs weaken. The muscles inside scream silently. I can hear them. Every protest. Every desire to drop Dash and abandon her. Afterall, isn't that what she did with me? She abandoned me. She ditched me. I should be angry at her, not helping her. But those feelings are false. Infact, I'm happy to be with her. Glad that she and I are in this mess together. I'm cherishing this moment with her, even as frostbite slowly pierce my skin.

   Miraculously, my legs strengthen. I put one foot in front of the other. I pick up my pace. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. I squint. I can make out the shape of my car in this blizzard. I reach into my pocket and pull out my keys. Without hesitation, I press the button that unlocks all the doors in my car.

   Beep, beep. Click.

   So close. So damn close. I walk faster than before. Snow has filled my shoes by now. My feet are frozen. I can't feel them at all. Some of the snow has melted in my shoes and refrozen into ice. The ice cut my feet. They might be bleeding. I don't know. The aching pain in my feet must've surpressed any other pains. Hope fills my heart. I'm so close. So close. My free hand reaches forward, feeling everything around me as I move. My hand hits something. Cold metal. My car. The corner of my lips tug into a grin.

   It's over. It'll only get easier from here on.

   I open the door, struggling to not drop Dash. I carefully lay her down on the backseats, holding her legs with gentle care. She cringes. I shut the door and reach for the front door. I tug on the handle. It doesn't budge.

   "Shit."

   With all my might, I pull as hard as I can, as if trying to rip the door right off. This time, the door swings open along with the audible sound of ice crackling. I hate that during the winter. I climb in and shut the door.

   I sit for a few moments, catching my breath as my body slowly warms itself. I look over my shoulder to see Dash, having already pulled herself up, sitting up and looking down at her lap. Her legs tremble.

   I insert my car keys in and ignite the motor. "Buckle up." I pull my seatbelt down over my torso.

   Click.

   Dash echos my actions.

   Hopefully the snow on my windshield hasn't melted and turned into ice. It should melt off fairly easily once the car squirts some hot water and activates the vacuum. It does.

   I pull the lever into reverse and pull out from the parking space. By now I should be a master at driving, but my haste causes me to bump into the car that parks beside me, scraping off some of the paint and leaving a noticeable dent. Whoops. Hope that's Jakob's car.

   I squint my eyes, trying to see. The windshield wipers are on, brushing off any snow that lands on the glass and blind my vision of the road. I pull out of the school's parking lot. The wheels scrape against the curb. I string of curse words escape my lips. The wheels should be fine. I'm going to take that chance.

   "How are the legs?" I break the silence between Dash and I. I missed her.

   "In pain. They feel like they'll rip off any second."

   "Try massaging them." I pull around the corner that leads into downtown. Keep going west. That's where the hospital is. I haven't been there many times, just once when I broke my leg. That was a long time ago, and the orphanage took me. I haven't been in this area for a long time, the main reason due to the buildings around here being too ancient.

   "It hurts when I touch them," she whispers. I sigh.

   We pass by a series of restaurants. McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Quiznos, you name it. I remember seeing these restaurants long ago. Followed by them should be the Old Quebec Street mall. It's rather old and I have visited it before. The mall was built realistically similar to some of the streets in Quebec I've seen pictures of. Maybe if it looked more modern then it would get more business like Stone Road Mall in the newer part of Guelph rather than just the old people sitting on the benches inside drinking coffee.

   I make a few more turns. The snow is heavier now and I'm having more trouble seeing. I turn the windshield wiper to high. Oh no. I look around frantically. Where did I pull into? My eyes dart from window to window. We're in some neighborhood I'm completely unfamiliar with. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the gas meter point to the big red E. Another curse word escapes my lips. I want to scream out every single one I know.

   "You look pale. You ok in the front there?"

   I bite my lip. "Well... We're screwed."

   "What? What's wrong?" I listen to Dash's breathing.

   "We're lost."

   Dash sighs. "Ky... Just take your time. We can make it. It's not like I'm gonna die from these severe leg cramps."

   "We're out of gas as well."

   I count the seconds in my head. One... Two... Three... Four... Five...

   "Shit."

   I turn the key and the engine slowly dies. I pull the key out and stuff the keychain in my pocket. I knew I should've stopped at the gas station earlier. I'm such an idiot.

   Such. An. Idiot.

