I never was good with introductions, and now could be no different. Of course, anything, today, is better than nothing. I remember it like it was yesterday, and with time so messed up, it could have been any day. It didn't make sense that a cartoon could be the source of all magic throughout Earth, but somehow it did.

My Little Pony fueled me. Every day I would wake up, watch a couple episodes, and go to work. Walking outside every day was a big, depressing time for me. The thing that kept me walking was just remembering the lessons I had learned that morning, and smiling at the thought of them. Of course, the music that I softly played in my ear seemed to work with my thoughts.

I played the smile song, starting immediately from leaving my house, every single morning. The sound of Pinkie Pie's voice caused me to smile myself, and for some reason, my day suddenly became brighter with each step I took. The images around me of teenagers littering, smoking, having relations in public, they were all blocked out by the melodic voice of one of my favorite ponies.

I didn't just stick to Pinkie Pie. I listened to any song I could, and found many Brony musicians to download onto my iPod daily. Nobody was prodding me to do any projects. I was only an intern, and lived on a low budget, so I practically got paid to just show up, clock in every morning, and leave every afternoon. It wasn't very hard, and it gave me time to just think.

Most of my day was spent trying to solve world problems in some friendly way. It made good for passing the time and, as I never had anything else to do, I always would try to take a nap halfway through the day. It was all good until New Years Eve rolled around. That was the night when My Little Pony became cancelled.

~

After six wonderful seasons of the show, most of the cast members just quit. Nobody gave a reason why, and the show, in turn, became unavailable in all parts of the world. In every nook and cranny, there were no ponies to be found. Unfortunately, most people never noticed, and instead focused on setting off some fireworks for the New Year. I, on the other hand, grabbed a couple sodas and huddled myself in my room. The show was the only thing I cared for.

I had little money, no friends, and a dump for a house. All I had to live for was the ponies, and after they left, it all just went downhill. I remember that I refused to leave my house for a week and a half after the show left the air. The world suddenly became quiet after it left, and I knew that I couldn't face it like I used to. All the songs from my iPod had mysteriously disappeared, and I couldn't find my DVDs anywhere, just assuming I had lost them. I knew, though, that soon I would have to leave my safe haven, for my food began to grow smaller and smaller by the day. My water supply was unlimited.

Walking outside on that cold winter morning was like a punch to the chest. I, again, would have to face society. This time, though, no smile could be seen on my face, nor would one ever. Graffiti covered the walls of every building I would walk by, my hands buried within the depths of my pockets.

The world itself seemed completely new to me. The bright sounds of cars driving by and of people chatting seemed far less frequent. The town around me was much duller than I had remembered. The hue of every building was different. It had sort of a...grayish color to it. I knew this was impossible. After everything I had remembered from FiM, grey didn't exist. Everything had a color to it. As confusing as it was, I was in a depressed state, and had no rights to judge how something looked.

~

The grocery store had nothing but canned goods. All of the fruits and the vegetables for the season had become rotten, and as I walked to check out my food, I realized that the cashier was asleep at his post. I pulled out my Dash wallet, left a couple bucks on top of his head, and left back for my home.

Strange thing was,the whole world seemed to have become darker, except for one area. One area lit up, a Christmas tree among the rest of the town. I wanted to dismiss the bright yellow that shone from the alley, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't dismiss it. I was compelled to investigate this, and to this day I can't say I regret my decision.

Upon walking into the alleyway, I noticed the glow was coming from a small hole in the wall, slightly bigger than a microwave. I couldn't see into it from my position, and had to kneel down into it. When I bent over on my knees, I peered in the hole and let out a small gasp, a tear forming in the corner of my eye.

Fluttershy, just a baby now, turned around to face me and, upon catching my eyes, jumped and banged her head pretty hard on the ceiling of the hole. A large red spot formed on top of her bright pink mane and I panicked, quickly grabbing her and setting her in my grocery bags. I knew it was uncomfortable, but I had to take her home and fix her up before her injury worsened.

Dashing through my door, I quickly set her on the counter and took out bandages, wrapping them gently around her fluffy pink mane. I didn't really know what to think at the time, right now worrying more about the blood seeping through her mane. After she had finally settled down, though, my body leaped with excitement. There was a LIVE PONY in my kitchen!

