Painting our Life - 6 Colors

by InuKaT

Rating: everyone
Tags: Tragedy, Random, Slice of Life, Human, Sad
Length: 75059

With Dash, I am the happiest person alive.

Inspired by My Little Dashie!
Each colorless day makes life unworthy of living. It's our choice to change ourselves, we just need a little push from a certain pony. But are things truly what they seem to be? We all can be deceived by false kindness, the unexpected lurk from every corner, and some of the things that mend our hearts might as well as crush it.
This is my story.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-01 18:56:47 UTC

Chapter 1: Don't Need a Pony's Help

    It is a bright and dull afternoon. Just like the one yesterday. The day just drags on slowly. I'm walking home like any other day, any other day in the winter that is. The coat that I have on is barely enough to keep the cold out. My pace is slow but steady. During warmer times, I like to look for stones and hold them in my hand, feeling them as if they are the most precious diamonds in the world. But since all the stones are blanketed by snow, I have to make do with small snowballs. I juggle the snowball from hand to hand, as if it was a baseball. The snow slowly melts and the freezing water seeps into my thin gloves. It could take me a much shorter time to walk home, but it's not like anyone will be waiting for me there anyways. I live by

myself. I used to worry about being alone for the rest of my life, but now it's hard for me to care. Since I'm going to die eventually.

    "Is it time?" A certain cyan pegasus asks.

    "I believe so, do not feel hatred for us or sending you there. We

have no choice." A white mare the size of a full grown horse speaks.

Her eyes studying the cyan pegasus closely. She slowly closes her

eyes, and takes a breath. "Are you ready?"

    "Born to be." There is no hestitation in the cyan pony's voice.

But it trembles and she takes a deep breath, looking around her, this

will be her last moment here.

    "Well answered." A blinding light engulfs the cyan pegasus and she

vanishes. "Good luck... Rainbow Dash And good bye."

    As I approach my street, I feel like I'm being watched. I don't worry though, there are a bunch of freaks that live here. But as I take another another, I hear flapping sounds. Like strong eagle wings beating against the cold air. I slowly look up and I don't believe my eyes. Hovering in the sky, flapping it's wings, was a cyan horse... No, pegasus pony. It looks to be about 4"5 feet tall. I'm not sure. But what takes me by surprise even more was that it talked.

    "Hey. You! Are you Kyle Linston?" It said, or she said. I rub my eyes to make sure I'm not hallucinating crap. It could be a sign that I've finally gone crazy. I'm not surprised she knows my name. It was painted on my mailbox, dry and scratched, but readable. I open my mouth to speak.

    "Who... What are you?" I asked.

    "Thee one and only Rainbow Dash. I've heard you have some life problems that has been gnawing away at your sanity for the past few years, kiddo." She chuckles, "I was sent here to teach you the joys of life. To train you out of your folly. As it seem-" She doesn't get to finish, because I had chucked a snowball as hard as I could right for her head. She swiftly dodges it by flying to her right. "Hey! What's the big idea!?" Before I answer, I chuck another, this one landing right onto her chest knocking her unsteady.

    "I don't need your damn help!" I spit, "My life will go as it is, I don't need no talking pony guiding me in what I've been living for the past 22 years!" That seems to have enraged her. She flies down right into my face.

    "LOOK BUSTER. I'm here to help you. Your life just needs a bit of, color to it. And that's what I'm for. You can't just keep dwadling and wait for death to just come to you! There's more to do than just that. I pity you, so I will try my best to help you! Your training will  begin tomorrow, is that understood?" She glares at me. Her black rose rimmed eyes are beautiful in their own being for some reason I cannot describe. But I glare back. I make another snowball and once again, chuck it at her, aiming for her left wing. Then I run. Towards my house. My heart beats fast as I pull out the key to the front door. Before Rainbow Dash can tackle me to the ground, I unlock the front door, jump in, slam the door in her snout and lock it.

    I don't feel bad. I should. But no. She's nothing to me. I look out the window, only to see her making faces at me. And shouting.

    "Let me in! I want to help you! You can change what has already begun! It's not too late for you!" Garbage. I'm torn between feelings. Guilt and hatred. Guilty of myself being brought so low to be pitied by a talking animal and hatred for her. For talking as if she knew me perfectly. If this is how my life will be lived, so be it.

    As I make dinner, I find my mind straying towards thinking about Rainbow Dash again. What was it about her that made me feel bad? The fact she's not human? The fact that she's here to help and I just brushed her off? The food I eat is tasteless in my mouth. Thinking too hard. Go freeze you damn pony. I finish my dinner and go to sleep.

    The next day is the same thing. Rainbow Dash pleads me to let her help me the minute I walk out the front door. The strange thing was, no one else noticed her follow me through Zellers as I tried to work. I asked a few customers if they're seeing a cyan pony from a children's animated tv show beside me, they just shake their heads in disbelief. Rainbow Dash chuckles mockingly.

    "A spell has been casted on me before I entered this universe. It will hold for only another few days, but till then, only the ones I want to see, can see me." She let's out another chuckle. I sigh.

    "Look, just give it up, I don't want your help, I want no one's help." I don't look her in the eyes.

    "It's my job to help you... Just give me a chance." Rainbow Dash mumbled tiredly as I tie my shoes, getting ready for the third day of the week known as Wednesday. The halfway mark to the weekends. I work my shift, and quickly get home.

    I sit on the porch. Alone. The sun sets. The loneliness hasn't calmed, not for all 22 years of my life. The pain will never settle.

    "Life has it's ways against you." A familiar voice speaks. I know who it is. I turn my head and find that Rainbow had stealthily sat beside me. "Everpony has their problems, I did something wrong a while ago. You can't let that mope you down." A tear runs down her right cheek. I don't know what to do. The one trying to help me has problems on her own? I stand up.

    "You don't understand me at all."

  Rainbow Dash's efforts are being wasted on me. I wanted to shout I didn't have problems. But down inside, I knew, I knew she was right, and I knew where my life is leading. Yet I accept it, but haven't brushed her off permanently. Her company is quite... enjoyable, although I do not know why. Without her seeing, I smile in the first time in years. Even then, I shut the door before she can get inside. I don't need her help, but I want her company.

    Today has been fairly quiet. Rainbow Dash didn't show up. No more bickering, no more being nagged at. I felt relieved, yet, lonely even more now. I brushed off the one person, er, pony that actually wanted to help me. Most people can't even stand to look at me. As I work my shift at Zellers, I find myself worrying about Rainbow Dash. The world outside is cruel and cold, can she find a way back to where ever she crawled from? One side of me wanted to be happy and relieved she's

finally gone, but the other, wants to see her. I check off my name on the employee schedule, showing I worked my shift today.

    I walk home in silence. No cars pass by. It feels strangely quiet. As if the world is shunning me for what I've done, or not done. It starts snowing. Hard. I cover my face with my hands, protecting it from the snow that could easily get in my eyes. A great way to add to the mood mother nature. I reach my house, unlock the door and go in. I'm not hungry, forgoing dinner, I turn on the television. Night slowly creeps up. I didn't notice the time, but I dozed off for an hour or two. I wake up to a weather report on tv.

    "Yes citizens, it is a blizzard outside. Please expect 3 feet of snow in the least. All we can say is the temperature is slowly

dropping to -30 degrees celcius." My eyes widen as I have the sudden realization a certain rainbow maned pony is still outside treading in the cold. Without thinking, I grab my coat and run out the door into the roaring winds of winter.

    I have no idea where she could be. So I slowly tread my way into the streets of downtown. If I was a pony, where would I hide? No clue. Shit. So I decide to search the streets one by one. Checking under tables of outdoor dining areas. Looking in garbage cans and dark allies. I have no luck. I'm running a fool's errand. But I have the feeling that Rainbow Dash is out here, freezing to death in this storm. And it's all my fault, for neglecting her and her offers.

    After 40 minutes of searching, I'm about to give up, my hands are getting frost bite, and the air is becoming thinner making it harder to breath. But in the corner of my eyes, I notice a cyan colored blob curled under a piece of cardboard beside a restuarant. I approach it, no, her, I knew perfectly it was Rainbow Dash. I lift up the cardboard, her rainbow mane is in worst condition, her furcoat is drenched. I put my hand on her chest, she's still breathing, but slowly. The weather has done it's worst to her, and she survived. I hastily take off my coat, and wrap it around her. The heat quickly saps from my body and is replaced by the cold. I feel as if I just jumped into the coldest parts of the Arctic Ocean. But this is no time to complain. With all my might, I lift up the cyan mare. She's heavy. Really heavy. Or I'm just really weak. I don't know which, probably the second. Maybe I should look into working out more often.

    As I make the journey home, each step feels like hell. My already aching feet stings from the cold and snow that has somehow made it into my boots. The snow is up to my knees. It gets harder to walk, as if I was trying to tread through tar. The snow plummets against my face. They feel more like sharp ice shards than soft snowflakes. Rainbow Dash begins to warm up. Just a bit. But not even enough to keep a baby alive in this harsh condition. I'm halfway home. My arms begin to ache from carrying her, but I know all that will fade in the next few minutes when the freezing temperature numbs my body. I pick up my pace. Neither of us will survive if I keep walking at this speed.

    Cars pass by. Some people offer me a ride, but I can't risk it, they'll get suspicious of why I'm not wearing my coat. Damn it. My feet feel like they are sawed off by now. My arms don't feel any better. The weight of Rainbow Dash slows me down. But I can't complain since this is all my fault. Her mane is ungroomed, she looks so stressed, yet so beautiful. I finally reach my street. Carrying her with one arm, other hand trembling hard as I fumble with my keys searching for the one to the front door. Found it. I open the door and shut it when I'm, we're in. I lock the door and take off my boots. I carry Rainbow Dash up the stairs and into my room. I set the cyan mare on my bed, and cover her with my blanket. Her breathing steadies, but

she remains asleep. I go down and heat up some soup. I bring it up with a cup of hot chocolate and set it on the table beside her. Then I find my extra blanket, and go lie on the couch, trying to doze off. But sleep would not come, as thousands of questions for the pony known as Rainbow Dash bounce around in my mind.

*Note from the author: something are best unexplained, I'll be practicing my writing. Hopefully, I get better throughout my time writing this story.*

Chapter 2: Stay With Me

   The sun shines through the thin curtains of my living room window. Light slowly creep through the cracks of my eyelids. I slowly open my eyes and rub them sleepily. My feet ache like crazy. I feel like crap. I sneeze, and a lump in my throat threatens to burn if I swallow. I'm obviously sick. I'll call work later and tell them I've caught a cold.  My arms feel like they've fallen off, as if I was lifting weights all night. Then it all snaps back into my mind. I remember my little trek last night, with the rescue of a cyan pony.

   I walk up the stairs and into my room. The bowl of soup I left out for her last night is now empty, meaning Dash got up last night to eat. She's sound asleep in my bed. Her mane is ruffled, but she looks better rested than she did last night. I gently sit down beside her on the rim of the bed. I put a hand on her hoof. It's warm. But on touch, she jolts wakes up. When she sees me, her eyes widen.

   "Please don't hurt me," She wimpers, "I won't bother you anymore." She's seen the cruelty of this world now. Her eyes are portray fear... for me. This won't work. Something magical happened last night. I've, changed a bit. I smile. The look on her face quickly change, to shock.

   "Thank you." I say. She doesn't seem to understand.

   "For what? I haven't done anything yet." She waits for a reply, to fill her in on what she missed.

   "You've done more than what you think you've done. In these past few days, you've given me a bit of company to fill that hole I had for the past years of my life." I hadn't thought of it at the time. But when she left, my day felt, just so empty. I think she knows now. "I'm grateful for that, but, I have a few questions that I need answered before I answer yours."

   "Shoot." She makes herself comfortable.

   "What're you doing here?" Her eyes widen again. Not expecting that. She bites her lower lip thoughtfully, thinking up a good way to answer my question.

   "I'm going to be honest with you. I was exiled here." The words sting me a bit, we both knew she told me she was here to help. "The reason why, is something I cannot let just anypony-" She stops. "Anyone know." She looks away, not meeting my gaze. "I regret what I've done."

   "Why did you tell me you were here to help me then?" My tone is firm, I felt angry, and sympathy.

   "You'll never believe me."

   "You don't think this isn't crazy enough? With you being a cartoon pony and even EXISTING in this world? It's against how everyone in this world were taught." I say with no hesitation. She sighs.

   "I don't know how. But before I was sent here, I had these visions, of you." She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to think. "Most of your life played out in front of my eyes, like a movie." It's hard to believe, but her eyes don't betray her words. I sigh. How is this possible? What does it mean?

   "Even then, why would you help ME? There are so many people in this world." I talk openly, not afraid to tell her the feelings I've canned inside for my whole life. "I'm nothing special." She shakes her head.

   "Both you and I have gone through the same thing." In a small voice, she whispers, "I'm an orphan." Those words crush me. I haven't spoken to another orphan since I checked out of the orphanage. "My parents left me when I was just a small filly, I don't even remember them. I just don't let it bother me. And it shouldn't bother you." She smiles, it's all she needs to do to show she knows what I've been through as well. I think, I know why she's the one person I wanted to be with. She's just like me. Except, she's not afraid to share things I would've kept hiding. "I suppose I should get going now, since my help is no longer required and my work here was done without me lifting a hoof." She climbs out of my bed.

   Wait... What? "You almost froze to death out there!" Dash looks away from me. "Not to mention the fact that if other people see you, they'll probably call the zoo, even worse, the military!" She remains silent.

   "So, where do you think I can be? I can't return to where I came from. I have no where to stay. I'm jus-"

   I cut her off. "Stay with me." I put on my best smile, but I'm not sure it's enough to convince her. "You tried so hard in the past couple of days to make me happy. And I'd be happier if you stayed to live with me." She grins from ear to ear.

   "Sure." One word. All it took for my day to lighten up. Her stomach grumbles. She blushes a bit. I laugh, but my stomach follows suit and let's out a grumble greater than hers. I just realize I didn't eat yesterday. She giggles. I go down into the kitchen and make us both some breakfast. She eats her fill quickly and go outside to stretch her wings a bit, before the invisibility spell wears off. I gave her a scarf I dug up from my old clothing box to wear. I munch dreamily on my slice of toast. Rainbow Dash was clearly written over my future, I know it, and my life is stepping up slowly. And for once, I look forward to living.

Chapter 3: First Bump

   I stare up at the ceiling, lying in my bed. It's a beautiful Saturday morning. Rainbow Dash trots into my room, and sits on the floor. She tilts her head like a puppy. We just stare at each other. Trying to think of something to say.

   "You gonna lie there all day?" Dash breaks the silence. "I mean, like don't you have work today or something? You did take the day off yesterday."

   "Well it iiis a Saturday, but if you insist..." I get up from bed. My red pajamas dangle loosely around my body. She chuckles.

   "Hey, I'm just messing around with you." I smile. And give her a soft noogie on the head.

   "So am I." Then I send her out of my room while I change into my clothes for the day. As I brush my teeth, it hits me. That invisibility spell won't last for any longer. I should take Dash somewhere before it wears off. As I make myself a cup of coffee and toast for us both, I ask her.

   "How long do you think that invisibility spell will last?" She looks up.

   "Well, I was told by the princess it would last for at least 8 days. Today is the 6th day since I got here." Perfect.

   "So, you wanna go somewhere?" I ask.

   "Like where?"

   "Anywhere. The beach, the park, the movie theatre." That last suggestion seems to have peaked her interest. Dash takes a bite out of her toast and chews thoughtfully. She grins.

   "I'd like to visit a movie theatre." She decides.

   "Then it's settled, we'll go watch a movie." We finish our breakfast. Then I log onto my computer, and we check what movies were currently playing this month. Dash chooses on Speed Racer. From what I've heard, this is a decent movie. Well, from what I've eavesdropped anyways. We'll buy tickets when we get there. But we need a way to kill time. It's not even noon yet. I descend to the basement. Dash follows.

   I haven't been down here for three years. The layer of dust coated on top of an old table is noticable. To the extreme. The boxes are stacked neatly and placed against the wall. They hold all the things I've brought from the orphanage. I open the one at the top. It's flooded with teddy bears, coloring books, a half deflated soccer ball and a whole bunch of other toys. I pick up the box. It feels like it weights a ton. Once I set it down, I open the box that was stacked underneath it. This one is filled with with some of my old clothes. Many were from when I was a kid, the rest were worn in my last few years at the orphanage. I sigh. The memories sting a bit.

   "Is there anything specific you're looking for?" Dash questions. To be honest, I actually have no idea what I'm looking for. I just have a feeling this stuff will help.

   "Nope." She sits on the last stair and just watches me as I dig through this junk.

   "Need help with anything?" I bite my lower lip.

   "Yes, we need to get all this stuff upstairs." I mumble. Dash doesn't say anything. We spend most of the afternoon moving the boxes and old furniture behind the couch in the living room. When I check the clock, it was already 3 pm. The movie starts in one hour.

   "Hey, fancy walking to the movie theatre?" I call to Dash, who's lying lazily on the couch. She perks up.

   "Is it time?" She says excitedly.

   "Nearly, I'd say it'd take us at least half an hour to walk there though. So I guess it's fair to go now. Better safe than sorry." She jumps off the couch, and races to the front door.

   "Let's go!" She hops around, full of energy. I smile. I grab the scarf I gave her yesterday and wrap it around her neck. Then I put on my coat. The door opens and we set off on our little walk to the theatre.

   The snow sparkles in the sun as we walk to the nearest plaza, (technically I'm the only one walking since Dash can fly with her Pegasus wings) where the movie theatre is located. The plaza's parking lot is flooded with cars of shoppers. There's a mall nearby, and this is the only parking lot around this area, so many people just leave their vehicles here and walk the short distance to the mall.

   A large building stands before Dash and I. The words Galaxy Cineplex is sprawled across the top, entitling the builiding. The exterior of the building is painted as if it was space, with white shining stars piercing through the darkness. We enter. Dash's eyes sparkle. She looks around frantically, trying to soak it all in.

   "You look like as if you've never been to the movies." I joke.

   "I haven't, Equestria doesn't offer technology like this yet. In fact, our entertainment there is more of books and going to events like the Grand Galloping Gala or a Wonderbolts show." Her mouth gapes open, at the snack bar, the arcade, and the movie posters that hang on the walls. Ignoring her, I go to the tickets booth to purchase tickets, no, I just realized I didn't need to buy Dash a ticket. Nobody can see her right? Meaning she can just sneak through easily. Besides, it'd be awkward giving the ticket collector TWO tickets when there's only one me. And he'd probably think of me as a lunatic if I told him there's a cartoon pony from another universe beside me, and he just can't see her. I purchase a ticket to the 4 ol'clock showing of Speed Racer and tuck it into the pockets of my jeans. Then I make my way to the snack counter, to purchase some popcorn and drinks for Dash and I. I carry them as Dash follows. She offers to help carry the food but we can't risk people seeing theatre snacks floating around on their own.

   I hand the ticket collector my movie ticket. He rips off the barcoded part and returns the rest. I check the which theatre we are supposed to be in. 2A. It's right down the hall. The movie doesn't start for another 10 minutes. I take a good look around. The orphanage did take us here, to watch The Lion King. That was quite a while ago though. I don't remember much of this theatre, but the memories soon snap back as if revisiting this place triggered it. As we walk past theatre 1B, I feel a pang of sadness.

   "Hey, can you tell me about the last time you came here?" Dash asks, she realizes she said something wrong, and stupid when she saw the emptiness in that probably shows in my eyes..

    I stood in line, waiting for the door to open. The Lion King was about to start inside! I smile and hopped excitedly. The kids in front of me chatted about how long they've waited to watch this movie. But I'm more than that! This was my first time watching a movie AT THE THEATRE!

   "Well, well, if it isn't the scrawny loner scrap." Huh? I turned to face the owner of the voice, it's Tim, and standing behind him was Jerry. "I'm surprised the orphanage actually took a piece of crap like you with us." He raised a fist, and it landed right in the middle of my gut. Jerry laughed at Tim's blow. And gave a small kick into my shin.

   "OW!" I fell on my side and gripped my shin. That only aroused more laughter. Soon, the whole line began to laugh and point at me.

   "Look at him."

   "How will he ever survive in this world?"

   "What a weakling, crying in a public institute like this. It's a  disgrace to us men."

   Salty tears rolled down my cheeks. Of course, I will never receive a break. Just because we weren't at the orphanage doesn't give Tim a reason not to bully me. I struggled up onto my feet. I was at the bottom of the food chain at the orphanage. The scrawniest of all, no muscles, all skin and bones. I stared forward. Trying not to make eye contact with the ones who have just laughed at and humiliated me. Suddenly, Tim gave me a shove on the back. A hard one. I launched forward, my feet fumbled for a bit, and I landed on my stomach. Tim bent down, and grabbed me by my shirt's collar and pulled me up.

   "Did we say we were finished yet?" Tim snarled. Jerry walked up behind Tim, still smirking. "Nobody wants you here, why do you stay? Why don't you just disappear?!"

   "We don't need your face to be there to remind us of what kind of dump we live in.! You're average trash, good for nothing. Me an' Tim? We're gonna grow up big, get great jobs, and makes lots of money. You'll be living in your little hobo box, crying like a baby, eating beans you got from the food drive!" Jerry added insult to injury. He gave me a small kick in the shin as Tim had earlier. Even though it was just a small, kick, it burnt like hell from the earlier blows. Tim threw me aside.

   When I pulled myself up, I saw the supervisor. Staring at me. He had just sat aside, and watched the whole scene as it happened. Although I hoped, he offered no help or sympathy after the line started pouring into the theatre.

   "HEY!" A voice rings in my ears. I snap back into reality. Looking around, I realize I'm in theatre 2A. And Speed Racer is about to begin! "You ok?" Dash asks. She looks worried, as if I just died. Come to think of it, I did zone out a bit. The memory I just relived lingers, but quickly slips out of my mind.

   "Yeah. I'm fine." Dash sinks back in her seat, ready for the movie. Everybody in the theatre are quiet. It's not very crowded in here, the seats aren't even half filled. Somebody walks in beside me. In front of Dash. And was ready to sit down. "WHOA! Excuse me sir, somebody already sit there." I warn. He looks at me with curious eyes. Then moves on to the seat on my left that was really empty. Shit. I can't say a word to Dash now, or he'll get suspicious. I sink in my seat as Dash had done before. Her first movie and I can't even talk to her! I sigh. It's only natural I guess, with luck like mine.

   The movie starts. Fast moving cars. A kid daydreaming about racing through a cartoonish scene. The racing tracks remind me of Hot Wheels. Everything seems so unnatural, yet it's strangely entertaining. I look at dash. Her purple rimmed pupils widen, her mouth agape, she seems completely focused on the screen. I smile, and return my gaze to the movie as well.

   "Whoa." I mumble, "This is amazing." This is the first time I've seen an action movie on the big screen. At home, I've watched them on my television, but it's a bug compared to this screen. Dash starts cheering.

   "Go, go, go Speed!" I smile. I want to tell her nobody in a movie can hear her, they aren't even real people, just actors. But why ruin her fun or arouse suspiciouns? I take a sip of my cola. She's munching on popcorn. I take a peek at the man beside me. He's a bit bald, seems like he has a lot of muscle, and he's a head taller than me. He looks a bit familiar. Suddenly, he turns his head to me, as if he knew I was looking at me. I quickly look at back at the movie. He keeps staring at me, studying me. How rude.

   The movie brings to an end. The credits begin rolling. I sigh. It was a wonderful experience. We should come here more often, no, I almost forget that Dash's spell will not last for much longer, which is why I brought her here. I get up from my seat, and pick up our garbage. Dash flies up, mumbles she'll go and get some fresh air, and that she'll wait for me. Everyone has left the theatre already. Only the man who sat beside me remains, and I remain. I turn to leave.

   "Hey Kyle." I freeze. That's not Dash's voice, or anybody else I know. Looking back, I see the man who sat beside me is on his feet. "You haven't changed much. You're a bit taller now, but still scrawny compared to me." Shit, I reconize that voice. It's Tim, the one that had bullied me so many years ago.

   "What're you here for." I huff under my breath. This won't turn out good. At least, that's what I fear.

   "Money, I'd planned to rob this place after the movie ended. I'm a bit short on cash, and my cigarrete stash is running low." He brings out a small knife from the pocket inside his coat. "But I figured, stealing money from you would save me a lot of trouble."

   "I thought you said you'd grow up and make lots of money." I tremble as I mumble the words. Tim stares into my eyes.

   "Jerry grew up to become a great scientist, he left me." He looks down for a minute, his expression tells me self pity,"Enough talk, hand over your wallet." Tim barks. No, I'm not gonna hand him my wallet. I don't have much in here, but I need every cent if I'm going to get a new job and save up for a better house. There are exit two doors in this theatre. A lightbulb goes off. I point at the door behind Tim.

   "Jigs up, police are here!" He whips around, expecting to be circled by uniformed men. I take the moment to make a run for the door on my side. I look back. Tim was standing still there. Confused. He looks back to me. I'm close to the door. Tim breaks out into sprint. The door is never closed. Thank good for that. I run into the middle of a crowded area.

   "THERE'S A MAN WITH A KNIFE BACK THERE! HE TRIED TO ROB ME, SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE!" I holler. Everybody's head turns to me. But it's too late. Tim already made it to me. He grabs me by the chest and puts the knife over my neck. Security begins to pour in.

   "Drop the knife!" One of them orders. The knife is dangerously close, one swift movement and I'm done for.

   "Another step closer and this man dies!" Tim snarls. Everyone takes a step back. I'm shaking all over. Crap, crap, crap. How will anybody do anything without getting me killed? "Now, everybody drop their wallets infront. Any sudden movements, this knife goes through his neck." All the people in the room silently take out their wallets and drop it in front of me. "Good, now all of you leave." They don't leave. "I said LEAVE!" I begin to wonder about Tim's stupidity. Of course Jerry would leave him. I would've done the same. Nobody's going to leave while someone is about to get killed here. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dash hover in. She sees me and waves her right hoof, then she sees Tim and the knife close to my neck, and her happy expression is suddenly replaced with an angry one. She bolts towards Tim. No one but me can see her. Behind him, she gives Tim a hard kick on the head with her hind hooves. Tim is taken by surprise and drops the knife and falls to the ground. I seize the weapon, but it wouldn't have mattered if I did so or not because my attacker was knocked out. A security cop walks up to me.

   "Are you alright sir?" He asks. Nobody in the crowd moves, they stand there, staring at Tim in awe. Normally, people don't just fall and be knocked out. Another cop tells a bystander to call the hospital and order an ambulance. I take a peek at Tim and look back at the cop.

   "I'm fine, can I go home please?" He eyes me.

   "Yes, I figured you had a rough time here and this experience has chilled you. Go home, and get some rest." I nod my thanks and head for the exit of the theatre. Dash follows.

   We walk home in silence. Neither of us have anything to say to break the silence. The sun has already set. It's pretty dark out here. I unlock the front door. Dash hovers in, and flies into the guest room which I have given her as a room of her own. I make my way to my room. I change into my pajamas, and crawl into bed. The house is quiet as death. Sobs break through the silence. I know who it is. My heart aches knowing Dash is feeling horrible, we both aknowledge that a blow on the head like that could mean a deadly concussion. I lie in bed. She saved my life. It could've ended the other way, with Tim slicing that knife through my neck. I can't take it anymore. I get up from bed. And tiptoe to Dash's room.

   She's sobbing in bed. Her eyes are red, and her cyan coat is stained in salty tears. I sit down beside her.

   "It's not your fault." I mutter soothingly. "You did what anybody would've done." She looks up at me. The tears seem to have stopped.

   "It's a replay of my sins all over again." She mumbles, "I was exiled remember, I was sent here to rejuvinate, and to think about what I've done. Not to repeat it." This isn't how today should've gone. We were supposed to go to the movies, have a great time there, and come back with wonderful memories. She begins to cry again. "I hurt everypony around me." I hug her. She's taken by surprise.

   "That's not true." I say, "You brought me up from despair. I've changed much from a week ago. I've already said that. And it won't ever change. And thank you. You saved my life, physically and mentally." I give her a kiss on the forhead. And leave the room, letting her think. And to be honest with you, Dash is the most important thing in my life right now.

*Author's note:

   I spent too much time on this chapter. Had to wrap it up quickly, I have no intentions of this becoming a clopfic where its human x dash. But opinions can change and my ideas often morph. I will expect some constructive feedback.

Chapter 4: A New Job

   "Tim McDan arrested after surviving a horrible concussion."

   I reread the headline on the front page of the Guelph Mercury. Dash peeks from over my shoulder. She sighs relief. I take a sip of my coffee. Dash smiles. It's been a week since the incident at the movie theatre, and after a week of worrying, the papers reassure her she had not killed anyone. Even though nobody would know it was her, killing another person is a heavy burden to carry on your shoulders.

   Monday, time for work. I'm still searching for a new job. Everybody at Zellars for the past week have tried their best to help. The manager was proud of me for starting to take life seriously, and people all agree that I'm a happier person now. I skim trough the help wanted section of the paper and finish off my toast. I take a quick look at the clock. 8:01. Work doesn't start for another hour. Normally I would set off at 8:30 since walking takes some time, but I bought a bike from a garage sale a few days ago and riding to work only takes a few minutes. I flick on the TV.

   "Oooh are you gonna watch some Pokemon?" Dash asks from the dining table. She loves cartoons. (I'm guessing it's because they didn't have them from where she came from.) Spongebob, FairlyOdd Parents, Pokemon, Jimmy Neutron, you name it. She's even taken an interest in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, though I'm not sure why, each episode is based on her or one of her friends' lives in Equestria. If you told me that cartoon characters exist in another universe a few weeks ago, I'd recommend you to some therapy, but now, I'd ponder about it for a while. I mean, if Dash exists, why wouldn't there be more of her kind? A My Little Pony toy advertisement plays. Dash's ears perk up and she turns her head to the screen.

   "Hey! I do not look like that!" She points at the baby Rainbow Dash doll. I chuckle, and then get ready for work.

   It's really simple, Dash must stay in the house at all times while I am gone. If someone rings the doorbell, she ignores it, if someone phones, she ignores it. There's always television to keep her entertained, in fact, I think she can go weeks watching cartoons without stopping. There's bottled water in the closet, and boxed lunches in the fridge that don't require cooking before eating.

   People think I'm crazy for doing this, but I bike in the snow. Althought there are safety reasons to be concerned about, I can't really complain because it's much faster. I ride down the hill. Just below, is the busiest part of town. Stone Road Mall, Zellars, Future Shop, a crap load of restuarants as well. I lock my bike beside Zellars, and walk in. Entering the employee lounge, I throw my coat onto a couch and grab my red uniform. A name tag that is embedded with letters spelling Kyle was sown on the left side of the uniform. I walk to my checkout counter cheerily. My workmates wave hello to me when they pass by.

   The store has a lot of buisiness for an early Monday morning. Then it hits me, Christmas is just around the corner, in about two weeks actually, and all these people are here to shop for their friends, family and kids. Video games, Pokemon cards, movies, action figures, plushies and board games fill my counter. I scan them all, take the purchasers' credit cards, swipe them and it's as easy as that. The morning passes quickly, and it's already lunch. Normally I just eat silently alone in the corner while many of my workmates chat, socialize and play cards. Today is different though. I bring my lunch to a nearby table where a few employees I often see around the store are playing Crazy Eights.

   "Mind if I join?" I ask politely, and give a smile. Britney, a chubby brunette girl smiles at me, and deals me eight cards from the deck. Joe, with his shaggy long hair and sunglasses, slaps me on the back.

   "Glad you're finally stepping out of your shell, Kyle." He rasps. I laugh. He reminds me too much of that hippy guy from the episode of The FairlyOdd Parents Dash and I watched together last Saturday night. The manager, Claire, looks up from her hand of cards.

   "Kyle, hey mind coming over here for a while? I was looking for you all break!" She says and gets up from her seat. I chuckle and point at her handful of cards.

   "Looks like you were really searching hard!" I joke. She growls and waves for me to follow. "Hey, I'll play later," I tell Britney and give her the cards. Then I jog to catch up to Klaire. She's heading for the boss' office. I gulp. A thousand reasons why I'm being sent here runs through my mind. Am I being fired? Receiving a raise? Being lay off? Come to think of it, there has been quite a bit of employees running around the store for the past week. We enter the office.

   Mrs. Harrold, the "big boss" sits at her desk. She's working on a computer, or just playing games because I don't see what there really is to do when you're the boss of a store.

   "Sit." She points at the chair in front of her desk. Claire leaves the room. I quietly walk to the chair and sit down. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble," Mrs. Harrold mumbles without looking up from her computer screen.

   "So what am I here for?" I question. This is really confusing honestly. Normal employees like me are only called down here to be fired. She slams the last few letters of what she was typing. She sighs.

   "I've heard from Claire you're looking for a job with a higher salary, am I correct?" I nod. "I have a friend who just started a five star restuarant, and he's looking for a few waiters." I perk up. "They've had great buisiness for the past month, but they only have two waitresses so far to seat the people, deliver the food, calculate bills and that stuff. You know what I'm talking about." I open my mouth to ask about the salary, but she beat me to it. "Now, you're probably wondering about the pay, it's 30 dollars per hour." My jaw drops, that sure beats the 12 dollars per hour here! Mrs. Harrold pulls out a form. "I've already recommended you to him. He wants you to sign these forms for the eight hour shifts. You get there at 9 in the morning, when they open, and stay till 5 at noon, that's when they'll have a part time waiter or waitress take over. Does this sound fair to you?" I nod eagerly, grinning like an idiot. This'll be great! "Good." She hands me a stack of paperwork. "Page three has all the information, where to find the restuarant, how staff are expected to behave and contact info. The rest of the pages are just forms for you to sign. Bring a resume and your ID to me tomorrow along with these paperwork complete, I'll photocopy the ID and give the forms to my friend over the weekend. He'll take a look at them, and if you match the standards, you'll be hired." She sighs, and slumps down in her chair, out of breath from explaining. "You may leave now." I stand up, and leave. Before I go back to the employee lounge, I stick my head back into Mrs. Harrold's office, and say my thanks.

   I unlock the door.

   "I'm home!" I call out. I hear footsteps, or hoofsteps to be more precise and Dash emerges from the living room. I smile. She jumps up and hugs me.

   "It's getting lonely here when you're at work." She whispers.

   "I'm sorry I guess." I reply. I've kept her cooped up for such a long time. She hasn't had any fresh air since the day we went to the theatre. But I can't let her out, I musn't. It'll be impossible to explain if someone saw her. To someone that's sane at least. I set Dash down, and walk to the living room to lie on the couch. The TV is turned on and Spongebob is showing. Dash plops on me and turns her head to the TV.

   "What're you doing?" I ask and let out a chuckle.

   "Well, you did steal my Spongebob watching spot. So I had to improvise for a new place." She laughs. It may look like the perfect way to sleep or lie somewhere, and it may be really comfy and warm. But trust me, moving one tiny muscle may result in Dash's displeasure.

   A few days pass quickly. I'm beginning to worry I didn't get the job as a waiter. It's a large pay, why give it to me? I sigh. I've checked the mail everyday in case I got a letter telling me I got the job. If I don't get it, I can't buy a car to make life easier, and I won't be able to afford to move into a house in an environment more suited for Dash. Speaking of Dash, she hasn't spoken to me for a the past few days since she told me she felt lonely.

   Oh god. What am I doing? I can barely support myself, what the hell made me think I could support her as well? I'm just bringing her down with me. She could be with somebody better. Earlier this morning, I called Dash for breakfast, but she just grunted and glared at me. Her expression screamed: I can't take this any longer. I winced. I push the memory aside, and open the front door. Slipping on my shoes, I put on my coat and step out.

   What am to do? I sit on the porch. No cars pass down this street. No people walk past. Good. Because a tear runs down my right cheek. I'm a failure. I'm glad no one is here to watch me cry. Dash is inside watching cartoons. She doesn't need to see me like this either. I promised her I would figure a way to get her outside. I feel like an idiot promising something I can't supply. I bury my face into my hands. Shit! This wasn't how I had hoped our life would work out. She's supposed to be happy. I'm supposed to be happy. But here we are, me struggling to support us and her with a growing hunger for activity.

   I could've cried all noon. But the mailman takes me by surprise.

   "Letters for Kyle Linston." I wiped the tears from my face before I look up. I snatch the mail and mumble a thank you. He leaves. I rummage through the envelopes. Bills, advertisements, pizza coupons, my typical mail. But the last one perks my interest. My name was written in sharpie on the envelope, and I almost had a heart attack of joy when I saw the return address. Roy's Five Star Restuarant.

Years 1-3

   That was how my life truly began. You may not feel how I felt, you may not understand how important she was to me, but after a year, I no longer cared what I did to keep her happy. Over the years, we've done so many things together that I never thought I'd do. Not that you perv. Yeah I know what you're thinking, uh huh.

   Anyways, after months of working at my new job, I finally saved enough for a car. The first thing I did was take Dash for a ride through town. Nobody could see her, the windows are darkened from the outside so we could see out and no one could peep in. She was astonished at all the buildings in the small city of Guelph. Of course I already had my drivers liscence when I was 16, the orphanage offered lessons. It took me some time to dig it up. One thing that surprised me though, while driving, Dash asked me if I thought she could ever visit one of those buildings. When I turned back to look at her, her eyes were glued to the window, telling me she was just speaking her mind. I didn't answer. We drove past the orphanage, I used to feel lonely whenever I walked by, but that day, I was with Dash. The drive lasted a quick hour, the first time Dash had any fresh air. She was beginning to get cranky each day. If only I could've bought a whole plain for her to fly in.