   Something taps the window beside me. The sudden noise surprises me and I jump back in my seat. I stare out the window, squinting my eyes. Fingers. Gnarly ones. Without hesitating, I roll down the window. A tall man with white hair pokes his head in, bringing with him snow that falls off his winter beanie and onto my lap. I could care less.

   "Me and my wife were looking out the window when we saw your car pull up into our street. It was confusing seeing someone drive in this sort of weather. Now my wife sent me out here to check on you seeing that not a soul has left the car since the lights turned off. Are you alright?" His voice is gruff, like the tough old man sort. He does look to be in his fifties or sixties. He peers in to the backseats. "Is she alright? She looks sick." I look over my shoulder to see Dash's forehead bright red.

   I take a moment to find my voice. "Sir, we aren't fine actually. You see, my car is out of gas and my friend back there has some weird leg disorder-" Dash let's out a growl. I ignore her- "and we were trying to find a hospital in this storm until I accidentally pulled into this neighborhood."

   "Sonny you're welcome to come into my home for the night. We got a room where you friend and you could rest and I think we still got a few liters of gas in my garage I'd be happy to give you tomorrow after you're all rested."

   Before I could tell him we're fine, Dash pipes up. "We'd love to accept your hospitality." The man smiles. I sigh. Might as well take the help while we can. I open the door and step out. The man open's Dash's door.

   "Can you walk?" the man asks humbly.

   Dash shakes her head. This may be troublesome. I reach in, careful to avoid making contact with Dash's legs, and try my best to pull her out. The man stares at me. "On your feet, just this once." Dash cringes as she steps out. She climbs onto my back. The man closes the door.

   "Sonny, you got some muscle carry that girl while the snow piles on like pounds. But mind I ask you why in tarnation you ain't wearing a coat?"

   "She's wearing the only one I grabbed." Of course, I didn't have time to take my picks from the coats in the hall. Afterall, I was being chased by a band of deadly gorillas.

   "You're a real gentlemen aren't ya?" I don't answer. "Now just come this way with me." I stumble through the snow. It's halfway up my shin by now and the cold stings my feet. I listen to Dash's steady, soft breathing on my left ear. Her head is rested on my shoulder.

   I follow the man up a driveway and onto the porch of a fairy old looking house. Maybe a few decades in this town. He turns the doorknob and welcomes us in. "Nelly, I'm back. Poor things were freezing out there as you said."

   Nelly walks out from the kitchen. She drops the wooden spoon she was holding. "Oh! Oh my, oh my. Where is your coat?! You were out there in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt?" I struggle to hold Dash's weight. The warmth of the house welcomes me. Dash is now sleeping soundly, her body slowly warming up against my back. "Jeremy Twist you help that poor boy up the stairs and into the guest room with a nice toasty blanket this instance!" The man rolls his eyes and puts his hand on my shoulder.

   "Come on sonny."

   I follow the man up the stairs and into a small room with a bunk bed. Dash still rests on my shoulder. I set her down on the bed. "Sir, I really appreciate everything you're doing for her and I."

   "Don't mention it sonny. We rarely get any visitors around here." I pull a blue blanket from the top bunk and cover Dash with it. I'm still unsure of what to do. Maybe she was just experiecing leg cramps. Maybe there's nothing to worry about. I feel her forehead. It's warm, but not steaming anymore.

   "Sir, do you have a cup of water I could drink-" I stand up and face the man. He doesn't reply. Infact, his stillness causes me to jump back. I wave my hands in front of his face. No reaction. He looks completely stiff. I feel his hand. It's warm, but stiff. I feel his pulse. Nothing. I put my head against his chest. No breathing. No heart beat.

   This is beyond weird...

   "Don't fret." I turn around to see Celestia and Twilight. The purple unicorn is feeling Dash's forehead with an extended hoof. "Time is frozen, only we are animate."

   My heart leaps. A smile slowly creeps up on my face. I couldn't be happier to see two cartoon ponies. "Where were you?!"

   Twilight blushes. "Confined to bed. A normal unicorn like me can't open rifts between the world without a deadly aftermath on the horn's magic."

   Celestia eyes her student. "Yes, my pupil has been reckless with her last visit. Though I do blame myself for being very busy with royal duties leaving no time to check on you two."

   Twilight turns to her teacher. "We couldn't prevent it." Celestia sighs.

   "Of course not Twilight Sparkle, we should've just completely ripped her of her wing muscles."