It didn't matter how she got here, but I needed to keep her safe. It was my job. I had read enough fan fictions to know that finding a pony on the streets is something that you were destined for. You needed to take care of a pony and hope that they wouldn't be taken from you. Being a parent would certainly be no easy task, but I would take anything to improve my life.

~

Shortly after finding Flutters, I got a call claiming that I was fired from my job, and I was told not to come back. I knew that this could only be destiny, allowing me to take more care of my little filly, but now I needed to know how to take care of her. I knew that she was kind, but she couldn't fix up a whole household or even my life.

For a year, living off of the money I had saved up, I kept Fluttershy safe, and away from harm. I wasn't an overprotective father, allowing her to only sit in the house and watch TV or read books all day. I installed small filly doors for her so she would be able to get outside and exercise when she wanted to, and occasionally I would see her with the animals, all crowded around to snuggle with her.

Surprisingly, my house was the brightest on the block. The other houses had dull shades to them, all in a grayish way, while my house sparkled with luminescence. My house shone in a bright pink color field, and I knew it could only be the magic of Fluttershy. Taking care of her, I felt renewed, like I could face the world again. Truly, in this world, I didn't actually want to talk to people. The world was too bleak since that fateful day to worry much about everyone else. The only thing on my mind was taking care of the little filly that I, by now, had grown so attached to.

One night, I fondly remember, I had put little Fluttershy to bed, reading her "Good Night, Moon," and giving her the usual kiss on the forehead. The way she blushed every time I kissed her was cute, and I loved to tease her sometimes by kissing her forehead twice. Either way, on this particular night, I sat in my study, wondering if there were more. I had found Flutters in the street, and since it seemed that all the ponies had disappeared, it was only logical that the other five main characters had to be in the same vicinity. I didn't get very far in my thoughts, as Flutters came into my room before I could construct a nice plan.

"Daddy, I had a nightmare. May I sleep with you tonight, please?"

She looked up at me, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. I just smiled down at her and told her to climb in. I couldn't say no to a beacon of hope like her. So I climbed in beside her and wrapped my arms around her, falling asleep comforting her.

~

The next month, I decided to go out hunting. I needed to find the others and protect them, if they weren't already harmed. I had saved one pony from disaster, and the rest could be just as easy. If only I knew where to start looking, I could take Flutters out for a walk.

If I hadn't mentioned already, she took to flying shortly after that night. I saw her, possibly conversing, with an eagle. The eagle spread its wings open, flapping them on the slight breeze as it soared into the air. I looked at my little girl and watched her spread her wings, which were growing quite beautifully, and start to flap them. I became hopeful as she got one foot off the ground, and then another. Just as she was ready for takeoff, she fell down, bouncing back up to try again. I knew better than to step in, as ponies should gradually learn from experience, as it's easier to learn that way.

To me, it seemed weird that Fluttershy wasn't as shy as once portrayed on the TV. She seemed to get along well with me and the animals. She hadn't talked to many other people, as it would only bring her down. We usually went to the park, where I would help her onto the swing and push her until she felt confident enough to jump off and try to fly. Usually she landed on the grass, never seeming to find the right current.

Now, in the show, Fluttershy gains a cutie mark after landing in a grove of butterflies. For me, the experience was much more magical. She was now about four years old, ready to go out that day and hunt with me. We grabbed a couple of carrots, Fluttershy's favorite snack, and set out in hopes of finding at least one pony.

Taking the whole day to search, we looked in every possible corner, not seeming to have any luck in our search.Suddenly, Flutters had spotted a what appeared to be a park she had never been to before. I had traversed this park millions of times in the past. This was where I would go on my lunch break. I would see the local kids throwing their Frisbee, and the same people walking their dogs. It was nothing special to me, but apparently Fluttershy took quite an interest in it.

The gate that led inside the park that day was covered in butterflies. After all the grey we had been smothering in, it was nice to see a spectacle of beauty. Arriving at the gates, all the butterflies suddenly took to the skies, each color seemingly bonding together to form a complete rainbow. Neither I, nor Flutters, could move our eyes away from this magic, not even if the world was burning. All of the butterflies circled around us, moving to the air in a tornado motion. As they passed right on above us, I could hear a sparkling sound from my side, and I looked down to see that Fluttershy had adopted a cutie mark. Three butterflies, and all because she wanted to inspect a park.

We stayed there, admiring the sky until the last of the butterflies had left our area. Just as soon as the last one flew off, Flutters seemed to snap out of a trance and, with glee, rushed inside of the park. I happily followed, realizing that, for the first time in years, I was actually smiling.

