I wasn’t sure why, but I was crying. Maybe I was happy to be alive, maybe I was sad. Perhaps I was crying about what my dreams had clearly meant. These last five years, Dashie had been living like that. Crying herself to sleep every night. I couldn’t bear the thought. To think I let myself go for so long… It wouldn’t happen again. I promised myself, right there and then. No matter what, I would stick by her side.
And then… in they walked. The Elements of Harmony, all of them. Minus one. Rainbow Dash wasn’t with them. Twilight approached me. I saw the shining tears in her eyes through the blurriness of my own. She said nothing at first. She stretched out her hooves. I stretched out my arms. The other four gathered around… and we embraced one another.
Twilight finally spoke, her tears rolling on to my shoulder. “We… w-we thought we had lost you.”
“I know,” I cried. “I did, too.”
“How… how did you come back after that?”
“I… I don’t know. I-I dreamed about Dashie, though. A lot. I was h-her, for a while. I’ve seen what she’s been through. I’ve seen what you’ve been through. I am so, so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Twilight said. “You’re here now.”
The other four were now crying as well. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, hugging them. Honestly, I didn’t want to let go when we did. But slowly, Twilight and the others left my arms. I surveyed the room. Rainbow Dash was still not with us.
Fluttershy noticed that I was looking for her, and she cowered away. I turned to Twilight. “Where is she?”
Her lip quivered. I looked around the room. They all seemed to be hiding something. I stared them down. Applejack kicked her hoof on the ground. Fluttershy crouched behind the others. Finally, Twilight took a step toward me, and whispered in my ear.
“We’re sorry, Brian, but she’s been gone for three days.”
“So… she left? And none of you noticed she was gone?”
“It isn’t our fault, Brian!” Rarity spoke up this time. “Darling, Rainbow Dash just took off one day. Nopony saw her leave, heard her say where she was going, anything! She just… left!”
“I promised I would help her, and I’ll be damned if I stay here one minute longer instead of doing just that! I’m going to find my daughter. If any of you ever cared about her, you will too.”
I got out of my bed. I was wobbly, but I convinced myself I was fine. Shoving through the ponies, I made my way to the door. Twilight flashed her horn and put herself in front of the door.
“No,” she said. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“Move, Twilight. I can handle myself.”
“Don’t make me hurt you.”
“Do what you must,” I said. “I’m getting her back.”
I pushed her aside and swung the door open. Applejack swung a hoof at me, and I fell to the ground. Quickly, I got back up. Twilight was charging a spell. I didn’t give her time, though. I rushed out the door and started running down the halls. A few of the nurses looked at me funny. I suppose they had every right to; a man running in a hospital gown isn’t something you’d see every day.
Regardless of them, I made my way down the flight of stairs. Twilight kicked the back of my head, and I collapsed at the bottom of the steps. I wiped my mouth with my hand, and saw that I was bleeding. She stood over me.
“You’re not leaving until you get better,” she said. She shot a spell at me, putting me inside a purple bubble.
“Hey!” I screamed, “Let me out! Twilight!” I started banging on the bubble, but it wasn’t going to pop anytime soon. I looked at her face. I could tell she was only trying to help, but this wasn’t the kind of help I wanted. I just wanted my little girl back.
Twilight levitated the bubble all the way back to my hospital bed. By the time we got there, I was crying again. She popped the bubble over my bed, making me fall back on it. I looked at the ponies.
“I just want my daughter back,” I cried. “Please…”
Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity looked at Twilight. She turned to me, smiled, and nodded. “I can tell we aren’t stopping you,” she said. “So, the best thing we can do… is help you.”
I smiled, and wiped my eyes. “Thank you.”
The Elements of Harmony smiled at me. Pinkie Pie cheered, hopped over to the door, and opened it. As I opened the front door to the hospital, I felt a slight breeze hit my face. The warmth of the sun heated my skin, and the clean air permeated my nose. I took a deep breath.
I was home.
***
“Dashie?” I yelled. Nothing but the sounds of the Everfree responded.