   We celebrated Dash's birthday on September 17th. She had turned 20. I went out and bought a cake, I had the baker write Happy Birthday Dashie on it in frosting. He questioned me about the name but I just ignored him. When I left, I heard him mumbling about crazy kids and spoiling their dogs. I wanted to stomp back in there and yell in his face that Dash was not a dog. But self control had my back. Returning home, I found Dash sleeping quietly on the couch. At first I wasn't sure it was her birthday. I checked the websites and fan fictions of My Little Pony online. So taking a risk, I went with the date that many fan fiction writers used as Dash's birthday.

   "Happy Birthday!" I had shouted. Dash jumped up in surprise and looked around confused. It was kind of cute. She chuckled and gave me a small punch on the shoulder for scaring her. Forgoing candles, we ate the cake. It actually lasted us a few days since it was only the two of us. She's not that much younger than me. There's a 2 year difference. Yet, she acts a bit like a child. Then again, she is from a children's television program. Another thing was Christmas. I had problems picking out gifts for Dash during Christmas. When I went shopping, my mind was blank on what she would want. I ended up giving her a Teddy bear in a racer costume. She loved it. I discovered she was fond of racing. Back in Equestria, there is a group of ponies called the Wonderbolts. They are the fastest flyers. Dash was amazed by the fact we had racers here, mostly because our legs don't carry us as fast as Pegasus wings do. Instead, we drove cars.

   2 years after I got hired, I finally saved up enough money to buy a new house, mostly because I moved up as one of the top waiters in the restuarant. The house is just outside of Guelph. It's three kilometres out. Here's the part that please Dash the most: nobody ever crosses these parts. There's a field with a forest beside it. Complete private propety to her and I. Buying the house left my bank account really low, so after, I had to stop my weekly visits to the mall to save money on gas. But it was totally worth it. Dash can freely fly about the property now. The house itself is quite big. The basement is finished, it has a huge, cozy living room and there's four bedrooms, but only two are slept in. Since we have two extra rooms, we used one as a computer room and the other as a workout room which I filled with equipment such as dumbells, a treadmill and a benchpress.

   Speaking of the computer room. I keep it locked. There are things on the Internet I prefer Dash not to see. Some could totally change her view on humans. I'm less strict on television because shows like Pokemon, Spongebob, FairlyOdd Parents and iCarly are completely fictional. I often catch her flipping through channels that run cartoons like Family Guy or South Park, I don't mind her watching them, as long as she doesn't get influenced by them. But she's a strong mare and knows what right or wrong.

   I also bought her an iPod touch due to the fact she has come to enjoy the radio music during car rides, but I can't always leave it on. So I bought her an iPod and loaded it with the songs she like. She uses the tip of her hoof when using it and believe it or not, she can control that thing better than most people who use fingers.

   Another problem was that she has been lonely back at the house while I'm gone. There's no other ponies here to keep her company and I'll be damned if I show her to a human. Since I had no other choice, I bought a small dog from a local farm. I admit, it's hard not to smile everytime I see Dash playing fetch with it. She had decided to name him Tank, after her old pet in Equestria. I haven't seen her leave Tank alone since I bought him. She curls up in bed with him, like a mother. They watch television together on the couch and they go for races in the small nearby forest. Dash always wins of course, due to her size and being a pony, she has stronger legs. But unfortunately, we had to return the dog as my work became a much bigger priority making it almost impossible for me to take him out on a walk without him running free. Dash offered to take care of him, it broke my heart to say no. She sulked for days. It's something I regret to this day.

   Oh god. Three years have passed already. They felt so short.  I never felt so much happiness in my life before. Dash has shown me to feel sympathy for others, to relinquish self pity. To laugh. To cry. To try. And to love. Why do I feel empty sometimes? She's with me. She filled the void. But nothing lasts forever. She won't always be with me. I must be horrible for this, but I'm glad she was exiled from Equestria. If she wasn't, I would've never met her. And a knife would have ended me 2 years ago, not by Tim, but me. It's amazing one small pony has brought so much change to my life within such a small time. Until further movement in what I'm going to accomplish in life, I'll just enjoy the present.

Chapter 6: Enter Jakob

   Another dull day drags on. Kyle's at work. I wish he'd have more time to be with me. It gets quite lonely while he's away. Stretching my hind legs, I flop over onto my stomach. The couch is warm due to my being here too long.

   "UGH!" That's it, I'm blowing this dump. With my wings outstretched, I hover to the back door and fly out. Kyle doesn't mind if I keep that exit unlocked. We never get any visitors. I make my way to the forest.

   The autumn air brushes against my furcoat as I race along the trees. My heart pumps fast, I can feel it. A tree blocks my path, with one swift movement, I fly to the side. My wings work rapidly beating. Adding in a few swirls, I turn to the left where a tree stands, landing right against it with my hind legs, and push, as if jumping, rocketing me forward. The adrendaline, the speed, oh it all feels so great. Of course until I land head first right into another tree. I fall to the ground.

   "Ouch..." I rub my nose. That's gonna leave a bruise. Bah. Who cares? With all my might, I fly upwards, towards the sky as high as I can. Then doing a few loops in the air, I send myself plummeting down. It's dizzying, it's almost impossible to see, but I keep flying downward. The air infront of me begins to crackle and... break. You heard right, break. As if doubling my speed the barrier infront of me snaps open and I rocket down. A rainbow explosion overhead shatters through the air. The ground is dangerously close. Instinctly, I flip and land on my hooves. It causes a bit of a recoil stun, but I'm alright after. I look up. An awesome rainbow paints across the sky. Hell yeah, that's what I call a flight! Too bad the Wonderbolts aren't here to see it. Sighing, I land on my flank.

   I'll never see them again. Not the Wonderbolts, not any of my friends. Twilight, AJ, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, what're you all doing right now? Are you guys thinking about me? Am I still the pony you once knew before I killed her? Gilda... I'm... not sorry. I begin to cry. You deserved to die Gilda. Shit. I thought performing the Sonic Rainboom would make me feel better, but it just shot all the memories back into me. Yes. In Equestria, I'm known for killing the griffon, Gilda. It gnaws at my heart knowing that I erased the existence of somepony, but my brain knows I did it for a better cause. The princess understands my reasons but in Equestria, the crime of killing is unforgivable, and to prove my loyalty, I did not run off to become a rogue, instead, I took whatever punishment that cane my way. But this is rather more of a blessing than a punishment, being sent here with Kyle. I... I think I like him. I don't want him to know though. It'll be hard to explain why a pony has feelings for a human.

   My right ear perks when a nearby bush rustles and the sound pushes my mind back into my body. I jump to my hooves and crouch into defensive position. Oh boy, finally, some action. "Who goes there?!" I bark. Of course I shouldn't have just spoken. But in a forest like this, chances are it's just a small squirrel. To my surprise, a boy tumbles out. His messy brown hair seems ungroomed. And he seems quite skinny. Crap. I've spoken in the presence of a human. Not that Kyle isn't human, what I mean is I spoke to someone I'm not supposed to speak to. I freeze. The boy freezes. He watches me with huge eyes. His small hands tremble. "Uh, hi there!" I break the silence and fly over to him. If I'm gonna reveal myself, might as well go all out. "I'm Rainbow Dash. What's your name?"

   "Jakob," The boy whispers, "W-what are you!" Hehe, this could be fun. I look away, and twist my face into the worst I could, making sure Jakob doesn't see. I suddenly flash my expression to him.

   "I'm a demon here to gobble you up!" I boom. Jakob screams and jumps to his feet, making a full out sprint for the exit of the forest. Oops, might've overdid it. I stretch out my wings and in an instance, I find myself flying beside the terrified Jakob. He glances at me and continues to run. "Hey kid, I'm sorry, I was just kidding," I apologize.

   "You're a bloody monster! Stay awY from me!" He shrieks. But due to his inability to watch where he is going, he trips over a root and the inevitable, he falls and of course gets hurt. "Ow! Ow!" Jakob grips his ankle, "Ouch! I think I sprained it!" I watch him with sympathy. He sees me settle down beside him and backs away, using his hands to drag himself.

   "Hold still, I'm not gonna hurt you," I reassured. "Get on." I offer him my back. Jakob pulls himself up, and climbs onto my back. He's not very heavy, weighs about 70 or 80 pounds. Very scrawny. With the boy holding me tightly, I take flight. He gasps, I think he's stunned speechless due to my awesomeness. Ha. I smile, and zoom back to Kyle's house. I spy through the glass door, Kyle isn't home yet. Good. I set the boy down on the couch, and leave to grab a box of cookies from the cabinet. Jakob is lying on the couch, he turns his head when I enter the room, and spots the cookies. His face lits up. I pass the box to him. He tears apart the packaging and scarfs down cookie after cookie. Seriously, he seems worst than Spike with ice cream, and he reminds me of Tank II eating his steak, my heart warms up. The whole box empties quickly. Jakob tosses the box to the side and looks my way.

   "Thanks I suppose, haven't eaten like that... in a... while." His voice shrinks to a small whisper. Aw man, don't go all Fluttershy on me! Great, that's the last thing I need. "What I wanted to say is, I don't get cookies very often." He grins. I don't know what to say. My mind acted on it's own, bringing this kid here.

   "Hey," I say, "Is your ankle any better?" He hops off the couch and stamps his foot around.

   "Doesn't hurt anymore," He says, "I have to go now, dad'll be mad at me if I get home while it's dark."

   "Oh... Before you leave, can you tell me why you were wandering this far?" I question, the boy looks confused. "You do realize that the forest and the field are private property."

   "No, dad just dropped me off here, he said I should find something to do instead of bothering him." I shake my head.

   "Tell your dad that the owner warned you off. And the next time you come back," I smirk, "I'll put you in my stew." Jakob gulps and turns pale.

   "Y-yes, Miss." His voice trembles and he runs out through the back door. I watch as the boy known as Jakob hurries to the road yards from the house and climbs into a white car. The car drives off, although he has left, I get the bugging feeling this is not the last time I've seen of Jakob. And hey, I'll give the kid credit if he's brave enough to come back.

   The front door clicks and Kyle emerges. I trot over to greet him. He smiles.

   "How was your day?" He asks. I bite my lower lip. He'll be furious if he found out I talked to another human, and this one, a young boy.

   "Nothing new, the usual flying through the forest routine.," I lie, "Boy, it's getting chilly out there!"

   "Should put on a jacket." I nod. Kyle sighs, "Might as well as start on dinner, you hungry?"

   "Starving, I should call animal abuse." We both laugh at the small joke, knowing it'd be ironic if a talking pony phoned for a service to get herself taken away and tested on. Kyle leaves to the kitchen and I head over to the couch. The empty box of cookies is still lying on the coffee table. Oh crabapples! I look around, making sure Kyle isn't watching, and toss the box underneath the couch. I turn on the television and flick to channel 25 for cartoons.

   I try to shroud myself in the world of Spongebob, only to be pulled out by Jakob. Or the thought of him atleast. I don't know who's more curious, me about him, or him about me. I shrug off the idea of finding him and return my focus to the cartoon.

InuKaT's note**(Spoiler)

   I wasn't really sure about this chapter, but I think it served it's purpose of giving you guys an small picture of who Jakob is. And expect another chapter or two told in Dash's perspective again!

Chapter 7: Merry Xmas

***A Message from Inu***

   Hey guys, wow, has it been this many chapters already? Just wanted to point out the comment box below. Yeah. I need some feedback (point out grammar/spelling mistakes!) for improvement on future projects, and even maybe a sequel. Anyways, enough of this jabber, roll the chapter!

   It's as dark as night outside when I look through the window, but I swear, the clock says 2:00. I continue watching The Big Bang Theory on tv. Dash isn't home. I wonder where she is. A sudden flash of lightning outside lights up the room, blinding me. When it darkens, a figure stands beside the television. I squint at what it could be. Shaped like a tall man. It steps out, revealing who I wish I would never meet again. Tim McDan. In a heartbeat, he's on top of me, sitting on my chest.

   Tim says something, but it's blurbed. I feel weird. Did he lose weight? He's not very heavy for a man his size. Then he opens his mouth to speak, and a familiar friendly, female voice pours out.

   "Hey!" I snap awake and find Dash on top of me. She grins. I manage a weak smile. It was all a dream, thank god. I wipe the sweat off my forehead.

   "Why're you on me?" I ask, but she ignores me.

   "You know that creepy old man named Santa Claus? The one who sneaks into your house and drinks your milk and eats your cookies?" Dash whispers close to my ear. I nod. "I think he was here last night, I woke up to some rummaging sounds coming from downstairs, there was also some cursing, but I was too sleepy at the time and shrugged off the feeling we were being robbed." I chuckle. It all comes back now. I had some trouble wrapping Dash's Christmas presents last night. Ok I lied, a lot of trouble. And since I was lazy for the past few weeks, I also didn't put up a tree, and it's such a great idea to put up a tree and wrap presents all on Christmas eve. I think eggnog should be called brain nog because it hurts you in so many ways. Like drinking too much of it and having your head booming, then paper cutting yourself while trying to wrap somepony's gift. Dash knows that Santa is a creepy old man who sneaks into your house, drinks your milk and eats your cookies, but she doesn't know that he's a creepy old man who sneaks into your house, drinks your milk and eats your cookies AND leaves presents.

   "Come down, I have a surprise." I get dressed and let Dash follow me to the living room.

   "Whoa," Dash's jaw hangs agape. She looks at the flashing lights on the tree and the angel ontop. "Reminds me so much of an event back in Equestria," She sniffles.

   "Why don't you open your presents?" I point over to under the tree. She perks up.

   "Whoa Kyle you bought me presents?" She looks at me as if I was god.

   "No, a creepy old man did." We both laugh and she unwraps the first one. The largest one of course. The colourful wrapping paper tears off easily revealing the PlayStation 3 logo. A river of Omigoshes escape from Dash's mouth.

    "A PS3?! Wow Kyle, this must've coated a fortune!" I smile. "Gee thanks." There isn't really much to do but smile. She opens the rest of the presents, PlayStation 3 games, Nascar T-Shirts and posters for her bedroom wall and a few books. "Wow, this is all so amazing, I don't know how to thank you for all this stuff." I open my mouth to say there's no need for thanks, but she catches me off guard with a huge hug. "Thank you."

   "Merry Christmas Dash," I whisper.

    "Aw enough of this mushy stuff Ky, let's play some PS3!" She plugs in the console and we each grab a controller. Forgoing breakfast, we spend the entire morning shooting zombies and mashing buttons. You may say the violence is bad for her, but I gave up on protecting her from this world's many bad habits after catching her watching a horror movie a year ago. Of course, being the bravest pony in Equestria, the movie was nothing compared to the adventures she had. By the way, it looks like holding a PS3 controller isn't a choice for Dash, so she ended up setting it on the ground to press the buttons. I thought this would break her ability to play the game, but surprisingly, she played just as well as a normal 14 year old CoD shut in would've.

   I take another bite out of my grilled cheese sandwich. Dash sits across from me, she has a dreamy expression on her face while munching on her sandwich. Finishing the rest of our lunches, I grab the plates and set them down in the sink. I wash them later. When I return to the dining room, Dash was already lying lazily on the couch.

   "Wanna go outside?" Dash asks, "Like a walk in the forest to see it blanketed in snow?" I smile.

    "Of course."

   My winter coat drags me down as Dash and I walk through the forest. It's beautiful fall leaves have fallen off, and layers of snow sit on the thick branches of the trees that stand tall. It's amazing to see. I never get out much during the winter. Dash runs off. I try to keep up with her but my boots drag down my running speed. I don't see how she isn't cold, being in nothing but a scarf. I suppose it has something with her being a pony, although her furoat feels cool to the touch.

   I wander around. Where could she be? A bush behinds me rustles. I snap around and see Dash. She grins, I smile and wave, but she has a devilish grin. With all her strength, she chucks a... snowball at me. Her aim is unbelieveable, it hits me right in the face. I open my mouth to give me a sec but another snowball hits me in the gut. Of course she won't stop to let me make a snowball. I duck the next attack, and quickly scrunch up a snowball of my own. Rolling to the side, with a snowball missing me by just a few inches, I chuck mine as hard as I can at Dash. She flies down, dodging my throw and to collect more snowballs.

   I run and sit behind a tree where I make more snowballs. I wait for Dash to come into the opening. She snuck off somewhere, probably to make a fort. That sets off an idea. I pull some snow into a pile and pat it down. After forming a small barricade around me, I sit inside with my projectiles tightly beside me. I peek out, no sign of Dash. Plop. Something drops ontop of my head, I examine it, it's a snowball, well, was a snowball. Wait, fell from above? Oh crap. I look up, to find Dash sitting on a branch, grinning down at me.

   "Wait, I'm not read-" I begin to say, but a rain of snowballs pelt me in the face. I wipe the snow off, and grab a snowball and chuck it as high as I can. The branch protects Dash from the attack, there's no way I can reach her. I curse. Wait, I check the tree, to see how tall it is. There's many more branches above the on Dash is sitting on. They're all covered with thick white snow. The corners of my lips curl into a devilish smile. I back away from the tree. Dash looks at me with confusion, picks up a snowball from a stash she stacked on the branch, and aims. I stick my tongue out, and did what she didn't expect in a thousand years. Like an Olympic athlete, I break out into a sprint, running as I fast as I could, right into the tree. My coat cusions me, I fall over onto my back to wait, and on cue, the tree begins to shake wildly.

   "Haha! Have you lost your mind? That won't help you in a snowball figh-" She doesn't finish, a wave of snow from the higher branches crashes down upon her, knocking her off, right onto me.

   "Oof!" Of course she doesn't weight much, but she FELL ontop of me. That hurts. She groans. "You alright?" I ask, it was quite a fall.

   "Yeah, fine, great idea by the way, I think you broke every bone in my body ," Her sarcastic tone causes me to laugh and herself some chuckles. I push her off onto the snow and sit up. I rub my left shoulder. We both stand up and stretch, I took the worst of it since I was the one underneath. "Can we go home now? I think we've had enough fun things for one day." Yeah, I get a feeling I'm not the only one who's beginning to get cold. I feel Dash's furcoat, it's soaked from melted snow.

She shivers a bit, I take off my coat and toss it on her back, leaving me in only a jacket.

   "Hey, won't you need this?" Dash looks at me, I return her gaze.

   "You need it more, I don't want you to catch a cold, I'm not much of a doctor." Every word is true. I doubt I can even take care of a kid with a bloody nose.

   "Thanks, Ky." And the remainder of the night is engulfed by silence, weary of our jokes and laughter, is our time to rest.

Years 5-8

   It was a bashing New Years. Not in the bad way, but as in it was bashingly AWESOME! You could say, there's two people, and one's a pony, how do you have fun? Well needless to say, a night of video games, movies and nothing but junk food did the trick. We felt like crap, moping around like lazies on such a holiday, but we couldn't really help ourselves from doing nothing. It sounds completely silly, and a waste of a New Years eve, but neither Dash or I regret it.

   Moving on, it's hard to believe this was Dash's fifth year living with me. It's even harder to believe that she went five years without talking to anyone other than me, excluding Tank II, and he all could really reply with was a "Bark, Bark". Looking back, I do wish I hadn't returned him. But neither Dash or I had the skills to take care of him. And I applaud when we attempted to clean up his buisiness, attempted, which is why I sometimes watch my step when walking across the field to the forest. This isn't much of a subject I'd like to get deeper into though.

   At least once a month, I'd visit our location. The tree in the forest with Dash's name and mine engraved. It wore out once, but I bought a battery powered drill (you won't believe how many batteries that little devil eats) and traced over the carving to make it stronger and last longer. This is where memories are kept. I swear, every time I walk near that tree, I see flashes of my times in the orphanage and the days before I met Dash. I guess it's one of the reasons why it's so important to me. I can see how foolish I was back then, and laugh it off. It cleanses me of any remaining grief.

   I decided to install a swimming pool in the backyard. It costed me a lot, but it wasn't as much as I had paid for the house. The workers took two weeks to build it and check safety, Dash was not very happy she had to stay inside the house and unseen for those two weeks. But once they were gone, I filled up the pool and we went for a swim. This added to the list of things Dash can do while I'm away at work. While television and PS3 are very entertaining, I discovered that Dash would take sports over them any day. I'm not much of an athlete, but over the past months, I tried my best to kick a soccer ball around with her or toss around a baseball. Though I have the equipment, and constantly work out, muscles won't help me in sports as playing them require brains, speed and being able to react quickly. Which I guess is why I've never beaten Dash in a single soccer game. With one woosh, she sneaks past me and scores a goal, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

   I finally did it. I brought Dash concert, to one of her favourite singers. Katy Perry. There was one trick I used to pull this off. It was a cloudy day, for months I wondered if Dash could actually stand on the clouds in our world, since in Equestria, the clouds looked more like pillows instead of moistened mist. She stood on one perfectly, and from the sky, she flew all the way to the Guelph concert hall. I only had to bring one ticket to get in, since Dash could watch from the sky. Due to my lack of knowledge on concerts, I learned it the hard way that they did not offer seats, so I was forced to stand throughout the entire thirty songs. The songs weren't half bad though, Katy Perry is an amazing singer I can give her that, but the lyrics weren't cleverly written. In the middle of one of her songs, I snuck off to buy souvenirs for Dash. A t-shirt with Katy's face and some CD albums. It was the most awkwardest moment of my life when I paid for the merchandise. The cashier chuckled when he held up the pink t-shirt with bright sparkly text spelling Katy Perry and an image of her face. I muttered a quick "It's for a friend," and hightailed it back to my spot before Dash noticed I was missing and before people at the booths started laughing at my purchase. The concert dragged on for ages. Katy didn't just sing, she also talked about her life and how her career started, doubling the time it ate up. But in short, it was a pretty darn good afternoon, even though Dash couldn't be by my side during the concert.

    Dash had shown me all her flying moves she practiced back in Equestria. Out of all of them, I'd have to say the Sonic Rainboom was the most amazing of them all. I was in shock, the blast wave of rainbow almost tore my hair off, and it blew many branches off the trees in the forest. I almost had my head taken off by a branch flying my way, but I was so astonished that it didn't matter. My mouth gaped open as the rainbow spread over the sky. News reports and pictures of it were taken from inside the town of Guelph. I worried for days investigators would come to my house after seeing the Sonic Rainboom on the news, but luckily, no one knocked on my door.

   During the dog days of summer, I would see Dash hanging around the air conditioner often listening to her iPod. I usually ask her if she would like to go outside or do something more productive, but she just makes up some excuse saying "It's too hot." And you know what? She's right, from the puddles of sweat she often leaves around, I can tell that furcoat must be a real drag to carry around during the summer. I even felt it once, she denied that she was melting inside that thing but the furcoat told a different story, it was soaked, in sweat. The swimming pool would heat up quickly, I ended up installing a cooler, one that filtered the water to make it cold. Of course, it felt like heaven the first time but Dash and I soon found ourselves moping around the living room instead of swimming in the freezing water. And we weren't crazy enough to turn it off and let the water boil us like shrimp in a pot. This is the reason we began to dread summer more and more each year, as we can't go vacationing (risks her being seen) and the place we're cooped up in is like a roast house, even with AC.

   Around the time of Halloween, Dash was heartbroken she couldn't leave out in the open. Although I feel bad, I allowed her leave the house to play pranks on the residents of Guelph. I watched from the car as she pulled thunder clouds out into the clear night sky and using them to scare the trick or treating children. It was a funny scene, the way the kids jumped, bur what made it more amusing was some of the adults supervising the children jumped higher than the younger had. She requested a bag of dollar store quality fake spiders a week before Halloween. I had no idea before what she was going to use them for. But I suddenly realized it after a fake spider dropped onto the roof of my car from a cloud overhead. Only seconds after, I heard a teenager scream and pull at her hair, flailing the toy bugs around. Her boyfriend scanned the area, in search of kids he could pin the blame on and have their parents chew them out, to his disappointed, he wasn't able to play as the hero who set things right and gain a kiss from his girlfriend. The couple slunked off, and I enjoyed the rest of the night watching kids throw the fake spiders that Dash had dropped earlier at each other.

   God damn, the years been passing so quickly. Usually, I'd just wait for my days to slowly pass, but with Dash here to keep me company and out of my folly, the time flies. We'd be shooting zombies that lurk in the PS3 early in the morning and before I know it, eight hours pass. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply when I work my shifts at Roy's Five Star Restuarant.

   A perfect life does not exist. There'll always be bumps along the way. I was devastated, Dash had kept a secret from me. One that could've endangered her to harm. She's been hanging around with another human. Human boy. He's about 10 years old, I caught her feeding him cookies in the livng room when I got home from work. She didn't make eye contact with me. The look in her eyes, oh it pains me, I just couldn't say yes when she asked if I'm going to forbid her from playing with him. The boy's name is Jakob, and from what I've squeezed out from him, his dad just drops him off in the morning near my house and he walks over to see Dash. He says she's a great friend, but his eyes stare through me, as if he didn't mean it. Dash and I haven't been very close lately. I feel like shit, I'm horrible for being selfish, and wanting to keep her to myself. She says the boy keeps her company while I'm at work. I asked her if she could stop inviting him over, an argument followed, and we stopped talking to each other for a while. She ended up apologizing, but this wasn't something I expected. It's all so sudden for her to just go and keep a secret. She and I agreed she wouldn't reveal herself. No. This shouldn't be happening. Nothing good will come out of this, but for the time being, I will let it slip. Dash can continue to "hang out" with Jakob. But she'll need to let go soon enough.

   It's almost like we're two complete strangers now. It pains us both to make eye contact. I wish the kid would just leave. I wish she wasn't mad at me. I wish I could set things all right, back to the way they were before the kid came in and disrupted our bond. When the boy asked me what my name was, I answered with "I'm the boogeyman who'll eat you tonight", at that moment, I felt Dash's eyes stare straight through me from behind. She trotted past and flashed me a glare, screaming shut up. The boy was scared, and had ran into a closet to hide. I sighed and escaped to my room, where I cried out my hatred for the kid, letting a pillow soak in the sound so Dash wouldn't here. When I looked into the mirror, I saw someone I didn't think I would ever become, I'm a jerk, and I don't feel a tad bad. That night, I went to sleep as a person, and woke up an empty shell, trying my best to ignore the boy and Dash each time I saw them together. This isn't the trail I wanted my life to walk down, and as I looked up the the shining stars of night, I could only hoped for better days.

Chapter 8: The First of Final Fights

   I find myself wishing the day was over. Take the order, return the order to the chef, deliver the food. It all drags on slowly. For the first time in nearly a decade, I find myself wishing my life was over. Dash is home, of course, playing with Jakob. Probably screwing around on the PS3 or climbing trees in the forest. Jakob, just the sound of his name downs my mood. I shouldn't be jealous of a kid. Am I jealous? I have no idea. It's just this feeling that gnaws at me, that he's trying to take my spot. I know I'm growing paranoid. But he can easily do it, Dash and I haven't been exactly close since our argument a while back. In fact, I don't think she even notices my presence in the room sometimes, she's too caught up talking with Jakob. Doesn't the kid have school or anything? I mean, it makes no sense his dad let's him dwadle the day away playing at some stranger's house instead of being educated.

   The chef stuffs a bowl of food in my hands, the action brings me back to Earth.

   "I don't know how you became head waiter, the boss must've been high when he hired an airhead like you, bring that grub to table 6." I nod and turn to leave, but not without adding a retort and sticking my tongue out at him first.

   I drive home, still clouded by my anger. I unlock the door and walk in, half hoping Dash would be there with an incoming hug. She's not home. I open the window, and laughs coming from the forest pour in and fill the house. I clench my fists, restraining myself from punching a hole in the wall. This thing is getting to me. I sit down, and let my anger become my breath. I breathe I out, and inhale happiness, breathe it out, and inhale happiness. All the negative thoughts flood out of my brain. I feel much better, and get started on dinner. I thought about making soup, but decide homemade pizza would be more my style.

   A giggling Dash and grinning Jakob walk in through the back door, well, Dash is hovering with her pegasus wings. Dash waves hello to me and offers a forced smile. I can tell. The boy, I smile to him. He flashes a look to me, glaring. I wince, what the hell just happened. His eyes, were they jealousy? No, they were full of something else. It seems I'm not the only one who despises another certain someone. They walk to the front door.

   "Yeah bye, see you tomorrow!" Dash shuts the door, and sits down on the couch. I put the pizza in the oven, and head over to sit beside Dash. She grunts. Ouch.

   "Look Dash, I know that kid is the only other person you can talk to here," I begin, "But I need you to stop hanging out with him." She looks shocked, and snorts.

   "Ky, I don't know what the buck is up with you lately, but forget it. I don't want to stay lonely." I stare her in the eye.

   "You have me, we'll continue our life right? And he's just a kid, he's human, not a pet for you to pamper. A small move and he could open his mouth and blow your cover." I mutter. Dash's expression changes from calm to angry.

  "Is it always about you!?" She snaps, I get taken aback, "You're not the center of the Earth Kyle. Thought you'd know that. What am I to you? Some stupid pet you can boss around!? I'm like two bucking years younger than you, stop treating me like a kid." I wince harder and open my mouth to protest.

   "That's it, I've had it with your stupid jealousy. I've had it with all your stupid rules that forbid me from exploring this world! Kyle, I'm sick of this, I'm sick of you!" The words sting me. Shit. I never expected her to raise her voice. What she just said there crushes my heart into a thousand lonely pieces. Dash storms off to the back door, opens it, and flies out. "I'm LEAVING!" She shouts. Good. I shut the door behind her. I don't want to live with some stupid pony who's gonna lash at me after what I've provided with her in the past few years. I see a PS3 controller beside me. The anger builds up inside, I snatch the controller and throw it against the wall. DAMMIT!

   Pulling myself up from the couch, I head to the oven and grab the pizza out, not caring I'm not wearing oven mitts and that the pan burns my skin, leaving marks. I throw the pizza on the ground and stomp on it. Stupid Dash, stupid Jakob. I hate life. I hate everything around me. I storm up to my room and change my socks, then I storm back down and flick on the television. Some good old tv will ease my tensions. The burns on my hand begin to peel the skin off a bit. I don't care. I don't care at all. By now, I wouldn't even care if a huge asteroid crashes on Earth and wipes out the entire human race. Good. The one pony, person, friend I ever cared about has walked out. And I hate her for leaving me. Spongebob begins to play. Ugh. I'm tired of this crap anyways, I grab the controller and power the tv off.

   I head to the cellar and grab out a case of beer. I left those out from New Years three years ago. Neither Dash or I had the guts to drink it, so I stored it aside. I pluck out bottle and on the way back up, I gulp it all down. The fiery liquid burns my throat, but it all feels good. It all feels too damn good. I reach my room. I set the bottles of beer on the table and pick up one. I pop off the cap and chug it. Goddamn it, why is this so good. The bottle empties quickly, tossing it aside, I grab up another and drink. My head begins to swirl, and it booms, my anger returns and I stumble over to the washroom. I puke in the toilet and flush it, then grab a cloth to wipe my face, but when the cloth leaves my face, opening my eyes, I see a monster. It glares at me through the mirror, it's eyes bloodshot red and fangs bulging out. It grunts "Hate her, hate her, hate them all." I gasp and rub my eyes, looking back, I just see my own reflection. Normal Kyle, eyes just red from lack of sleep. I make my way back to my room, head spinning even worse now, I plop down on my bed and the world blacks out.

   I don't know how many hours it's been, but an alarm snaps me awake. I groan. No. It's not an alarm, it's the phone. Probably some stupid taxman asking for payment. I'll really shit on him through words, make sure he doesn't phone back. I stumble to the phone and pick it up.

   With it tight beside my ear, I begin to talk. "I know I didn't pay my taxes *hic* and I don't really give a-" I get interupted by a sweet, familiar voice.

   "Kyle? It's me, Dash," Dash croaks. My head stops aching, and my heart rate returns to normal. Dash's voice had comforted me. "Kyle, oh Kyle, I'm so sorry. Shit, I really bucked up big this time." She begins to cry, begins to sob.

   "It's ok, it's going to be alright, tell me where you are and I'll get in the car to pick you up," I manage a weak smile. But it doesn't stay.

   "Shit Kyle, it won't be, I've fallen into a trap." A long silence follows. I'm beginning to wonder if she passed out. And then, it comes. "I'm being auctioned off."

Chapter 9: The End of a Bond

   "I'm being auctioned off." The words echo through my ears and bounce off my brain, not allowing me to fully understand. And when I do, I fall to the floor on my knees, and begin to sob. "Kyle? Kyle you still there?" Dash cried out, "Please come save me, I don't want to be sold to another person. I want to be with you. Don't leave-" I hear muffling sounds. And the next voice hits me like a battering ram.

   "Enough of this gushy crap. Kyle, you know what I want." The voice. That voice. Goddamn it. He's back. Tim McDan. "If you want your little pet back," I clench my teeth, "You'll have to come to win the auction. I'm pretty sure one of these fancy smancy rich people will buy her big." He laughs, it's menacing, I find myself at a loss for words. "Hey, it's your choice, just bring all your money, and we'll see how much the head waiter of a five star restuarant can afford. It's at the River Run Center in downtown Guelph. Can't miss it. Theatre 3." Then, nothing but silence. Beep. Beep. Beep. I gently set the phone down. And slowly grab my wallet from my desk. The headache I had earlier was completely cleansed by Dash's soothing voice. Even though the message it delivered was heartbreaking.

   The night stars shimmer. I climb into my car, and set it to life. Slowly, I drive into town. Downtown, towards the place of the auction. I've been to the River Run Center twice. The orphanage brought us to plays and musical acts.

   I sat in the front row. The puppets on stage glisten brightly with their shiny costumes and colourful jester shoes. It's a show about two clowns that tell lies and end up paying for them. It was quite funny. In the middle of the show, Tim kicked me in the shin. Jerry pulled me by the collar of my shirt and slapped me, hard. My face stung like crazy from the slap, and tears formed in my eyes.

   "Awww, is the big baby beginning to get wet in the eyes? The puppets to scarewy for yew? Need your mommy's arm to grab onto?" Jerry taunted, "Oh, that's right, you don't have a mom!" Tim laughed. We're all orphans, that's what made it funny to him. I clenched my fists and attempted a punch towards Tim. He grabbed my arm and twisted. I muffle a cry of pain. Everybody from the orphanage had their eyes on us instead of what was being performed onstage. They began to laugh. Tim and Jerry's chuckles and taunts ring through my ears.

   "Make it stop," I whispered, before receiving a punch to the gut.

   Here I stand. In front of the River Run Center. It hasn't changed a bit. Same tiled wall, same posters advertising nothing, same building shape, and same Tim. I shiver. My wallet bulges from the pockets of my jeans. I walk in. A woman greets me with a smile, and provides service.

   "I need to get to theatre 3," I mumble.

   "Oh?" She doesn't seem surprised, "So you've heard of the monster Tim McDan and his son nabbed as well. They're auctioning it off, you must be one of those buyers. That thing's hideous, but sort of cute." I flash her a look screaming shut up.

   "She's not a monster," I growl, angry at the woman's impression on Dash.

   "Here we are, Mr. Grumpy," She points at the door, and leaves, grumbling, "Rich kids and their snobby attitudes."

   I open the door, and walk down the hall leading to another door. I hear people screaming from inside. I inhale a deep breath, and exhale. Opening the door, everyone's eyes turn to me.

   "There's the man of the hour!" Tim says into the microphone. "Let's all give him a warm welcome for bringing this monster into our world." Everyone growls and shoot me looks. "This monster my son found in the forest," I look up to the stage. Jakob.. Jakob... The one who befriended Dash, the one who earned her trust, the one who betrayed their friendship. He smiles proudly at me, happy with what he accomplish in the "nabbing of a monster." "I'll hand the microphone to my son now, and let's all put our hands together for his heroic tale!" Everyone in the room claps. I clench the arm rest. Jakob stares at everyone in the room with huge pupils, smiles, waving to some of the cheering people, and begins his story of lies.

   "I was walk through the forest, exploring it, looking for bugs I could step on," I roll my eyes, "The day was perfectly warm, with a gentle breeze. I found some flowers and plucked them from the ground, to smell their flavour." I groan, this kid is bad at telling lies, much less a story. "When suddenly, a blue monster with rainbow hair jumped out from the bushes. It grabbed me and threw me to the ground. I was really scared. I thought I was going to die." He grinned, "But I overcame my fear, and punched that monster hard in the nose. It began to cry," Dash was tied up in a cage, mouth gagged with a cloth. She flashed Jakob a look of anger hearing herself put into such a pathetic position, "That's when I jumped up and kicked it in the stomach. I thought it was dead, but it was still breathing. My dad noticed I was gone for too long, and had comed into the forest to search for me." Like father, like son, two lying bastards. I wanted to step up and rip their heads off, but the crowds around me are patiently waiting to buy Dash, and I have no doubt they'd manslaughter anyone who disrupts the story. "He came just in time. The monster was getting back up, and he found some ropes to tie it up so it can't move." He pauses to think, "And that's when we brought it here so we can sell it for money!" Dash looks at me with pleading eyes. I read them, perfectly fine, I don't know how, but her eyes are her voice.