Looking around, I couldn't see head nor tail of Flutters, as if she had disappeared. I didn't worry much about it, just sitting down at the nearest bench, eyes scanning the thick, grey trees for a flash of yellow or a swirl of pink. My mind raced with thought of her new cutie mark and hopefully, with that, her abilities to fly. Searching trees wasn't very entertaining, though, and even though my mind raced, my body chose to drift off into a nice sleep.

~

I was awoken by a jumping on my stomach. Looking up from my resting position on the couch, Fluttershy, quite big, was jumping only slightly on my rib cage.

"Daddy! Daddy!! I made a new friend today!"

My mind started to race again. She made a friend! That was amazing! I had hoped it would be a nice person, or even just a dog. What I got was far from expected. Moving herself aside, Fluttershy revealed to me her newest friend, Pinkie Pie. Pinkie started to bounce up and down excitedly, talking too fast for me to recognize most of her words.

"Hi! I'm PinkiePie, nice to......and I just saw her standing there and I just KNEW I had to be her friend.....and she told me aboiut you! I wanna know if I can stay with you too! I have no place to really go except this park, and I have a general knowledge of cupcakes!"

Wow.

What I understood was that Pinkie Pie was also an orphan, and needed a friend to take her in. I knew I would be up for the task, and it seemed that Pinkie Pie was already Pinkie Pie. She had her cutie mark, she was hyperactive, what more could I want? I told her that it would be fine if she followed me home, and she promised me a quick batch of cupcakes as soon as we got into the house.

Of course, she wasn't lying. She got right to work as she bolted through the house door, which I stupidly forgot to lock when we left the house. I didn't think it best to follow her, and Flutters walked up to her room, a sad look on her face. My intent was to follow Flutters, and find out was was wrong with her. The trudge up the stairs felt like cement slabs were tied to my feet. I hadn't felt this way since before Fluttershy came around.

"Hey, Fluttershy, are you all right?" I knocked on her door, which was locked. I got no response, and inside I heard small sobbing into a soft object, presumably a pillow. I knew that sometimes these things would happen, and I really didn't know how to react. Instead, I wrote a note to her. I explained everything to her and even spilled most of my feelings, all while the sweet smell of baked goods emanated from the bottom of the stairs.

My dear Fluttershy,

I don't know what to really say myself. I'll start with the basics. You...are wonderful. I would never have imagined, in a million years, that I would ever meet a pony so kind and loving as yourself. Before I met you, I myself was going through a patch of rough times. Upon my first look at you, I saw a glow. I'm not lying when I say that you were glowing. The most beautiful thing in the world had appeared in my life, and at first, I didn't really know how to react. I helped bandage you up, and ever since, I've been raising you. I want you to know that I love you. To me, you are the most amazing thing that's ever happened, and I'm proud to be called your father. I know I wasn't prepared for this job, but I can only give you a thanks. For everything. You have shaped me into what I am, and what I will be. After you decide to leave the house, I know that a part of you will stay with me, always and forever. Fluttershy, I love you. Please, never forget that. Thank you for coming into my life. If you need to talk, I promise to be right there by your side.

I slipped the note under her door and went back downstairs, the weight slowly lifting off of my feet until it dispersed at the very bottom. Pinkie Pie was excited as she pulled her treats out of the oven, setting them on a rack to cool.

~

Fluttershy came down a few hours later and, to my surprise, she was flying down them! She started to explain to me that she felt useless in her flying abilities, and that's why she was hiding. For hours, she read the books I had about planes and Pegasi, and studied. Soon enough, she told me that she was able to fly, even if just barely. I offered her a cupcake, and our small little family gathered around to watch a movie on the TV.

We never really seemed to run out of money. Every day, coming back from our walks around the parks, we would see an envelope on the doorstep to the house, containing money in it. It was never addressed and didn't have a return address, so we just assumed it was for our family. Somebody obviously really liked us, and I was grateful for that.

For the next few years, our family was well supported, and we lived happily. I watched as my two ponies grew up. After finding Pinkie Pie, no matter how hard we searched, no other ponies ever seemed to join our family, and after enough time, we knew it would just be us.