I looked at Twilight. She seemed to be concerned for me. “I’ll find her,” I said. “I know I will.”
“It’s getting late though, Brian.”
“So?”
“Well, the other four have already stopped looking, and I don’t think two of us can search the entire land of Equestria for one pony…”
“You’re just going to give up? Like that?”
“Well, it just doesn’t seem so likely that we’ll find her… How do you even know she’s in here?”
“I don’t, but I know where she is.”
“Oh?”
“You said she was gone how long?”
“Three days. Why exactly is that relevant?”
“Because I doubt you ever looked at the lake.”
Twilight gasped. We began vaulting logs and slapping tree branches. We knew where she was, for sure. I was going to get my daughter back.
I hadn’t moved in a long time. I couldn’t even remember how long I’d been sitting there, but I didn’t care. They weren’t going to let Pops stay in the hospital anymore. There was no way I could pay for it again, not without selling the house, and all of our memories with it.
Small streams gently trickled down my cheeks. My eyes stung from the amount of tears I had shed. The grass around me swayed in unison with the wind. The water splashed against the shore, hitting my hooves ever so lightly. It was just like all those years ago, when I first returned. This is where I stayed, for three days. And on that third day, he found me.
I couldn’t bear the thought of his death. I promised myself I would leave the lake soon, and check on him. I knew I was lying to myself, forcing myself ever so deeper into the abyss. If five years didn’t wake him up, an extra day wouldn’t, either.
I stood up and shook the grass out of my tail. I wiped my eyes with my hooves and started to walk. Flying wasn’t really an interest of mine anymore. There was no point. I was too distracted thinking of him to concentrate. I was barely as fast as Fluttershy, and being beat in a race by Twilight really took the fun out of it all.
I wasn’t really sure where I was going, or what I was doing. I must have circled around the lake twice, and I still wasn’t able to find peace. A part of me wanted to just throw myself into the water and give up, but something held me right on the edge of the lake. A feeling in my gut. I just knew, somehow, things were going to change.
I heard rustling coming from the trees. Somepony was running.
“Hello?” I called out.
There was no response, but the noise was getting closer. Whoever it was, they had every intention of seeking me. Yet, this didn’t strike me as scary or creepy. Once again, that gut feeling kept me there, frozen in place. I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting, I just knew I needed to find out. And find out I did. I picked up a stick off the ground and threw it towards the noise. The beings emerged from the treeline.
I stepped back in shock. There was no way in Equestria he could be here.
“No,” I yelled, “get back!”
“Rainbow,” Twilight replied, “it’s-”
“Twilight,” I shouted at her, “it’s a changeling! Don’t listen to it!” I grabbed my friend's hoof, scooping her away from that bug.
“RAINBOW DASH!” Twilight pulled back, slipping from my grip.
I stopped. Twilight and the ‘changeling’ approached me. “It’s not a changeling,” Twilight said. “He woke up.”
“D...Dad?” Water began building up in my eyes.
“Dashie!” My dad kneeled down to me with open arms.
I stood up on my hind legs and embraced Pops. I was getting shaky, my eyes were blurring, and I was at a loss for words. I hadn’t been that happy for five years.
“I’ve missed you,” he cried. “I’ve missed you so so much.”
“I missed you too,” I replied. I let go, and trying to contain my tears, I turned to Twilight. “Twilight, how did you find me?”
“I didn’t,” she said. “He did.”
“I just had a feeling you were here,” said Pops. “I just did.”
“Dad?”
“Yes, Dashie?”
“Let’s go home.”
***
I shut the door behind us. The hole in my heart was filled. My daughter had kept the place as I had left it. She walked over to the living room and started picking up wadded up tissues off the floor. I didn’t dare ask, rather, I helped her clean up.
“Rainbow,” I said, “after we pick up a bit, how about we go get something to eat? I’m starving.”
“Sure!” She exclaimed. “I haven’t eaten in days.”
“Years,” I replied with a grin. “Years, for me.”
She giggled. “Oh! That reminds me!”