   "Kyle, I'm so sorry, I should've listened to you. I... I don't want to be sold and be some pet to some fancy rich snob." I helplessly watch a single lonely tear roll down her left cheek. Her telepathic message continues, "Even if you don't have the money to buy me back, I want you to know there's nopony, no one else I'd rather live with. I had this coming for me, I cannot blame you if you lose this auction, and I won't force you to take part. Those words I said earlier, I didn't mean them. I was... I was just so mad with the way I am living. I wanted to see this world. I wanted to see it's people, it's landmarks, I wanted to belong here." Dash closes her eyes for a long time, before sending more of what she wants to say, "I was clearly foolish in this, and this has unlocked a new experience for me. Kyle, even if this is the last time we'll ever see each other, I just want you to know, thank you." She disconnects from my brain. I flash her a look.

   My eyes scream, "I'm going to win this, Dash, I'm not going home without you. Even if I lose, I'm not going to give you up to one of these creeps." I manage a weak smile the her, hoping she understood my message. The auction begins.

   "Ok, so the starting bidding price will be $250." Tim begins, "Anyone? Anyone?"

   "$260," Someone from the crowd shouts out.

   "Going for $260, $260, anyone can beat that?" Tim repeats over and over.

   "$300!" I look over to a woman dressed in feathers. She smiles, "That darling's fur would make a wonderful coat." A shiver runs down my back.

   "$325!"

   "$356!"

   "$400!" The number grows and grow. I don't care how high it is, I'll blow my whole bank account if it's needed to return Dash.

   "$750!" Someone shouts out from the crowd. The bids are silenced. That one person who bid $750 pumps his hand in the air, thinking he's won. I stand up, and glare at him.

   "$800," I call out. My opposer growls his discontent.

   "$875," He raises his price. Son of a gun, I'm not letting him win this, Dash is going home with me. That's that.

   "ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!" I scream at Tim, who's been watching with great amusement in his eyes.

   "$1150," The other bidder says through clenched teeth.

   "$1200."

   "$1256."

   "$1300."

   Dash's eyes widen at the ammount of money I'm offering up. I ignore her.

   The other person slams his hand against the backrest of the seat in front of him, "Bullshit, $2000." Tim looks shocked, he wasn't expecting this much.

   "$2050," I say.

   "Sold for $2000 to that man over there," Tim announces. The man jumps up and begins to dance. My heart sinks, and my fists clench. This isn't fair. I run up to the stage and to Tim, and punch him the face as hard as I can. He bounces back sending a blow to my gut. "Stupid poor sport, you lost, go home." He smirks at the knowledge of my loss. I clutch where he punched, it hurts like hell.

   "I offered $2050. I win, I offered the higher ammount. She is mine to take home." Tim grabs me, and throws me off. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see tears flow down Dash's cheeks. I've lost. Landing with a thud, I stay there. After I promised her I'll bring her back not even an hour earlier, I lost just like that. Everybody leaves the theatre, grumbling about their loss, leaving just me, Tim, Jakob, Dash and the winner of the auction. I pick myself up from the floor. The winner hands over a wad of hundred dollar bills to Tim, and walk over to Dash's cage. The unlocks the cage, and removes the gag.

  "Well, well, well, look what I've won," He grins. Dash sticks her orange tongue our and spits.

   "I'm not going home with you, I want to be with Kyle," She nods towards my direction. The man turns to me. Tim and Jakob watch from the side with great amusement.

   "So you are this being's previous owner." Owner... I clench my fists, Dash and I lived together as equals, as friends. His sharp eyes pierce through me like a knife, "This explains why you tried so hard to buy her. She seems great, she better be prepared to put her back in it in doing the chores around my house. She'll be quite useful." Dash spits again.

   "Like hell I will!" She screams. The man walks over to her, and slaps her. The sound echoes through the theatre.

   "If you are going to be my pet, you will need to learn to watch that sharp tongue of yours." That's it. I jump up onto the stage, grab the man by the collar, and pin him to the ground. My rage just converted to strength. I send a fist flying into his stomach, he coughs. Then I pick him up again, and toss hom off the stage. Dash gasps. I'm quite surprised at myself as well.

   "Get out," I whisper, but he hears it crystal clear. The man gets on his feet and scrambles out the theatre. I breathe a sigh of relief. I don't know what to do now. Dash watches my back, in disbelief at what I just did. After what felt like an eternity, Tim begins to clap.

   "I never thought you had it in you, Kyle," His voice is gruff, "That wasn't half bad. I'm leaving now." I don't turn to face him.

   "Dad, can you take me to the grocery store and buy cookies now?" Jakob's voice squeaks. I hate him. He almost had Dash sold. Our cover is blown now. This can't be happening. The police will be at my door by tomorrow morning.

   "Scram," Tim says to his son.

   "Wha- daddy you promised me!" I let the two fight at the side. I step up to the stage to untie Dash.

   "I no longer have a use for you, run back to the orphanage where you belong." The words echo through the theatre. Cries from Jakob follow. I don't look at him, but his sniffing is loud enough for me to hear. He runs to a corner and sits down. Tim stuffs the wad of money he received from the man into his pocket, and takes his leave. Dash stands up, now free of her ropes.

   "Dash, help me," Jakob pleas, although it pains me, Dash and I silently walk towards the exit. "Please," He gets up and follows us. "I have no where to go," He runs towards us, tears flowing down his cheeks. "PLEASE!" He falls to his knees when he sees us ignoring him. He begs to our back. We open the door, leaving the ten year old boy who deceived us both to cry alone in the theatre.

   Dash and I stand in the hallway, outside will be dozens of people waiting for the next play or show. Dash will never make it through. I think it's pretty stupid, whoever scheduled this must like pulling people out of their beds at one am in the morning. I begin to open the door, Dash behind me, bracing ourselves for the gasps when the people see her.

   "Thank you," Dash whispers before I set my hand in the doorknob.

   "Halt!" A regal feminine voice thunders. A blinding light flashes from behind us. I close my eyes, and cover them. When I open them, a white, large pony with a majestic rainbow mane stands before us. My eyes widen, it's Princess Celestia from the land of Equestria. The ruler of them all. Dash bows down.

   "The pegasus Rainbow Dash will now return to Equestria to end her exilement. The council has decided this realm is not meant for her, even if she was to be punished for her crimes. I am here to collect her," The Princess says. The words flow magnificently out of her mouth. I return to my senses. Dash's jaw hang agape.

   "Whoa Princess, sorry but no thanks," Dash says, "I'll continue my banishment and stay here." She looks to me with a smile.

   "This is not an option, you will return. Even if I have to use force." Celestia's horn begins to glow, telling me she has begun to cast a spell.

   "No! Wai-" I begin to say, but she cuts me off.

   "It was interesting Kyle, but every story has an end, and this, is yours," Celestia's last words, before engulfing the room in once again a blinding light. Dash's eyes full of worry, was the last thing I saw, before the world blacked out, my world.

*This isn't the end yet guys, stay tuned! NEED COMMENTS V.V HONESTLY REALLY, TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, WHAT YOU DIDN'T LIKE, HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO GET BETTER?! BLARGH!

Chapter 10: Forgetting the Unforgettable

*Unfortunately, the last chapter aroused some confusion on why Celestia jumped in, for those questions to be answered please read the Intermission and stop hating on a newtime author. As I've said, this is my first fic EVER. I apologize to those who read the intermission and are annoyed of these messages.*

   I wake up with a groan. The room is darkened. I remember from last night, I was at a wicked concert with my friends. I must've fallen asleep, and they must've ditched me to spend the night in the hall beside the stage room. I'll really let them have it later. Standing up, I open the door, and find the exit of the River Run Center. My car is parked where I left it last night. Climbing in, I drive home.

   My house is outside of Guelph. I have no idea why I chose it to be there. There's a forest beside it, just stupid. The land is too big for just the one of me. I unlock the front door, my girlfriend, Klo, welcomes me with a warm smile.

   "So where'd you go last night?" She questions.

   "I passed out at the River Run Center, that's a first," I reply.

   "And you friends just left you there? Tsk, tsk, Kyle, I keep telling you, those friends you have are no good," She nags. I ignore her, "Well, you ready to go to work? My waiter boy." She always calls me that because I work as waiter and she works as waitress at a five star restuarant, I think it's sort of sweet.

   On the drive to work, I ask Klo something, I honestly am clueless why I did. "Klo? Did you feel the last few years of our life, was sort of empty?"

   "Are you breaking up with me?" She sounds worried.

   "No, no, I just, have no idea where I was for the past few years of life," She places a kiss on my cheek as I reel in to the staff parking lot of Roy's Five Star Restuarant.

   "Well, you're with me now." She smiles.

   The work day drags on slowly. During the lunch break, Klo and I exchange gossip on the workers here.

   "Chef Kinney has such a big mustache," Klo whispers, "Some of the waitresses say he cuts off his own hair and glues it under his nose. He does have a bald stuff, it's visible when he takes off his hat." I laugh, nearly choking on my sandwich. She loves making jokes and talking behind people's backs. Most of the times, it's so outrageous I burst out laughing. Everybody says I'm the luckiest person on Earth to be with her. I agree with all of them. We finish the rest of our lunch.

   "I'll see you later?" Klo asks.

   "Yeah, good luck on surviving the rest of our shift," We both chuckle. My jokes are really bad, which make them funny. I leave the employee lounge and return to the front desk, where people are seated. It gets terribly boring waiting for more hungry customers to come in. The restuarant is most busy around the lunch and dinner hours. I stare at the fancy decorations. A dark rainbow flowing across a light blue sky. I crinkle my eyes, something in my head clicks, it feels like I hurt my brain, as if a little shock just ignited inside my head. I shake off the feeling. Potted plants hang from the ceiling. I swear, one of these days, I'm gonna get my skull cracked by one of them. I sigh. Why can't the day be over already?

   "Ahem," Someone clears his throat, I look up. A man and two children stand infront of the desk. "One adult and two kids," He says.

   "Right this way, sir," I gently motion for them to follow. I search through the tables and point at a table with four seats in the corner. They say their thanks and sit down to order from the menus. Klo walks over their table and deliver a jug of iced water. I return to my station. No one new walks through. I hope it stays that way for the rest of my shift. I don't really feel like working today. I take a glance out the clock. Four hours before quitting. I whip out my iPhone, hoping nobody sees, I load up Angry Birds and spend the rest of the afternoon shooting birds at green pigs when not seating people.

   Klo's parents picked her up from work. Sometimes she spends the night at my house, sometimes she sleeps at her house. I had waved to her earlier before she left, she kissed me on the cheek and climbed into her mom's vehicle. I'm glad she's going to stay at her house for a little while. There was something that was bothering me all day. I want to visit my old house.

   Pulling up to my old street, I look around. Kids play frisbee in their yard and some adult males clean up the yard while their wives plant flowers. This place hasn't changed much. I park my car infront of my old house. There's another family living in there now. I look up to the sky, as if expecting a bird or something to be hovering above. I remember I used to fumble around with stones. I see a white, smooth stone a few yards away from me. Unable to resist the temptation, I walk over and pick it up. It's very cold to the touch, like snow. A raindrop plops on my nose. Crap, it's starting to rain. I run back to the car and get inside. Starting the engine, I scratch my head. I just noticed I had brought the stone in with me. I set it on the passenger seat beside me, and return my hands to the steering wheel. The drive home is in silence, normally I would turn on the radio, but I'm not in the mood for it now. I had mentioned to Klo that I forgot a blur of my life from the past few years. It's true. I feel as if there's a part of me missing, I just, just have that feeling I forgot to do something. I can't imagine what it was I forgot if it's nagging at me so much right now. I'm happy, I have Klo, a good life, a good income, everything a man could want. Yet, there's that empty feeling inside me, I'm not complete. I notice I'm pulled up in my driveway already. I get out of the car, the raindrops pelt my hair. I make a run for the front door, with the keys in my hand. I unlock the door and enter. The house is dim, I turn the lights on.

   I plop on the couch, and turn on the television. I flick to channel twenty-five. Spongebob is on, I begin to sit back and enjoy the cartoon. I have no idea why, but I want to watch this. I forgo dinner and spend the evening watching cartoons. Getting bored of YTV, I begin to channel search. Big Bang Theory, Myth Hunters, Family Guy, nothing seems to catch my attention. I keep flicking, pass Judge Judy, pass the weather channel, pass My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Click. A shock flashes in my head again. I flip back to the channel showing My Little Pony. It's just starting.

   My Little Pony, My Little Pony.

   (What am I watching?)

   Ah, ah, ah, ah.

   My Little Pony

   (A purple unicorn jumps out of her hot air balloon.)

   I used to wonder what friendship could be.

   (She smiles.)

   Until you all shared it's magic with me.

   (The screen scrolls to five other ponies. A yellow one with a pink mane, a pink one with a pink mane, an orange pony with a blonde mane, a white pony with a purple mane... And a cyan pony with a... rainbow mane.)

   Click. (Goddamn it, what is this.)

   Big adventures,

   (The cyan pony flies off.)

   Click. (I can't take this shock anymore.)

   I slam down on the off button. The tv screen dies down. I'm sweating, my head aches. A storm began to brew outside. I pour myself a cup of water and greedily gulp it down. It quenched my thirst and cools me down. I lie down on the couch. Thunder outside shake the house. The phone rings. I pick it up.

   "Hello? Kyle?" Klo's voice ring through, "Kyle, we need to break up." The words shoot through me like a bullet. "It's not because I don't love you, it's not you, it's not me. It's... my parents." It takes me a second to understand. I was just dumped. Tears roll down my cheeks. This is all so damn sudden. "Kyle? I don't even remember how we met..." I listen for more, but silence tells me she has hung up. I slink down. What's going on with my life? I begin to get these random brain shocks, and all of a sudden, my girlfriend tells me to hit the road. Another piece of me breaks off, driving me insane. Thunder shake the house once more. That's it. I can't handle this anymore. I open the door, and run out without a jacket, towards the forest. It's a suicidal act, but my brain is trying to tell me something, I can't control my own body.

   The sun shines through my cloud made window, creeping through my eyes. Don't bother me now, Mr. Sun. I get up and lick my lips. I want to go back to sleep, but I promised Fluttershy I'd take her to go pick flowers today. I climb out of my fluffy bed. Daring Doo posters sprawl across my wall, I admire them. They're so awesome, I wish I could be in one. I pour myself a bowl of cereal, and wolf it down. Then I stretch my wings, ready to take flight down to Ponyville. Spreading them out, I beat against the air, and dive down off the cloud that holds my house. The wind shakes my mane, tickling my face at points, but I brush it off. The speed increases my heart rate, it feels great. As I near the ground, I pound against the air once again to slow down my falling, again and again, until I gently land on the ground. Ponyville. Pinkie Pie and Rarity trot down the street. I wave to them with a hoof.

   "Hey guys!" I call out. Rarity and Pinkie turn their gaze to me, and give each other a look of concern before coming over to me.

   "Hey Dashie! How're you feeling after ret-" Pinkie starts, but Rarity stuffs a hoof into her mouth.

   "After resting. Yes darling, we both want to know how you feel after you slept last night. Was it not the best sleep you had in ages? Anyways Pinkie Pie and I have to go uh, pick cupcake frosting" Rarity cuts in.

   "Oooh, we do?" Pinkie muffles through the hoof.

   "Yes, we do, and it's such a good day to go frosting picking as well, don't you say Rainbow Dash?" Rarity eyes me.

   "Erm, yeah I guess, anyways, you guys see Fluttershy around? I need to take her flower picking," I ask.

   "Not a clue," Rarity mutters quickly, and gallops off, dragging Pinkie along with her. Weird, Rarity is almost never like this, well, unless she has a dress to make and the due date is nearing. I spy Applejack selling apples in the corner at a booth. I trot over to her.

   "Hey Applejack, how's the buisiness coming?" I ask. She looks around frantically, as if she doesn't know what to say.

   "It'sa coming great, uh, Rainbow. Can you go, customers a waiting behind you an' I hate for em to be upset." I look behind me, nopony.

   "Yeah, that's just great," I mutter after leaving her apple stand. Where could Fluttershy be? She can't possibly be hiding from her shadow again, last time, she got stuck up a tree and I had to fly up to pull her off. I fly in the direction of her cottage. I knock on the door.

   "Go away! Fluttershy isn't in here!" A tiny voice squeaks. I roll my eyes.

   "It's Rainbow Dash, I'm here to take you to go pick flowers as we planned." I try my best to make sure my voice travels through the wooden door. I knock again.

   "Oh Rainbow, I never promised, please go away, I'm not here, I'M NOT HERE! Please don't come back to search for me either... If... That's ok with you." Fluttershy's voice muffles through the door. I sigh, and fly up the nearest tree. A tear flows down my cheek. What is up with my friends? They all stopped wanting to hang out with my for some reason. We had a perfect game of Pin the tail on the Pony last night! It's as if they all changed overnight. I stand up, and jump off the tree. Fine, if my friends don't want me, I'll go see Zecora.

   The Everfree Forest is creepy enough on its own, even worse when your friends aren't with you. I take a deep breath, and walk in. Zecora better be home right now, or this'll just be a waste of my time. The shadows of the crooked trees look like monsters ready to gobble you up, added with the sounds ofthe wild life, make this walk extremely freightening. Zecora's hut is in site. I grin and jump in into the air, ready to fly the rest of the way. Then I hear a familiar voice.

   "Zecora, I don't know what to do. Rainbow Dash has no memory of where she was for the past 9 years." Twilight, and what does she mean? I peek through a window, Zecora and the indigo unicorn are seated at the table. I stare in, looking at Zecora's different types of decorations. Twilight begins to speak again, "I'm just afraid the world there has left a permanent mark on her brain, that would be just awful, simply dreadful. She's probably asleep right now, but last night, when our friends were gathered at her bed, watching her sleep, she mumbled something, or somepony's name."

   "What is it that she said? I believe it is something that you dread. Fear not, I will do with what I got." Zecora says through rhymes. Honestly, how does she do it, rhyming every phrase you got seems really, really boring and hard. Twilight looks away.

   "She said she missed Kyle. In her sleep." The words finally come out. Zecora opens her mouth to speak. Click. A jolt goes on in my head, throwing me off my hooves and landing down on my flank with a flop. I hold my head, soothing it, that hurt like crazy. What was that!? But the shock is the least of my worries.

   "Rainbow?" Twilight stares at me from the window, the fear in her eyes don't match her friendly attitude, "How long have you been here? How much of that have you heard?" I look away. They're all afraid of me, for something I don't remember or didn't even do. Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie all rushed off from me in a hurry, now Twilight is acting strange. "I SAID, HOW MUCH OF THIS HAVE YOU HEARD?!" She snaps. It takes me by surprise. The anger in her eyes pierce through me. I feel tears whelming up, but I daren't cry. The volume of her voice shocks her a bit too. "Rainbow, I didn't mean to-"

   "Just leave me alone!" I bolt off, deeper into the forest. She jumps out of the window and chases after me.

   "Rainbow! Come back!" She calls after me.

   "Leave me alone! Just leave me alone! All of you!" I shout, not looking back. I take flight, up out of the roof of leaves into the light. I fly over a few trees, knowing Twilight can't follow me. What is going on with my friends? Why are they all afraid of me all of a sudden? What did I do? I fly back down into the forest, and land on a branch of a nearby tree. What do I do now... I slump down against the tree, and listen to the sounds of the forest. A manticore's roar is heard in a distance, bugs I've never seen in my life fly past me. What's the point of living if your friends won't even talk to you? I stare up, trying to see the blue sky through the dark leaves of the forest. Why. I slink down from the tree. Why. A bush rustles behind me. Why. I turn around to see who it is. Stepping out of the bush, is a grey thing. A scream rises, but ledges in my throat. Its eyes are red, its hair or mane is short, and gray. It's quite tall, and stands on the hinds. I back away. Attached to each of its grey hooves are five worm like things. The colorless being walks towards me. It's mouth opens,

   "Why have you forgotten me," it croaks. I turn to run, but in a heartbeat, it lurches towards me with blood crazed eyes and monster speed.

Chapter 11: Reunion

   Raindrops roll down my face, mixing in with the tears. I run through the forest, as blind as a baby rat. The occasional lightning flashes and illuminates the night sky, lighting my way. All this has added up, Klo no longer love me, after five years of being together. Was it five years? I have no idea, my memory of the past nine or ten years is a complete blur. I feel as if I slept through all those years of my life and just woke up this morning. It can't be though, I remember being at a Black Violin concert last night. I remember taking Klo to a Katy Perry concert two years ago. I remember the day I was promoted to head waiter, the day I watched Speed Racer, the Christmas morning I spent playing Call of Duty on my new-at-the-time Playstation 3. But why is there a gaping hole in my heart, something is clearly missing.

   The thunder shake my nerves as I run to the heart of the forest. My foot gets stuck in something and I fall forward. A root tripped me, pulling my shoe off. I land hard onto the wet ground, my arms break my fall, scraping some skin off in the process. I pull myself up, my t-shirt is now covered in dirt, some bits got into my hair. I grab the shoe that was taken off by the root and slide it back onto my left foot. I begin to run again. Why am I running. Why am I here the first place? I run pass trees and the branches that stick out poke at my skin and clothes. I bite back the tears that began to form in my eyes again. The pain from the scratches and the sudden breakup is a combination that weakens my heart as it is. The sky flashes again and thunder ring my ears. I look back to where I ran from, it's not too late to go back, but my feet keep carrying me forward. More branches scratch at my face and my clothes are soaked with rain water.

   I look forward, there's an opening ahead. I run through the thin branches that block my path and tumble through. A large tree stands in my way. My feet stopped running. Is this where they wanted to bring me? I walk towards the tree. Click. I get another shock to the brain, and walk another step. Click. The bark on the tree become visible. Click. I lurch forward, no longer able to take the pain invading my head. My breathing becomes heavier and heavier. Running my hand along the bark of the tree, I feel something scratched in. Click. I slide over to where the mark is. I squint my eyes. Words are engraved here, but I can't read them, it's too dark. Lightning flashes again, illuminating the sky and giving me reading light. I read the words. They're crystal clear. It darkens again. I can't believe what I just read. I wait for the next strike of lightning to read it again. My eyes did not deceive me. Again, and again. Engraved on the bark, is a heart. And in the center of that heart, are the names Kyle, and Dash. CLICK. I fall to the ground, clutching my head. I have an awful headache by now. I turn my head up, reading the names again, hoping they have changed and my eyes were playing tricks on me. Kyle and Dash. Every time, every damn time. I have no idea what this all mean.

   A bush behind me rustles. I snap my head to where the sound emitted from. I squint, trying to see the shadowy figure that stepped out. It's standing on all fours. I examine it from the bottom up. It has no claws, no fingers, just hooves. It looks like some sort of horse, it seems to be about three or four feet tall. Its mane is six shades of grey. I stand still, what's freightening the most are its blood red eyes. They glow through the shadows of the night, and they're staring right at me! It opens its mouth to speak.

   "Why," It says, I stare at it with both fear and confusion. My brain is telling me to run, but my feet won't let me budge. "Why have you forgotten me?" It let loose a banshee shriek. I wanted to say I don't know what it's talking about, to question it, but my voice won't work. It's eyes flash and it charges at me, right into my stomach and knocks me off balance. I stumble backwards, and slam against the tree. "Why have you forgotten me? Our times?" it continues to lash. I run behinds the tree with my name engraved, and continue towards away from the horse, breaking off branches that block my escape route. It chases me. I sprint forward, not watching my path. A few rocks and roots attempt to trip me, but I stay on step and keep running. My already wet t-shirt is stuck with leaves and dirt, it doesn't help my sneakers are slowly filling up with mud. Thunder rattle the trees around me. The rain had seemed to have stopped while I was back where the tall tree was, but I notice it pelting against my face once again, washing off the dirt. My heart has shrunken in terror, I'm ready to burst any moment but I'm too scared to cry. The roars of the monster rumble through the forest behind me. My legs are cramping from all the running, my feet ache and feel like a million blisters cover them. I keep running. Running from the thing, running from my home. The forest seems eternal, I'll never get out of here. I look back, the horse is galloping hastily, it doesn't look a bit tired. Bad move for me. I lost sight of what's in my path and lurch forward, falling on my chest. Rolling over to my back, I see the horse already jumped up into the air, towards me. It lands on me. Click.

   "Why have you forgotten me?!" it barks. Tears roll from its glowing red eyes. Its expression of anger is replaced with sadness. "I thought, we were going to be together Ky." I look up to its face, her face. The tears land on my forehead, seeping into my skin. What just happened. Memories flood back into my head. Lightning lights the sky, and the flashbacks that are rolling through my brain.

   Taking her to the movie theatre, gaining the title of head waiter at Roy's Five Star Restuarant and celebrating it over a dinner with her, the snowball fight that left me many frostbites, the afternoons spent playing PS3 and losing to her in so many rounds of CoD, seeing Katy Perry sing on stage at the concert, returning home to catch her feeding a kid cookies, her devastating phone call and the last place I saw her, in Theatre 3 at the River Run Center before Celestia stole her away. They all play out perfectly before my eyes.

   "Dash?" I whisper to the grey Rainbow Dash. She looks up, and closes her eyes. When she opens them, they reveal her usual rose rimmed pupils. She looks down at me, and smiles.

   "You remember." Dash begins to glow into bright blinding light, it morphs and shakes, and when the light ceases, the once grey Dash no longer sits on my chest, in its place, is the Dash I knew, full of colour. Her six color streaked mane, her cyan furcoat and rose eyes. She looks down at me.

   "Ky? Where are we?" I grin. "Why are you covered in dirt? Last I remember, you were a colorless monster trying to kill me." I close my eyes, still grinning.

   "Just get off of me ok?" I stammer. She steps off, the weight off my chest. I stand up, and brush the dirt off my face. Dash stares at me.

   "You look like you were thrown into a pile of manure," She teases, "Look at you, the dirt in your hair and the mud stained clothes." I point at her messed mane, with bits of pebbles and dirts sticking out and chuckle.

   "You're not the best looking at the moment either," I murmur. She laughs harder.

   "Can we go home now? At least for the time being, I know Princess Celestia will be back," Dash says. We'll worry about that later. What I could use right now is a nice shower.

   In the next two hours, we cleaned ourselves up. I cooked dinner while Dash spent her twenty hours in the washroom, removing the millions of pebbles that got stuck in her mane while trying to make her escape from er, me. I threw my t-shirt and jeans in the watch and changed into fresh ones. We ate our dinner in front of the television, like we always did. I had missed her company so much, even though it was only for a short day. Dash enjoyed the moment, I enjoyed the moment. On cue, after we set our dishes down in the sink, there was a knock at my door.

   Dash and I look at each other. We both know who it is. We both know what is about to happen. A wave of sadness washes over me. I walk over to the front door, and open it. Once again, the princess of Equestria stand before me. She has a grim expression on her face. Without looking at me, she walks in. What I didn't expect was the indigo unicorn that peeps her head in, examining the area. She looks to me. It's Twilight.

   "Uh, hi, sorry to barge in like this but the princess is determined she must speak with Rainbow Dash," Twilight mumbles to me before inviting herself in. I welcome her anyways before joining Dash and Celestia in the living room. The room's filled with grief. It remains silent for the first five minutes, which feels like an eternity, before Dash breaks the silence.

   "If you're here to bring me back, you can forget it." Celestia doesn't seem a bit shocked.

   "We aren't, we've decided," Celestia looks away while talking, "We are going to perform a forbidden spell here. Twilight is here to help," Celestia looks my way, "Forgive me for what my student is about to do." The indigo unicorn looks to the princess and nods.

   "What? The forbidden spell of bringing me back? I said forget it! I'm not returning, I like it here. Besides, none of my friends can even LOOK at me without seeing me as a killer. They're all afraid of me. I can understand that." Dash spies Twilight walking towards me, "Hey! What're you doing to him!?" I notice Twilight's hoof raise, and swiftly strike down at my head. The last thing I saw was Dash yell at her friend and pin her to the floor, before blacking out the third time this week.

   I wake up with a groan. What was her problem anyways? I rub my head, there's a small bruise where Twilight had hit me. How the hell did one strike as weak as that knock me out? The answer to that question is the least of my worries. Did they take Dash again? Am I to stay alone on this world for the rest of my life? The house is dead silent, light pours through the window, telling me I slept through the entire night. I notice I'm in bed. Wha? I lay still for what seems like hours. I hear footsteps, or hoofsteps in the next room beside mine. They sound a bit heavier, telling me it cannot be Dash, as she spreads her weight out over fours, making the sounds she makes when walling quieter. There's a knock on my beedroom door. I sit up on bed.

   "Wake up Ky!" Dash's voice is crystal clear. My heart skips. The door open, and I expect a cyan pegasus pony to trot in. Instead, a human girl sticks her head in. Her hair has streaks of six multiple colors running through it. She's wearing a light blue t-shirt that has a picture of a cloud with a rainbow lightning shooting out of it. Her dark blue jeans dangle loosely. Dash. She grins, "Get up and teach me to work this thing!"

Inu's AfterNote*******

   Hey guys! So that was my very short first fanfiction. I really hope you guys enjoyed it, as I had writing it. The inspiration of course, came from Rob's famous My Little Dashie story. It was a story I'll never forget in my life. My friends have recommended writing a sequel Painting our Life - 6 Colors, but I really don't think that would be necassary. (dunno what else there is to put in a sequel, but if I do, definitely expect it to be in a whole other catergory) I do plan on writing another fiction, plenty more actually. I just haven't made up my mind if I should continue milking this story. Anyways, I thank those who stuck through my first fiction (even though if you noticed a few spelling mistakes, I'm ashamed to admit, but this whole story was typed out on  Notes appplication of my iPod since the complications of Microsoft Word dizzies me. till the next fiction! Ciao.

   P.S Yea, I know this fic was rushed making it short, I'll work even harder on my next story though.

The Next Chapter: Prologue

   It's been great with her, you know, living life as if we're still kids. I think it's the innocence of our bond that makes us what we are when we're together. Who am I talking about? Dash of course.

   She's human now. I never thought it'd be possible, but Celestia's magic has transformed her into a human. All the muscle that were in her wings has been transferred into her legs and arms. Her running speed is outrageously fast, at least twice the speed I run at, and in an arm wrestle, I stand no chance.

   I've become the manager of Roy's Five Star Restaurant. I rake in more money a year than I had ever hoped for. Being manager is a busy job. I need to keep a watch on everybody in case someone is misbehaving on the job and needs to be fired. I always hate to be the one to tell someone they no longer have a job. I was head waiter once. Seeing any staff member fired was heartbreaking. Now that I look back on it, I've done many things that could've gotten me kicked out of my job.

   I used to work at Zellers before I met Rainbow Dash and started picking my life back up. It's like a crappier version of Wal-Mart, but it held many memories. I recently learned that Zellers was sold to Target, and every Zellers in Canada were to be closed and replaced with Targets. It's not like I don't approve of change, but that's a big hunk of my life being torn out right here.

   There are some things I can't explain, maybe not ever. The following you are about to read is the second part of my life. I wish it could've gone better, I really do. Sadly, life still has its ways against me. As I've said, I can't explain what happened next. Some magic took place, and crap happened. Dash and I suffered our share. I should be thankful, in fact, it actually prolonged my life, and my time with her. But there are no happy endings, not with me involved at least. You might think it's happy, to me, it was the worst day of my life. Let's rewind to that day now.

Chapter 12: Late Night Visit

   It's been a few years since Dash has become human and came to live with me. We are entering our adult years now, yet, we still act like children. When I return home from work, she's waiting at the door or on the couch for me. Dinner is a quick fix for me, then we spend some time playing video games. Yes that's right, video games. Two adults in their thirties playing video games as if they were teenagers. It's quite fun, although I don't remember winning against her once, not even when she was a pony.

   Even though she's human now, and can visit places that she couldn't as a pony, I still miss the cute cyan pegasus form she was when I met her. She's taller now, about a head shorter than me still but definitely taller than when she was a pony.

   "Wake up, you're late for work." Dash's voice rang in my head. She nudges me.

   "Just a few more minutes mom," I mumble, pulling my blanket over myself.

   "I'm not your mom, now get up before I slap you awake."

   "Ok, ok, I'll get up." I sigh and sit up.

   "Yeah, and now go make us some breakfast." Dash kisses me on the forehead before leaving the room. What just happened? Was that a motherly tone?

   "I'm nearly three years older than you!" I call.

   "Yeah, and I'm a hundred."

   "Don't do it again," I scold. The waiter that was sent down here nods his understanding. "You are free to go." He mutters something on his way out, something I couldn't hear. I slink down on my seat. Dash sits in a chair next to me. A few weeks ago, she had convinced me to bring her to work with me every day.

   "You could be a bit easier on him," says Dash.

   "He was caught sitting around playing his iPod, that's not what I pay him to do."

   "Reminds me of someone I know, he's pretty nasty." My eyes widened. Who was this person?

   "Oh really? Who?"

   "Don't know, but he refused to wake up this morning and come to work." She slugs me on the shoulder. I laugh.

   "You're mean."

   "Yeah, there's no Internet here so you're the best thing here. For me to bother that is." I was against the idea of her going online, but seeing that she was now human, I succumbed to her demands and bought her her own laptop.

   Unfortunately, there were things I could not stop her from seeing. One hour on her new laptop had lead her to discover that more than half of the people who knew about her thought of her sexuality as lesbian. She locked herself in her room for hours. I eventually barged my way in to soothe her. Told her that that wasn't who she really was and those people were just making really bad assumptions. She cheered up eventually and learned to deal with the world talking about her in a negative way. After all, she is no longer Rainbow Dash the pegasus, she is Rainbow Dash is the human.

   Speaking of which, Dash had to think of a new name for herself. If she told anyone her name was Rainbow Dash, they would obviously think she is one who has lost it. At home when we're alone together, I still call her by the name of Dash, but the minute we leave the house, I am forced to know her as none other than the human "Shay".

   Twilight and her friends visit once a month, to check in on Dash. Occasionally a few of them would beg her to go back to Equestria, but she merely shakes her head and answers with "No".

   "Hey, you daydreaming?" Dash taps on my shoulder. I jolt awake from my trance.

   "What?" I snap. She points at the clock. 6:37.

   "It's quitting time."

   "Damn, didn't notice, grab your coat from the lobby and we'll go." I reached for my hoodie which I hung loosely on the side of my chair.

   "A-hem." She points at what she's wearing. Her rainbow t-shirt. "It's not even winter, why do I need a coat?"

   "Oh whatever."

   "Ky, seriously, if I wasn't here, you would've stared into space for the rest of the night." Dash chuckles before punching me on the shoulder. She does that a lot. A LOT.

   The ride home was silent. We don't have much to say during car rides.

   "My student, none of us want to do this, but we must."

   "Wouldn't it be much simpler if we just take her back?"

   "That would break the man's heart and leave her wounded. She would despise her own kind for what they did. We must learn to respect her wishes."

   "Yeah but-"

   "This is the only way. We must. You must. Now go."

   "Princess I don't-"

   "Go."

   "Fine."

   I sit in my room listening to one of Sum 41's older albums. Rainbow Dash is sound asleep in her's. I can't sleep. It's a Friday night anyways, there's no work in the morning; I can sleep in. I have my headphones on so I don't wake her. A devilish side of me comes out and I get the sudden urge to pull out the headphone cord so the song plays aloud from the laptop. I chuckle at myself and my idiotic wishes. Must be getting old.

   I close my laptop and crawl in bed. I fall into dreamless sleep.

   I wake up with the sudden urge to use the washroom. I sleepily walk down the hall. Past the medicine cabinet, past the lightswitch and past Dash's room which has an ominous glow emitting from inside. Wait. What? The door opens, and a purple unicorn trots out. She sees me and her jaw drops. Shaking her head, she closes her eyes and her horn glows. Her mane. I reconize that black mane with purple streaks anywhere.

   "Twilight?! What're you doing here?" She doesn't answer. Sweat drips down her face, and she sends a white beam of light shooting straight through me, piercing me like a bullet.

   "If this hurts, please forgive me, but I feel you should be changed as well. I will explain when I have the time." Her horn glows again and a bright light surrounds her. The light dims and where Twilight once stood is now empty. The unicorn is the least of my worries. My head began to ache, I clutched my turning stomach and I felt my muscles shrink. Twilight mentioned something about changing, but what? Can't think straight... My eyes flutter shut and I hit the ground. The world goes black.

Chapter 13: A Mockish Date

InuKaT's Note

   Chapters will be short, I apologize a bit. I have the ending planned out, now I just need to write a bunch of filler chapters before any actual stuff happens. It might becoming romance-ish, I don't know. Well actually I do but I want to keep this story rated everyone. ^.^ Nothing explicit will happen. Ever. That's a promise I'll try to keep. Try.

   What feels like a smack to the face wakes me up. I groan and rub my aching head. I look up. It's Dash. At least I think it's her. I rub my eyes. Is it Dash? I don't know. Her arms are slimmer, legs too. She shrunk at least a foot, and her rainbow colored hair is a bit lighter than usual. The clothing she's wearing is very baggy. I don't remember buying baggy clothing for her. She doesn't have a driver's liscence either so she couldn't have bought it herself.

   "Ky, are you just going to stare at me or are you going to stand up?" Dash lends me a hand and pulls me up.

   "What happened to you? Did you shrink overnight?" She facepalms and grabs onto my hand. Then she pulls me to the washroom.

   "Look at yourself." She points at the mirror. Skinny. Short. That's all I could describe myself. I lied. I have a thousand more words to say about how I look now. Only one is most fitting.

   Younger.

   This was exactly how I looked nearly fourteen years ago, when I was sixteen or seventeen.