It all fell into a routine. We would wake up to the smell of freshly cooked breakfast, prepared by our kind young pony. Fluttershy would wander outside to hone her flying skills, and Pinkie Pie would bake a different type of treat. The treats themselves were for a very special product, and had to be kept refrigerated at all times to keep from going bad. Afterwards, we would take our walk to the park and usually just play tag, chasing each other and having a blast. Once we were exhausted out, we would proceed to the supermarket, where we would get quick drinks and buy our daily food supplies. Upon arriving home, I would pick up the envelope at the door, and we would enter the house, deciding on a fun activity after that.

It became daily for us, and for some reason, never seemed to get boring. Life was perfect with them. They seemed to brighten up the places they went to. By now, I was glad the show wasn't still around. I would hate to break the news to them that they were part of a cartoon. In my eyes, they were as real as I was. They needed to be treated with that love and respect.

As the teenage years came,so did their attitudes. I knew that one day, they would become moody, but I would never be ready for it. Our routine stayed the same, but our communication seemed to grow more and more distant. Food was the same, and activities were the same, but our bond weakened. I recall one day, Fluttershy came downstairs in a fit.

"Can somepony please tell me where in Equestria my hat is!?"

This, in turn made me do a spit take of my water. She had just said Equestria. For her whole life, she had grown up in a house with me. How did she know about that place?

"Flutters, it's in the kitchen!" I smiled at her, "What was that thing you just said? Equestria?"

She looked at me, confused. Her claim was that she said nothing of the sort, and I tended to believe her. My mind was probably playing tricks on me, and it seemed silly for her to have even said such a thing. The rest of the day progressed as normal as usual, until night fell. I went up into her room to tuck her in and kiss her forehead, like I'd been doing since her filly years. The only problem was that she wasn't in her bed. A search of the house proved to be fruitless. Even Pinkie Pie seemed to be worried, as she ALWAYS kept tabs on Flutters.

We couldn't find her, and there was no sign of where she could have gone. My parental instinct wasn't in effect, and I was freaking out. I believed that she had left me, and I began to cry. I didn't think that I had been a good father, nor did I deserve such a wonderful filly as her. The breeze in the house only made it worse for me, as if she had just slipped through my fingers.

Wait, a breeze!!! Running downstairs, I discovered that the door had been partially opened. When I looked outside, I saw a faint glow coming from the neighborhood nearby. I insisted that Pinkie stay behind and bake, and I set out to find Flutters. It wasn't very hard, considering the glow that shone off of her brilliant coat like a star in the sky. I ran as fast as I could, tears streaming down my cheeks. When she was in seeing range, I charged as fast as I could and picked her up, swinging her in my arms.

"Baby, I promise to never lose sight of you again! Whatever I did, I'm so sorry and I hope you forgive me. Don't ever leave me again. I can't imagine life without you! Dad is always here for you and I don't want you to forget that!"

Flutters was crying on my shoulder, no words escaping her lips. Short whimpers were the only things that found their way out of her mouth, and for at least ten minutes I stood there with her in my arms. At this moment, I knew how much she truly meant to me. She was my entire life and without her, I would be nothing. Everything I had, I owed to her, and I took that for granted until now. It might have just been a phase for her, or it could have just been a moment of thought, but either way, I would never lose sight of my Fluttershy again. That night, I kept my arm around her neck as we walked home together, faces wet and smiles widened.

Snow was beginning to fall, and we could hear the twinkles of the stars. We walked slowly, and I told her the tale of Snowdrop, and the power she put into all of the other ponies. She was called different, and made fun of for being blind. In the end, Snowdrop was accepted for who she was, and the snowflake she had created became part of the winter tradition. We stopped outside of my door, bodies covered in the blessing of the skies.

"I love you, Fluttershy...."
"I love you too....daddy...."

The next morning, Pinkie Pie jumped up and down on my bed frantically.

"Dad, IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!"

Haha, I forgot to mention that it was Christmas Eve, didn't I? Well, that morning, I expected to wake up at seven. My two girls loved Christmas. Every year, I always gave them something from my own heart, and them to me. I remember when the two were really young, they made me a photo album of our early times together. This year, I made a little scrapbook of my own for them. Expensive gifts, to us, weren't as important as family was. Today marked a special day for us. Today we would bring light back to the sleepy town that had decayed so many years ago.

Looking through the photo album I put together, I noticed that they have grown up so fast. I've taken care of them for ten years now, and they were only fillies just yesterday. I didn't actually think that they would come and go in the snap of a finger. Raising kids was so hard to do, because you would have to watch them grow up and then, in the blink of an eye, they're gone. What would I do without them? The fair, the zoo, tag, flying lessons...this album was full of everything we had done together since I had acquired both of these young....mares....