Dashie trotted over to the wall and pointed. It was blank. “I took your picture down.”
“What? Why?”
“I-I had to sell it.” She lowered her ears.
“You sold it?”
“There was no other way! I had to get the bits to keep you in there, so I started selling stuff.”
“We’ve got to get it back, Dashie, I need that picture!”
“I-I’m sorry,” she said, “If it makes you feel better, I sold everything I owned first! I even sold all of my wonderbolt merchandise!”
“I’m sorry,” I said, “I know it's been tough. I really do. Who did you sell it to?”
“Forest.”
“Huh? Forest is still around, is he?”
“Yeah. We can go there after dinner.”
“I can just go talk to him and get it back-”
“-No! Er…” She bit her tongue. “Look, he’s not really such a great pony as of late. I don’t know what got into him, but… it’d be best if I go.”
“O...kay,” I said, “if you say so.”
I could tell when my daugher was lying, and she wasn’t. But, I could also tell when she was leaving out details. Dashie was hiding something. She knew something. Something nopony else knew. Regardless, I put that aside. My stomach was about to implode, and I wanted to spend some quality time with my little girl.
***
I held the door open and let Pops in before me. I hadn’t even passed through the doorway when I heard all the gasps, the inevitable “Brian’s back”, and the rather surprising “Mommy, what is that?” shooting throughout the room. I giggled, and Pops shrugged.
“Table for two,” I said.
The waiter was completely stunned. She shook her head and levitated some menus in front of him. “Yes, of course.”
Dad and I followed him to our booth. The moment we were seated, our order was taken. The menu hadn't changed at all since the last time I was here with him. Moments after, I had a sandwich on my platter. It was nice treatment, but it was unfair to the rest of their customers.
I turned to Pops. “Is it just me, or are we being treated like-”
“Gods? Yeah. It makes me kind of uneasy.”
“It's probably because you're back,” I suggested with a mouthful of food.
“Probably,” he agreed, “doesn't mean it's okay.”
We sat for a short while longer, reminiscing our past lives together. We were a family again, and so long as he didn't have another heart attack, we were ready to stay that way.
The waiter approached us.
“Hey guys, the manager has decided to clear your bill!”
“That's awesome,” I said.
“That's nice of you guys,” Dad butted in, “but my girl here came with the bits to buy me a dinner and that's what she's gonna do. Right Dashie?”
I was disappointed that he would make me do such a thing, but I also knew deep down it was definitely the right thing to do. “Yep,” I agreed.
“Um, okay.” The waiter looked confused, but she handed us the check regardless. I gave her everything I had on me.
“Keep the change,” I demanded. I'd always wanted to say that.
Happy we had just prevented starvation for a little while, yet also a bit annoyed at the amount of attention we received. We left as soon as possible. At least we filled our stomachs for our next walk.
***
Dashie and I approached Forest’s house. On the door was a sign that read “DO NOT DISTURB”. Regardless, Rainbow Dash bashed her hoof on the door. Shortly after, a brown stallion swung it open angrily.
“Rainbow Dash,” Forest said gritting his teeth, “read the sign on the door! What do you want?!”
“I want that painting back.”
“Who’s that?”
He pointed at me. Yep, something suspicious was going on.
“That’s Brian. You seriously don’t remember Brian?” My daughter lowered one of her eyebrows.
“I do,” Forest quickly answered, “I do. It’s just been so long.”
“So,” I questioned him, “raced at all lately?”
“Racing?” Forest shifted uncomfortably. “I… Uh, oh, yeah. Gotta love racing.”
“Look,” Dashie said, “just give me the picture back.”
“Get me the bits back and you’ve got a deal. And keep that hairless monkey off my property.” With that, Forest slammed the door on us, causing a strong breeze to brush against my face.
“Dammit,” Dashie stomped one of her hooves, “I knew that was going to happen.”
“You were right,” I sighed, “he’s changed.”
“Yeah. How are we gonna get the bits?”
“I can always take a job.”
“You sure?”
“Of course. How bad could it be?” I put on a smile.
Oh man, how wrong I was.