   "What the hell?!" I look at my arm. It was frailer. Now that Dash has stuffed it right into my face, I notice that the clothes I'm wearing are larger too. My t-shirt reaches near my knee and my jeans feel like they're going to fall off any second.

   "Twilight. It was Twilight. She came in last night and casted spells on us. Turned us younger," Dash sighs. "She came into my room and just whispered something quickly to me. I didn't catch what she said but before I knew it, her horn was glowing and she sent a light beamish thing flying at me. My body ached after that."

   "This sucks!" I say. My teenage years at the orphanage were perhaps the worst years of my life.

   "How could she!? I thought she was my friend and she comes and does this!" Dash let out a breath of anger. "Now we look like ten year olds!"

   "You mean sixteen year olds?"

   "Shut up, humans mature slower than ponies or something like that."

   "Well at least she didn't come and turn you back into a pony."

   "Bah! My legs feel a bit weaker! I have nearly the strength of a healthy human!"

   "Hey! Are you calling us weak?" She sticks her tongue out and mocks me.

   "I had extraordinary strength! Now all the wing power that was once in my legs and arms have vanished!" Dash crosses her arms and pouts. I sit down beside her.

   "Well, what do you want to do about this? We can't go to Equestria. Besides, I'M stuck like this too!" I point at myself. "Look at me! I'm more than a head shorter than I was!"

   "Ugh, Ky, why the hell is this happening?!" She buries her face in her hands out of frustration. "Why can't I just live my life without any intrusions? Damn it I hate this!" I sigh.

   "Let's just forget this for the moment and go down for breakfast." She looks up and let's out a whinish groan.

   I have no idea what of why Twilight would turn us back into teenagers, but I'm sure she has her reasons. And they better be good reasons because I can't go to work like this. I called in earlier and told my boss that I was going to France for a while to help with my cousins who were having trouble coping with life. It was a simple white lie and he fell for it easily. At the moment, I was glad I never told anyone at work about my heritage or where I was born. I don't have a family. Boss wished me good luck and I hung up. Hopefully Twilight would come back in the next few days and change us back. If not, the next few weeks.

   I checked my bank account and made note of how much was left. Being manager has made me rich. By calculation, there is at least enough money for Dash and I to live sustainably for another few months without me having to make more money. To be on the safe side, I'll search for a help wanted restaurant or store to work part time at later.

   "Might as well as live in the moment." Dash walks out of her room in one of her favourite cyan hoodies. Her rainbow hair is tied in a ponytail. Plopping her iPod into the pocket of her jeans, she pulls up the hood over her head.

   "What are you dressing up for?" I ask, scratching my chin in confusion.

   "I always wondered what it feels to go to the mall as a teenager. So take me."

   "What?"

   "C'mon man! Might as well as get something good out of this." She giggles and orders me to go grab my car keys. I sigh.

   In the car, she has her shades on while fumbling around with her iPod. I think technology has taken over her since she received fingers to use it better. I bite my lip, wishing Dash would understand the situation we're in. I guess not since she's used to adventures in Equestria and this is probably just something small to her but it's worth trying.

   "So you want us to spend money when I can't even go to work?"

   "Ky, you worry too much. It's just going to be for only a while. Besides, it'll be fun! Like a date or some sort."

   "What?!" My jaw drops. I'm sure as hell ponies didn't date back in Equestria. Where did she even get that word?

   "Just act like my boyfriend while I go through thousands of clothing articles. We're going to live like teenagers!" She chuckles and blasts Katy Perry on her iPod. I sigh.

   "Where did you even learn what a normal teenage girl does?"

   "Oh Kyle, it's called the Internet. You can find everything on there."

   "Remind me to disable our Internet subscription so Rogers doesn't bill us a million dollars each month."

   "Nooo-"

   "I'm just kidding, gosh." She exhales a breath of relief. "Oh, and please do not make me stand there and wait for you to change into millions of outfits." I've dreaded this for a while. I often hear the cooks chatting about the torture their girlfriends bring upon them when shopping. She nudges me.

   "That won't be fun! Please? Do it for me?" She begs. For the hundreth time today, I sigh.

   "Fine." Anything to make her happy. I pull into the parking lot of Stone Road Mall. It's Guelph's only mall, and it's been here for a long time and has gone through many modifications. There used to be a Zellers here, until it got moved to another block. Now Zellers belongs to the United States and every store is being transformed into a Target. I park the car and climb out. Then I enter the hell that is known as shopping for clothes with a girlfriend. It might not be so bad. Who knows?

   The door opens and we walk in. I gaze around, looking for any stores that may be of interest.

   "So, where do you-" Dash interupts me and grabs my hand. She points at a nearby La Senza Girl store.

   "Over there!" I bite my lip down to prevent myself from protesting. Like lightning, she bolts into the store, hand still attached to mine. So basically she just dragged me in. She browses the store quickly and throws a pile of clothing she picked into my arms. "Hold onto these for me while I try some on ok?" She grabs the outfit from the top of the pile and runs into a change room. I walk over to a change room waiting bench and sit down. Today is going to be a long day. I can feel it.

   "How about this?" Dash walks out in the millionth outfit she has tried in the past thirty minutes. Tight jeans. A blue leatherish jacket that isn't zipped up so it reveals the tee she is wearing. The tee says "Boys are dumb, throw rocks at them." I find the quote mildly amusing. I give her the thumbs up. Maybe she'll finally buy something now. "Nah, this is too... meh." WHAT THE HECK. I swear if I have to sit through another one of her fasion shows I am going to have a stroke.

   "Where did you develope this girly side anyways?" I mumble, "What happened to the dare devil Rainbow Dash?"

   "She's going to highschool, and she needs something to wear."

   "Come again?"

   "For Celestia's sake, didn't Twilight tell you anything last night?" She fumbles with the price tag on an article of clothing before tossing it to the side.

   "You're right, I should develope the power to listen while I'm knocked out." I roll my eyes. "Oh? And I suppose she told you anything?"

   "No, but she didn't have to. I don't know what her problem is, but she said she'll explain when she gets the chance to. And I was thinking, that might be a while." My jaw hits the ground. Dash calmly examines a green skirt with blue flower designs.

   "I can't stay like this forever! I have a job! It's bad enough I already lied to my boss, but what now? I have to go to HIGHSCH-" A hand stops me. Dash's hand. She smiles shyly.

   "C'mon, it'll be fun!" I sigh in defeat. For some reason, I took Dash more seriously when she was a pony. And she seemed more mature back then. Now she's acting like an actual teenaged girl. I want to remind her that we're both actually more than thirty years old.

   "Fine." Dash grins. I manage a smile. Maybe highschool won't be so bad. I might be able to make some new friends. A secon try at the life I never experienced. I look down at my clothing. Baggy. "Maybe we should get me a few new outfits too. Ones that actually fit me." Dash's eyes sparkle.

   "Bring out your credit card."

Chapter 14: The Last Peaceful Day

Inu's Note

Whoa, Painting our Life was featured? Damn I missed it but thanks to all that made it possible by clicking the Like button, I couldn't have done it without you. <3

Chapter Fourteen

   Dash and I had gone and watched Speed Racer 2. We didn't think it was possible for the movie to be made into a sequel but it was accomplished. The movie itself wasn't what I enjoyed the most though, it was sitting beside like our first movie together so many years ago. Throughout the movie, I found myself missing pony Rainbow Dash. It's the same person I know, but Rainbow Dash isn't Rainbow Dash. It's difficult to explain, but I just don't feel like it's her. She's in a completely different form than I had met her, and that doesn't feel right. Being human has opened up many opportunities for her, like the option to go out into public. But sometimes I just wish she hadn't changed and stayed the way she was. Because she was perfect that way.

   The theatres also brought back some horrible memories. It was my first reunion spot with Tim, someone I knew from the orphanage, and trust me, it wasn't a happy-everybody-smiles-all-around reunion. It was more like a make-cash-by-holding-Kyle-hostage reunion. Dash had saved me life that day. She kicked the crap out of Tim. No one saw her of course, Twilight had set a spell for her to be visible to only people she allowed to see her.

   Highschool starts tomorrow. I went out and bought school supplies for the two of us. I'm still reluctant to go though. I've already endured the classes they taught at the orphanage. Why should I be forced to go to highschool?  Twilight's spell has also changed my birth certificate as well. The year of birth has been forwarded about sixteen years. It's as if there was never any proof I was older than I am now. She erased it all; even on my drivers liscence. What was this unicorn up to?

Dash had predicted her friend would not return for a while. I trust her senses completely.

   "Bah, I wish this day would never end," Dash says and rips a branch off a tree.

   "Why not?" We're walking through the forest nearby my house. I don't remember the last time we visited, but trust me, some pretty wild things have happened here.

   "School, seemed like a good idea a yesterday." Dash fiddles with the branch and swings it like a sword. She points the branch at me, "What do you feel about this?"

   "Hah, didn't think you'd ever ask about my feelings." I put my hands behind my head. Dash was never one to care about others. She had tricked me into thinking I needed her help when she was exiled from Equestria so she could get a place to live. I didn't mind of course, it was nice having her around. If I compare the human her now with the pony from the actual show Hasbro still runs, you can only make out a tiny resemblance. "I'm not looking forward to it either."

   "I've dropped out of flight school, but this time I swear I'll pass," she announces proudly.

   "Haha that's the spirit." I scan the forest floor and pick up a stick as long as Dash's branch. I point the stick at her. "On guard!" She chokes on her laughter.

   "Pfft." With a single strike, she knocks the stick out of my hand with her branch.

   "Fine, I'm not much of a knight, no need to rub it in."

   "You tell me." She sighs and tosses her branch away. I just realized that we were still walking and might be lost. "Hey, look." She points into the clearing where light pours in. The center of the forest.

   Our spot.

   The tallest tree in the forest stands here. The bark remains smooth as a table top. Except for one small spot. I search the tree for it. My eyes light up when I find it.

   "Remember this?" I brush my hand against the carved words. Kyle and Dash. A heart looms around the names.

   "Yeah, that was so many years ago." Her eyes soften. She wraps her arms around me. Is she... hugging me? I blush and embrace her hug by returning the favour. Time around us stops for a few seconds before things speed up again. Dash pulls away from me, her face red.

   "Oh, sorry, got carried away there," she says. I look down. What just happened? I'm not sure if it's right but I liked it. I mean, I've said before that it's not like I wanted to date a pony, but she isn't a pony anymore is she? Why does it feel wrong to love her more than I do? What would the world say? Ohey, I'm dating Rainbow Dash from the show My Little Pony and I'm hoping all you bronies would just sit aside and not be jealous. Even though the rest of the world won't know about her past, my knowledge on her makes me reluctant to think of her than more of a friend.

   I sat down against the tree. Night is falling. Dash sits down beside me. There couldn't be nothing more boring than sitting and waiting for night. But yet, the presence of Dash beside me keeps me drawn to staying. Wanting this moment to never end.

   The stars reveal themselves and shine brightly in the night sky. We gaze quietly for a minute before Dash breaks the silence.

   "Remember how we first met? You hated me."

   "Yeah, I was a fool back then."

   "Agreed." Dash exhales a breath.

   "If I could go back in time, I would go and slap myself."

   "Haha, that'd be fun to watch." The memories of the time she first visited rushes back through my head. I took a deep breath.

   "I want to apologize." She chews on her finger.

   "Bout what?"

   "Slamming the door in your face when you first showed." Dash bit her lip thoughtfully.

   "Hmm."

   "Yeah, that was sort of rude of me. Even if it was nearly ten years ago, I wanted to clear up any tension between you and I."

   "What tension?" She chuckles and smacks my arm. It was a light slap, yet it hurt. I don't think Dash even knows her own strength. "Bah, just forget about it, I don't care anymore. I never did. I just remembered when you brought this topic up."

   "Can you promise me something?"

   "Anything."

   "Don't change please," I beg.

   "What do you mean?" I sigh and lay back, resting against the bark of the tree. I look over the Dash, who picked me up from my hole, who taught me to love, who brought many wonders to my life. I can't imagine living without her, and I don't want highschool to turn her into someone she's not.

   "Just don't. I'm not quite sure what I'm saying, but I'm sure as hell highschool isn't going to be a picnic."

   "Aw you worry too much Ky." She brushes some rainbow hair away from her eyes. "We'll be alright, just don't expect me to finish any homework." She winks.

   The night sky full of twinkling stars loom over us. My eyes flutter shut and the warmth of Dash's head against my shoulder brings me the greatest comfort. A breeze brushes my face, and I fall into relaxing sleep.

Chapter 15: Day One

Flying. In the air. With a pony. Rainbow Dash. She's smiling. I'm smiling. We fly out of town. To Toronto. Hanging over CN Tower. People don't notice us. She laughs. And points down. I look. It's a bald buisiness man. He looks funny. Funny in a strange way. I laugh and return my gaze to Dash. A human greets me with a smile. Human girl with rainbow hair. I ask her where Dash is. She slaps me. Says she is Dash. A hand reaches out of no where and grabs her by the shoulder. She smiles slyly at me. And flies away. With a jock. On the Centennial football team. My wings crack. They burst into flames. Burn to ashes. And I fall. Down.

   My alarm clock rings, tearing me from what had turned into a nightmare. I groan. My face is swearing. What just happened in there? Is it a sign? An omen? Dash has changed a bit since she became human, that's for sure. I push the dream away, deeming it an average nightmare, and walk over to my closet to get dressed for the day. The day. Oh yeah. Highschool.

   Centennial CVI. I've heard about this school. Apparently it's one of the best schools in the board. I don't know how this happened, but when I called in last night to register ourselves into the school, Dash and my names were already on the computer database. Tenth graders Kyle Linston and Shay Brooksin. Twilight must've somehow gotten into their computer system and added us in.

   If you ask me, I am totally against the idea of going to highschool. If it wasn't for Dash, I'd be finding a way to get to Twilight and immediately have her change us back. We haven't heard from her yet, meaning the unicorn is still keeping something from us.

   "It's about time you woke up," Dash says as I walk down the stairs. Her face is drenched in sweat. She flexes her muscles. Not big. At least, not as large as before. Twilight's spell had not only turned us young, but shrunk our muscles as well.

   "Why are you sweating?" I ask. She grabs a hairband and ties her long rainbow hair into a ponytail.

   "Push ups." My jaw hits the ground.

   "This much sweat from push ups?!" How is that even possible?

   "It's not my fault you almost never sweat. You're not that manly." She laughs and pats me on the back.

   "Hey," I object, "I was sweating from a nightmare this morning." I shoot her a glare screaming I'm a thousand times more manly than you. She shoots me a look that told me: Hey, shut up, I'm a woman.

   "Oh? What was the nightmare about?" I look away, completely uncomfortable and relive the whole dream. How would she react? No doubt she would call me a dork.

   "Oh you know, scary stuff my brain is trying to tell me." She furrows her brow.

   "Can't be scary enough to make you sweat." She smiles and rolls her eyes. The smile somewhat comforts me. Her presence itself somewhat comforts me. She hasn't ditched me for some jock. She is here with me. She hasn't flied off (not that she can now.) That's all that matters.

   "Trust me, it's my worst fear." I smile back. That's as true as it can get.

   "Whatever, you ready to go?" I blink.

   "Where?"

   "Highschool of course, I packed our lunches, they're sitting in the our bags by the door."

   "But I haven't eaten breakfast ye-" She stops me with a finger.

   "You can eat during lunch." My stomach growls, but the pleading look on Dash's face to leave quickly wins me over.

   The car door opens and we hop out. I press a button on my keys and the car lock clicks. Adjusting the strap of my bag, I look at Dash, and open the door for her. She mumbles her thanks and I follow.

   I take a look at my schedule. Dash pulls me over and asks me to compare schedules with her, to see if we have any classes together. I'm glad she asked. There are a few periods where we are together, and there are a few where we aren't. My first class today is... English and Dash's is... English! She notices as well, smiles at me, and then punches me in the shoulder before we leave to find Room 200.

   The hall is occupied with students stumbling to class. A few lean against their locker while chatting and a few girls have mirrors kept in theirs for- I don't even know -make up? I realize we haven't found our lockers yet, but it's our first day and Dash and I agree to just carry our bags around since we didn't bring locks either.

   Room 200 is in the academic hall on the top floor. We open the door and a class of chatting students greet us. The teacher glances as us from his book and adjusts his glasses before raising his hand to quiet the students. He takes a good look at me, then to Dash.

   "So you two finally decide to show up for class, eh?" I roll my eyes. It's the first day we've been here, give us a break. "I understand the two of you are new students, but four minutes late is not acceptable in my class." A few students choke on their laughter, trying not to giggle. Don't you hate it when you're doing a presentation and someone in the back is laughing quietly thinking you can't hear them? You're in the same room, and if your audience has any manners, the room would be silent. Just want to point out, the speaker can hear you, and he would very much appreciate it if you keep your mouths shut. But hey, that's just me. "I expect a reasonable explanation." I open my mouth to talk but Dash nudges me, telling me to let her take over.

   "Sorry, my friend sort of slept in this morning, and he's the one who drives me to school." My lips part to protest and defend myself from embarrassment but Dash shoots me a look and I keep quiet. "It'll never happen again but the next time he sleeps in, I'll throw a pail of hot water over his head."

   "Very well then, introduce yourselves to the class." Dash runs to the front of the class and grins.

   "I'm Shay, and this is my dork friend, Kyle." I facepalm, and foresee some shit to happen to me here at school. The teacher points at two desks in the back.

   "I'm Mr. Todd, and I want you to take a seat." Some students burst into laughter, although I find nothing funny about what he just said. A boy in red snickers at me as we walk down the row of desks to our seats. Dash drops her bag beside the desk and sits down.

   "Let's begin today's class on Shakespeare. Does anyone know who Shakespeare is. Kyle? Who is he?" Every eye in the class turns to me. Shit. I don't know.

   "A movie director?" I guess. The class bursts into laughter. Mr. Todd sighs and I watch one of his hairs grow gray.

   "I will not tolerate a jokester, if you want to fool around I will have to send you to the office."

   "I seriously don't know, history isn't my best subject."

   "This is English." I shrug.

   "Seems like history to me." Some of the kids giggle, some whisper about my stupidity.

   "How old are you? Sixteen and you don't even know who Shakespeare is? When I was in grade, pfft, TWO. I read every one of his books." The boy besides me whispers into my ear.

   "And that's nearly a century ago." I laugh. He snickers.

   "You! Jordan! Do you want detention as well?" As well.

   "No Mr. To-"

   "Hall, both of you! I'll deal with you two after class."

   Dash waves goodbye to me and holds up the loser sign. I grumble and shoot a look at her saying "It's not like you'd do any better.". This is going to be a long day.

   Never have I met someone so serious about school. First period and one of the teacher has already grown hatred for me. Not to mention the detention slip he gave to both me and the boy who made a smart remark. The next two periods fly by quickly and I slink off to lunch with Dash.

   When I enter the cafeteria, I scan the room for Dash. Nerds. Jocks. Popular kids. Loners. I find Dash sitting with a group of girls and walk over to them with my bagged lunch. The blonde one sitting beside Dash is first to notice me, and she didn't keep quiet.

   "What do you want, loser." I gulp. Not good. Dash looks up.

   "Oh, hey Ky," she says through a mouthful of peanut butter.

   "You know him?" The blonde shakes her head, sending strands golden hair in hundreds of directions.

   "Yeah, I live with him, come sit down." She pats the empty seat beside her. I smile and set my lunch down on the table.

   "Did you pack the same thing for me?" She nods. The blonde girl beside her looks irritated.

   "She packed your lunch for you? Are you a lazy brother or what?" Brother.

   "Whoa girl, chill. He ain't my brother either." Dash takes another bite of her sandwich. I open my lunch bag.

   "Then what are you two?" Dash shrugs. The brunette sitting across from Dash pipes up.

   "So if you aren't siblings, are you lovers?" Dash shrugs again.

   "You could say that." I blush. Bright red.

   "Shay, I-" Dash shoves the blonde, shutting her up.

   "Sorry Ky,some of my friends are a bit rude. Anyways, let me introduce you to them. This is Jane." She points to the blonde. "This is Carrie." The brunette waves. She offers a shy smile before blushing. "And that's Wendy, but she wants to be called Wen." I turn my head to the brunette sitting beside Carrie. She's silently eating her lunch without making a peep. I take a bite of my sandwich. Meatless. Dash is a strict vegetarian. I once got her to try some chicken, she hated it. I guess she feels like she's betraying what she was taught growing up by eating what was once a living being. I've tried my best to live meatless, but I don't think it's possible. As if I'm invisible, the girls return to their chat.

   "Shay, where did you get that rainbow dye? I'm DYING to dye my hair," Jane says full scale girl accent. I roll my eyes.

   "I already told you, it's naturally like that." I give her that are-you-serious look. Dash wipes her mouth and shrugs, tempted to smack me on the side. I could tell. Wendy giggles. I cover my ears. I don't want to be rude, but girlish conversations are the last things I need. Dash notices and gives me a light shove.

   "Fine, be a bitch and don't tell." Make it stop. Just make it stop. Inside, I'm really wishing I'm elsewhere. Elsewhere meaning with Dash and her being who she was and what she was. I mean, it's not that I hate her, I actually love her. Quite a lot. But I can't stress it enough when I say she has changed. The curse word had caught me off guard. When I chat with Dash, we almost never swear. Never. Sure a few times in a blue moon our tongues slipped, but we tried our best not to.

   "Das-" Dash slips her hand over my mouth and let's out a nervous chuckle.

   "I told you not to call me that."

   "Call you what? What was he going to call you?" Carrie asks, her eyes wide. Shoot.

   "Nothing, just a little nickname."

   "Tell us!" the three girls say in perfect chorus. Dash looks around, looking unsure of what to say. She looks to me. I mouth the word "lie". She turns back to the girls.

   "It's really nothing. It's just a small nickname, don't let it get to you guys." The tone she speaks in is believable. Just believable.

   The bell rings, signalling that lunch is over. I grumble, realizing that there's more class afterwards and stand up. My lunch bag is nothing but a disposable paper bag, so I crumble it up and toss it into a nearby trash can. The chatting students file out of the cafeteria and into the halls. I call to Dash.

   "Shay, wanna walk together? I'll walk with you your next class." She brushes a few strands of red hair to the side.

   "Oh sorry, I'm gonna walk with Carrie to our next class," she says, "Maybe some other time? I'm sure we'll be in the same class together at least once this week." Carrie waves for her. "Oh, gotta go, see ya later." She turns to leave and my voice dies to a whisper.

   "Yeah. See ya..." But she already disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone. My words were gone to waste as no one heard them. I yawn and shrug off the nauseated feeling of being alone.

   My next class is Math with Mrs. Orpell. I wander around the academic hall, searching for the room. I'm lost. I look around, hoping they built a station with a map or some sort. Nothing. I sigh and search some more. Finally, I give up and slump against a locker. I almost drop my textbooks. Highschool isn't working out so far. I could be in my office right now. Being a manager of a five star restaurant. Managing people. My employees. I sigh, and curse the purple unicorn under my breath.

   "Hey, new guy, you lost?" I look up. It's the boy from earlier before in English class.

   "Yeah," I admit, "I can't find where the math room is." He gestures for me to follow.

   "I'll show you, I have math next anyways." He offers a friendly smile.

   "Thanks."

   "I'm Jordan." He holds out a hand.

   I hesitate for a moment before grasping his hand firmly and shaking it firmly. "Kyle."

   "Welcome to Centennial, now let's get to math before Mrs. Orpell D Days us for being late." I laugh. Jordan doesn't seem that bad. He's like that person who can cheer you up with small jokes yet is reliable. I can sense it. And I can sense we're going to be good friends, too.

Chapter 15.5: Back to the First Slide

   The other day a police officer pulled me over to inspect my liscence. Thank god the legal age in Canada to drive is sixteen, or I would've had to face charges and probably get arrested. The officer took a look at my driver's liscence, then proceeded to the rear of my car to see what I had in the back. By the way he was acting you'd think he expected there would be a dead body stored behind there. There wasn't anything in the back except the grocery I had gone out and bought. I smirked to myself as the redfaced officer apologized and waved me off.

   It's been a month now. Things are going smoothly. Dash and I are coping greatly with the changes. She joined the track team. The coach had personally invited her to be top of the team. Her speed is unmatched by any other student, though after her fifth practice, she said something I never expected to hear. She told me her legs had a small cramp and she had to sit off. It was only a ten minutes before she was up and running again. All practices take place during lunch time, and I'm free to watch if I choose to. We went out for dinner the day Mr. Smith had entitled Dash the new captain of the track team. She truly deserved it and it was amusing to see a few jealous faces of members who were on the team for a few years in a row.

   Being a teenager is great. I had expected a few police officers to show up at our door but none so far has bothered us. I am worried about my job though. I haven't called my boss in a little while, and I'm pretty sure he'll get suspicious soon. I don't want to lose my job, it's well paying and I hold a position with high authority but even then, I don't think that qualifies me as free to do whatever without getting fired or at least demoted.

   Speaking of which, I figured if I didn't do something soon my bank account would be in the quadriple digits, and that would only add to my stress after the amount of school work I receive every night. I went searching for a job, and believe it or not, I was hired to Target as a cashier. When I entered the store, it was like dejavu. The store wasn't changed one bit since it was originally named Zellers. Every aisle was where it was the last time I worked there. I spent a good moment wandering through the toys section before filling out the form for the job. It was a good thing too because seeing the toy models of Dash that Hasbro had made sent me into hysterical fits of laughter, relieving me of any worries about getting a staff position. Thank goodness Dash wasn't there to see me giggle like a little girl, for two reasons. One, it would've been embarrassing and two, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made it out of the store alive if she heard the level of noise my laughs were.

   Mrs. Harrold is no longer the boss of Target. I asked a few employees about what happened to her. They mentioned she stepped down from the position a few years ago and questioned me about how I knew about her because "I was probably seven years old back when she was still in charge of Zellers." I answered with a simple "My dad worked here." and it did the trick. There didn't seem to be any employees I knew when I worked here. I remember many of them vibrantly as if I was still in touch with them. That was the moment I realized I actually should've kept in touch with them. They helped me with so much before I left Zellers to work as a waiter at the restaurant. Joe. Claire. Britney. I had kept my fingers crossed that only the best had crossed their way after I was gone. Maybe I'll search their names in a phonebook when I'm back to my normal age. Wouldn't it be awkward if someone half your age called your house stating they're an old friend from nearly a decade ago? The thought made me chuckle.

   Dash has also picked up her own job. She said she felt she wasn't contributing enough. I told her it was alright and that I could handle it but she wouldn't take no for an answer. She took a job at Tim Hortons, where she now works as a cashier. Now I must drop her off there after school, just one more place to stop at on my way to and from work. Down inside, I'm glad she decided to step up and help. I don't know where I'd be without her.

   Dash's grades aren't very good though. She's a reliable person for sure, but in school work... I don't know what to say. I guess she just isn't used to school. Of course, I'd be lying if I said my grades are better. The truth is, we both struggle in every course at school. At least she can do something in gym. Teachers nag that low grades would put us in a bad future. I have the right to say that isn't true at all. I don't remember getting the best grades back in the tutouring classes at the orphanage, but I didn't need the best grades to be manager of a restaurant. Dash doesn't need to worry about her future either, she'll be with me, if not, back in Equestria. But what I'm trying to get at is, well, I'm darn sure we'll be sent to summer school. That's something I'm not looking forward to. And I don't think I'll ace my next history test on politics either. Nor will I be any good when the subject on World War Two starts.

   I still can't believe myself. If a decade ago, I was told that in around ten years, I would be sixteen again, I'm pretty sure I would've freaked out. Now that I compare the now me with the past me, I could see that I'm a lot cooler about things than I was before. I can't find any other cause of this than Dash. I don't think I can stress this enough to say I'm the luckiest guy on the planet. This doesn't happen to anyone. Anyone. It leaves me to wonder how I ended like this. Out of the billions in this world, how was I the one who was chosen to be sided with Dash? I took a step back and estimated where I would be if Dash never came into my life. Dead I suppose. I was pretty trashed back then and probably would've ended my own life. I owe it all to her.

Chapter 16: A Familiar Face

   "So how do you think we can conserve energy?" Ms. Piare asks. I mumble under my breath, wishing science class would be over. I check my schedule, I have a class of history with Dash after lunch. Probably the only thing I look forward to in my day. I sigh and stuff the sheet into my binder. "Kyle? How do you conserve energy?" I think for a moment about my week.

   "I turn off the lights when I'm not in the room."

   "You know what I would grade that response?" Before I could ask, she answers her own question. "A c plus." The class roar with laughter. "I'm pretty sure a second grader can turn off the lights. And I know you can answer with more than just that." Isabella, a freckled girl with long rose hair raises her hand. "Isabella?"

   "My dad is constantly in the living room reading newspapers, he'll be in there for hours and we went through lightbulbs as if they were toilet paper. A week ago, I went out and bought bulbs that don't use much energy, yet shine much brighter than two normal lightbulbs. So now instead of having a whole room of lights on, my dad reads with one lamp using this bulb. And it won't die out for a long while."

   "A." Ms. Piare points at me, "You should learn from her." Isabella shoots me a smug look. I squint my eyes and stick out my tongue.

   The lunch bell rings, dismissing us from the torture what is known as Grade 9 Science. I grab my binder and hurry out of the room, avoiding eye contact with the teacher on the way out. I think it's clear and obvious the teachers here don't like me very much. If I had a dad, I would certainly have him talk to the principal about this matter, but I don't, so it leaves me to fend for myself.

   I drop my stuff at my locker and grab the sacked lunch Dash had packed me. I poke around with the contents, hoping she had made something other than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Nothing new. Maybe I should start making our lunches. I'm an excellent cook as I've said before, but lately the amount of homework I was given each night has caused my dishes to become much more simpler and quicker to make. Dash had offered to make the lunches because well, she rushes  through most of her homework. Some people may say it's irresponsible to blow through school work, but those people don't add a unicorn-turns-you-young-again scenerio into the equation. It's all good. If I look at it from plain view, school is just something I go to so the cops don't show up at my door.

   I slip into the cafeteria and take a seat beside Dash. More mindless girl gossip, ugh. I silently eat my lunch. A punch on the shoulder causes me to almost choke on a bit of my sandwich.

   "Hey man." Jordan slides into the seat beside me. I swallow the sandwich mush in my mouth.

   "What'd you do that for?" I cough, clearing my throat. Jordan shrugs. He shakes his head, sending black hair flying. I don't know why guys do that. And I definitely don't know why it's called the Bieber Shake. Apparently it's the "cool" way to clear your eyes of hair. Jordan unwraps his sandwich and begins to eat.

   "Mmf, turkey," he says through a mouthful. Dash stops talking and looks at Jordan with a disgusted look on her face. He looks up from his sandwich. "What?" Before she could say anything, I come in for the save.

   "Sorry, she's an extremist vegan." Dash gives me a light shove before returning to her conversation on Call of Duty, something I had not expected girls to tall about. I scarf down the rest of my sandwich, and slump back in my seat. I wish the usual. Wishing school to be over. Wishing to be returned to normal. Wishing that Dash was a pony again? I shake off the thought. Being human has changed her, but she's seemingly happy this way.

   I notice a boy at the jocks' table who I have not seen before since I came to this school. He wears a cast on his right arm. I conclude that it must be why I never see him around. But something about his face catches my attention. I know I've seen him somewhere. On TV? On the streets? No. I have no idea. He flexes his muscles, and the group of boys laugh and cheer. They're pretty large. I sigh. His head turns and faces my table. I notice him nod and smile. He's not looking at me. His eyes are suddenly full of lust. I follow his gaze to see what or who he's looking at. Dash. He's staring at Dash. Uh oh. I wet my lips.

   "Shay, we should go," I say, careful not to use the name I know her as. I don't think the others have dismissed it as just a nickname yet. She looks to the clock and stands up, crinkling the paperbag that was used to carry her lunch.

   "Well, I did promise you I would walk to class with you some time." She winks and makes a shot at a garbage can with the paperbag which is now on the form of a ball. It flies in smoothly. A perfect shot.

   "That was a month ago when we first got here." I stand up and crinkle my paper lunchbag as well. Dash grabs my hand and pulls me towards the exit of the cafeteria. On the way out, I toss away my garbage into the trash bin on the side.

   We make our way to History class, grabbing our binders on the way there. The lesson doesn't start for another good ten minutes so we have to wait outside of the room. There's no one around. Often a geekish kid would be hanging around his locker, playing on a PSP or iPod. But today, the hall is completely deserted. I'm left alone with Dash.

   "So how was your day so far?" I ask, trying to break the silence held between us.

   "Oh, the usual." She laughs, "Mrs. Orpell had a breakdown when she caught me throwing the paper airplanes I made with our math sheets." I shrug.

   "You know, we'd both make really bad parents," I point out. She snorts, giving me a light push.

   "Too much responsibility." She brushes a combination of red, orange and golden hair to the side. "Hey, do you think I can perform a Sonic Rainboom while running?"

   "No." The momentum gained from flying downwards makes it possible, but I don't see any way to gain enough speed to break the sound barrier while running.

   "Why not?" She looks heartbroken.

   "Because human legs are too weak. We can't even match the speed of a car and do you see those breaking the sound barrier?"

   "Your legs maybe, but not these babies." She points down.

   "Just don't try it ok?" My voice almost comes out as a plead. She could get hurt in the attempt.

   "Fine." The bell rings and within a minute the hall is swarming with students rushing to their lockers. I open the classroom door and pull Dash inside, afraid one of us will get trampled over. We find seats near the back of the room and set our things down.

   The room quickly fills up with noisy students taking their seats whilst chatting. The sound of them is enough to give me a headache. A skinny, bald man slips into the classroom and stands in the front at the chalkboard. Mr. Ustura. Many kids just call him Mr. U because it's easier to say. He knocks three times on the chalkboard and everyone in the room hushes. Before he could announce the start of class, the door opens and the boy wearing the cast walks in. I grumble. Just great.

   "So you finally decide to join us, Mr. Wooding? How's the arm?" Mr. Ustura smiles at the boy.

   "Oh, it's feeling better. Doctor says I'll be out within a month or two." A month in a plastic hard cast? My arm would suffocate.

   "I'm afraid you'll need to take a seat. No special treatment, not even for the injured." Mr. Ustura grins, pointing at a seat beside me. I silently scream in my head. Jenny, a blonde girl at the front holds up her hand and the boy highfives her with his free hand. He receives plenty more on the way here. Nothing suprises me until he reaches two desks away from here. James, who sits in front of me, utters a name I had wished to never hear again.

   "Welcome back Jakob, coach said I'll be getting your spot on the football team." The boy's name echos through my head. Jakob. Of course, his face was so familiar, why had I not noticed before? I swore I would never forget that one that stole Dash from me and nearly had her auctioned off to a stranger looking for a maid around the house. My hand curls into a fist and I resist the urge to stand up and punch the crap out of Jakob.

   He sits down beside me, and kicks his feet onto the desk. His head turns, facing me. He blinks. Once. Twice. Rubs his eyes.

   "You look familiar, have I met you before?" He asks, poking me with a pencil. I brush the pencil aside and wet my lips.

   "N-no. We never met."

   "Class, today we will be starting a partnered assignment." Everyone erupt into cheers. A partnered assignment means you get to work with someone else. It means two minds are put together to make something great. And best of all, if you fail, at least you have another person going down with you. My eyes dart to Dash and meet hers. She nods, understanding what I want. Ustura chuckles. "If only some of you were this excited last week when we had the Canadian Government test. I haven't even told you your assignment yet and you already have decided on your partners." I feel Jakob's eyes piercing through me, and looking straight at Dash. I bite down on my tongue, calming myself a bit. "In the next month, you and your partner will be researching on World War Two. You will gather information, data and knowledge on this cruel war."

   Kathy Ru raises her hand. "Don't those all mean the same thing?"

   Ustura scowls, "This isn't English class." Some classmates giggle silently. "You and your partner will then create a five minute minimum speech or presentation. You may use Power Point and other software if you wish. But remember, five minute minimum. Right now, I want you and your partner to get together and jot down everything you already know about World War Two. Any questions?" No one raises their hand. He leaves the room, our cue to start working. I pull my desk and connect it with Dash's. Before I could pull out a blank piece of paper, trouble heads our way. Jakob. He walks over and pulls a desk beside Dash's.

   "Wanna work together, Ms. Sexy?" he talks smoothly, as if he's been doing it his whole life. Dash takes one look at him, and explodes.

   "Ms. Sexy?! Do you know who the hell I am?!" The whole class goes silent.

   "Do you know who I am?" Jakob smiles smugly, "You'd find me irresistable. We should work together."

   "No, I'm happy with Kyle as my partner. And what makes you think I'd ever work with you?"

   "Because I'm the captain of our school's football team, and I'm cooler than that guy." He points at me. I was about to say that Dash is head of the track team but a glare she shoots at me tells me to shut up and just watch.

   "You think I'd work with you?! Don't you dare think I forgot what you did to me a few years ago!" Dash points a finger right in his face. "If it wasn't for Kyle here, you and your creepy dad would have sold me off for a small two thousand dollars." What she had just said raises suspiciouns throughout the classroom, and I begin to notice the tension.

   "You... You're Rainbow Dash?! That pony who took care of me?" A few kids gasp and whisper between themselves, calling us insanes silently. I shift uneasily in my seat, unsure what to say or do. He looks like he's about to hug her. Dash notices and shoves him hard. He falls to the ground... right onto his broken arm. Dash let's out a huff. Before he could react or respond, she grabs my arm and pulls me out of the room. The minute we step into the hall my voice magically reclaims its position in my throat.