The two seemed to notice this as well. Both of them had tears in their eyes as they stood up on all four legs. Pinkie Pie was the source of distraction, as always, bringing up what today would truly be about.

"Everypony, for years now, we've been working on the Smile of the Century, our top secret mission. Today, we mark the completion of step 1, and now, we can finally commence step 2. Let's grab our goodies up, and turn this gray town, even further than that, into a bright region."

Our plan involved tons of baked goods. For spo long, we had preserved them. When they were but young foals, I told them about my life, and how after something I loved was taken from me, everything suddenly turned gray. I told them of the magic of friendship, and Pinkie Pie had the best idea. She said that we could bake things for a really long time, and give them to everybody. Anybody we saw, even the people we didn't see, would get some kind of treat. She believed this would brighten everyone's spirits. Flutters and I were all up for this idea. Today, Pinkie Pie finished the final baked good we needed.

We loaded up a couple wagons and a wheelbarrow with treats. The mares were happy to help push the carts around, and I would hand out the treats. Once we were saddled up, we headed in a hurry out the door and into the world that I once remembered.

~

"Hello there, good sir! Have a muffin! Have a wonderful day!"

This couldn't of been going any better. Every single person had a frown. At the mention of a treat, they seemed to instantly brighten up! I looked behind us and, holding my excitement in, saw that the color was slowly returning to our sleepy region. I watched as the last guy's plaid suit faded off into the nearest bank. The girls and I looked at each other, wide grins on our face. Then, something I would never expect in a million years happened, which I still remember to this day.

It started out as a soft voice, like that of unsure lyrics, then began to burst out of her mouth. "My name is Pinkie Pie....and I am here to say...."

That was all I needed to hear before I began to sing along with her, and soon, even Fluttershy started getting into the rhythym. I looked around and people everywhere began to smile, treats being flung to every corner of the town. People eagerly picked them up and followed behind us, singing along in a chorus of harmony. Soon enough, the who,e town was behind us. We progressed to the next town, and then even the next town, until it became a phenomena worldwide. In a couple weeks, we had spread joy to almost the entire earth. It was, and always will be, the most unbelievable thing I have ever witnessed.

I had done it. I, with two fictional mares, had brought happiness worldwide! It wasn't possible. Soon, I was all over the news. My fame wasn't going to last long, but while it did, my family and I basked in our glory. When asked why we did it, all we told them, was, "Everybody deserves a smile. Even the people who have wronged deserve a smile."

It was glorious, and something that is still known to people these days. They still wonder where my singing horses had come from, but I still refuse to give up that answer.

We had accomplished our main goal, and now we were happy to just settle down as a family again. That day, the magic of friendship hit the world, and it was known as "The Day the Veil was Parted."

~

The next couple of years, we just kept ourselves settled in, answering questions to the media and occasionally going out to the bigger places, like Washington D.C. to meet the president. Even through all of this, we still found some way to follow our daily routine. It had become a part of our family, and it was never going to be changed.

I think the worst night, was the night that Fluttershy started having nightmares again. This time around, she was able to describe them in more details, as I will explain to you now.

"D-dad...? I'm starting to have those nightmares again. I-I wanna be with you tonight, if that's ok."

I waved her in with a nod, asking her what was wrong, and what was happening in the nightmares.

"W-well....it starts s off in a town. There are plenty of ponies, just like me. I'm tending to animals, like I usually would around here when necessary, when the friends around me started disappearing. I don't know what was happening, but then I think I disappeared as well....everything turned black....I sat around, screaming for hours until finally, a dark pony showed up. She called herself Luna, and told me that I needed to return with my friends. D-do you know anything about this....?"

For a moment, I was stunned. She was dreaming about Ponyville, and Luna had spoken to her? It was quite obvious that Fluttershy had been transported here with her friends. Somehow, her friends had been recovered...except for her and Pinkie. PINKIE!! I was about to jump up and check on her, when she burst in the room, crying. She told me that she was having nightmares as well, ones that matched up perfectly with Fluttershy's dreams.