   What? I look from pony to pony. "What's going on? Why did you show up now?" Celestia sighs. Her mane flows and waves; I'm unsure of how it works. Probably some sort of pony magic. The two exchange glances. After a moment of silence, Celestia finally exhales a sigh and her gaze falls on me.

   "We're here to bring Rainbow Dash back."

   My jaw drops. "What?!" I don't know what to say. They must be kidding. Twilight steps forward and opens her mouth to speak.

   "We also have some questions to answer. We expect that you have a lot."

   "O-of course!" I stammer. I hope what I heard earlier was only my mind playing tricks on me. I sit down in the stool beside the bunk bed. Twilight sighs and sits down on the bed beside her friend.

   "What you want to know the most, is why you're a teenager again, isn't it?" Twilight begins. I nod.

   "You've aroused more questions than just that."

   Twilight bites her lip, hesitating. "Everything is linked together." I raise a brow, waiting for her to continue. When she takes too long I snap my fingers in her face to wake her from her daydreams. Twilight frowns. "Let me think, ok?!"

   "I think I have the right to know what's going on without you pausing every few seconds."

   Celestia takes over for her silent student. "Enough, Twilight. Let me explain." She steps a step closer to me. "What she can't say is that we have failed." Failed what? I nod for her to continue her explanation. "We knew it was too dangerous to turn Rainbow Dash into a human." She pauses, takes a deep breath, and continues. "We asked Rainbow if she wanted to have her wings ripped before we started the process. It would've been so much easier and all this could've been avoided. She declined and told us to transfer her wing muscle to her legs." That would explain the cramps. "The muscles that normally can't be fused. We succeeded though. We managed to completely transfer every bit of muscle from her wings to her new human legs. It was our biggest mistake."

   "Why? What's gonna happen?" I look at Dash. My heart sinks into my stomach. Damn it. If only I wasn't unconscious back then. Why did they have to knock me out?

   "The muscles were never to be fused. The muscle cells from her former pegasus wings will eat away at the muscles she received as a human."

   My breath gets caught in my throat. "What will happen then?"

   Celestia pauses for a moment, deep in thought. After a moment of silence, she finally speaks. "She'll lose complete use of her legs."

   Once again, the silence. The damn silence. Every one of us are unsure of what to say next. What's ok to say next. What's supposed to be said next.

   I bite my lip and clench my right hand into a fist so tight my nails pierce the skin of my palm.

   "We're here to take her back. To make her a pony again so she can live in Equestria." My eyes widen. "It's not healthy here for her, she can't remain human."

   "There has to be another way." My voice comes out as a whimper. This is just unbelievable. Life without Dashie is just unthinkable. I'll become like Peter Parker without Mary Jane. Like Ash without Pikachu. Like Coca-Cola without the carbonated fizz. Celestia shakes her head, an action which thrusts my mind into a fit of sadness at the thought of losing Dash.

   I look at Dash. Her eyes are open, and she's staring right at me. "Why didn't you tell me?"

   A tear rolls down Dash's face. "I thought I'd be strong enough to overcome it, Ky. I had my fingers crossed all along hoping this wouldn't happen."

   At the sight of her tears, my own eyes begin to wet themselves. "It was foolish." I clench my hand into a fist again. This isn't happening. The events this night have been unrealistic. I tell myself none of this is real. Again.

   And again.

   But no matter how hard I try I can't deny what is really happening. I take a deep breath. "What're we gonna do?"

   Celestia and Twilight exchange glances. "We're taking her back of course. To Equestria where her legs will slowly be nursed back to health." Celestia answers. The princess speaks. I break down as more tears drip down my face. I look up at the white goddess.

   "Will you ever bring her back?"

   Celestia shakes her head. "Due to reasons of spare time and risks. I just don't have enough free time to worry about two individuals when I have an entire country to tend to. My pupil cannot perform the spell again, I forbid her to, and remember what happened last time when Rainbow Dash remained a pony in this universe? It was simply a disaster and I refuse to risk making her human once more after all this is behind us."

   I wipe my eyes and look at Dash. The one I've come to love. I look for any sign of a desire to leave in her brown eyes. There is none.

   Twilight and Celestia hang their heads in respect, waiting for me to make the decision. No. To give in and agree with their decision. I have no say in this. Finally, Dash speaks up.

   "Let me go Ky," she whimpers, "I- I don't want to lose my legs- to be crippled!" She takes a deep breath before continuing again. "Ky... I miss flying."

   I wipe the oncoming tears. They keep coming out. Never before have I had such an urge to lose myself in front of others. "Just let me go! ... Ky... Please."