   "What the hell was that?"

   "He deserved every bit of it." My heart agrees with her but my brain tells me it's wrong to resolve to physical violence. I was about to scold her when I notice a lonely tear roll down her cheek. "Take us home." I clear my throat and wet my lips to make sure my words come out audible.

   "School's not over."

   "I don't care. Take us home," she pleads. My mind races for a few seconds, then I realize there is no right thing to do here. If I bring her back to the class, she'll just get in a fight with Jakob. The only other option is to bring her home and let her rest. I choose the option that benefits her the most, even if there is no winning choice here. I take her hand, mumble a "Let's go...", and we silently make our way to the parking lot where our car is parked.

Chapter 17: A Day Apart

   I can't continue this. Every day she mopes, doesn't go to school and barely eats. I lied to the teachers about her being sick with the flu for the past week. Every day I cross my fingers for Twilight to come and erase everyone's memory of us. To return us to our normal age. To make things right and bring us back where we were. Dash. I wish for nothing but her happiness right now. I really do. And I wish I could be with her. The mornings snuggling in bed with her when she was pony is but a distant memory now. A memory I wish I could relive.

   I knock on her door and open it. Dash is sitting on her bed, fumbling around with her laptop. Her fingers rapidly shoot around, pressing the keys she need to type words. Tears roll down her cheeks as she types.

   Of all people, why was Jakob the one who goes to Centennial? There are two hundred thousand people living in this town, I'm pretty sure half of that population are teens or have kids who are teens. Why Jakob?

   "Dash. Are you really going to go around like this?" She looks at me. Her purple eyes sparkle and she flattens a few strands of red hair that stick out.

   "I already told you, I'm not going to be in the same room and that jerk." She returns to typing and weeping. "Damn it. More people in this world calling me lesbian. What the hell is up with everypo-" She pauses and licks her lips, "Everyone." The words don't come out in her usual beautiful voice, they come out as croaks.

   "You really care what they say? You really care what a few stupid teens write about you on the Internet? And you're really skipping school because of one idiot from your past?" Dash grooms her hair with a hand.

   "Of course I do. Wouldn't you be pissed if people called you gay. And you'll never know how I felt. He was my friend, and when his dad grabbed me and tied me up, it was like a knife driven through my back. He betrayed me and locked me up in a cage to be sold as a pet." The first few words catch me by surprise. Her tone was more insulting than questioning.

   "Da-" Before I could say anything, she holds up a hand, silencing me.

   "Kyle, I'll admit it, I hate living here. I hate being what I'm not. And I hate humans!" My jaw drops. Her jaw drops. She covers her mouth, but spoken words cannot be taken back. I take a deep breath. "Shit, I didn't mean that, it just came out bec-"

   "Don't... Just stop." I hush her. "Don't say anymore." I leave the room, close the door, and for the first time in a long time, I feel the need to cry. A few tears drip down my face. Inhale. And exhale.

   I grab the phone in my room and dial Centennial's number. The secretary picks up and identifies herself.

   "Centennial C.V.I, this is the office. How may I help you?"

   "Yeah, uh, this is Kyle Linston."

   "Ah, Kyle? You're the new kid? How was your first month here at Centennial? I hope to see you here ready to learn later."

   "It was great. But about coming to school today..." I fake a cough, "That's the reason why I called." I pause, and the lie almost chokes in my throat. "I'm feeling queasy so I can't come to school today."

   "Oh. I'll need to speak to one of your legal guardians about that."

   "I don't have one. I live alone." I bite my lip.

   "You live with no guardian? With Shay Brooksin? You take care of everything? Is she alright?"

   "Yeah, she still has the flu though. I swear, if I had a parent, I would have them talk to you."

   "I'm sorry honey, but you'll have to come. I can't give permission to students without getting a parent's say first. And don't make up such silly lies."

   "But-"

   "Be at school." She hangs up, leaving me alone with no one to talk to. I should really practice my lying techniques. I grumble and go downstairs to pack my lunch.

   My happiness with Dash has been replaced with sorrow and anger. Sorrow for our friendship that's seemingly falling apart since we began school and anger for Jakob. Jakob, who tore us apart years ago. Jakob, who has reentered my life to ruin it once more.

   I sling my bag over my shoulder and open the front door. Years ago, I would walk to work. Mostly due to my lack of a car. A memory clicks into my mind and I remember the day Dash and I met. I look around the garden, and find a stone. It's nice and smooth. It's about the size of a baby's fist, and is perfectly round. I pick it up. A stone. I have the urge to chuck it away, along with all my problems... But I control myself and squeeze the stone tightly. My old habit takes over, and I hold the stone to my chest as if it's the most precious gem in the world. A diamond. I sigh and drop it. If only my relationship with Dash was as strong and impenetrable as a diamond.

   I get in the car and start the engine. A thousand thoughts race through my head and stupidity almost takes over. I almost decide to skip school. The thought seems appealing but I shake it off and drive to school.

   The day drags on and on. Just on and on and on and on.i find myself thanking the gods that it's Friday. During English, I doze off and receive a detention slip for it.

   I sit alone during lunch, not eating. My stomach growls and begs for food. I forgoed breakfast this morning and I ate little dinner the night before. Not very smart but Dash's sudden depression has me full of stress and worrying.

   Throughout lunch, I felt every pair of eyes from the table of jocks on me. I was sure they were going to come and beat me up for what Dash did to Jakob but I think they would've done that already a few days ago if they planned to. Still, it nerves me knowing that I might be beaten up one day by a group of people who have gorilla strength.

   The periods after lunch passes slower than the morning block.

   After an eternity of torture, the dismissal bell finally rings. I take one look at the detention slip. A few minutes pass and I decide what to do. I crinkle the slip into a small ball and toss it away on the way out.

   Nearly a decade ago, I felt alone and helpless. Then I met Rainbow Dash. She dragged me out of my despair. Now that feeling is back.

   Scan and bag. Scan and bag. All joy has been sucked out of working. I watch the lady grab her merchandise and walk out of the store.

   A little boy walks up to the counter and sets down a pack of Pokemon cards with a ten dollar bill. I scan the cards and put the ten dollar bill into the cash register. He smiles joyously as I hand him back the pack of cards and his change. He runs to the front of the store where a woman (most likely his mother) takes the leftover money. He says, or I think he says "Thank you." I can't hear the words. His mom smiles and pulls him in for a hug. They leave the store.

   I felt a pang of jealousy seeing such a happy family like that. In a sick way, I could say I'm being greedy. I already have Dash. She means more than anything to me. Why should I be envious of someone else? I don't know.

   A few hours pass. Before the end of my shift, I pull out my cell phone and dial my home's number.

   "Kyle?" Dash croaks my name. I have Caller I.D, if anyone she doesn't know calls, I have told her to leave the phone be.

   "I'll be home in about twenty five minutes, have you eaten anything today?"

   "Not really, why?" A long silence follows. I wet my lips and mutter under my breath.

   "Don't leave the house, ok? I'm coming home." I click the end call button. I zip up my hoodie. The seasons seem to be stuck at autumn, and not budging to winter. Still, I don't want to catch a cold because of a few chilly breezes. I check out at the employee's lounge, and leave for the parking lot.

   Inside the car, I sit for a few seconds. In the past week, I found myself zoning out and staring into space for minutes more often. Dash was always there to wake me up when I daydream, she isn't here right now. I start up the engine and drive down a few blocks to Pizza Pizza, order a vegetarian pizza, and drive home with the hot italian pie beside me on the passenger seat.

   With the pizza in one hand, I fumble around with the house keys in the other hand. Opening the front door, I step in and an incoming object almost causes me the drop the pizza. Not an object... but a person. Dash has her arms around me, and I set the pizza down on the stairs to embrace her hug. She pulls back slightly to get a good look of my face.

   "I've been waiting." She forces a weak smile. But it quickly drops. "And... I'm..." She coughs a bit, and almost chokes on the word. "Sorry."

   "It wasn't your fault."

   "No, but what I said this morning, that was. It sort of just slipped out, and I didn't mean it, not at all." Dash says, not sure if her apology did the job. "Are we still friends?"

   I smile. "Of course." She wraps her arms around me once again, this time tighter. I hug her back. We stand there for a moment of silent, when our stomachs simultaneously growls.

   Dash laughs. "Hey, mind cooking some dinner?" I point at the box of pizza sitting on the stairs.

   "Figured we'd have something simpler tonight."

   "Food is food." She raises an eyebrow. "No meat?"

   "All vegeterian." We bring the pizza to the living room, where we could eat and watch television at the same time. Before I sit down, I decide to as for a silly favour. "Hey Dash?"

   "Yeah?" She says through a mouthful of pizza.

   "Do you mind giving me that welcome every night as you did before as a pony?" I laugh. She chuckles and points out a major flaw in my request.

   "Hey, don't forget I have school too now, as well as a part time job."

   "Oh yeah." She eyes the tv remote, and snatches it before I could, laughing at my feeble attempts to grab it from her.

   As I try to take the remote from her, she holds it out of my reach and flips through the channels. We're laughing like idiots, already forgotten the day we had without each other. I'm sure the sound was loud enough for the people who live in town can hear us. After all, we do live nearly two kilometers outside of Guelph. The tv channel changes like lightning, until one channel playing one particular movie captures our attention, settling us down from the fight for the remote. Speed Racer. Dash sets the remote down on the table and picks up her slice of half eaten pizza.

   Everything is fine again. The fight is over and Dash has gifted me a great refresher on memory today. What I had said about wishing our relationship being as perfect and strong as a diamond, I realize it is a diamond. No diamond can be mined out without a small chip here and there after all. It has taken all this for me to open up to it. And now I find myself forseeing better days. Even if English, history and science tests will drag most of those days down.

Chapter 18: Return

   Ky waves goodbye and runs off to his classes, leaving me alone in the hall to wish we share the same schedule at all times. I pull out my schedule from my bag, take one look at it and stuff it into my binder. I don't think I'll ever be able to memorize that thing.

   Lucky for me, first period is Phys Ed. I grab my running gear and head for the girl change rooms. I enter and someone tackles me. Jane. Oh man, this girl can be so badass sometimes. Just not now.

   "Where were you last week?" Jane squeaks. I shrug.

   "At home."

   "Doing what?"

   "Nothing." She let's go of me and I make my way to a stall to change. Unfortunately for me, that doesn't stop her from talking to me while I change.

   "Rumours have been going around that you believe you're a cartoon horse from My Little Pony." I don't reply. "People have been gossiping none stop about it. I think it died over the weekend but now that you're back, it might start up again." She knocks on the door. "Shay? Are you in there?"

   "Jane, I'm naked and changing in here. Do you really think this is the best time to tell me people have been talking behind my back?"

   "It's always a good time to share gossip." Janes sneezes. I roll my eyes.

   "Gesundheit."

   I follow Jane to the gymnasium. Inside, I see the one person that I do not want to see ever again. Talk about bad luck! He still has his cast around his arm, and is sitting on the bench flirting with Carrie and Wendy. He immediately sees me and waves.

   "C'mon Shay, let's go to where Carrie and Wendy are." Jane stares at Jakob with a dreamy expression. Bleah. What does she think she's doing? This is... SO... NOT... COOL...

   "Uh, I think I'll stay here." That didn't do the trick. Jane grabs both my arms and drags me over. Or at least she tries to.

   "Oh no you won't. You MUST meet Jakob Wooding. He is just charming and totally hot." I grumble.

   "No Jane. I already met him. And I know him better," I pause to clench my teeth, "than I want to." Jane raises a brow, but doesn't let me go.

   "Hey Jakob!" Janes waves to him with her free hand. Jakob stands up and walks over to meet us half way.

   "Hello Jane." I can feel his eyes on me, looking me all over. What a creep. If the girls at this school think this guy is cool, that is just... not cool. "Hello... Rainbow."

   Wendy defends me, "Jakob, don't make fun of her. Those rumours can be hurtful." Jakob licks his lips.

   "It's not a rumour. It's a fact." My fists itches to meet his face, but I hold back the urge.

   "Shay isn't Rainbow Dash. Only some lunatic would believe that. Her hair is obviously dyed by a professional." Jane nudges me. "You still need to tell me where you got that dye though."

   I open my mouth to diss Jakob but he stops me and asks me the most outrageous thing.

   "So Shay, are you free this Friday? I figure we can go see a movie and have some dinner or something." Jane's jaw hits the floor along with Wendy's and Carrie's. Before I could decline, they grab me and pull me to the side.

   "Jakob Wooding just asked you out," Wendy squeaks.

   "This is the opportunity of a lifetime. No girl has ever had the glory of dating him!"

   "Shay, you lucky girl."

   I swallow and pull away from all three of my friends. I silently walk over to Jakob, and slap him across the face.

   "I will never go out with you. Ever." I emphasize the word "ever". If he thinks I would date him, then he needs some serious help. He does. He brings being creepy to a whole new level. "And I'm already with someone else. Someone who actually supports me."

   "Rainbow..." He slinks away to chat with two other boys. One glares at me, and one just stands and calmly stares. Our eyes meet and he turns away, face red and blushing. Uh oh.

   Mr. Jackson, the gym teacher, finally walks in. He's pretty cool. I mean, cool for someone who would probably recommend you speedos before a big swim race with a large audience. Swimming isn't something I'm very good at, but that's not the point here.

   As Mr. Jackson gave us some pointers for shooting hoops, I feel the eyes of a certain boy sitting on the bench giving me looks. Through my eyes, I shoot him a cold look. Seriously, what is up with this kid? I was almost SOLD to some slave driving creep because of him.

   And then, a memory washes over me. Memories.

   The boy freezes. He watches me with huge eyes. His small hands tremble. "Uh, hi there!" I break the silence and fly over to him. If I'm gonna reveal myself, might as well go all out. "I'm Rainbow Dash. What's your name?"

   "Jakob," The boy whispers, "W-what are you!" Heheh, this could be fun. I look away, and twist my face into the worst I could, making sure Jakob doesn't see. I suddenly flash my expression to him.

   "I'm a demon here to gobble you up!" I boom. Jakob screams and jumps to his feet, making a full out sprint for the exit of the forest. Oops, might've overdid it. I stretch out my wings and in an instance, I find myself flying beside the terrified Jakob. He glances at me and continues to run. "Hey kid, I'm sorry, I was just kidding," I apologize.

   "You're a bloody monster! Stay away from me!" He shrieks. But due to his inability to watch where he is going, he trips over a root and the inevitable, he falls and of course gets hurt. "Ow! Ow!" Jakob grips his ankle, "Ouch! I think I sprained it!" I watch him with sympathy. He sees me settle down beside him and backs away, using his hands to drag himself.

   "Hold still, I'm not gonna hurt you," I reassured. "Get on." I offer him my back. Jakob pulls himself up, and climbs onto my back. He's not very heavy, weighs about 70 or 80 pounds. Very scrawny. With the boy holding me tightly, I take flight. He gasps, I think he's stunned speechless due to my awesomeness. Ha. I smile, and zoom back to Kyle's house. I spy through the glass door, Kyle isn't home yet. Good. I set the boy down on the couch, and leave to grab a box of cookies from the cabinet. Jakob is lying on the couch, he turns his head when I enter the room, and spots the cookies. His face lits up. I pass the box to him. He tears apart the packaging and scarfs down cookie after cookie. Seriously, he seems worst than Spike with ice cream, and he reminds me of Tank II eating his steak, my heart warms up. The whole box empties quickly. Jakob tosses the box to the side and looks my way.

   "Thanks I suppose, haven't eaten like that... in a... while." His voice shrinks to a small whisper. Aw man, don't go all Fluttershy on me! Great, that's the last thing I need. "What I wanted to say is, I don't get cookies very often." He grins. I don't know what to say. My mind acted on it's own, bringing this kid here.

   "Hey," I say, "Is your ankle any better?" He hops off the couch and stamps his foot around.

   "Doesn't hurt anymore," He says, "I have to go now, dad'll be mad at me if I get home while it's dark."

   "Oh... Before you leave, can you tell me why you were wandering this far?" I question, the boy looks confused. "You do realize that the forest and the field are private property."

   "No, dad just dropped me off here, he said I should find something to do instead of bothering him." I shake my head.

   "Tell your dad that the owner warned you off. And the next time you come back," I smirk, "I'll put you in my stew." Jakob gulps and turns pale.

   "Y-yes, Miss." His voice trembles and he runs out through the back door. I watch as the boy known as Jakob hurries to the road yards from the house and climbs into a white car. The car drives off, although he has left, I get the bugging feeling this is not the last time I've seen of Jakob. And hey, I'll give the kid credit if he's brave enough to come back.

Knock, knock, knock. Kyle isn't home, I hesitate, stuck between the choices of opening the door or leaving it be. My curiosity gets the best of me and I fly over to see who's at the door.

   The door opens and the boy from the day before waves. "Hi."

   "I thought I told you not to come back."

   "Yeah b-but, I was wondering if you want to come out and play?" He puts on a smile. There isn't anything to do than watch television anyways. I hover out and close the door.

   "Sooo... What do you want to do?"

   "Can I pet you?" Jakob looks up and smiles. I fly a bit upwards, away from the kid. No way. I'm not some animal for people to go around and pet.

   "No. I'm no human's pet." That would just be degrading. I mean, I'm a first class athlete in Equestria. I shouldn't be treated as some soft kitten. And Kyle doesn't treat me as a pet. We're equals. Or at least I think. Doesn't matter, if anything, I'm the best of the two.

   "So? You look cute now that I think of it." Cute... Cute... What the hay?

   "Cool, but not cute, kid." I begin to rethink about coming outside.

   "There's nothing to do except explore that stupid forest. And we've already done that."

   I fly down and land beside Jakob.

   "Can I ride you?"

   "No."

   "Why not? You let me yesterday."

   "You hurt your ankle yesterday. Don't expect me to be some taxi or some sort." I stretch my wings, which for some reason to him was an ok to touch them. He runs his fingertips across my feathers. His hand is sweaty. Very sweaty. I don't know what his deal is but I pull away, keeping the kid's hand off of me.

   "Can I have some cookies?" I grumble and bring the kid inside the house where I pull out a box of cookies from the cupboards.

   He had made himself home on the couch and is now watching cartoons on the television. I hand him the box of cookies and sit down beside him. It was strange it but felt more comforting to have company while Kyle is away at work. Maybe I should invite this kid over more often.

Chapter 19: Through Rainbow's Eyes

*Message: Before you read this chapter, I would like to announce that there will be most likely no new chapters next weekend. Summer is starting for me next week and it's the only week my mom gets off. So they're planning to take us shopping in the States over the weekend and go camping some time after. Sorry bout this but I'll release on the first weekend in July. Which is... Friday the 6th. In the mean time if you get bored, you can read my one shot human fiction: A Brony's Tale if you haven't. (On my profile.) I'll still be on and around the site over this week, just not writing or publishing new chapters.

Have a great summer all of you.

xoxo,

Inu

   "Look Dash, I know that kid is the only other person you can talk to here," He begins, "But I need you to stop hanging out with him." I snort. Stop hanging out with Jakob? As if!

   "Ky, I don't know what the buck is up with you lately, but forget it. I don't want to stay lonely," I say. His eyes pierce through mine, saying, "Seriously?"

   "You have me, we'll continue our life right? And he's just a kid, he's human, not a pet for you to pamper. A small move and he could open his mouth and blow your cover." He mutters. I grow angry. Very angry. Kyle is being a complete jerk about this.

  "Is it always about you!?" I snap, "You're not the center of the Earth Kyle. Thought you'd know that. What am I to you? Some stupid pet you can boss around!? I'm like two bucking years younger than you, stop treating me like a kid." Kyle winces but before he could speak up, I cut him short and continue yelling.

   "That's it! I've had it with your stupid jealousy. I've had it with all your stupid rules that forbid me from exploring this world! Kyle, I'm sick of this, I'm sick of you!" I almost never raise my voice on a friend. But Kyle isn't acting as much of a friend here and I hate him so much for it. I storm off to the back door, open it, and fly out. "I'm LEAVING!" I don't want to live with some stupid jealous jerk who wants to keep me to himself. I deserve more than that. Before I left, I swear I heard something hit the wall. Probably my PS3 controller but by now, I can't give a crap about such things. The point is Kyle is a jerk and he deserves to be alone. I thought he'd be cool but I guess not. Why did I even pick him to live with in the first place? He chucked a snowball at me and slammed the door in my face on day one.

   The night is dark, and I fly into the forest. A shadowed figure standing beside the tree almost gives me a heart attack. I land and a few twigs snap under my hooves. The figure whips around and the moonlight reveals his face. Jakob.

   "Rainbow Dash? What are you doing out here?" he asks, confused. I sigh.

   "Take me with you," I say. Jakob blinks, and sticks a finger in his left ear as if to clear out any wax blocking his hearing.

   "Pardon?"

   "Take me with you, I'm not living here anymore." I watch the corner of his lips tug into a smile.

   "C'mon, follow me." He waves and walks into the forest. I follow.

   "I'm glad you finally came out, Rainbow Dash." The boy grinned. "I thought you'd be stuck in that smelly old house forever!" I laughed.

   "Yeah well, I don't want to go back THERE, that's for sure. The house just lost its coolness." I shrugged. Jakob grooms me and rubbed his face against my side.

   "Y-you're warm."

   "Your face is icy cold. Are you feeling alright?" I hope the kid isn't coming up with a fever or whatever. I'm not a doctor.

   "Yeah, I'm fine. It just... feels nice being with you. You're so awesome."

   "Psh. Where are we going anyways?" Jakob had led me into the forest beside he-who-will-not-be-named's house.

   "Oh, you didn't know? Dad said you can come live with us anytime in case you needed to. His car is just parked on the other side of this forest."

   "Really?" Starting a life with this boy seemed interesting. I wondered if they have a field where I can fly around on.

   "Yes really."

   "Sounds cool." We passed the tree where I had engraved my and his names on. I wished I could stop for a moment, pick up a stone, and scratch his name out. The way he's treated me, doesn't deserve to be with me. Freaking idiot doesn't even know me that well. If I want open space, I want open space. I don't want to be confined to some stupid house, unable to fly.

   A few minutes pass, and we come to the end of the forest. Moonlight shines down onto my face and a breeze ruffles my feathers once we step out. Feels nice. A white car is parked at the side of the road. It must be Jakob's dad or mom. Or both.

   I don't take a last look at my old home. Why should I? Obviously I will be more happier living with Jakob's family. Kyle will wish he still has me. I swear.

   Jakob opens the car door for me and I hover in. I sit on the left, behind the driver. Jakob climbs in and sits on the other side. Before I could say anything, the driver greets me.

   "That's quite the catch you got there, son." The voice sound familiar. Too familiar.

   "Thanks, dad." Wait... Catch? What's going on?

   The man in the driver's seat turns to face us both. I reconize that mug anywhere. The man who had a knife at Kyle's throat the day he took me to the theatre. Tim or something. I frown.

   "I'm leaving." I reach for the door handle. Tim steps on the gas, lunging the car forward and throwing me back in my seat.

   "Oh no you aren't." I bite my lip. The car is speeding away. I look out the back window as the forest and Kyle's house grows smaller and smaller.

   "Jakob, what are you doing? This guy is dangerous."

   "He was the only one who wanted to take me." Jakob grins. I don't know either if this kid is really stupid and doesn't know what's going on or he's been plotting against me this whole time. "Daddy, what're we going to do with her?" My heart sinks.

   "I booked an auction at the River Run Centre for free. We're going to sell it." It. Sell it. I clench my teeth. First chance I get, I'm going to fly the crap out of there and back to Kyle's house. I just hope my sense of direction will help me backtrack.

   The car pulls into the parking lot beside a large building. The words River Run Centre hang over the door. Tim climbs out the car first and goes to the rear end to get something. I don't know what.

   The minute he left the vehicle, I begin to fumble furiously with the knob. These hooves aren't that flexible, but my ability to grasp things with my hooves has grown significantly since Kyle bought that PS3. I open the door and jump out. My wings spread and I jump to gain air. Something crashes into me and pins me to the ground. Jakob. I forgot all about this brat. I flail, trying to throw the kid off, but his hold on me is tight.

   "Good job." Tim returns from the trunk. He grabs my left hind leg with one hand and pick me up so I dangle. I feel ropes wrap around my legs, and they soon tightly bound my hind legs together. Tim does the same with my fronts. He then tosses me into a large dog cage sitting on the ground. Some pebbles sticking from the holes between the bars poke and bruise me. Dirt and sand stick against my fur. I struggle against the ropes, but it's no use. They had been tied tightly and the position I'm in saps my energy.

   Tim picks up the cage containing me, and enters the building. We enter a theatre-

   "Shay! Watch out!" Jane's voice calls. I snap back into the present, but it was too late. An orange basketball smacks my face. It drops and rolls away. I rub my cheek. "Are you ok?" Jane runs up beside me, "What were you doing? You should've seen that coming!" I frown.

   "Who threw that?"

   "Sorry!" Carrie calls from the line of students shooting hoops. Jane shakes her head.

   "That girl's aim is as bad as a monkey's. But you!" She points a finger at me, "Surely they didn't put you as head of the track team with a reaction like that?"

   "Whatever. I was just thinking about something."

   "Okayyyy." Jane turns away to leave. I sigh a breath of relief. The blonde girl quickly whips around and has her face not even inches from mine. "Thinking about what?"

   I push her away. "Wow, you really can't mind your own buisiness, eh."

   "Not my fault you told me you were thinking."

   "Not my fault I'm not telling." I stick out a tongue. The bell rings, dismissing us from gym class. The students pour out of the gymnasium to the change rooms. I leave. Or was about to at least.

   "Brooksin!" Mr. Jackson calls. I turn my head to face the gym teacher.

   "Yeah?"

   "Next time in Phys Ed... At least do something please." Without him seeing, I roll my eyes.

   "Will do." I leave, rubbing my head. I can't believe I completely zoned out like that. It was so realistic, as if I was reliving the memory. It felt good, almost. Except the memory blew. I wish it was something cooler. Maybe like the time we purged Nightmare Moon. Man that was a heck of an adventure. Forgetting the matter, I slip off to the change room where my friends are waiting for me.

Chapter 20: Loyalty Shows

   The lunch bell rings and I'm the first one out of the room. Ms. Piare is in a good mood today and decided not to hand out homework. Which is why I got out quick because knowing the intelligence of the kids at this school, one of them will do something idiotic and we'll all get double the homework than usual instead a night of no science homework.

   I grab my lunch and rush off to the cafeteria. As usual, Dash is already sitting with her friends. I sit down beside her. Right on cue, Jordan walks in through the doors and spots me immediately. He smirks at Dash. She frowns.

   Jordan pulls up a seat beside me and laughs. "You should've seen your girlfriend in gym this morning! She completely zoned out and was knocked over by a basketball." I grin. That IS pretty funny. It sounds too stupid in a sport to be something to be done by Dash. But her face turns red and that's all I need to verify Jordan's information. I burst into laughter.

   Dash slugs me on the shoulder. It doesn't hurt as the usual ones but I guess I'm used to it by now.

   "C'mon Shay, how often do you fail in something that falls under the sports catergory?"

   "Whatever." She returns to her lunch. That reminds me that I have a lunch to eat too. I stare at the sacked lunch. Probably another peanut butter sandwich. I push my lunch aside. Not hungry.

   I look around the room. What would I be doing right now if I wasn't stuck this way? Where would I be? In my office bossing around employees most likely. I feel bad for skipping out on work everyday. It's been nearly a month and a half since I stepped a foot near the restaurant. Maybe I should call in just to let them know I'm alright. No. That would be a bad idea. Until Twilight comes, I guess I'll have to stick with working at Target and getting paid minimum wage.

   I notice a few kids at the jocks table stare at me. I don't even know why they're considered the jocks. Who decides who falls under what catergory? If I wasn't this close with Dash, I'd probably be sitting alone in a corner. I guess school just flows this way.

   Someone sitting at another table stands up and walks to the trash can, throwing out his garbage. I don't know what catergory that table falls under but I see them hanging around together a lot. One of the boys sitting at the table has shaggy hair. He's wearing a Batman shirt. The boy that had gone to throw away his garbage is now sitting down and chatting with his friends again. On his pitch black shirt, he has a few what seems like Japanese symbols. Sitting beside him is a boy with headphones on. He's wearing a black leather jacket. Nothing about him seems significant to me... except his large nose.

   I look back to the first boy wearing the Batman shirt. His friend beside him is Asian. Something about him catches my attention. His shirt. On the back is the word Brony. I've heard about bronies before. Older males viewing My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

   None of those boys are in any of my classes. Then again, it wouldn't be normal if they are. They look like twelth graders. This is most likely their last year here, unless one of them plan on retaking next year. It's possible.

   Dash taps me on the shoulder. "Where are you staring at? That table of chicks over there?"

   "No. I'm looking at some nerds."

   "Why?"

   "No apparent reason. Yo check out that guy's shirt." I point at the Asian. She takes one look at his shirt and chuckles.

   "That's pretty funny. Yet kind of creepy that somehow this world could monitor our activity." I know it's weird, and it still keeps me wondering sometimes. I don't know if Hasbro created My Little Pony and their world came to be or if they already existed before and Hasbro somehow got footage of them. Either way sounds highly unlikely but it has to be one of them. Or maybe the two don't have any relation at all and Hasbro just got lucky. No. That can't be it.

   The bell rings and lunch ends. Dash makes a shot at garbage with her crinkled up paper lunchbag. Of course, she gets it in with one shot. I walk over and toss my lunchbag in. I wish my aim is as good as her's.

   I grab my binder and follow Dash to her locker. "We have history next, right?" She asks.

   "Yeah, and guess who's in our class." I'm talking about Jakob of course. She groans.

   "I was with that loser during Phys Ed. How many times more do I have to see him each day?" She pauses before continuing again. "This morning, he asked me out." It takes a moment for me to process it.

   "Pardon?" I need to hear it again, to be sure I heard what I just heard.

   "Jakob asked me out this morning."

   A fire inside me burns. It feels weird and I don't know what it is. No. I know exactly why it's burning. Feelings. Feelings I have for Dash. I inhale a deep breath, and extinguish the fire with an exhale. "What'd you do?"

   "Completely crushed his heart, or at least I hope I did."

   I smile. She truly does represents loyalty.

   We enter a rowdy history class and take seats beside each other near the back of the room. Mr. Ustura sits at his desk at the front, waiting for the class to quiet down. Everyone notices and shuts up.

   "We have entered week two of our research time. I hope you have a good amount of research already done." I groan and pull out my notes. So far... I have half a page of information down. I suppose some people would blame it on my partner's absence but I wouldn't say it's her fault.

   Mr. Ustura walks around the room, handing out one textbook to each pair of partners. He passes a textbook to me, but doesn't leave without noticing my notes. "You two better get working." I nod. Dash moans.

   "I. Hate. History. What is World War Two anyways?" Dash asks.

   Uh oh.

   I don't know much about it either, only the gist of how and who started it. Nothing else, no details on what happened or how it ended. I pass her the notes and grin. "Why don't you add on to our research? I did the first half, now it's your turn." She grumbles, opens the textbook and flips to the page on World War Two.

   "Who's Adolf Hitler?"

   "The guy who started the war." Please don't ask any more questions. Please...

   "Why'd he start it?" Drat. Dash grins and slugs me on the shoulder. "Just kidding, all that information is down in this book." I sigh. She sets the book aside. "This is boring, I read one page and almost fell asleep."

   I bury my face in my arms. Someone taps on my shoulder. I look at Dash, expecting her to have a question. But she's reading an Indiana Jones novel that she had fished from her binder. I look up. Austin Weiss hangs his head over me. He's a brown haired kid with large muscular arms. Knowing that hes one of Jakob's friends, this won't be good.

   "Hey new kid, you slacking off during class?" Austin grunts. I squint at him and stick my tongue out. "Look over there." He points at Jakob, who is on a laptop, doing research. "He's an amazing person, and we all think he deserves the best for the upcoming Snow Dance." Snow Dance? That's not for another... month.

   "So? I'm not going to go to the dance with him," I blurt. Ten seconds later, I realize how stupid I sounded. Austin facepalms.

   "You think you're funny? Or do you think I'm just really stupid?"

   "I'm not funny." Dash bursts into laughter and jabs me in the side with her elbow. I turn to her, "What?" She comes in close and whispers in my ear.

   "If you're not funny, then it has to be the other option." I think for a moment, and laugh.

   "Look buddy, we can make you someone, not just another loser hanging out with that group of girls. We'll accept you into our group of friends," says Austin. I yawn. Popularity doesn't interest me at all.

   "I'm listening," says Dash. I nudge her.

   "What're you saying?!"

   "Well, I don't want to stay a nobody."

   Ugh. Austin pats me on the back. "So? How about we give you popularity, and in exchange, Rainbow Dash there will go on a date with Jakob at the Snow Dance." I open my mouth to decline but Dash interupts me.

   "No." Dash stands up. And slaps Austin. "No means no. I already told him that I wouldn't go out with him. All the popularity in the world isn't worth that."

   "Fine." Austin turns to me. "We aren't going to forget this. It's either Jakob decides to search for a girl of his own, or, he gets this one." He points at Dash. This one. He didn't call her by her name. He didn't call her a her. He called her "this one". I drop my pencil and stand up.

   "Shut up." I speak the words loud and clear.

   "Weiss and Linston!" Mr. Ustura calls, "Sit down in your seats!" Austin grumbles and walks back to his desk beside Jakob. I sit down again beside Dash. She curls her hand into a fist and I bump it with my own fist.

   "Don't worry. I wouldn't leave you for my own needs." Her words warm my heart and I smile.

   "Thank you."

   Loyalty. Yes. That who she is. I wish to stay with her forever. I will stay with her forever. And at this moment while jotting down notes from the history textbook, Jordan's words from two days ago echo through my ears.

"You asking Shay to the Snow Dance?"

-A message from Me-

    Do my eyes deceive me? No. They don't. Wow! It's been 20 chapters already! The other day I was asked by one of my friends "How long do you hope to keep this up? You'll run out of filler ideas eventually!" Of course I will. But I'm not gonna wrap it up just yet. I expect this fiction to run on for probably another, say, 10-15 more filler chapters? Don't cry, the end of one story means the beginning of another. Also, if my highschool scenes do lack quality, it is because I am struggling to

write them. I haven't experienced highschool yet, and won't for another two months. I'm still a kitten compared to some of you tigers out there.

-Inu

Chapter 21: First Day of Snow

I'm on the couch watching television with Dash. I don't know what we're watching. The screen is blurry. It doesn't matter because Dash and I are having a nice conversation. A wave of coldness hits me. I shiver and tell Dash to wait a second. Running up the stairs, I feel colder and colder each step. Something must be wrong. I throw on ten sweaters but they don't change anything. What the heck is going on? I dive under my blanket, trying to warm up. No additional heat comes. No HEAT comes. And the cold is sudden unbearable. I'm going to die like this. No. Please, no.

   A hundred shivers are sent down my back. My eyes jolt open. Just a dream? It seems so, for I'm in bed. In bed with no blanket or anything covering me except my pajamas. The window is wide open and cold wind must've blown in.

   I get up and walk over to the window. Snickers are heard from outside my bedroom door. Why am I not surprised? As I approach the window, I notice that it's very bright outside. Rushing forward, I look out to see nothing but white. Thick sparkling snow cover the ground and rooftops. The snow on the road looks at least a foot deep. This happened overnight?

   The door swings open and Dash barges in, grinning. She tosses my blanket back onto my bed.

   "School's cancelled today, so I figured I'd let you sleep in." She winks. Sleep in? Waking me up with cold air is NOT letting me sleep in. At least there's no school today.

   "Yeah, if your idea of sleeping in is five minutes more of sleep," I point out. Dash chuckles and she points out something else. Literally points out something. She points at my digital clock.

   It reads 11:07 AM.

   "Sounds like Mr. Sunshine is still a bit sleepy." I grumble and shoo her out of my room so I can change into my clothes for the day.

   Downstairs, I find Dash playing PS3. It's a bit early but I suppose there's nothing else to do on a snow day. The snow outside is way too deep for us to walk through, and this is only the beginning, the first day of winter.

   I grab a a slice of bread and pop it into the toaster. Then I pour myself a cup of orange juice and bring my breakfast to the living room where Dash is playing Call of Duty: Black Ops. I nibble on my toast as I watch Dash make headshot after headshot from her camping location. She's amazing at this game, but sometimes I wonder if it's too much for her. I mean, she did grow up in a land where they keep harmony in check and violence rarely happens.

   "Erm, how can you stomach shooting these people and still not be able eat meat?" I ask.

   "Because one, it's just a video game and two, you don't see me eating the dead bodies of the people I kill."

   I'm just glad Dash is smart and doesn't take video gaming too seriously. Sure she is really, really competitive while playing, but other than that, she doesn't let her mind run wild on nothing but video games. She doesn't like losing though. So I suppose it's sort of a perk that I suck at every sort of video game. She can beat me all she wants, and still get that great feeling knowing I'm trying my hardest to win. Of course, there has been a few times I cheated by peeking at her screen, but I haven't even gotten five kills on her in a single round before.

   I finish my food and Dash passes me a controller. "Up for some Zombies?" I nod. This is the only game mode where I don't bite the dust against her while playing. I think of her as more of a do-all-the-work ally during Zombies. But she thinks of me as that-person-you-must-steal-kills-from type of ally.