I couldn't keep it from them any longer. I had to tell them where they truly came from, and who they truly were. Telling the story of them and their lives in both Equestria and on Earth took quite a while, but when I finished, they both planted both of their arms firmly around me in a tight embrace. All I could do was hug them back, unable to speak another word. This hug said all it needed to: "I love you guys."

That night, after they fell asleep beside me on my bed, I began to cry. I knew that they would have to go back someday, but I couldn't believe it. Time had gone by way too fast for me. I needed them for just a little longer. Could there be a way I could keep them? They were my family...without them, I would just be peanut butter on bread. No jelly would be found on the other slice of bread.

I finally got to sleep, my dreams filled with memories of the fillies I once knew. I woke up with a wet spot underneath me. My eyes were wet, and I deduced that I'd been crying the whole night long. I didn't like it very much, but what else could I have done? I came downstairs that morning to a breakfast that differed from usual. Today, on my table, lay a feast of food. Both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were in the kitchen, working frivolously to try to finish before I woke up and discovered all of this. At the sight of me, the both smiled and greeted me, Pinkie deciding to use Spanish.

It was different than a normal breakfast. An assortment of drinks were neatly organized on the table, and platters of food were covered in a circular pattern around the drinks. I lifted up each cover, finding each food more delicious in looks than the last. When I opened the last platter, I gasped. There was a cake there, with the words "Best dad ever!" in Pink and yellow icing. I stood there, amazed at everything I saw around me. This truly was a wonder. I didn't know how they did all that they had, but they had. Throughout much of my life now, they have shown me so many things and, without realizing it, taught me so many lessons. Then and there, I realized that even if they did move on, I had memories. They may make me cry, but that just means that they will never be forgotten. They always will have a place in my heart.

Pinkie Pie spoke up first. "Dad, I grew up with you, and although I may have seemed like I was never around, I was always around. I was helping so many other people while I helped you, that it may seem like I was in the background. Yet, you always cared for me, no matter where I was or who I was with. Daddy, I'm always your little Pinkie Pie, and will forever love you. Thank you for taking such good care of me."

I didn't get a chance to speak, as Fluttershy immediately perked up next. "Dad, I practically was born unto you, and you raised me. Sometimes I was a real jerk to you, but in the end, you always found a way to cheer me up, or amaze me with one of your facts. I grew up laughing with you, and learning from you. I was alone, and you took me in. I will never understand why, but I do understand that as a family, all three of us are great together. Do you remember that night with the stars? You told me if I listened hard enough, I could hear the stars twinkling. Last night, I truly heard them, and I immediately thought of you. You have changed so much since I first knew you, and I am so glad that I got to know you. You are the best dad in the world, and I have the best sister in the world. I couldn't ask for anything better than what I have now. When I'm gone, I left you a little something in my room. Something that you will never forget me by. Dad, I love you. Thank you for all those nights of peace, all those sweet dreams, and definitely supporting me when I need it the most. I Love you with all of my heart."

I struggled to hold back tears, but to no avail. I loved them, and this only told me that they would be leaving soon. I couldn't bear the thought of having my little mares leaving so soon. I hugged them both tightly, and simply asked, "When?"

Both of them stared at me solemnly, simultaneously replying, "One week..."

This only shattered my heart even further. That was too soon for them to leave!! I couldn't let go of them...they were the world to me...they were the smiles on the whole world's faces! Would I forget them after they left? I highly doubted it, but could it be possible? I didn't even want to think about it,so I set my eyes on making this the best week ever.

For some reason, I decided that just sitting in with the two and watching movies whilst we talked about everything we've loved and hated was a good idea. I had known them for almost all of their lives, and soon they were to be taken away from me. It sort of brought my heart to a joy as well as a crush. I knew they were being put in their rightful places, but do they really belong there?

~

On Saturday, the last day I would fully have with them together, I made a new scrapbook for them. This contained every single one of our adventures, a big highlight on "The Smile of the Century." I gave it to them in a present, telling them it was only to be opened when they entered Equestria. They packed it up, and before I knew it, both of their cases were ready to be taken to Equestria. My heart was about ready to burst, and soon enough, they told me it was time.

I wrapped them in the biggest hug I had ever given in my entire life, and said my final goodbyes to them. I really emphasized my love for them. I could only hope they were being put in their proper places. As I watched them converse with each other, I smiled. My little fillies had grown up. It was both a beautiful sight just as much as a breaking one.They both turned to me.

"We love you, daddy! We won't ever forget you!"

