Tough Little Cookie

Guide me to the light. That is all I ask of you. One simple task... come back, and guide me to the light. I am not sure whether you will hear my plea, but still, I beg of you, come back, and guide me to the bright light.

***

I plead, I beg, but still, you do not return. You do not come to guide me back to the light, and I am lost, stuck in the dark, wandering alone, for now, and forever. But still, I wait for you. You, who taught me to wait patiently. You, who taught me to be strong. You, who taught me that, above all, I should never ever give up. You taught me things I wouldn't know otherwise. You taught me to be a better pony. You taught me to be kinder, more generous and more honest. You taught me to be loyal, to laugh, and you had taught me everything I ever knew.

***

Guide me to the light, and laugh away the shadows. I am too tired to laugh, too weary to cry. I want to weep in agony, but I must be strong. I want to laugh away the dark, but I am too tired to laugh. I want to do many things, but I am too weary. My hooves drag, my eyelids droop, and my mouth turns down. But then I catch myself, and strengthen my mask. Strength. I must be strong. And once again, I am giggling, wide eyed, my lips curved in a mischievous grin. But on the inside, I am sobbing, my heart fracturing into yet another uncountable and uncaring piece of a broken dream.

***

In the distance, I see a warm light. It pulses with its bright glow, but seems to be getting closer and brighter with every beat of its heart. Soon, it is close enough to blind me, and consume my consciousness.

***

Father!! Thank you, thank you!! You don't understand how happy I am to see your sprakling blue eyes, but probably just as happy as you are to see my gleaming purple ones. I have missed you so so much, and now you are finally here. Thank you, my father, for returning to me. Thank you for guiding me to the light. But most of all, thank you for returning to me, to your tough little cookie. I had been patient and worked hard for you. I had not forced you to come back, but I had still worked at it. Little by little, bit by bit, my hopes coming to life before my eyes. Not caused by the work of a pained fairy looking to spare others her fate, or a shooting star falling from it's place in the sky, or a lost, drifting eyelash.

But above all, I had never given up, and I never will. Even if it could have taken an eternity of work, of patience, I whad never given up on you. After all, how could I win a race I stopped running in?

I have been waiting patiently for you, never giving up. I have been strong for you, and--

I am awoken by the pale, harsh light of my world's sun... and the harsh sting of reality. It was a dream... nothing but my wishes regurgitated by my mind into an illusion. It would be better to have no dreams at all... to just fall into a silent, blissful sleep, more of a void than the one I live in. Even a nightmare would be better... at least I would wake up and find that it was nothing. With this, I am awoken by a slap from the truth.

My father is gone.

So hear my plea one last time, father, and know that I will always wait... but I will still be alone in the dark... I will stay strong, but for the others that need me to guide them to the light. I will never give up on you, but I have no more expectations. I do not expect you to come back. And so, one last time, I plead...

Please Father... please come back to me... please come back to your tough little cookie...