   We spend the rest of the morning shooting zombies and surviving through multiple rounds. Eventually, we get tired of playing. Dash yawns, and tosses the controller aside. "One sec, Ky." She grins. "I have a surprise for you." This is either going to be really good or really bad.

   "Does it include going outside?"

   "No." She leaves the room and heads to the kitchen. Sounds of her opening the fridge could be easily audible from where I am. Slam. Then it's nothing but silence. Ten seconds later, I hear a huge crash. The sound was loud enough to make me jump. I hop off the couch and quickly rush to the kitchen to see what's going on.

   "Dash, are you-" I barely make it through the kitchen door before something wet and cold hits me in the face. The substance drips off my face and I wipe the remainder off. Snow? I wipe my wet hands on my pants. "What's going o-" A wave of snowballs hit me in the face, some drip down my neck into my shirt. I open my eyes to see Dash beside a pile of snowballs on the kitchen counter. The mischievous look in her eyes tell me that, well, I'm screwed. She picks up another snowball and is about to throw it. I raise my hands, as if someone had just pointed a gun at me. "No, wait, I'm not ready." She shrugs and throws it anyways. I duck, but not fast enough. Like the ones before, it hits my face dead on.

   "Like I'm going to give you time to prepare!" She begins to laugh.

   I scoop a handful of the leftover snowballs that I had wiped off my face off the ground and pat it down into a round ball. With all my might, I chuck the snowball straight at Dash. It's a bullseye, right in the face. The shock of being hit causes Dash to take many steps back. She shakes the snow off and rubs her eyes... and reaches for her pile of snowballs...

   "Ooh, you're gonna get it now."

   Parts of the snowball I threw at her got into her hair somehow and melted. The six colors now glisten brightly in the kitchen light. Six. Probably more than the number of seconds I have to escape.

   I run out the kitchen, and a wave of snowballs are sent flying towards me. I slam the door close on the way out and luckily none of the snow makes it out the kitchen. It'll be less of a mess to clean up later. I could hear Dash fumbling with the kitchen doorknob, and most likely she's carrying an armful of snowballs. I quickly run for the bathroom, dive inside and lock the door. She knocks on the door. Not knock actually more like pounding.

   "Open up."

   I grin, finally safe from the icy cold projectiles. "No thanks." I sit against the door, listening to Dash's breathing.

   "Pssh, the snowballs are melting."

   "Eh, where did you even get those anyways?"

   "Outside, duh. I got up early this morning to collect them while you were asleep."

   I cough. "Tryhard."

   "What'd you just call me?"

   "A beaut."

   Minutes pass, we sit in silence. It seems now Dash is just waiting for me to come out so she can hit me with a snowball. I can stay here for the rest of the day, I mean, there's a toilet in here. And a shower. All I need is food and I can never leave. Maybe if this drags out too long I'll have to make a run for it, or eat toothpaste to prevent myself from starving.

   "Ky?"

   "Yeah?"

   "My legs are suddenly crampy, wanna come out here and massage them?"

   "Who'd wanna rub your stinky legs?" I laugh. I'm just joking of course, I don't know what her legs smell like. That'd be just weird... and creepy.

   "That's not cool man."

   "It's as cool as the melting snowballs in your hand, or what's left of them."

   "Whatever, I'm gonna go rest my legs." I hear shuffling and footsteps. The coast is now clear and I can leave my hiding spot in the washroom.

   But I don't want to.

   I sit here, thinking about my life with Dash. I do that a lot. Especially these past two months. I almost forgot that I'm really over thirty years old. Maybe Twilight will come soon. Maybe. I haven't heard from her in like forever. It'd be nice to get an explanation on why Dash and I were transformed to be young again.

   I'm suddenly exhausted. I don't know why, but my eyelids slowly droop down. It feels so peaceful right now, sitting against the door on my bathroom floor. My mind shuts off and I fall into dreamless sleep.

   My eyes flutter open. I groan and stand up. My feet are asleep. I can't believe I dozed off in the bathroom. The house is engulfed in silence. I strain my ear to hear any sounds that can be audible but nothing except my soft breathing reaches my ear drums. I grab the doorknob above me and pull myself up. A few stamps of my feet causes the blood to start moving again and the dull feeling leaves.

   I unlock the door and walk out into the hall. I look out the window. Night has fallen and darkness blankets everything. The snow shimmers in the moonlight. It's beautiful.

   I fish my iPhone from my pocket. My finger clicks down the power button and the screen lights up. The time reads 10:33. Holy cow. I was asleep on the floor for nearly ten hours? How the hell did this happen? Apart from that, I'm still feeling a bit groggy right now. I sigh and make my way to the living room. Maybe I can sleep on one of the two couches. Thank god it's Friday and there's no school tomorrow.

   I walk into the living room. But it didn't felt like walking, I felt like I was swaying like a drunk person. I'm just really, really, really, really sleepy right now. I don't know why because I slept in this morning and had an extra ten hours of sleep after that.

   I notice something on the couch I was about to sleep on. Someone to be precise. Dash. Her hands are under her head, like a pillow, some strands of yellow, orange and red hair cover over her face and eyes and one of her legs is hanging loosely from the couch. I smirk. Maybe I should get a snapshot of this. It's almost sort of cute.

   I notice her left leg twitch. Once. Twice. Then it stops twitching. Weird. Maybe she twitches in her sleep, I don't know.

   I settle down on the other couch. I realize it's abnormal to sleep this much. Maybe I should look into getting myself checked at a doctor. Eh, doesn't matter. Dash mumbles something too quiet for me to hear in her sleep. I smile, shut my eyes and once again deep slumber awaits me.

Chapter 22: Two Weeks Overview

****If you haven't, read the blog post on my profile. Thanks that'll be all.

   Dash's legs have been cramping up daily. I asked her if she wanted to get them checked at the doctor but she just told me she was afraid of them and that it's probably just a growth spurt or something. I shrugged it off as well, it's normal for teens to have crampy legs, right? I mean, my legs had that crampish aching feeling when I was a teen, for the first time that is.

   Something I had just recently realized was that Dash and I are both the same age now. I used to be around two years older but Twilight's spell had turned us both into sixteen year olds. I guess she just didn't know our age difference or something. I liked being older. It made me feel that I was the more responsible one of the two of us and gave me the feeling of power. I don't know where Twilight is going with this, but I just hope she has her reasons.

   Dash started watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic more often. I can watch the show. In fact, I enjoy watching it, and so does she. But I don't know how awkward it is for her to watch herself. I compared her to the Rainbow Dash in the show. She acts a bit different but not much changed. Maybe it's because being in a different dimension has influefed her. During the Sonic Rainboom episode, she stood up and proudly announced that one day she would perform it once again and there ain't nothing stopping her despite being a completely different species than she was. That's Dash for you, and I actually wish to see how she would pull it off, even though I forbid her to try. There's a difference between wishing and allowing.

   Friendship is Magic ended at six seasons. The Hub still plays reruns but Canada's young children's network, Treehouse, has cancelled it. Apparently they could no longer air it on Treehouse because of some of the soft violence in the season two finale and the large older male audience they were getting. This was actually really amusing. I wonder who the first people to call themselves the name "brony" are.

   The other day I wore one of the hoodies that no longer fit me because of my turning younger and went to check on the restaurant. It was like being wrapped in an oversized blanket. The reason for me not wearing something my size was so none of the staff at the restaurant would reconize me with the hood pulled over my face. I felt like an assassin. Anyways, I asked one of the waiters to see the manager, and to my relief, he told me that the normal manager is out of the country in Europe and he would gladly take me to the temporary manager. I shook my head and just made up a lie about needing to see the normal manager. He shrugged and walked away. It relieved me to see I wasn't fired and that only a temporary manager was placed. The boss must really love me. And in a way, he almost feels like family to me. Like a grandpa that just isn't related to me. He said something about retiring a few months ago but no one took him seriously. I walked out of the restaurant with smile and dinner in my arms.

    There are a few people in my life I never want to see again. Take Tim for example. The one who almost stole Dash from my life and caused me lots of pain as a child. And his once adopted "son" Jakob, who helped him kick the plan in action. Then, there was Jerry. Tim's best friend from the orphanage. I can now gladly cross him off my list.

   I never expected Jerry to be in town again. I never expected to see him again. He went on to become a scientist studying mutating and cloning cells. I bumped into him at the theatre, literally bumped into him and spilled my popcorn. Dash had a good laugh. He didn't reconize me of course, but I reconized him. He didn't ask for my name, thank god. He said I looked familiar, but that was about it. I asked him about his connection with this theatre, and he just shook his head and said, "More than a decade ago here, I did something to a person I now regret. If I could meet that person again, I would apologize." I almost gave away my idendity there. Almost. But I bit my

tongue and resisted the urge to tell him who I am. Wouldn't it be awkward to explain to him why I'm less than half his age? Of course it'd be. I just waved goodbye, and he offered a warm smile. One that reached to me and told me this wasn't the Jerry who insulted me and kicked me in the shin years ago. He's changed, and I'm glad.

   Tomorrow is the Snow Dance at school. I asked Dash to it. It was the most awkwardest moment of my life. For a second I thought she'd decline but she just smiled and offered me a fist bump. She didn't say any more. Her actions told me she accepted my request. Only now, I don't know what to do. I've never been on a date before, if this is what a date is considered. I don't know how to dance either, or how to act. I know to just be polite and it'll run smoothly, but Dash is... special. Maybe the Internet will help. I don't know. But it just takes a load off my chest knowing I won't be walking around the dance alone.

Chapter 23: Snow Dance - Simply Unforgettable

   "Ky! What's taking you so long?" I fumble with my tie. Something semi-formal is required for the Snow Dance, but I don't really get the difference between semi and full-on formal. I grunt; this stupid tie isn't really looking that great. "My feet are cramping in these dumb high heels! Whatever you're doing, do it faster!" I rip the tie off. I just don't see how some people can perfectly tie their ties. And the idea of wearing something tight around my neck didn't really appeal to me.

   "Coming!" I slip on the pair of leather shoes I bought and rush out my room. Dash is sitting on the last set of stairs with a bored expression on her face. She looks up at me. Wow. Just wow. Have you ever gone to your first dance and your date is dressed so amazingly you can't couldn't even reconize they're your date? That's happening to me right now. I hadn't checked out Dash's outfit earlier, mostly due to me having to get my own clothes as well. But trust me, she looks beautiful. Her multi-colored hair is tied into a loose ponytail with a light red band. The dress she wears is a lovely shade of sky blue. And her high heels look, just uncomfortable.

   "What took you so long? I've been waiting for a good ten minutes." She taps her foot softly against the marble tiled floor, seemingly losing her patience.

   "Well, you could say I was a bit tied up!" I chuckle.

   "What do you mean tied up? Where'd you get the rope?" She asks with a blank look on her face. I sigh. My bad puns are wasted on her. I grab my coat and hand her hers.

   "Nevermind, let's just go."

   My car pulls into the school's parking lot. It's jam-packed with the cars of other students and teachers. Luckily, the last open space awaits me and I park my car there. I pull my keys out and the engine slowly dies down. A sigh escapes my mouth; I'm kind of nervous. I open the door and climb out of the car. Dash catches up beside me and we walk together inside.

   The school is nicely decorated. Over the front doors of the gym hangs a banner that says: Welcome students! Snow Dance awaits you! White paper snowflakes covered in glitter are taped around the doors and paper crinkled into balls which seemingly are suppose to be snowballs hang from the ceiling on fishing string. We hang up our coats on the hooks beside the gymnasium entrance.

   Dash and I enter the gym. I expected it to be something small, and that students would just hang around and talk. What really awaited me wasn't that at all. Guys and girls around holding each others hands, some by the waste and twirling slowly to the music. Dash's jaw hits the floor. "They want US to do that?" I blush.

   "Well, we could stand around for now." I notice a few people, Jordan among them, hanging around the table with punch and point in their direction. "Let's go there." I reach out for her hand, and she puts on a face as if she is reluctant to do this, but holds my hand anyways. We walk through the crowd of dancing lovers. Dash stumbles a bit in her high heels, but I make sure she keeps her balance. As we near the refreshments, Jordan notices me immediately and gulps down his punch quickly. He tosses the plastic cup into a nearby can and meets us halfway.

   "Kyle! Rainbow Dash!-"

   "Don't call me that."

   "Fine... Shay. Ky, you two look perfect together! Apart from your unmatching outfits, you guys are almost a pair of, um, lovers!" He slaps me on the back. It doesn't hurt. "Congratulations on getting yourself a wonderful date! I almost thought you'd pussy out on asking your own girlfriend to a dance."

   I hush him. He talks too much. "Ok, all I hear is you ramble on about me. Where's your date to the dance?"

   "Pfffffft, Kathy is late again. She was late for our last date."

   "Kathy Ru?"

   "Yeah, that chick. She's hot, man."

   I roll my eyes. I don't see the point of dating until you're eighteen years old. If you're going to date someone in middle school or highschool years, then obviously you two don't plan on marrying unless your relationship is strong enough to last till you're old enough. And I don't see the point of dating. It seems to me that people are dating during their younger years just so they don't feel alone. What I see is false love.

   "I didn't know you two were going out. In the change room before Phys Ed all she talks about is how muscular Michael Jordan is." Dash smirks. Jordan's frantically grabs Dash by the shoulders and shakes her.

   His mouths moves so quickly saliva droops down from the corners of his lips. "Really?!"

   "No." Dash pushes him away and laughs. "Priceless. You should've seen the look on your face! Ky, why didn't you have your phone out? I mean, that was the perfect moment for a snapshot!" I blink, unsure of what to say. It WAS pretty amusing. Jordan looked like he was going to have a heart attack if Dash answered affirmative. Damn. I missed a good chance now that I reflect upon it.

   "Sorry, if I had a time machine I would go back thirty seconds to slap myself."

   "That wasn't cool man. Had me really scared that I was just a placeholder for a second." Jordan points at Dash and looks at me, "Yo Ky, I heard your girlfriend can take a punch, a few in fact." I open my mouth to object and say that girls shouldn't be hit but once again Dash pipes up first.

   "Lay one finger on me and you'll be greeting Kathy with your underwear over your head." Jordan laughs.

   "Yo guy, you got one badass of a girl here. Can't believe you two are together. Ky, you're so quiet and Shay, well, she's so Rainbow Dash." Dash shoots Jordan a look, daring him to say the name again.

   "Wait, how do you even know about Rainbow Dash?" I'm confused here. The answer is as obvious as a rabbit's favorite food but I need to hear it from his mouth to verify it. Jordan smiles sheepishly.

   "Well, I watched a few episodes of Friendship is Magic before, it was actually a decent-" He shut up immediately when he notices his girlfriend walk into the gymnasium. "Don't tell her about this ok? And I'm just joking when I call Shay the name Rainbow Dash. I'm not that stupid." He runs off to meet up with Kathy. I sigh.

   "So... what now?" I ask. Dash crosses her arms.

   "He's still an idiot if you ask me."

   The current song ends and an extremely slow and calm song begins. It's one of those songs that you hear in movies during the most romantic scenes. I look around the gym, all the kids have begun to dance and sway slowly with their partners, including Jordan! I blush and glance at Dash.

   "So Rainbow..." I call her her real name. No one is around to hear. The music is too loud anyways. I take her hand. "Want to dance?"

   "Sure."

   Holding hands, we move towards the center of the gym. "So you know how to dance?" I ask.

   "No idea."

   "Then we're screwed." I laugh.

   "I doubt the other kids know how to dance either. Let's just mimic them."

   I turn my head around to look at some of the other dancing couples. A few of their positions scare me a bit. I don't think I can put my hands there on Dash where they're putting their hands on their partners. Instead, I hold her waist. It seems the most appropriate. I expected her to push me away and tell me this is stupid, but to my surprise, she didn't object. Instead she wraps her arms around my shoulders. We move around the gym slowly, in each other's hold. I close my eyes. The scent of the shampoo she used last night fills my nostrils. This is amazing. I wish this soothing moment would last forever. We dance as I there isn't a single care in the world. Like magic, our feet guide us and we somehow magically evade making contact with other dancers. I wrap my arms around her back, holding her in a tight squeeze-like hug.

   Our feet move back and forth slowly. We move as if we've been dancing since birth. I realize Dash is no longer a helpless pony trapped in my world of pitiless humans. She's a human too now. A human like me. She isn't dancing because I'm her caregiver, a babysitter. She's with me on her own freewill. Which in a way surprises me. I'm nothing special. I'm just like any other guy.

   Time passes. We dance through numerous songs. This is my moment. The feeling is amazing. It's not the feeling of being glad you're not alone. It's the feeling that you're with someone you love. She's always with me though, but tonight, that feeling is extra special. Nothing can ruin this moment.

    The song comes to an end and... and something miraculous happens. Our eyes meet. We stare into each other's eyes for a long time. A long, long time. Then, our foreheads touch, and before I know it, my lips are on hers. I close my eyes and take in the moment. Thousands of thoughts race through my brain. First off, I'm kissing a girl! Lips locked with a real. Living. Flesh and bone. Girl. Secondly, she was once a cartoon pony. I had never thought my feelings for her would develope far enough for us to... to... to do this! I mean, we held hands before, but a parent and their child could hold hands and it's nothing romantic. This isn't something I expected. I don't think she can control her actions right now either. Our lips part, and I find myself staring into her violetish eyes. Beautiful.

   She breaks the silence between us. "So... uh... Let's never do that again?"

   I smile. "Agreed. No promises though. I always end up breaking them." I look over to the refreshments. "Want some punch? My treat." Dash laughs, and this time, she grabs my hand.

   "C'mon, we'll get fat if we stand around. Let's both go." I shrug. Seems fair to me.

   I pour her a cup of punch and as I pour myself one, a smack on the back almost causes me to jump and spill my drink. "What?!" I whip around to face Jordan with his arms around Kathy's shoulder. He smiles smugly and with his free arm, he holds up a hand gesturing me to high five him. I resist the urge to dump the entire jug of punch on him. And stuff each individual icecube down his throat.

   "Wanted to congratulate you on the dance! Bro, was that your first kiss." He chuckles, seeing my face turn a light shade of pink. I can feel myself heating up.

   "Yeah."

   "Nice!" He waves his hand, a sign saying he's not leaving until I high five him. I was about to, then I remembered some of the student's touching and pull back.

   "No thanks! I have no idea where you stuck that hand." He laughs. Kathy giggles. Dash smacks me on the side of my head with her palm.

   "Wise. So how was it? That little smoochy action you two had going there?" Obviously Jordan is one of those kids who can't stop asking personal questions. I shrug. Out of the corner of my eyes, I notice Dash narrowing hers.

   Luckily for me, I don't have to answer Jordan's question, because Dash beats me to it and for once I'm grateful for it. "I think I'd rather go pick my nose than tell you about it. It was just this once, ok? Me and Ky were in that, you know, lovey mushy scenery and it just happened." I choke on my punch. I think some got into my nose, but I laugh at the part about Dash picking hers. Jordan shrugs and slugs me on the shoulder. It's no where as hard as Dash hits.

   "She's a keeper." He smiles and walks away with Kathy. Jordan's a nice kid, but he's kind of weird. He's pretty popular though, a lot of the kids know him and they all think he can be hilarious. He can. If you're not the bum of his jokes.

   I glance at Dash. She yawns and rubs her eyes. I notice the sudden fatigue that washes over me. "Wanna go home?" I ask, "The dance is almost over anyways." She grins.

   "You're a mind reader. Yeah, let's go. I really need some shut eye."

   We leave the gym, grab our coats and exit the school. Cold, crisp night air awaits us. I could see my own breath. White flakes of snow gently float down from the sky. The coldness slowly seeps through my thin coat and chills me. Dash's fingers slip around mine. Her hand is warm. The warmth travels through my arm and all throughout my body, heating me up as we make our way to the car. It feels... nice...

Tonight has been a better night than I expected.

Chapter 24: Holidays Begin! No School for Two Weeks!

   School has ended for two weeks and the holidays has finally begun. It's about time! Two months of school had left me stressed and it's time to unwind. I started off by getting up early on day one, and attempted to prank Dash.

   I had entered her room with a tube of lipstick. I planned to draw a mustache on her face. It was my way of getting back at her for almost freezing me to death and the snowball incident. I took light steps towards her bed. Not tiptoeing though. She wouldn't wake up at the sound of light footsteps. It's true she was a light sleeper while she was a pony, but she sort of lost that ability. Unfortunately, I wasn't watching where I was stepping. My focus was on Dash and a sharp pain shot up my foot. I bit my tongue down to resist the urge from making a peep. When I checked my foot, a small blue Lego brick was stuck to it. I looked down to find myself staring at several Lego bricks scattered around her bed. She had a defensive system! I couldn't clear away the bricks. The clattering sounds of the bricks hitting each other would've woken her up. There were too many and not enough small spaces to step around. To make a long story short, I had to abort the mission and leave her room. She must've went through my boxes of old toys to get those. I don't mind her going through my stuff, my stuff is her stuff, but it kind of scared me knowing she could cleverly set up something like this. Only the evilest of monsters would set up Lego bricks in a caltrop like way. Thought she'd be a bit nicer to me after what happened at the dance but I guess Dash isn't one to change easily. I guess the defensive system means that she still doesn't trust me fully yet. It hurts. We've been living together for nearly a decade, what's not to trust? I mean, she did the right thing scattering those around her room or she would've woken up the next morning with lipstick all over her face. It might be nothing. Who knows? Maybe Rainbow Dash likes to play with Legos.

   Dash and I are both taking time offs from work. We aren't making a lot of money, but my bank account is still in the five digits so it's all good. We have more than enough money and we're still earning cash bit by bit at our part time jobs.

   Before the Winter Break started, we received our report cards in the mail. Well, I'd be clucking my tongue while saying this, but let me tell you, our grades aren't that great. My english marks were ok, math was average, but I really flunked in history and geography. And my French is worse than a rat's. Dash's academic marks weren't so high. But they skyrocketed in drama and physical education. She got an 100 in physical education! That's an impossible grade to achieve, or thought to be. There's a myth floating around saying that no student should get hgher than 98, as everyone has "room for improvement." To be honest, I can't care less about my grades, I mean, I have a job right? I'm thirty three years old, I shouldn't have to put up with this. I'm just glad that they didn't ask for parent signatures. That is the one thing I cannot provide.

   Another thing I spent a lot of time thinking about is Christmas. It's only a few days away and I haven't gotten Dash anything yet. She already asked me what I would like, I just simply shook my head and told her that I need anything. I didn't ask her what she wants though. I want it to be a surprise. That was the problem. I didn't know what to get her. After hours of thinking and hair pulling, I decided to pull out my money, drove down to the store, but not leaving without telling her I was off to buy a pizza dinner. It was a cover up. I came home with a pizza on the passenger seat, and a brand new XBox 360 and two games for the console in the back seats of the car. Wouldn't it just be a lovely surprise giving her more video games to beat me at for Christmas? I think she'll be very happy. It's actually a surprise that XBoxes and Playstation Threes are still popular these days. Neither Sony or Microsoft has released a new console for years, but games for both systems are still being developed and played. Nintendo is still going, despite their newer systems being repeats of older ones with little changes. People still buy them, but Dash isn't interested in a Nintendo 3DSi with enhanced graphics better than a Playstation's.

   Finding a hiding spot foot the gifts was easy: in my closet. The hard part was actually sneaking them into the house without Dash seeing. She began to start greeting me when I return home again, just like our earlier years together. It's great, but I had to leave the gifts in the car and wait till she was asleep that evening to retrieve them.

   Christmas was days away still. There wasn't anything to do around the house so we took a moment to search for a nice spot to visit and pass the time. Dash and I packed some clothes, booked a hotel room for two nights (making it so we return on Christmas Eve), locked the house and drove out of town to Owen Sound, a smaller town hours away from Guelph. You can say I'm not an expert on vacations, as Owen Sound turned out to be a town near a beach known for their "summer cooling fun". On day one, we just took a walk along the beach. No one was around, of course, giving us all the open room we needed. Dash dared me to go swimming in the lake, her tone confused me if she was either joking or serious. We didn't hang around there for long, it got cold and we returned to our hotel room. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at booking rooms in quality hotels as it turned out to be a motel. Owen Sound is a small town, and motels filled the streets. No hotels. I probably would have rebooked if there were any.

   The room? Don't get me started. The television didn't receive any good channels. The room itself was small and we had to wait ten minutes before the shower hooked us up with hot water. And guess what? There was only ONE bed. ONE bed. The idea of sleeping on the floor sent a feeling of dread through my body and I knew what I must do. After countless wrestling, pushing and hairpulling, Dash and I were forced to choose the only civil option and share the one bed. I think I should've taken my chances with the floor, that girl kicks while sleeping. My back was faced to hers and she must've had a dream about kicking some guy's butt or something because before I knew it, her foot was jabbing into my ribs. In the end, I decided to take refuge on the floor with a coat as my blanket. It made me wonder if she was just pretending to be asleep because her shifting stopped immediately the minute I was on thus floor. I was just glad that the heater worked and I woke up the next morning with all my bones intact.

   On day two, I bought tickets for a cruise around the lake and a visit to Flower Pot Island. We were the only two on the boat other than the captain himself and the tour guide. What surprised me was that the lake wasn't frozen over and the water in this part of it was so clear you could see the bottom of it. It was all rocks and stones, no sand to murk up the water. There was one really amazing part during the tour, the boat sailed over an old shipwreck. You could see everything through the water, so I snapped a few pictures of the shipwreck. I also took a photo or two of the awe on Dash's face, but was forced ten seconds later to delete them or I would've had to gone swimming in the freezing water for my iPhone. Once we were done seeing the shipwreck, the boat picked up full speed and we were heading for the center of the lake where Flower Pot Island was located. There, we were dropped off to explore the island for two hours. How can I put this in the nicest way possible? It wasn't what we expected. I mean, Dash and I were excited for the first ten minutes. It was going to be like an adventure hiking around the island. Until we heard about the poisonous snakes that inhabited the island. There was also no electricity on the island, and only a few portable potties were scattered here and there. Needless to say, Dash and I hung around in the gift shop (that used natural sunlight, known as windows) until the two hours were up and our cruise boat was here to pick us up. There was no heater in there, but trust me, it was still warmer inside than outside.

   The following night, I enjoyed the soft bed underneath me, as Dash was too tired out to even twitch in her sleep. Which was nice, because I could finally get a good night's sleep after two long days of horrible vacationing. It was no surprise that I woke up with Dash's hand on my face. She had spread herself out on the bed overnight and one of her legs was resting on my stomach. Thank god she was wearing pajamas or that moment would've been more awkward than it already was.

   I might've gained a pound or two during our trip. It's not like motel rooms have a kitchen, so we were forced to eat at a fast food restaurant for every meal. Dash isn't worried about gaining weight. She's very fit. Me? Well I could use some more weight myself, but I think I'd rather have it in muscle than fat. According to an article I read online, Dash and I are both underweight. I don't see the hazards to health of that though, I mean, we aren't overweight. What could be dangerous about being skinny? We're eating correctly, and that's all that matters.

   We returned home on the third day, Christmas Eve, to realize we forgot the most important thing. A Christmas tree! We spent a few hours dragging the old, tree from the basement (it's fake) and bringing it into the living room to decorate. I got a bit squirmy when I opened the ornaments box to find three spiders crawling around. Dash turned out to be the bigger man than I was and she squashed all three with her hands, which was why I refused to let her touch me until she washed them.

   After the tree was decorated, and I must admit, it looked pretty darn good in our living room. I cooked dinner, (homemade pasta) and we brought our plates in front of the television to watch Christmas specials. That was pretty much our Christmas Eve. Nothing exciting really happened, nothing bad. Not all the Jakobs and Tims in the world could have ruined this. By now, I expected something dramatic to happen already, but it seems I'm wrong this time. Apart from an extremely bad location I picked to vacation, this winter break is going fairly smoothly.

   I'm sure neither of us will get any sleep if the television stations decides to run a movie marathon all night. That'll cause some problems for me. I didn't wrap the presents. Don't need to. Though I am counting on Dash to be asleep before I put them under the tree. But that will be another problem for me later, it's best not to worry about it now. Even I deserve a break now and then.

   I must stop talking now. Dash is expecting me in the living room to watch Elf with her.

Chapter 25: Christmas

****Been putting off this chapter for far too long this week. Sorry. Even though it was short, I... umm... You'll see.***

Chapter 25: Christmas

   My eyes pop open as if my brain has its own built-in alarm clock. It just works that way you know, when you're excited for something, you wake up so much more earlier. In my case, it's Christmas! I sit up and stretch my arms.

   Hastily, I jump out of bed and in my pajamas, I stumble out my room and knock on Dash's bedroom door. No answer. I knock harder, expecting a response. A grumpy Dash grunts. "What?" She must still be sleepy. The Christmas spirit has already woken me up, and I feel completely refreshed despite going to sleep late last night. I decide to return the favor by putting on my best cranky old man impression. It's not that great.

   "It's Christmas!" I snap. Then I realize how bad it was, and made a mental note to practice impressions. The door swings open and Dash pokes her head out. She stares at me in disbelief, eyes half open and strands of red hair poking out of her hair. The sight of her bed head almost causes me to burst into laughter. She frowns.

   "How old are you again?"

   "But it's Christmasss..." I moan. She doesn't seem too excited for this.

   "Kyle, you dragged me to some beach in the middle of the winter. Just give me this ok?"

   "Give you what?" I barely finish my sentence when she shoves me into the wall. It was a light shove, and for once I didn't hurt yourself.

   "Just the glory of beating you downstairs." Like lightning, Dash, well, dashes out her room and heads for the stairs. It takes a second for me to process that she was indeed excited and that it was just an act to get to the gifts before me. Why am I even surprised? I follow, humming jingle bells as I walk.

   As I enter the living room, I notice Dash has already opened the box containing the XBox 360. "Holy cow, Ky. You bought us a XBox?" She grins. "There goes our grades for next semester!"

   "It's not like we have any hope already." I try my best to snort as I say it, but it just doesn't come out right.

   "I love you," she whispers. It's ones of those glad-you-understand-me I love you's. "Now, let's plug this bad boy in?"

   I laugh, "What about breakfast." She looks up from the setup manual, obviously confused by my question.

   "What about breakfast?"

   I roll my eyes, "Nevermind, just plug it in." I notice she hasn't opened the games yet. I point at them. "Pick one to play first."

   She hooks the XBox up with our television, and quickly scrolls through setup options. "What should we play first?" I ask. She looks at the games I bought, and holds up the one that appeals to her the most. Need for Speed. Maybe I should've bought games that wouldn't be so obviously be easy for a racing fan. It would at least give me a chance to win. I sigh and open the box and insert the game disk into the system. The X on the system glows and the game starts loading. Dash plugs in a second controller for me, they're wireless but aren't charged.

   Dash selects multiplayer on the game's menu and a selection of cars for players one and two pop up, along with racing modes and tracks. We choose our cars, set the options and agree on a location to race on. Then we start the match.

   I wouldn't say I'm bad at video games. Let's just say, Dash is very good at them. It didn't take long for her to finish one lap, and I'm not even three quarters through it. I fall behind quickly and Dash holds the position in first place. I suddenly realize that I should've enabled CPU players and set them to hard. If I can't win against Dash, maybe at least I should have someone else beat Dash? Even if that person is a computer.

   We once again spend the morning playing video games. The time flies, and soon our stomachs growl. I take a look at the clock. It's noon and we still haven't eaten anything. I decide to make some lunch and had escaped to the kitchen. The XBox is already off, and Dash is napping on the couch. Before she fell asleep, she asked me what we're having for lunch. I simply told her it was nothing special. "But it's never special." She was just joking of course. I laughed, but ironically, a little part of me died.

   I finish cooking and shut off the stove, then leave the pan in the sink. I re-enter the living room with a plateful of grilled cheese sandwiches. I set the plate on the coffee table. Dash looks so peaceful asleep. Her calm expression is something I see in a blue moon. It almost makes it a shame that I have to wake her. I nudge her and she sits up, rubbing her eyes. I pass her a sandwich and she sleepily munched on it. Silence devours the room and we don't speak while eating. As if she were asleep the entire time, Dash snaps awake. She scarfs down her sandwich. I raise an eyebrow. She ignores me and swallows. "Hurry up, I forgot to give you your present."

   I shake my head. "I told you, you didn't need to get me anything." I finish my sandwich and wipe my mouth on my sleeve. It's a habit, a really bad one. Dash runs out the living room and returns with our coats. She hands me mine. I look at her, confused.

   "Put it on and follow me." I do what she tells me. In a matter of seconds without realizing, I'm out the door and heading for the forest beside our house with Dash in the lead. We stop at the entrance of the forest.

   "Do you have to drag me out here every year?" It was cute at first but now it's getting colder and colder every year. She shrugs. Snow find its way into my sneakers and I suddenly regret not buying boots for the winter. Gloves would be nice, too.

   "Come on." Dash waves and walks into the forest. I sigh and follow up. It's colder inside. There's rarely any sunlight during the winter, I should be glad that the leaves of the trees have all fallen allowing small warm rays of sunlight to shine in. Dash rips off a branch on a dead tree we pass and wings it like a sword. It's kind of childish... but... I secretly want to do it too. We walk deeper and deeper into the forest until we reach that spot, our spot. The tallest tree in the forest. Few leaves hang from its branches. I walk closer to the tree, and feel the bark, searching for the part Dash and I engraved our names on. I rub over the words with my fingertips. "Look." Dash points at something red on the ground. A rose. Not one, but a string of roses. They trace around the tree forming a... heart shape.

   "You made this? Where'd you get the roses?"

   "Bought em with the money I saved up from that crappy job at Tim Hortons. Neat, huh? I think it turned out pretty cool."

   I swallow. "This is amazing. Wow, something like this you made means a lot more to me than some cheap storebought item." Dash looks at me, eyes nervous. I can tell. Her hand shakes.

   "This isn't the gift."

   "What?" I'm confused here. There's nothing more I can receive than something as awesome as this. Even though it won't last, it's still something... that's just really beautiful to see.

   "Close your eyes." My eyelids shut. The darkness suddenly reminds me of how cold I am. A shiver is sent down my back. She's going to throw a snowball at me, I know it. I should get ready to defend myself.

   ...Maybe another snowball fight will break out... Looks like I'll be going home dripping wet... What is Dash doing? Fear fills my heart as I visualize her patting together a large snowball to chuck at me... Another shiver creeps down my spine, I bite my lip... I'm beginning to convince myself that Dash has ditched me and is probably halfway home by now.

  And then suddenly, warmth sets in. Something holds me tight and heat seeps through my coat. Something brushes against my lips, and stays there. It's wet, but warm. It's another pair of lips. Dash's lips. My eyes gradually open, to see Dash's face close against mine, her arms around me, her eyes closed and her lips pressing against mine. I close my eyes again, and take comfort in what we're doing. What is happening I do not really know. My brain is telling me to just, well, kiss her back.

   An eternity passes and our lips finally part. Our eyes meet, and we both look away instantly, blushing. My gaze returns to her. I speak calmly, "Thought we promised to never do that again?" The corners of her mouth lift into a small smile.

   "Yeah, well, it's Christmas... And things can change, you know what I mean?"

   By now, I'm blushing more than I did at the Snow Dance. We kissed again. We just kissed again! I didn't stop her when she leaned forward, I didn't know what she was going to do. And even when I had the chance to, I didn't stop and try to push her away. Didn't try. My heart is thumping like crazy right now. And then, I say it. I say what has been on my mind. I say what has been bothering me for a long time. I say it, and I mean it. "I... I love you."

   Dash looks up and our eyes connect with one another again. You heard me. It's crazy. I know. But I love her. If you think about it, it'd be messed up if I don't. After what we've been through together these past few years, some people would be amazed we aren't married. It's not like that though. I don't love her for her looks. Or how smart she is. I love her for who she is and the things she's done for me. I... just love her, despite her once being a different species.

   "I love you too," Dash whispers. Her voice is full of confidence and courage, as if she isn't afraid to admit it. I was. It's hard to tell someone how much you love them. Sometimes, it's hard to say what's on your heart. It's near impossible to find that perfect someone. But none of that matters, because at this moment, I realize I have, and that I love Dash so damn much.

I mentioned earlier that there are no happy endings. Things were going so smoothly, and bam, within a few weeks, I was made to regret my words on that Christmas. I still had some time with her. I was happy, she was happen. Neither of us knew what the future held for us. We had only guessed it was going to be bright. You can say things turned out all right. It still pains me to think about that day though. That damn day. You'll see. There's still a few more happy moments before our little content life was turned around.

Chapter 26: A Sad Eventless New Years Eve

   Dash passes me a bottle of beer. It's New Years Eve and she figured we should celebrate it this way. Doesn't seem so smart to me. "You first."

   "Come on Dash, we bought this beer years ago, it could be bad for all we know." I bite my lip. My past experience with this drink wasn't so great. I downed quite a few bottles and passed out. It's not something I want to try again. I push the bottle she offered me aside. "No thanks."

   "It'll be cool Ky, don't tell me you're chicken? It's just a harmless drink." She grins and takes the bottle back. "Fine, I'll drink it." I raise an eyebrow. A few years ago when we bought the beer, she didn't have the courage to even come close to it. Why is she suddenly so willingly to try it?

   She pops off the lid and raises the bottle top to her lips. The fiery liquid pours into her mouth. As if it's difficult, Dash closes her eyes and forces the liquid down her throat. She smacks her lips. "It's not that bad." I roll my eyes, but before I could say anything, she takes another gulp, this time, half the bottle. My eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. A fearless move, but brainless as well. She let's out a sigh. I snatch the bottle from her and set it aside on the table.