   "Will that make you happy?" I ask. She thinks for a moment, more tears rolling down her face.

   And then she answers. One simple word. "No."

   There's no use arguing now. Dash is going to leave this world, not by her own will. There's nothing to take back now. Her legs - I look at them - clearly have reached the limit of enduring the burden they've held in the past months. "Go."

   Dash smiles weakly through her tears and with all her will pumped into her legs, she stands up. She swiftly walks over to me, and enthuisastically hugs me. My arms shakily return the hug. I gently rest my head against hers.

   We part.

   Her eyes flicker and the pupils change back to their beautiful rosey color. I don't say a word about it.

   Celestia's horn glows. "This may take a few minutes." She smiles at me. I feel like I should be bowing down to her. But my past experience with her interfering has left her a black mark in my mind. Maybe that'll change. "When I'm done, you'll be back at your home, at your normal age and height. None of the high school students will remember you of course." She closes her eyes and takes a breath. "Remember these days. Get over it. Get on with your life."

   Bloody hell. I wipe my widening eyes on my sleeve once more as I watch Dash and the two ponies slowly fade. Dash is completely transparent. I watch her collapse to the ground, moulding into a small cyan ball. The sight is almost sickening. The cyan ball disappears into thin air.

   I feel my skin tighten. It's a burning sensation. It feels familiar. I cough into my sleeve. Hope I don't catch a cold.

   I rigidly drop to the ground. My face hits the hard floorboard but surprisingly no pain comes. My vision is blurry; a sign that I am indeed crying but my face has numbed to the point where I can't feel a single thing.

   Maybe there is something to learn here. Maybe not. Maybe I never grew up from the very start and all this was just a dream. Maybe I'll wake up to be greeted by Dash. I want to wake up. But I'm not asleep. I can feel my bones stretch. I can feel my body mould. I can feel everything inside of me enlarge, as if swollen.

   I'm growing.

   Even at the moment, I can't believe all this has happened. It all went by too quickly, and there isn't a single thing I regret I just realize. I lived a life no other person in the world has. I was some loser in the dump, and now, I'm somebody. Somebody who was loved. Somebody who could love. I'm ashamed of nothing.

   I close my eyes. Sleep is taking over. Tonight will be unforgetable. Probably one I will look back on and wonder what the hell happened and not regret. Everything slowly goes black. My muscles relax and I fall into dreamless sleep despite everything that has occured in the past hour in this room.

   Everything will be ok.

   Sunlight pours in through the cracks of my closed eyes. I slowly open them. I look around. It's morning. "Dash?" I stand up and get dressed. "Dash, are you here?" I flex my fingers, knowing they're long again and not short like a sixteen year old's.

   I open my door and walk down the hall to Dash's room. I open the door. "Dash?" A grim amount of emptiness greets me. My heart sinks.

   She's really gone. Off this planet. In another world.

   And there's nothing I could do.

   Because it's for her own good.

   Her presence still lingers in her room. I sit down on her bed and gaze around, staring at everything. Her iPod. Her laptop. The posters on her wall. Her closet, door open, full of clothing. I give myself a moment to cry. My heart is empty. I can't imagine how I will ever keep going now. I bury my face in my hands.

   Dash. Rainbow Dash.

   A pony from another world we had only known existed in a children's animation has brought joy to my life.

   I lived happily.

   I will continue doing so.

   I take a few deep breaths. I can still smell Dash.

   I realize my life isn't ending and my heart is still beating. Dash, I miss her so damn much but there is no need to act like I've come to the final few days of living. I lie down on her bed, spreading my arms. The bed is soft. I haven't been in here since the short while ago before our little fight. That was foolish. I wonder, if that fight never happened, would if have all lead to this? Probably.

   Then something miraculous begins to happen. My face lights up and I begin to smile. A laugh escapes my throat. "Thank you," I whisper.

   Not loud enough.

   I whisper my thanks over and over again until the volume of my voice esculates. First to the volume I speak at and then to a rather louder, cheerful chant. I say my thanks over and over again to Dash. I know she can't hear me; probably no one can; I live in the middle of nowhere. But I'm thankful. For everything she's brought into my life. Everything she has done to make my life worthy to keep on living.

Thank you, Rainbow Dash.

   The smile leaves my face. I sit up and reach for the phone beside Dash's laptop. I have full intent on calling my boss.

It's time to get back to work.