I saw the light spin around them, knowing they were finally headed back. As bursts of magic engulfed them, we all waved goodbye, and I reached out to touch their hooves. Before I could reach them, everything was gone. Finally, after all these years, I had to see my babies leave. I didn't cry, but stood there. I blindly stood there, memories flooding my mind. Through the good times, and through the bad times, there was always a strong sense of love in our family.

I walked first up to Pinkie's room. The door was decorated in party streamers and deflated balloons that had been hung up years before. A sign declared this room "Pinkie's Palace!" I chuckled at the name, remembering when she first constructed this party of a door. Turning the knob, I entered the room, greeted by a lot of party noises and streamers shooting me in the face. A large banner was strung hanging down from the ceiling. "Thank you for Taking Me In and Being the Best Dad Ever!" My eyes watered again and I walked around, fingers running lightly over everything. I smiled. She had set up a whole party for me, complete with cake and balloons. Her bed, surprisingly, was neatly made, and I took a seat for a moment, enjoying some pineapple upside down cake.

I stood blatantly outside her door. Was I truly ready to go in here? She was the turning point in my life, and going in here could wash me with memories. I put my hand hesitantly on the doorknob, and turned it slowly. Walking into the room, I felt stronger, and a wave of kindness splashed over me, rather than wave after wave of memories. Her room was neatly organized, with a mirror on one wall, a bed parallel to it. On the center of the bed, there lie a folder.

I picked the folder up, and it smelled old. On the cover, it said "Fluttershy's daily journal entries and drawings." This was what got to me. She actually made a journal of her time living here. I turned to the first entry, and read it aloud, as if she could hear it.

"I think it's February Fifteenth. So, today, daddy taught me how to say my words correctly. It was almost as fun as the writing lessons! So, this is my journal. Some day, I'm going to give it to dad and have it published by an....editor? Haha but that's a long way from now. So, daddy says my birthday is coming up soon. I can't wait for it to happen! I'll get to try this new food called cake! It sounds so delicious. So, my daddy says he took me in a couple years ago, and has been taking care of me. I really love him and what he did for me. I hope we can be together forever, I really do! He means everything to me. He says the outside world is a dark place. I don't want to get in with that crowd. So I get to go outside every day, with the added bonus of talking to my bunny friend! Oh no, here he comes! I can't let daddy see this yet! I love you, daddy. Have a good night. ~Fluttershy"

Each entry ended with those same two sentences. Every single day, about sixteen years worth of writing, she wrote an entry just for me. It was the kindest thing I've ever had happen to me. Behind all of this, I found a bunch of old drawings. I remembered them all. From a little filly to her latest teenage years, she would always show me her completed drawings. I was so proud of her for that. At this moment, I knew that there would always be room for them in my heart. I loved them with all the love I have. I know the world loves them too. I set the folder back, gingerly, onto her bed. I stood up, and I walked out the door. I returned every day after that, reading over the notes again and again and again.

~

Now here we are in the present. It's been four years since their departure. I still get money on my doorstep every day, and I continue to go in their rooms every day. I feel as if they're always with me. In recent news, the MLP cast has suddenly returned and their brand new episode is today. I'm already sitting on the couch just waiting for it to premiere!!

When the time came, I stepped out of Flutters' room, and ran downstairs to the couch. I turned my TV on, and HUB network was the channel that appeared on screen. I had just caught the title music, and laid back, ready to enjoy another episode of their wild adventures. What came on screen, though, was not what I expected.

On screen, all mane six ponies were holding up a banner. It read, "We miss you, dad! Can't wait to see you soon! We love you! ~Flutters and Pinkie"

I couldn't believe it! How did the writers know about me!? Then I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned around. Staring me in the face, were my two lovely young mares, already wrapped in their embrace with me. I knew, from this point on, that everything was going to be alright.

I never did figure out how they got to my world, but they were the best thing to ever happen to it.

They taught me that gray was not a color. It never would be. I always described the world as gray, as well as my personality. They taught me that it was just a faded color. If anything was gray, the world would be...nothing. Now, the world is as lively as ever. And it all started with a small splash of hope in the color yellow.

Author's Note

Hey guys! Sudden;y, I had a huge inspiration to write this! I was reading "My Little Dashie" again, and realized that I had a sudden inspiration to take a good 6 hours to not write my apocalypse fic, but instead write a nice, heartwarming fanfic about love and family. I really hope you all enjoy it :)