   "You're throwing yourself into an early death, Dash," I growl.

   "Give it back!" She reaches for the bottle but I quickly push it out of her reach.

   "We're only sixteen right now, underage to drink."

   "In the body of sixteen year olds, we're thirty, remember? Now give it back to me, I want some more" Uh oh. I curse for not throwing out all the leftover alcohol we had before she saw them in our cellar. She makes a grab for the bottle, she misses and smacks my thigh. Have you ever been punched there? It hurts and sends a weird tingly feeling through you. I flinch, small pain shoots through my leg. I know she didn't hit me on purpose, she would've slugged me on the shoulder if she wanted to. Dash's aim and hand coordination is amazing. She can't be beaten in sports like badminton, tennis or anything that requires using hands, yet, this time, she failed to grab the beer and was off by a mile.

   A realization hits me. Could the beer have influence on her actions already? Just half a bottle? Her movement is a bit... awkward as she makes continous attempts to get her drink back. I stand up. No. This isn't how our New Years Eve is going to go. I pick up the bottle and bring it to the kitchen. I tip it over the sink and its contents spill out and down the drain. I hear Dash moan, mumbling something about me being the evil witch who stole her juice, and then a thumping sound. I quickly toss out the bottle and rush back to the living room. The sound had me literally jumping out of my skin. I find Dash asleep on the ground. Or I think she's asleep. The thought of her being dead and leaving me alone to myself freightens me. I get down on my knees beside Dash and nudge her. She responses with a soft snoring sound. I sigh. I'm worrying for nothing. She's fine, she just can't handle drinking.

   Dash doesn't weight much, so it's easy for me to carry her up the stairs to her room. She's not as light as when she was a pony, but it's still not a difficult thing to do. The only downfall of her going to be early is that we can't stay up and spend the night the way New Years Eve is meant to be celebrated. Video games, movies and lots of candy.

   I set Dash onto her bed and pull her blanket over her. She then mumbles something before I turn to leave which swiftly catches my attention. "Hey Fluttershy, I brought back your cat." My first and instant reaction is: aww, that's adorable. She's dreaming about her days in Equestria. This is one of those moments where I hesitate to grab the camera or not. She continues to murmur. It's like watching a kitten kick a ball of yarn around. I realize how creepy I'm being and quickly leave her room.

   I sigh. Looks like I'll be spending New Years Eve on my own. I can't believe Dash was knocked out after only half a bottle. I make my way to the kitchen where the remainder bottles of beer sits on our dining table. I sigh, grab the first one, pop it open and bring it to the sink. I empty its contents and toss the glass bottle into the trash. I do the same with the rest of the bottles. Dash isn't going to have another drink of alcohol ever again. It's a promise to myself to stop her from consuming any more. Her health is important to me, just as much as she is.

   Now I sit alone on the couch. Dash is asleep, and it doesn't seem she'll be up till morning. Maybe I can get some thinking time in. I haven't done that for a long time. I relax myself and set my mind to thinking...

   Only...

   Whats there to think about? My life is going perfectly right now. Dash and I had kissed a few days ago for the second time. It wouldn't be true if I say I didn't enjoy it, and I'd definitely be lying if I say there aren't moments where I wish we can just be a normal couple. What, with her once being a pony. Am I even thinking with the right head? She kisses me, and I immediately start thinking like we're going to get married or something big like that. The more that I, well, think about this, the more I feel like a jerk. Is it not ok for me to think of her as a love interest simply because she wasn't born my species? I don't know. I honestly don't know.

   I do love her, I love every bit of her. You know what? I already said this, but I'm going to say it again. Damn it all. The answer is so clear. Dash IS the one I love. I don't know what's been clouding my head. She told me she loves me. I replied in the same manner. Why am I even thinking about this matter? It's not like it'll change anything, and I'm sure as can be I won't stop loving Dash only because she was once a cartoon animal.

   I swallow.

   The dilemma of being stuck a teenager still exists. It's been nearly what, two or three months, and Twilight still hasn't shown up to explain the situation. I'm beginning to worry that she changed us for the sake of her own amusement. If so, then my job at the restaurant is instantly down the drain. I'm probably already on the verge of losing it. I don't know how long it is until my boss recognizes that I've been gone for far too long and need to be replaced. Maybe I should just call and explain what has happened, maybe not and I'll need to find a new full-time job. That would totally suck.

   I close my eyes. I take everything back about my life being perfect. There's still so much I need to change about it. That disincludes my grades, NOTHING can change that. A smile slowly crawls over my face as I remember that Dash will have trouble getting up in the morning.

   I slowly fall into relaxing and dreamless sleep. Perhaps the most relaxing one can get to sleeping on a couch.

Chapter 27: January

   Paradise eventually ended and Dash and I were thrown back in the abyss that is known as highschool. It had seemed our two weeks of relaxation flew by and none of it really happened. It was like everything we did over the vacation escaped our minds from the upcoming learning in store for us.

   The first day of returning to school started off like any typical day in the one place you don't want to go. Take your seats, shut your mouth and do work. It started like that. Didn't say it continued that way, but it started like that. What made the day a turn of events? A new student has enrolled at Centennial. Unfortunately for me, this new student is no different than Jakob unless you take Jakob and twice the flirtingness. His name is Quincy, but he insists we all call him "Quince" because it "sounds cooler." He and Jakob became good friends from minute one. At the moment, I was just glad Dash wasn't in my morning block of Science.

   Once again, to my disappointment, Quince was also in my history block with Dash later that afternoon. So with Jakob and Quince together, history was one hour of hell for me to go through. It didn't take long for Quince to notice Dash. He walked up to us, pushed me aside, and started flirting. I thought she'd shove him away or something, but she didn't. It was kind of disappointing not getting to see another jock get beat up by Dash. He came in smooth though, so smooth my jaw hit the marble tiled floor. How did he make it so smooth? He addressed her as "Rainbow Dash". She didn't object. She didn't say anything. All she did was giggle. By the end of the period, I had no work done with Quince sitting between Dash and I (she was supposed to helping ME complete OUR history poster on The War of 1812!) and my eyes were dead tired from all the rolling. I pratically dragged Dash out the history room at the bell. But strangely, the minute we were out the room, she was back to her normal, non-gaga self.

   Dash and I promised to never kiss again after the dance. I think we've broken the vow about maybe a few dozen times by now. I honestly can't help myself. The kisses just come and fly. For the past three weeks, we've probably spent more time making out than doing our homework. Ok, that's a little bit exagerrated. But, what I'm trying to say is, I want to kiss her. I may sound sick sayin this, but it's like, I've been waiting to grow out of that zone of just friends and move on. Each kiss we shared and each moment we spent in each others' arms has been treasured by me. I can't be more happy. I don't remember the last time I've had a bad day, or been glum about something. Dash has always been at my side. She's, well, basically my light.

   There's a saying some people believe. If you want temporary happiness for a month, find love or get married, or something like that. This is not true. The way I'm looking at it right now, I probably loved Dash for what, a few years? And it wasn't until recently I noticed. The saying isn't true. The happiness I feel when I'm with Dash has always been there. Sometimes not easily noticable, but I could always feel my mood lift even when I see her.

   I took Dash to a Sum 41 concert that played in Toronto the other night. I remember Dash once being a fan of rock and roll music, but now Katy Perry pretty much takes up half her iPod's playlist. Needless to say, she loved Sum 41. They've been my favorite band for a while, but the way Dash acted at the concert, you'd think she was a fan since they formed. She was cheering harder than anybody else at the concert and bought nearly every album with the cash she had earned at Tim Hortons. Man, she must've blown half the money she saved.

   Perhaps one of the funniest memories I've collected this month is when I tried to teach Dash to cook. She wanted to try her hand at cooking so she came to me for lessons. So we chose a recipe, bought the ingredients, and we cooked side by side with me showing her how to do things step by step. It's really simple, honestly. I didn't recongnize the fact how cooking could be so difficult for others until I witnessed the way Dash prepare food. It was pretty funny. Everything she made came out burnt. We were going to eat the meal I cooked. Were. But somehow in the process of setting up the table our objectives completely derailed and we ended up throwing the food at each other. It took a long time to clean up but was worth every paper towel wasted.

   Dash's legs have been aching a lot, and this time, she's been getting cramps that feel like her muscles are tightening around each other. They're just growing pains, but I still wanted to make sure. I had them before, and I'm pretty sure I'll have them again unless Twilight comes and reverts me. I haven't heard a case this severe though. I'm no doctor, but that doesn't mean I can't take her to one. The only thing is, she refuses to come. I tried to convince her that we just need to confirm that they're growing pains. It was no use. She wouldn't change her mind. Instead, she pulled me over to the computer and had me check the Internet. I couldn't find any valid information linking to the type of pain she described to me, but she isn't feeling anything right now, so I just dismissed them as growing pains.

   I didn't think there would ever be a darker side of Dash that contained secrets she would never tell me. The other night, she was having a terrible nightmare. Her cries rang through the hall, waking me up. I barged in her room in my boxers to find her thrashing in her bed. It took me a moment to nudge her awake, it's easier said than done. But she snapped awake. It wasn't until I put my hand on hers till I realized that she was drenched in sweat.

   She was reluctant to tell me what was bothering her, but I didn't leave until she did. She told me she was having a nightmare about her old friend, Gilda. Obviously, I wasn't aware of the current situation she was in and laughed, but immediately stopped when Dash let out a small whimper, a sign of weakness, which is not the Dash that I know. Then she spilt the beans. She told me what she didn't have the guts to say years ago when she met. The reason why she was exiled from Equestria in the first place. She killed Gilda. I watched the tears flow down her cheeks as she openly told me about that day. How the griffin she once thought of as a best friend treated her friends extremely poorly, and how her anger took action which lead to Gilda's death. It was an accident. Dash never meant to take her life. But she had underestimated her own strength, and pushed Gilda too hard against the side of a cliff, a really bad location for a fight to take place. The impact of the griffin hitting the side was apparently enough for some boulders and rocks overhead to loosen and crash down below. Dash had moved out of the way just in time, but Gilda was dazed and crushed below everything. That's how it went, or at least, it's how Dash chose to share her side of the story. Followed after the story, were tears. I couldn't bear watching her cry. She told me that Gilda deserved it. She told me that she felt that she was doing the right thing. Yet, I couldn't find the usual confidence she shows in her voice.

   I tried my best to comfort her. I spoke softly. Told her that none of it was her fault, and that she should always do what she thinks is the right thing. And that night, she fell asleep in my arms. It wasn't long before my own eyes closed by themselves and I fell asleep holding Dash in my arms. And regrettably, without a blanket in my boxers. Which was exactly why I had a small cough when I woke up the next morning.

***Message from Inu***

   The second part of Painting our Life - 6 Colors is reaching its peak. We are about to enter the final month- February, the month of love. What can we expect?

Chapter 28: Quince

   Dash dribbles the ball and swiftly passes it in my direction. I aim for the net and shoot. It takes a moment to swirl around the hoop before dropping through the net, bouncing back up when hitting the tarmac. I grin. "Yes!" I've been making shot after shot. Never been this good at basketball, but my aiming has improved by a lot.

   "Don't get too cocky. We're just shooting here, not playing a game." She tosses the ball with one hand and it goes directly through the hoop. A perfect shot, with one hand. The ball didn't even skim the side of the metal hoop, although it brushed the net made of rope.

   "Yeah, I know. I'd never win against you." Dash dribbles and walks the ball to half court where she shoots with one hand. For a second I almost doubt she could make the shot, but unsurprisingly, the ball went in the net despite her shooting with one hand and the distance between her and the net.

   The bell rings, putting our lunch break to an end. Lately, we've been finishing our lunches quickly and coming outside instead of hanging around inside the cafeteria. Of course, none of Dash's friends would come. They don't seem to be the types that are interested in sports.

   Unfortunately, it's that day of the week again. The one history period I hate. I sigh. I run to my locker and grab my binder before making my way to the history room and taking my seat at the front beside Janet Portane. Who, I would like to point out, is not Dash. Seemingly Mr. Ustura is all for togetherness and teamwork, and I think he's the first teacher who recognized the fact that group work is actually torture for some kids who can't find partners. So what did he do? He assigned us partners. Now, I'm not Mr. Popular like Dash, so obviously the one person I can work well with is Dash, mostly because we're almost like best friends. Kissing best friends. But even keeping my fingers crossed did not help the fact that her name would've been picked to be my partner in the studies of the Canadian heritage out of more than twenty names in the hat. So I'm here, stuck with Janet, (who is actually quite pretty and has a strange magnetic pull towards me) while Dash is working with one of the two people I detest: Quince Morrison.

   "Pull out your textbooks and begin taking notes on page seventy four," Mr. Ustura announces. The class let's out a collective groan. Anyone would be groaning, note taking is just basically all we do for the whole hour of history. By now, half the class no longer cares and just chat with their friends.

   I can feel every second ticking away, and it's not ticking fast either. Every minute is torture for me as I listen to Quince flirt with Dash. What makes it worse is that she goes gaga all over him. This is not the way I want to spend my history period. I grumble to myself and clench my fist tight around my pencil.

   A sweet voice hits the drums of my ears. "Kyle? You ok? You look a bit red." Janet sets her hand on my hand. "You're warming up, too." I pull my hand away.

   "I'm fine. Thanks for asking though."

   "Ok... I was just worried something is wrong." She smiles and returns to work. What was that all about?

   I sigh. Nothing at this school is going my way. I wish I can just leave. I wonder if this is how guys feel when others flirt with their girlfriends. I don't even know if Dash is my girlfriend. We kiss, does that mean we're dating? We love each other, but we don't admit we're in an actual relationship. I don't know if I even have that right to be jealous that another guy is flirting with her and she's accepting it.

   The bell rings and I thank the heavens that it's finally over. No more flirting for the rest of the day. No more hearing that forsaken voice.

   The final period was same old, same old. But it was still better than listening to Quince. Even going to work seems more appealing right now as I drive to Target. I had dropped Dash off at Tim Hortons only minutes ago. Target is only down two blocks away from Tim Hortons, it's not very far away.

   I enter the store and make my way to the employee lounge where my vest is hung. The air is musty with that smell of packed dinners and old magazines. I don't hang around for long. I just want to do my shift and leave so I can go home and play video games. I probably stressed this a lot by now but, even losing TO Dash is heaven compared to Quince flirting WITH Dash.

   Swipe and bag. Swipe and bag. That's all I need to do. This job reminds me so much of the time when I first left the orphanage. It's not that great. If I could still work at the restaurant without having to explain everything that happened in the past few months I wouldn't be here. I would be sitting in my office, just chilling while reading the applications of new applicants. It's that simple, and it pays a lot more. I sigh and tap a few buttons on the register, then press print and hand the receipt that comes out from the printer to the customer. He takes his things and leave. Nobody was behind him in line. Good. Less work for me.

   I grab my can of Cola and take a drink. The fizz gives off that bubbling feeling on my tongue. Somebody pulls up with their cart right as I set my drink down. The woman sets her things on the counter, ready for her items to be checked out and paid for. I look up to take a good look at her face. A wave of dejavu hits me. My jaw drops and I stand gawking at the pretty lady standing in front of me. Unfortunately, it was a bad move.

   "You look familiar," says Klo. Her voice brings me back from the limbo my mind often traps me in, and I immediately look down.

   "Really? I don't know you." Of course I know her. I just can't let her know it's me. Klo was the waitresss who I worked with years ago. I had a little crush on her. Celestia had made her my girlfriend when she came to take Dash away. The sly pony goddess swapped my memories of Dash with memories of a cheerful life with Klo and other friends. I never had much friends, I still don't. Dash is my best friend, so anybody can see the way I'd feel if someone took her away from me.

   "Yeah, you look like somebody I know, or at least knew. How old are you?"

   "Sixteen. L-look ma'am, I've never seen you in my life before," I lie. Klo shrugs. I scan and bag her merchandise, charge her credit card and hand her her card back. She waves goodbye before grabbing her purchases and running off.

   It seems people I know from the past are only showing up now because fate knows I can't be recognized like this. It's hard not to jump out and just say "It's me! Kyle!" I feel like just keeping my mouth shut is a big responsibility and mission every day. There were many moments where I almost confessed to Jordan, who is visiting his home country for a few weeks right now.

   I wonder what would happen when Twilight comes to revert things. I never gave much thought about the people we've met at Centennial. Most likely their memories will just be erased. Parting might become harder than I initially thought it would be. Because...

It became a routine to get up early in the morning every day and depart with Dash to learn at the one place you absolutely dread after a weekend of heavenly relaxation. This was perhaps my last happy day with Dash. I didn't know it at the time, but she was about to willingly leave my life. And some of the things that happened after still burn a hole through my heart. I wish I could turn back the clock and change everything. Make it so none of it happened. But I can't. What is done is done. We can't change the past. If only we could. If only I could. It's the one thing my heart desires right now, to be with the pony I love. With the PERSON I love.

Chapter 29: To Shatter a Diamond Swiftly

An apology from Inu:

   I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, it's probably been almost two week since the last chapter. If you were or still are wondering where your once weekly dose of Painting our Life went, the author is now wasting his time playing online mmo's. I am deeply sorry (not really, and I'm sorry for not being sorry) Anyways, I wrote little in between my time spent roleplaying on an online MMO. (Graal) (And yes, it is pony roleplaying) Anyways... Here is the beginning of the end.

~Inu

Chapter 29

   Janet looks up at me with emerald eyes. She smiles sweetly and brushes a few strands of rose-red hair from her eyes. "I guess we're finally done." I look down at the sheets of infomation the two of us had produced, binded perfectly in a lovely pink duotang that Janet had chosen. Our names are neatly printed at the top.

   Janet passes me the duotang. I shake my head and hands it back to her. "I'll lose it. Keep it and bring it to school tomorrow, okay?"

   "Sure, it'd be a shame if our hard work goes to waste because somebody can't be responsible for it." I laugh and throw on my hoodie.

   "Gotta go pick Shay up from Quince's house now," I say. Janet nods and waves good bye. I wasn't very keen on the idea of Mr. Ustura making us go to the houses of our partners to study together during our own time. Either way, Dash was going to be alone with Quince. Janet had offered me to come to her house, making it impossible for a four way study night. I was thinking Quince could come to our house, as well as having Janet over at the same time. Easy. Only problem was, I knew that I would have probaby cracked within the first ten minutes listening to Quince flirt.

   I close the front door behind me when I walk out onto Janet's porch. The frosty February air hits my skin. I let out a breath, watching a cool white mist flow out from my mouth. I reach into the pocket of my hoodie and pull out my car keys. I unlock the car door and climb in. The engine roars to life before I pull the lever into reverse and pull out of Janet's driveway.

   I ring the doorbell. Quince answers. His face slightly twists with disgust when he sees me. I stick my tongue out. "I was gonna drive her back, but fine, you can pick her up." I clench my fists. Who does he think he is? Her boyfriend? I want to punch his face in so badly right now. Quince calls for Dash, she runs over and throws her cyan hoodie on. "Keep the notes Shay." Dash takes the black binder Quince hands her.

   "Thanks," she says before closing the door behind her. She tosses me the binder. "Hold it for me, gotta tie my shoes." It's the winter and the ground is layered with snow, yet, both Dash and I refuse to wear boots instead of sneakers. Boots are heavy, not to mention uncomfortable. She finishes tying her shoes and takes the binder from me. "Let's go." I nod my approval. Just standing on his porch sends waves of nausea to my heart.

I wish that night could've lasted longer. I said before, my last cheerful moments with Dash were drawing close. I hadn't thought highschool would change her this much.

   "Good morning Ky," Dash mumbles. She grabs a hairbrush and smoothens out her rainbow hair, which turned itself into a disaster overnight. Sometimes I wish I have a camera when Dash has those bad hair days. It's always until after it's over I regret not realizing that it was the perfect moment to take a picture. Not this time. "Ky, can you make us some breakfast before we go to school?" I pull out my iPhone.

   "Yeah, one sec." I open the camera app and wait for it to load, aiming the iPhone's camera lens directly at Dash. Her face is on my screen. "Just gotta... text one of my friends..." I touch the take picture button, which conveniently looks like a camera to make it easier for the stupid to understand. Now, I wanted to take this picture without Dash knowing, but obviously that is not going to happen, because I realized my flaws right after touching the camera button. SNAP! And a flash goes off from the lens of my iPhone.

   "I KNEW something was wrong. You don't have many friends!" Her hair looks even messier than before now, sending me into laughter. She lunges for my phone, I grab it and quickly press the sleep button, locking it. She shoots a death stare at me, knowing that she can't unlock my phone without my passcode. I win.

   "This one is going into the scrapbook." I grin. Dash sticks her tongue out.

   "Hope you enjoy no sleep tonight." Shit. Something bad is gonna happen. I know she's gonna do something. Maybe put spiders under my sheets or smear my face with a cow pie while I'm asleep. The possibilities are endless. I gulp.

   "This photo is totally worth it though." I laugh, and run out the room to the kitchen to make breakfast before Dash gets angry.

   I smile as I make scrambled eggs. Dash wouldn't eat meat, but she would eat products that come from animals. I mean, ponies eat eggs, right? If vegeterians don't eat eggs or drink milk, then that's a lot of food products eliminated from their diet right there. All bread and cakes have eggs and milk in them. Taking eggs off the list of ingredients needed to make a cake is like taking the water from juice.

   I can't live without meat though. I try my best not to eat a lot of it though, especially not around Dash. I don't know what goes on in Equestria, but cows certainly do not talk in our world. I've seen Dash try to talk to a cow before. She asked it for its name. There was one episode of My Little Pony where Pinkie Pie talked to a cow before leaving the front steps of the bakery. I had to explain to Dash that humans, with the exception of a few birds that can mimic human speech, are the only animals who can talk.

I want to go back in time right now, to this moment when Dash was still with me. I want to hug her, to tell her she is the only one I'd ever love. And to ask her if she loves me back.

   I watch a few students climb out of their parents' cars before getting out to open the door for Dash. School, isn't it what we all dread? I always try my best to prolong my short time of freedom before I'm thrown into seven hours of nothing but learning at a desk.

   A few kids give me funny as I walk down the hall with Dash. I can feel Dash trying to hide under her skin. Is there a booger on my face or something? I always get funny looks and stares, but the tension today is nearly burning me. It's probably nothing, I've been pretty paranoid the past few days.

   Dash and I grab our things from our lockers. We won't see each other again until history after lunch. I drop Dash off at the gym and watch her slip into the change rooms. Sighing, I leave for my English class. Sometimes I wish Dash is in every class with me. Sometimes? What am I thinking? I ALWAYS wish she has the same schedule as me. She's just that one person I can't get enough of.

   I take my seat in English class behind Jordan. He recognizes my presence and his head whips around to face me. "Dude! I heard, and I'm so, so-"

   "Jordan."

   "Here," Jordan responds.

   Mr. Todd frowns. "I wasn't calling attendance, I'm telling you to stop chatting with your neighbor."

   "Sorry." He turns around and whispers, "Bro, I'll talk to you about it at lunch."

   I stare into space, scratching my head. What just happened? Jordan is so what? Great, thanks, keep me in suspense. He's such a great friend like that. I sink lower into my seat as Mr. Todd hands out a new writing assignment. I take one look at the sheet of paper he passed to me and groan.

   "Class, we all know February is the month of love. Which is why it is the perfect time to begin our unit on poems." The class let out a collective groan, mimicing the one I had let out twenty seconds earlier. "So, as your first assignment in this unit, I want you to write a poem on February. What you love about it, the season, the scents you smell in February, the sights you see, the sounds you hear. You can even write a love poem for the person some of you have gained an interest in." A love poem for Dash? Ha! Definitely not that. I don't have the guts to write one and show it to Mr. Todd, what gives me them to show it to Dash? And just by glancing aroun the room, I could tell some of the other kids aren't very keen on this idea either. Some of them give Mr. Todd that you're-kidding-if-you-think-this-is-what-kids-these-days-do look, of course, their faces immediately straighten into a poker face the minute Mr. Todd turns his gaze their direction.

   I glance at the sheet Mr. Todd distributed earlier. This doesn't look that hard to write. I pick up my pencil and begin to write. Or try to write. I rack my brain. I have no idea where to start. A love poem? No thanks. That catergory is definitely off my list. Maybe a poem about the scenes and scents of February. Perfect. My pencil meets the paper and I scribble down a few words to begin off.

There is no smell, nor a sight,

   What now? I have my main idea written down, at least I think I do. The words smell and sight are in it. They should give the reader an idea what the poem is about. I smirk. As if anybody other than the teacher would read this poem.

that compares with this month's delight.

   I hate this already, but it's all I have. It's everything that comes to mind at the moment. Jordan turns around and shows me his sheet. I take one glance and choke on my laughter.

Mean Retarded Tumour Obnoxious Dumb Dorky

   His word choice isn't the best, but it's enough to make me grin like an idiot. Jordan smiles and nudges the person beside him, holding up his masterpiece. The guy beside him laughs and offers a high five.

   "Jordan!" Mr. Todd snaps.

   "Yes?" Busted.

   "Is something funny?" Mr. Todd smiles real cool, "Would you like to share with the rest of the class, or perhaps me?" Some kids snicker. Mr. Todd just stares, narrowing his eyes, at his panicking student.

   "You know I don't share."

   "Well I like to. Come up and grab your slip." Mr. Todd scratches down a few remarks on a small piece of yellow paper and slides the slip towards the edge of his desk.. Jordan grumbles, gets out of his seat and walks up to the front of the class to take his ticket into detention.

   "Man, this blows!" He plops down in his seat. Jordan shoves the slip in my face. "For disrupting his class? How did I do that?!" He stuffs the yellow slip into his pocket and picks up his pencil to begin his poetry writing.

   I sigh. Nothing is ever going to change around here.

   Math slowly drags on. A new unit has started and I have no idea what to do. I stare blankly at the "warm-up" sheet that was given to me. Warm up? More like hard. I think Mrs. Orpell must've been high or something while writing these questions because we haven't even been hinted on in the past week this is coming up. I stare at the instructions, which at the top is labeled "Review". I furrow my brow. You seperate the unknowns from the variable and then you do math. That's literally what my eyes are showing me. I curse under my breath and pick up my pencil. All I gotta do is look like I'm working and bam, time'll pass and I'll be on my way to science and then finally to my lunch break.

   I raise my hand. "Yes?" Mrs. Orpell looks up from her Reader's Digest.

   "Can I grab my iPhone from my locker?"

   "What for?"

   I shrug. "For the calcualator function and to listen to music?" Mrs. Orpell frowns.

   "Be quick, the period is almost over."

   I lightly jog to my locker. The school doesn't want you run in the halls. We still do it anyways. I sigh and lean against my locker. How I wish for school to be over. I enter my lock combination and pull open the lock. The locker door swings open and I unzip my backpack. I reach in and stir the contents, feeling for my iPhone. A smooth rectangular block falls into my palm and I pull out it out. I reach in again to find my earphones and pull them out. The wire are tangled and a few curse words escape my lips.

   I walk back to math class and take my seat, but not without glancing at the clock first. Only a few more minutes until period three. I scroll through my songs and plug in my earphones.

   Have you ever tried chemistry before? Neither have I, and that's what we're doing today. I bite my lower lip and stare at the screen showing the basics and functions of chemistry. It's complete gibberish to me, then again, so is school. I'm not academically smart. So? I love how parents want their kids to study, then grow up and make lots of money. They think all the strictness is necessary. I've proven that logic wrong. Look at me, I was born an orphan, grew up in an orphanage without the tender care and worry of a family, and now I'm the manager of a five star restaurant. The owner is about to retire soon, and he said I'd be next in line to take ownership of the establishment.

   I just hope that he doesn't retire before Dash and I are reverted.

   The lunch bell rings, dismissing us from science class. I grab my binder and rush out the room, almost giving a little leap before exiting. I toss my binder into my locker and fish my bagged lunch out from my backpack. Then I slam my locker close, relock the door and make my way to the cafeteria.

   I push open the cafeteria door open and walk in. Silence devours the room and every pair of eyes fall on me. Then everyone notices me staring back and immediately snap back to their own little conversations. Weird. I find my seat where I usually sit, beside Jordan and Dash. Only this time, the seat on my right is empty. Jordan puts down his sandwich and gives me a sympathizing look. I twist my face in confusion. "What?"

   "It's hard man, I know. I've been there." He points at the table of "jocks". Who do I find sitting in between Jakob and Quince? Dash! My jaw drops.

   "What the-" I stand up. Jordan pulls me down again.

   "Why are you surprised? The news spread like wildfire! This morning, Quince was bragging about the way his and Shay's lips were pressed against each other last night!"

   My heart lowers into my stomach. I bite my lip. I'm beyond angry right now. I clench my fist. I stand up and push my chair in.

   "Dude, where are you-"

   "None of your business!"

   I walk over to the table Dash is sitting at. My feet stamp against the floor. I don't know if I'm either walking or stomping. Jakob notices me and looks up, smirking. "Well, well! It's the man of the hour! Or should I say minute?"

   "I don't give a crap about you kids," I growl, "But what's she doing here?!" I point at Dash, who sinks down into her seat. Quince stands up and shakes his fist.

   "Get out son. She's not bound to you or any shit."

   "I'm gonna-"

   "Stop. Ky, enough." A whimper gets itself stuck in my throat. It was Dash herself. "He's right. I'm not bound to you. I can be with others."

   "But-"

   "Kyle, it's not you. I swear to Satan it's not you. It's me. I just... you know. I can't even say. But I want to be with Quince."

   I frown. This isn't Dash. No, it's not her at all. Is she telling me I'm not good enough for her? My fingers curl into a fist. My eyes plead her to tell me she's kidding. To just take her back to where we sit normally. To continue our lunch break normally. That's not gonna happen.

   Dash smirks and her tone suddenly changes. "I'm much happier here. You think I wanna stay a nobody? Geez Ky, I'm the best girl here. I deserve the best partner." Her eyes flicker. They turn from their regular purple pinkish shade to an ugly brown color. I bite my lip. Too hard, it begins to bleed. Jakob notices and laughs. The whole table begins to laugh.

   Jakob pipes up. "If the message still isn't clear to you yet, I'll make it easier for the stupid to understand. She's dumping you." I growl and point at Dash.

   "Ungrateful snob. I don't need you." But I do. I hold in my silent screams. I'm burning inside, screaming, ready to rip off the heads of every jerk in sight. I turn around and walk away. Jordan jogs up to me.

   "How'd it g-"

   "Leave me alone!" I snap. Jordan sighs and returns to his table. But not without telling me it'll be alright. It won't be. I just lost the most important person in my life to some jerk. The reason isn't even defined either. She basically walked out for another guy and popularity.

   I leave the cafeteria and walk to my locker with my head hanging. She's happy right? Good then. I never knew a day like this would come. I never knew I'd lose her like this. I grab my bag from my locker and throw it over my shoulder. Then I exit the building and into the parking lot. I unlock my car and get in.

   The entire car ride home is nothing but silence. No Dash to chat with. No Dash to tell I love her to.

   My house is filled with silence. I lie down on the couch. Why aren't I crying? The anger of Dash leaving me after all I've done for her has replaced every single tear in my body. I clench my teeth and let out a scream. I don't have neighbors, I live a few kilometers out of town. It was originally to give Dash space to fly around in. I might as well as move now that she's gone. Maybe I won't even go to school anymore.

   Why aren't I out there trying to get my Dash back? She told me herself she didn't want me. That's all it takes. I'm miserable, it's amazing how fast my life goes downhill.

   The only question going through my mind right now is "Why me?" I've done so much for her. Tried to make her the happiest person alive. Why did I suddenly disgust her? A tear slides down my face. What did I do wrong? Is there something wrong with me? It's not my fault I'm naturally unpopular...

Nothing will ever change for you. Tim's words from the orphanage ring in my head. I thought I had escaped what he said, I had proven him wrong with the arrival of Dash in my life. I had escaped, but now these words come back to haunt me. Am I not a good kisser? Is that what Dash wanted?If it is, I should be the one disgusted.

   Maybe it is me. Maybe it's the what I turned her into. She had chosen to be human to come live with me. Human. It almost causes me to smirk despite my situation. I must be going mad without my Dash. Human heart have changed her. It's my only theory. She no longer acts like the kind pony I met so many years ago.

"I've come to help you." The first lie she told me. She just wanted a home. It was foolish of me to think we could've ever been together and be normal. Maybe being seperated will change us and make us normal. I know too much about her. She's a pony. Or was at least. I sigh. I don't know how I'm going to manager without her. Suddenly I begin to wish I hadn't dumped out all that beer during New Years. I could go for a bottle right now.

   I smirk. It's like celebrating Dash leaving my life. Jakob wants me to grieve, I'm not going to. Never again. I'm sick of crying. I push away my feelings for Dash. If she's gonna do this shit to me, then so be it. It's actually me who deserves someone better.

   Then I remember the Valentine Hearts Dance is only days away, and Dash leaving my life has ruled out my only partner for the dance. Wait... Janet doesn't have a date to the dance, I don't think she does. She's sweet and really cute. Her eyes sparkle when she looks at me. Does she? Nah, she couldn't possibly like me. But right now I'm so desperate to not go to the dance alone I pick up the phone and dial her number. I'm not worried about her being at school. She didn't show up today, so she must be home sick. I just hope she can recover in time for the dance. She had given me it two days earlier so I could phone her before going to her house to do our report. I press call and press the phone against my ear. Ring. It doesn't have a chance to ring a second chance. The phone clicks and someone answers. "Hello?" It's Janet. I recognize her voice anywhere. It cracks a bit, but it's definitely her.

  "Oh, hey. It's Kyle."

  "Kyle? Aren't you in school right now? I got a small cold and my overprotective parents wouldn't let me leave the house."

   I laugh. "That's not important why I'm home right now. You got a date to the Valentine dance?"

   "Not yet."

   My hopes rise. "Well, I was wondering... Would you like to go to the dance with me?"

   "You're asking me out??" Her voice rises with joy, then quickly returns to cracking. "Wait... What about Shay?" I wince.

   "Something happened between us. We aren't together anymore."

   "Oh, I'd absolutely love to go to the dance with you."

   I grin. Success! "Great, I'll pick you up at six on the day of the dance?"

   Janet giggles. "Well, I'll have to cancel my car ride with daddy then. But see you then if not at school tommorow."

   "How are you feeling now?"

   "Suddenly, I feel like a thousand free butterflies flying in a flower field. Thanks for asking."

   "Alright, see you." I hang up and plop back down on the couch. What am I doing? Dash should be the one with me... What did she see in him? I realize it's too late now, and she had spilled everything earlier. I close my eyes. We've finally gone too far. A few tears drip down my face. I had only asked Janet out to rid the reminder of Dash. It didn't work. I clench my teeth. There's no going back now.

   I said something about mining a diamond earlier. I described our relation as a diamond. No diamond can be mined out without a few scratches and chips... Now there is no diamond. No Dash either. She's probably gone to live with Quince now. I pull the nearby couch pillow over my face.

   Silence fills my head and my thoughts empty. It's relaxing and peaceful, letting the tears stream down my steaming face, cooling it. I close my eyes and succumb myself to dreamless sleep.

My life is a mess.

Chapter 30: That Night

*This chapter serves as a small filler before the big dance. :)-Inu

******

   "I'll be back later tonight to pick you up once Janet and I finish our assignment. So work fast." Ky waves and turns away, not giving me the chance to wave back. He gets into his car and drives off. I stand on Quince's porch for a good while, thinking, holding my binder of notes tightly against my side. Then I ring the doorbell. The door opens and Quince greets me. I smile.

   "Brought the notes?" I nod. "Come in."

   I slip my shoes off and step inside. Quince takes my coat and hangs it up in the closet.

   "I was just working out in the basement. My parents bought me dumbbells when I was eight. I've moved on since then to benchpressing and that crap."

   "So, where are we gonna work?"

   "I was thinking my room. Maybe we can type out everything on my laptop and print out two copies? One for the each of us."

   "Sounds like a plan." I follow Quince up the stairs to his room.

   "My parents are out of town for the night. They enjoy going to Toronto to watch the Maple Leafs play. They're a horrible team."

   "Ditto."

   "I would've gone with them if we didn't have this assignment. Damn Mr. Ustura. I hate that guy. Anyways, the 'rents are staying in a hotel. I don't see the point of staying in a city that's only one hour away from where you live."

   "Wow, your family must be rich." I brush my hand against a vase with a bright decorative design. The china is cool to the touch.

   "Eh, it's not all what it's hyped to be, but yeah, we won the lottery a few years ago. They put a quarter of the money into my funds for university, and we're still using the rest right now. I plan on going to McGill in Quebec. Maybe I'll become a doctor or something, that's what my parents want me to be." He shrugs. "What university do you plan on going to?"

   "Well, I dunno actually. I'd be lucky if I even pass grade ten." Which is obviously not going to happen if Twilight plans on keeping her teeth from being knocked out of her mouth. I am sooo tired of going to school every single day. Seriously, when is that mare going to come and revert us? It's been four months for crying out loud!

   "Haha, don't worry, I'd support you."

   "Huh? Didn't quite hear you."

   Quince blushes. "Well, I'd support you no matter where you go in life."

   "I have Ky to do that for me." I laugh.

   Quince growls. "What do you see in him? Honestly!" He flips open his laptop and presses the power button.

   "He's sweet, kind, and well, pretty cool." Not to mention he saved my flank from freezing to death.

   "But I'm cooler, right?"

   I bite my lower lip. "No way! Ky has been supporting me since day one."

   "You're a good girl, Shay. Trying to stay by your boyfriend's side." He types in his password and taps the enter key. "But don't you see? Everything you do is for his happiness. What about your own? Are you happy with him?"

   "Yeah, I am. Just stop talking about this, it makes me uneasy!" I'm gonna pound his face in if he insults Ky! That's not cool at all.

   "I know there are a few things he can't provide for you. And I'm sure you know too."

   "What is that?" I frown.

   Quince sits back in his chair and scratches his arm. "Popularity."

   "Well..." To be popular IS what I want.

   "C'mon, every girl in our school looks up to you. And you're certainly a charm, but how do you think we all feel when you hang out with a geek? You have potential."

   "Really?"

   "I know it. You're one of the hottest girls I've met in my entire life." He smiles. Damn, a compliment. I was never popular with the stallions back in Equestria. In fact, three particular stallions gave me the nickname "Rainbow Crash". Man, it pissed me off so much. And here it is. Perhaps the most crushed on tenth grader calling me "hot". Normally, if somebody called me something like that, I'd push them away. Creeps, that's what they are. But I'm feeling something different towards Quince.

   Quice continues to tell me about my looks. And with each compliment, I become more and more accepting of them. "You're a hottie too." I smile. I don't know what just came out of my mouth, but it felt nice to say.

   "Not as hot as you."

   I blush. This never happens with Ky. Normally we just play video games and when I win, we get into a small play fight.

   "Shay, will you go to the Valentine Hearts Dance with me?"

   "I-I'd love to." It takes me a second to realize I just accepted. Quince smiles.

   "What about Kyle?" I wince. I'm unsure of what to do. Tell him I can't go to the dance with him? I don't know. "Look, just sit at my table during lunch tomorrow. It'll work out, and Kyle will take it all in easier with all of us supporting you."

   Am I really going to fit in? Finally! I've been longing for a chance like this. To finally be... popular! This is way past cool, I don't even know what to say. Lunch with the most popular group at school! They're like the Wonderbolts of this world. Well, maybe just at this school. It's still a pretty high position to hold though. I'm sure it'll be great.

   "Rainbow Dash."

   "Huh?"

   Quince smirks and winks. "Just joking. My older sister who's at college watches the show My Little Pony. Dunno why. She loves it though."

   I chuckle, slugging him hard on the shoulder. "Well, I thought you were gonna be another one of those dorks calling me a cartoon pony."

   "Say, is your hair dyed?"

   "Nah, I was born with it like this."

   "Whoa, that's pretty sick. Now you resemble Rainbow Dash even more." I laugh.

   "I get that a lot. Bronies are weird."

   "Tell me about it."

   "Whoa! Is it nine already? We better get working!" I grab my pencil.

   "One sec, come, look at this." Quince gestures for me to go over to him. I stand up and walk over to his desk.

   "What is-" Quince grabs me and plants his lips on mine. I don't push him away. His strong arms hold me by my waist. I embrace the kiss and return the favour.

   Thoughts about Ky run through my head. I easily push them away and replace them with images of Quince. Athletic. Smart. Popular. They're all I want, and Quince has them.

   Our lips part. Quince smiles. "Think we should get to work now."

   "Y-yeah." My voice shakes. I'm unsure of what I just did. I just kissed another person. Who isn't Ky. Is this right? I don't know. I enjoyed it though. The thoughts are starting to devour me. It's really annoying. I exhale a breath, push away all these thoughts about guys, and pick and my pencil and start to jot notes down.

Chapter 31: Valentine Hearts Dance

***Sorry this is late, my iPod takes forever to load Safari so I can upload, (my wifi is a bust) and I've been really busy with homework at school. Still waiting to settle in.

  I exhale a sigh. How is this night going to work out flawlessly? I drum my fingers against the window of my car. I do NOT want to get out there. It looks terrible. The snow had started pouring when I was on my way, driving to Janet's house. I guess mother nature isn't going to welcome me with a cup of hot coacoa.

   The car door swings open and I hop out. I slam the door close and make a sprint for Janet's porch. I'm very lucky. An upcoming snowstorm on my Valentines dance will for sure make this the greatest and most memorable dance ever. I roll my eyes and ring the doorbell. My right foot taps against the cement porch.

   A silent eternity passes and somebody finally answers. Janet's dad. Description? I would describe him as... probably the king of lions. He stares down at me with dark brown eyes and jabs a finger into my chest. I cough.

   "Have her home by eleven thirty, and remember, no funny business," he grunts. I offer a kind smile before speaking.

   "Sir, your daughter is in good hands."

   "I don't know whether that phrase is supposed to calm my nerves or send you home without a date."

   Janet appears behind her father. "Shoo, shoo." She grins as the t-rex disappears into the living room. "Don't worry about him, he's just very protective of me."

   "Well, you're very lucky to have a father like him." I shiver. I hold in a silent sigh. This will never work out, but I promised to take her to the dance. I'm what, more than twice her age inside? I want to scream and rant about all the problems I've put myself in, all the holes I've dug to completely screw myself early. I exhale a breath and take Janet's hand.

   "You ready to go?"

   Janet responds with a simple nod. I manage a weak smile and pull Janet through the snow to my car. I open the door for her and she climbs in, closing the door behind her. I lightly run to the other side of the car and open the door. Snow sticks itself to the bottom of my shoes. I don't care. My car is already pretty old. It was the first car I ever bought. I never thought I'd ever get one back then.

   Dash and I had picked it out together. We went through catalogues I picked up from work and decided on one we both liked. I smile at the cherished memory. It's one of the few memories I can remember. It seems as if Dash had taken all the memories with her when she left.

   I start up the car engine and pull out of Janet's driveway.

   "So how long have you been driving?" Janet asks.

   Small talk.

   "I'm rather new to driving, only been a few months since I got my liscence. Unfortunately, I can't talk. It distracts me," I lie.

   "Oh... Sorry..."

   I hate small talk. It's boring and unnecessary. Dash and I never had any small talk. We get straight to the point. If we wanted to state something, we stated it with pure honestly. Sometimes our jokes could be taken as forms of insults, but it was good fun. We never took each other that seriously. I mean, there are friends who get offended easily. They make a joke, and the other person gets his or her feelings hurt or pissed off. I don't get it. It was obviously a joke. Dash and I just, well, laughed off every insult we threw at each other.

   The good times. Man, it's only been less than a week since Dash had left me, but it felt like months. I'll probably see Dash at the dance tonight. I don't know what I'll say or what to do. Most likely I'll just ignore her when she sucks face with, bleh, Quince. I actually don't know how we ended like this. My brain is telling me to move on, but my heart is wishing more than ever that Twilight would come and fix things. Fix all this shit that has happened in the past few months of our high school life.

   I pull up into the school's parking lot. It's crowded. I drive about, searching for a nice place to park. It seems everybody else has the same idea as me: park near the school. The only few spots left are ones far from the school. I curse under my breath as I pull my car into one of the three spots left.

   "Hope you're up for a run."

   "In this dress and coat?" Janet sighs. "This isn't the best spot to park, but I guess it's better than nothing."

   I pull out the keys and get out of the car. I make my way to Janet's side of the car and open the door for her. She climbs out and shivers. "Mother nature isn't loving us this year."

   I laugh. "When was the last time Guelph had a normal winter? It's always early or late snow with enough surprise snowstorms to mess up a picnic in the summer."

   "Over exaggeration but sure."

   We slowly walk towards the school. It feels like an eternity, but as I open the school back doors, a gush of warmth welcomes me. I let Janet go in first before following. We walk through the empty halls. Music blasting from the gynasium is barely audible, but it's a sign we're drawing close to the dance. I hang my own and Janet's coats on the hooks in the athletic hall before opening the gym door for her.

   If somebody ever told you that a school dance is fun, then they must be wrong. I begin to have second thoughts the minute I walk in. A school dance, in my opinion, is NOT fun. Now the dance is spread over the three gymnasiums we have at our school, and I think the one Janet and I entered is Gym B, the middle one. But, school dances are basically love traps. You take one wrong step and you're between two kissing lovers. The teachers try to keep it at kissing only, but when you have a teensy staff team trying to control a student population of nearly two thousand, well, it becomes really easy to get away with things. What makes it worse is that I doubt the teachers even care. The students can touch and grope all they want, and the teachers would just be on the side, chilling as if nothing is happening.

   I look around. Dash isn't around. Good. Maybe Janet and I could get a few dances in. I open my mouth.

   "Janet, do you want to-" Janet grins and grabs my hand.

   "I'd love to." She pulls me onto the dancefloor and throws her arms over my shoulders. I hold her waist steadily and we dance around in a slow circular motion.

   We dance through a few songs. Every single song has been calm and gladly welcomes slow dancing. Some kids without dates wander around the gym alone in groups. It's not really a saddening sight nor do I actually care. It's their fault they didn't ask a girl to the dance. I shouldn't feel pity for others who don't even know of my existence. Yet, I feel this connection towards them. I'd be alone, probably on the streets by now or dead if a certain pony hadn't come into my life a decade ago. Rainbow Dash... She dragged me out of my folly and taught me to love living.

   I shake the thought of Dash off. I mean, what the hell was her problem? One second we were like best friends and the next she leaves me for no legitimate reason other than she's gone ga-ga for some pretty boy. Seriously! I have the right to be pissed about it and the right to never want to see her again. I doubt that'll happen because right now she's all I can think about.

   I softly stroke her back. It feels weird but my actions take control of themselves and do things I wouldn't regularily do. I don't know if it's the scenery around us or the music or what, but I feel different when I'm with Janet. It's not love, and I should feel bad about it. She deserves a guy who would give her one hundred percent of all his attention at a time like this, not a guy who's thinking about another girl. But Dash isn't any other girl. She's... special, and I think you already know why.

   Here I am, contemplating my thoughts while I'm at one of the biggest of dances of the year. I'm suppose to be having fun, but I'm not. I want to say something, anything, but my mouth stays shut. Thank god I don't, otherwise my mouth might've ran on and said some embarrassing jibberish.

   I pull away from Janet and offer to go grab her something to drink. As I pull myself up to the refreshments table, I realize two things: there isn't any Pepsi, just Sprite, and that Jakob and Dash were in this room the entire time, watching my every movement and making commentary. Jakob is holding Dash too close for my comfort. I grab a bottle of water for Janet (she asked for something that isn't sweet) and hurry away from the refreshments table.

   Janet is chatting with a few other girls. As I draw closer towards the group I could easily make out their appearances. Jane, Carrie and Wendy. The trio that Dash had hung out with when we first arrived here. Be casual, I tell myself. Be smooth, walk in as if nothing happened between you and Dash. Just hand Janet her water and engage in the conversation.

   "Hey Janet I brought your water of bottle," I say. Janet giggles. The rest of the girls echo her laughter. "What?"

   "Thank about what you just said," Janet takes the bottle from my hand. I laugh.

   "Just not myself lately."

   "Especially after the breakup?" Jane butts in. Carrie and Wendy glare at her. Janet looks away. Jane just broke a chick rule or whatever: never talk about your new boyfriend's ex when he's not over her yet. Or something like that. We aren't dating, at least I don't think so. It's just one date to the dance.

   I shrug. My eyes pierce through Jane like daggers, screaming for her to shut up. She seems to get the point and immediately changes the subject.

   "Janet, your red dress totally matches those nice purple earings." I roll my eyes. Jane, sometimes I wonder about her. If you're trying to change the subject because what you said previously was insensitive then at least do it good. Or comment on something other than what someone is wearing, though I do have to give her points for determining the color of Janet's earings in a dark enviroment like this. Purple could easily be mistaken with black, or dark red, or brown in this lighting. Jane must have a second brain or something that acts like a spidey sense when it comes to fasion. Most girls do, and I'm not being stereotypical. Ok, maybe I am. But it's more of a talent than something bad. I can't make out if that girl sitting in the corner is wearing blue or red in this dark. Maybe I should ask Jane and see if she knows. I shake the thought off and grin to myself. I'd just sound like a creep.

   Janet pulls away from her friends and slip beside me. She smiles warmly as I put my arm around her shoulder. We walk around the gym in silence. It takes a while for her to fond her voice and for me to find mine.

   "You know, they say he's a girl whisperer."

   "Who a what?" I narrow my eyes.

   "They say Quince is a girl whisperer. There isn't a girl he has flirted with and not dated." Janet sighs and rests her head against my shoulder.

   "So basically..."

   "He knows what girls want and like. It's quite simple actually, like bribing a baby with candy."

   "Why're you telling me this? I don't care for Quince, you should probably no that."

   "No. I can see you looking in her direction from time to time. That look in your eyes." Janet exhales another sigh, "I thought you'd wanna know more about the guy you lost her to."

   "How do you know about this?" I raise my brow. I'm quite surprised actually. Is it hypnotism? I don't think so. Hypnotism isn't possible, at least, not possible for the victim to remain fully functional like a human being. Janet doesn't answer me. She must've zoned out. I repeat my question. "How do you know this?"

   "I read an article on it. There's no other explanation for how he-" Her eyes widen. "Look out!"

   I look up from her. I hadn't noticed I was staring into her eyes but it's too late now. Not even the fastest reaction in the world could prevent me from being soaked. Icy cold soda splashes onto my pants. Janet covers her mouth with her hands and let's a gasp escape her throat.

   "Hey everyone, look! Kyle wet himself!" Quince hoots. I close my eyes and count to ten. How could he?! The whole gym erupts into laughter as Sprite drips down my leg. I watch Dash's lips tug into a smirk. But her smirk quickly disappears when she realizes my eyes are on her. She looks away and bends down to scratch her legs. I look down to my pants again, bewildered. I want to get him back so badly.

   "Go to the office." Janet grabs my hand and tugs. "They can lend you a pair for the night." I follow her out of the gym and into the main office. The secretary looks up.

   "Having fun at the dance?" She smiles warmly.

   I smile back. "Some retard spilt soda onto my pants, can I borrow a pair?" The secretary's smile drops.

   "Well, that's unfortunate." She reaches down into the drawer and pulls out a pair of sweat pants. "New pair, bring these back tomorrow after you wash them tonight."

   I nod and take the pants into the washroom to change into them. They're really baggy, but fit excellently. I walk out and toss my wet pair of jeans onto the hook beside my coat in the athletic hall before meeting up with Janet outside of gym we were originally in.

   "It's snowing hard outside, we might have a blackout soon."

   "Sounds like fun." I open the door for Janet and she slips in.

   The first thing I notice is that everyone has stopped dancing. The second thing becomes quite obvious is the cluster of kids near the center of the gym, all gathering around in a circle. What could be that amusing for them all to want to see it? Janet and I move towards the cluster. As I approach the swarm of kids, I start pushing and shoving people out of my way so I can move towards the center and see what all the ruckus is. I'm beginning to wonder where the teacher on supervision is. Obviously if he or she I'd in the room, they would see this huge blob of kids in the center of the gym and come see what the hell is going on. It's apparent they probably ran off to the teacher's lounge to mooch on donuts or some sort.

   I push the final kid out of the way and make some room for Janet beside me. The scene that greets me is perhaps... well... an extremely shitty one that is perhaps the reason why tonight is about to become a living hell for me.

   "Why can't you dance anymore?" Quince pleads. Dash sits on the floor, rubbing her legs.

   "I'm just saying I'm tired alright?! We all get tired. I get tired, you get tired. It's normal!"

   Quince let's out a low growl. Obviously he's used to getting his way. "Get up, we're dancing to three more songs."

   "I can't I already said. My legs are killing me. They're sore and feel like they're ripping from the inside. I need some rest and then I'll-"

   "Bullshit. Why did I even take you here? Goddammit I-"

   The scene slows down for me. I clench my fists. What the hell does this kid think he's saying? I'll beat the living crap out of him! Like seriously, he takes her to the dance, she gets tired and he doesn't let her rest?! I narrow my eyes as everything speeds up once again.

   "-wanted a girl who can dance, not some lazy bitch."

   That's the last straw. I'm going to- everything goes balck. The music stops. The gymnasium fills with gasps and frantic whispers. Shit, this is the worst time for a blackout! I squint my eyes. No use. I can't see a thing. It seems Janet had predicted correct.

   Then a sound catches my attention, and grants the buzzing students all a moment to pause and let the gasp they've been holding in escape. It enrages me. Absolutely disgusts me. Rage fills and pours into my fist. A tear almost drips down my eye.  Not one sound. The sounds. Two sounds, there were two. Two sounds that were completely linked together.

   The sounds? A smack followed by a small yelping cry that escapes Dash's throat ring in the gym's seemingly everlasting darkness.

Chapter 32: The End All to Be All

   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.

Epilogue

Two years later...

   The clock ticks. I slump in my seat, waiting for something to happen. I stare at the computer screen.

   It's like this almost everyday. I smile. Everyone wants to be big in something. Now I'm the owner of one of the biggest restaurants in town: Blue Bird.

Blue Bird.

   I bet you realize who I renamed the restaurant after. Some of my employees scratched their heads in confusion the day I announced the restaurant will be receiving a new name. Luckily, the new name did not arouse any complaints or disappointments.

   I have a document of this month's profit open on the computer screen. It's better than last months. Infact, I don't ever remember our profits ever decreasing by a noticeable amount.

   I never thought I'd get this far. A year and a half ago when the owner said he's handing the restaurant down to me, I thought he was playing a joke or something. I wasn't ready to take on such a roll of responsibility. I'm glad I did.

   Look at me. I began as a waiter all those years before and slowly worked my way to this position. Being a waiter was much easier and less stressful but I enjoy everything I do now. It's just almost part of my routine. I walk into work with a smile, even on those days when people are just, you know, not having a good time for no absolute reason at all. I do my best to keep my employees happy and enjoy their time working here.

   There are times when some people just try my patience. Of course, they fail to do so. Take my employees for example. A year ago, they suddenly just all decided to mess with me. At first, a few of the cooks refused to take orders and I thought I had some rotten tomatoes that needed to be fired in my crew. Soon I realized that the entire staff team were being jerks to me. It was just a joke. Though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frusterated halfway through the day.

   Don't misunderstand me. I have an excellent staff team. Sure sometimes I hire that odd one out of the crowd who acts like a big jerk to everybody, but the rest of the employees are excellent and trustworthy workers.

   I shut off the computer and turn off the monitor. I stand up and grab my jacket. It's the middle of December. It's pretty cold and I try to wear a coat but most of the time I find that a coat is too warm. I think it has something to do with all of my experiences in the cold. They weren't very fun.

   I open my office door and walk out past the employee's lounge, past the manager's office and down the stairs into the busy restaurant. A few waiters nod in respect as I walk past them. I look around. There are many happy faces. Many are deep in conversation. Some are eating, some are waiting for their food.

   I exit the restaurant. It's not very cold. A thick blanket of snow covers the ground. I walk through the parking lot to my reserved space where my car is parked. I fish out my car keys and unlock the door before climbing in. The engine stirs to life; I give a moment for the heater to warm up the car before I plant my hands onto the ice cold steering wheel.

   Maybe it's time for me to buy one of those covers made of fur you wrap around the steering wheel so it get doesn't get cold when you leave the car.

   I pull out of the parking space and exit the lot.

   One of the perks of being a restaurant owner is that you're your own boss. It's great, really. I could hire anybody to do my work for me and I'd still keep my job. Actually, there's nobody to fire me. I'm at the top of the pyramid. I can set my work hours whenever I want.

   I smirk at the thought of a thirty-minute work day. I can't do that. I'm supposed to open up the restaurant every morning and close it every night. I already got past that by giving the janitor an extra key to do it for me. Not for free of course; I slipped an extra dollar into his hourly salary. Now I just come to work for the sake of it and the fact I have nothing better to occupy myself with at home.

   It's a silent drive. Sometimes I would talk to myself to rid the loneliness. Not today.

   I drive out of town and continue driving down the road. I live on the outskirts. Like a few miles outside of Guelph. It's not that far away from work and I've come to enjoy the peace that settled in after Dash left. It's saddening, but I try my best every day to not think about it and get on with my life as Celestia had said. Afterall, isn't life all about moving on?

   I pull up in my driveway. My wheel hits the curb and the car shakes. I grin and curse under my breath. I often find myself doing that. It's no biggy, if anything does damage my vehicle I could easily get it repaired. Why, with the money I'm making, I might as well as be the richest man in town.

   I shut the engine off and climb out of the car. I stretch my arms and yawn. Finally. Some time to just relax and watch some television. I fish out a keychain ring bombarded with every key I own. I work my way through to find my house key. I unlock the door and walk in.

   Something feels different.

   I immediately notice the presence of a stranger in my house. Did somebody break in? Damn it. I didn't think someone would go out of their way, to go miles out of town just to rob a single house that doesn't even have anything worth real value. I keep all my money in the bank and a good amount in my wallet. Other than that, a credit card would do.

   Footsteps. Loud and clear. From the living room.

   Maybe it's only my imagination running wild. Two years alone has left a funny sense of insanity in me. I'm not taking any chances though. One wrong move and I could be stabbed. Even worse, shot. Real firearms are illegal in Canada but even a legal gun for practice like an air rifle could do some potential damage.

   I grab a baseball bat from the closet where I keep coats beside the main door. Stealthily, I walk towards the living room where I think somebody would be hiding. Ever get the feeling that you're not alone? You probably weren't. I don't know how but when I walked in the atmosphere just felt different. I take a deep breath. And charge into the living room.

   I search around frantically. Any sign of movement or anything out of the ordinary will not escape my eyes. I inspect the entire living room with haste.

   Empty.

   I exhale a breath of relief and move on to the kitchen.

   Nothing.

   I check the washroom.

   Not a soul.

   I search every inch of the first floor. Nobody. I am alone afterall. If somebody was in here I'd have heard them moving away from me or to the second floor.

   I plop down on the couch, dropping the bat onto the floor. Some excitement would be nice. I sigh and close my eyes. My heart rate slowly returns to normal. I feel fatigue. Tired. Depleted. Worn out. I feel like I could sleep right here on this couch for an entire week.

   Hold up.

   I shift around. Something makes a crinkling sound beneath my back. It feels smooth like paper. I sit up to see what I had crushed. Half of it is still under me. I reach over and pull it out from underneath. A piece of paper. I turn it around to see what's on the back. The few words that greet me slap a sudden grin onto my face. My heart leaps with joy.

One week. Equestria. Be ready.

Dash

Painting our Life - 6 Colors End, November 1, 2012

Author's note

   That's the end of Painting our Life - 6 Colors. I don't expect myself to write a third installment (it's a possibility). I understand the quality of my story may have decreased; I apologize for that. Stress has its toll on me. Being a freshman is tough. Even now, I'm writing this note in my science class as I take notes on the atomic theory.

   I already have an idea for a new story. I plan on writing a few one-shots before I start on big one. It might take a while for me to write though. (Very busy with homework and video games... Yep, I have a terrible addiction.)

   Well, until next time, bronies!

   Your probable best pony pal,

Inu

Prologue: In Too Deep

   Life isn't fair. We live, then we die. I feel like the life I'm

living is just one big waiting room for death. Nothing goes right. You

can blame it on someone, anyone, that I was raised this way. In fact,

you can blame it on my parents, but I've never met them. Or else I

would've started off like: my parents are the worst in the world, they

don't love me. There's a chance that they don't even aknowledge I exist.

    I grew up in an orphanage, caused riots and fought with fellow

orphans. No one liked me, and I liked no one. The first thing I did on

my eighteenth birthday was get the hell out of there. I got a job

working as a cashier at Zellers. It doesn't pay much, but it still

keeps bread on the table and a roof over my head. My house is quite

small and shabby. But I don't mind. My life will eventually end, and

none of this would have mattered. Because when I'm dead, I'd be dead.

Having lots of money or living in a big mansion wouldn't give me the

ability to avoid death.

    I wish I could afford a car though, I really do, my feet ache

everyday from walking to and from work. I would take the bus, if I had

enough extra money to afford tickets every single day. Nope. I just

have to keep living like this. Until death comes to claim me that is.

You'd think four years out of the orphanage would finally be enough

time to forget the fact you've no parents. It's not. The reminders are

everywhere, commercials on tv with kids happily going to a restuarant

with their parents, seeing that one kid at the supermarket beg his mom

for Oreo cookies, or just simply walking to work for overtime on

Sundays and seeing that boy and his dad throw a frisbee around the

yard. It's just that pain you could never be extinguished of.

    I could still feel this way, but that would mean her efforts were

wasted on me. And I don't want that. The following story you are about

to read is a true story. All the characters in here are real. You can

believe me, or you can just dismiss it as another teen fairytale. This

is my story, and I want you to know it.

Chapter 5: A Forest Surprise

   It's a normal work day. I take the order, bring it to the cook, then wait for him to cook it, then I deliver the food and provide any other service the customer requires. Buisiness is booming. It becomes harder to take every single order in least amount of time possible. The owner installed another stove and hired more cooks to speed up the process. The restuarant had quickly climbed up to the top of the best eateries list in Guelph. It was something to celebrate for. I hand the chef the orders and he passes out the slips of paper to each cook. My salary has grown from 30 dollars per hour to 35 dollars per hour over the 3 years' time. I am the oldest employee here so far. Not in age, but in years of working. Many leave the job for new interests and higher salaries. But my salary is more than enough.

   As I deliver the food, Klo, a waitress passes by and winks at me. I think I developed a small crush for her over the past 3 years. I might ask her out this week. I mean, many people would say, you have Dash! It's not like Dash and I are dating or anything so I think it'd be fine with her. Besides, it won't be biologically correct for me to date anyone that isn't my species. And that's just gross.

   "Hey! Are we gonna get our food or not?" A grouchy old man slams his hand against the table to wake me up. I turn red, I didn't realize I had completely zoned out. I set the food down on his table and him and his wife start eating.

   "Sorry," I mutter and head back to the kitchen where I "hang out." Another perk of being a waiter is there are other waiters and waitresses, at least 2, doing your job for you. Normal waiters and waitresses work 5 hours, but I need to work 8 hours since I'm at the top. So while the other waiters seat people, take orders and that, I sit around in the kitchen watching the cooks make food. I've picked up some cooking techniques and Dash praises my dishes that I make for dinner each night.

   8 hours pass quickly. I drive home. After some fumbling with keys, I open the front door. Dash isn't home. It's Friday night, meaning she's probably out flying. She got a bit lazy before we bought this new house. Back then, she was cooped up all day mostly because of my fears that someone may see her. Now, she can fly as much as her heart desires. I begin making dinner. Cheese lasagna with garlic bread. I bring out a box of frozen lasagna, take out the pan and place the pan of lasagna inside the oven. Then I set a few slices of garlic bread wrapped in foil on another pan. Setting the timer for 30 minutes, I head to the living room and flick on the television. I lose myself in the world of South Park and didn't realize Dash had snuck inside the house. She sniffs, and licks her lips.

   "What's for dinner Kyle? I'm famished!" She started to call me by my first name. Sometimes my tongue slips and I call her Dashie. But Dashie doesn't seem to flow right. I mean, she's not my family, we aren't in a special relationship so we're just friends. Friends that live together. So Dash seems like the best suited name for me to call her.

   "Cheese lasagna and garlic bread."

   "You cook it?"

   "Nah I got lazy tonight and decided to heat up the frozen boxed food we have in our freezer."

   "Good, your cooking is horrible anyways," She jokes. I put on a false face of shock.

   "Dash! I'm hurt!" I clutch my heart. And whip my head to face her. "Devastated!" I have my best puppy eyes on. Her expression changes.

   "Hey, I'm sor-" I stick out my tongue and snort. She falls to the floor laughing. When she gets up, she punches me on the shoulder. "Hey, I was scared there."

   "Scared of what?"

   "That you've turned into a sensative wussy." Ouch. Not really. I'm pretty sure I can retort to that but decide to keep my mouth shut. We warmed up to each other pretty quickly in the past three years and aren't afraid to share feelings and thoughts with one another. We often joke around and don't take many things seriously. I pull the lasagna out from the oven and set it on the table.

   "Dinner's ready!" I call to Dash, who had turned her attention to the television. It was turned to the news channel.

   "In other news, Tim McDan has been released from jail after three years for assault of a young man and attempt robbery at the local Galaxy Cineplex." The words just flow out of the reporter's mouth. "He plans on catching up with old friends and is eager to continue his life." I shiver, surely he does not know where I live. But I can't take risks. He's dangerous. I leave the lasagna with Dash who has already begun to eat, and walked into the washroom. I stare into the mirror. 3 years. Did you learn anything Tim? I hope you came out as a better person. If you have, I wish you luck, in life. I close my eyes, and sigh a deep breath of relief.

   I return to the kitchen. Dash had brought her plate in front of the tv. She's watching Spongebob. It's hard to believe, she's 23 and still watching cartoons. But I suppose I'm not one to talk, I just turned 25 this year, and there's nothing other than cartoons I would rather watch. I scrape up some lasagna and pick up a piece of garlic bread. Then I leave with my food to join Dash in front of the television. I don't know why, but eating beside Dash while watching tv has become something I have come to enjoy. She became my best friend over the course of our time together. Not that we have anyone else in us in this lonely world. I smile when I look over to Dash, the innocence in her eyes is just, the cutest thing ever. She notices me staring.

   "What? Is there something on my face?" She wipes her mouth with her hoof. "Seriously, what're you staring at, it's kinda creepy." I shrug and begin to laugh. Don't know why, but I just feel so content right now, with her by my side. "Weird." Her only response before returning her gaze to the cartoon.

   The sun shines through my eyelids. I open them. Ugh. I knew I should've closed those curtains last night before I went to sleep. I glance at the clock. 8:40. Not that I'm lazy, I just want to sleep more. I close my eyes, ready to drift asleep again. When suddenly, my door swings open and Dash barges in.

   "Kyle, I want to show you something." She hypes. "It's awesome." She waves for me to get up.

   "Is it breakfast? I don't think burnt milk will be healthy for me," I joke and crawl out of bed to change into my clothes for the day.

   "Har har." Dash rolls her eyes.

   I trip over another root. Dash had dragged me into the forest that wasn't far from my house. I really didn't expect my Saturday morning to start off like this. The sun shines through the roof of leaves. What's in here to show? We've been trekking for a few minutes already. I brush some dirt off my jeans. Dash is leading the way. By my calculations or guess, same thing, we're nearing the center of the forest.

   "Dash, what is it that you wanna-" My jaw drops. There towering before us, was the tallest tree I've ever seen. I circle around it, inspecting it. It looks so smooth and untouched. No holes from pecking birds, no areas infested with lady bugs. A scratch in the wood catches my attention. Not a scratch. Engraved writing. The words are a bit hard to read. Kyle and... Dash. It's surrounded by a heart. I back away from the tree. This seems to be the brightest spot in the forest as the trees circle around the much larger one Dash carved our names in.

   "Pretty neat huh? I spent a while carving it." Dash flutters down beside me. "Well? Do you like it?" I smile. And pull her into a hug. The proof of our bond has been carved into this tree. I'm much happier during the trip back home.

   Today's afternoon seems pretty eventless. Dash and I flop around lazily on the couches in the living room. The tv is on, but neither of us are interested in whatever is playing. Until one particular commercial caught my attention. It's advertising Halloween candy. This year passed really quickly. To be honest, I didn't even know it was already October.

   "Hey Kyle, what's Halloween?" I freeze. I know Dash celebrated Halloween back in Equestria. But they call it Nightmare Night, and from watching the episode Luna Eclipsed, none of the ponies really had anything gory or traumatizing.

   The next 2 hours were spent on lecturing Dash on Halloween and how it began in the human world. You know, with the Easter bunnies being devil worshippers and how they offered candy to the demons to keep them at bay. Dash is fascinated by our history, I mean my story. I honestly have no idea how Halloween started so I made up a bunch of gibberish to entertain her. She ate that stuff right up.

   I turn off the shower tap and smile to myself. I feel completely refresh after my daily shower. I'm also thinking about the innocence Dash had shown while listening to my story. Her expression was something a young child would wear when listening to how Santa Claus creeps into your house. I do make a wonderful story teller. Maybe I could become a librarian when I'm old and retired from the restuarant.

   It's a surprise to see the television turned off. Dash was lying lazily on one of the couches. My cheery mood washes away. She turns her head to me, ears drooping.

   "Kyle?" Her eyes show... loneiness? "Do you think I'll ever be able to celebrate any of the holidays here on Earth?" My heart thinks. I was afraid she'd ask that. The one question I dreaded while telling my story. "Do you?" She puts on puppy eyes. I get up, and mess up her mane, like an older brother would to his younger brother.

   "Don't worry," I reassure, "This isn't the last Halloween, we'll find a way through life in the next couple of years." She grins.

   Night falls. I look out the window, in the direction of the forest. I focus on the tallest tree sticking out the middle of the roof made of leaves. That's where our signature on this world is. That's our mark. We'll always have each other till time's end. That's a promise to her and myself. One I'll fight to keep. I open the window, to watch the fireflies dance beneath the moon and listen to the cricket's music, letting the cool fall breeze ruffle my shaggy hair.

Intermission

   In the royal Canterlot castle, a meeting brings the attention of five ponies and two guardians of Equestria towards a certain Cyan pegasus.

   "She can not, MUST not stay there for much longer, this was all a big mistake!" An indigo unicorn speaks. Her four friends nod in agreement.

   "I think Twi's gotta point. Rainbow's no good there. Jus' look at her! Cooped up all day." An orange mare adds. She sways her blonde tail impatiently.

   "I think she should be happy whereEVER she goes! She did protect us from that meany beany grouchy Gilda. And it's not fair she get's in trouble for what she thinks is right!" A pink pony squeaks. She's about to break into song about how awesome her friends are, only to get a hoof in the mouth by her orange friend.

   "What we mean your majesty, is that the dreadful place she was sent to is simply horrid! It looks filthy and disgusting, don't you agree, dear Fluttershy?" The white pony turns to her friend, her eyes burns through the shy yellow pony.

   "Umm... I think... Rainbow should be returned... to us... if you don't mind of course." She stammers.

   "I'm glad you all concern about your friend's punishment, but Rainbow Dash must continue her banishment. We understand she had no choice in the situation, but killing another pony or any other creature is an unforgivable deed, and we all must follow the laws set the day Equestria began. It is tradition" The regal voice chimes and echos the room.

   "Wait, who's the we, as I see it, there's only one of yo-" The orange pony stuck her hoof into the pink one's mouth again. Obviously, if she will not shut up, the hoof will have to stay there. The indigo pony opens her mouth to speak again.

   "Princess Celestia, please rethink this,  Rainbow Dash is like a sister to us, all five of us. It pains us if she is not enjoying her life there. That world has robbed her of her freedom." The princess watches the sympathy for their friend grow in the eyes of the five ponies. Sighing, she whispers to her sister, who hasn't spoken throughout the entire meeting. After a nervous wait, the princess returns her gaze to the five worrying ponies.

   "If your friend is more important to you than the thousands year old laws of Equestria, then we shall make an exception," All five ponies' faces lit up, "But, Luna and I will need to discuss this further, and if we will keep an eye on Dash. If she continues to dislike where she is, we will return her to her rightful spot. You may all leave now." A glow emits from her horn, and with a POOF, the five ponies disappear.

Intermission Two

   Twilight's head aches with severe pain. The transportation spell had taken the most out of her. She wasn't used to using excessive quantities of magic like that. Celestia was but at the moment was unavailable to cast the spell that opens the passage between worlds. The princess had warned her not to go alone, but she had to go and do what must be done. It was crucial. And now she must stay in bed until the pain leaves.

   Twilight never got the chance to tell Kyle why she was barging in during the middle of the night and changing them to teens. Kyle wasn't the one who concerns her. It was Rainbow Dash who she is worried about. For good reasons too, but she felt that if she hadn't turned Kyle as well, it would interupt that little thing between them. They didn't make it obvious but it doesn't take a genius like Starswirl the Bearded to figure out they were in love.

   The door creaks open and Applejack trots in. "How are yah feelin, sugarcube?"

   "I'm afraid not any better." The purple mare squeezes her eyes. "My headache won't dispel."

   "The princess says she's too busy to come visit yah an' make yah better." Applejack shook her head. "Ah don't think that's a good idea."

   "Nonsense Applejack, I'll be fine after a few months. The next time I return to the human world, the princess will be the one casting the spell."

   "Ay few months?! An' yah didn't tell Kyle what's going on?"

   "Not even Rainbow Dash."

   "Twi, how did yah expect this tah go?" Applejack was furious her friend casted a spell with few months' aftermath of headaches but didn't make use the best of her time there.

   Twilight shrugs. "A regular unicorn like me can't hope to cast the spell that will let me stay there for longer. Princess Celestia's magic is..." She stops for a second to swallow, "Special. She has more magic power than all of us."

   "Ah don't follow." Twilight's hoof meets with her face, in the manner some ponies would call a "facehoof".

   "AJ, just don't worry about it right now. That human is responsible, or at least that's how he presented himself when we met. I don't know what they've been doing, but trust me, he will take good care of Rainbow Dash."

   "Ah don't know. He ain't a miracle worker." Applejack kicks her hoof, unsure what to say or do about this matter.

   Twilight shifts her head into a more comfortable position on the pillow. "Let's just wait and see. When I'm feeling better, I'll have Princess Celestia take me back there."

   "Ah trust you're right about this, sugarcube." Applejack leaves the room, but not without turning off the lights first and saying a soft "Sweet dreams."