Beyond Infinity

I didn't want to be here. I shouldn't have to be here, but the sad reality of it is that I am here. My dog had recently become very ill; it came on without warning. He had been full of energy, full of life just days before. But over the past couple of days, his strength gradually dwindled lower and lower until it became a chore for him just to get up a flight of stairs. None of us; not me, not my mom, not my dad or anyone else had any idea what was happening. The doctors say it's a rare blood condition that you only see in an animal hospital maybe twice a year. If untreated, it can be fatal.

Lucky me.

I closed my eyes and tried to immerse myself in my music; this particular song was very dark lyrically-speaking and I regretted putting on this song given the circumstances, but at that point I just wanted to hear it out.

All of a sudden I heard a noise outside the music. I pulled off my headphones and saw the doctor standing in the doorway looking in my direction, in a way that indicated that he wanted my attention. As I walked over to him, the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up. I've got a bad feeling about this... I thought.

One look at his face was all it took. I didn't want to believe it, I couldn't believe it, I refused to believe it; what he was implying was impossible. It was not happening. I rejected this reality, but then the doctor spoke. Two words were all he needed:

"I'm sorry."

That's all it took. I collapsed onto the hospital floor and burst into tears like a baby; my dog, my only reliable friend in this town, he was gone. I had no one. I had nothing left.

*************

The orange filly galloped as fast as her legs would carry her. She was beyond exhausted, the movements had long since stopped becoming painful; they had become as natural for her as breathing but as mechanical as the treadmill she ran on. How much longer can I keep this up? she thought hazily. She began to push herself harder, pushing her endurance to its limits. Her muscles screamed in protest but she kept moving, the effort becoming meaningless.

"STOP!"

Scootaloo heard the yell and immediately collapsed into a heap as the machine began to slowly shut down. Dr. Arias walked up to her. "You performed very well, how are you feeling after today's session?"

Desperately gasping for air, Scootaloo responded, "Why...do we...have to do this...on...a school day?"

Dr. Arias sighed. "Ms, as long as you are in my care, we must stick to procedure. Until we see a significant improvement, we must continue to go at this pace. Your wings are still lacking in development and I am doing my best to help with your growth to match that of your classmates." He glanced out the window, distracted by a passing pegasus. He looked back at his patient and saw that, while her breathing was returning to normal, there was a look in her eyes that suggested the pain she endured today was far more than mere physical pain.

He gave a empathetic sigh. Scootaloo was one of his favorite patients and yet he knew next to nothing about her, except that her wings simply weren't growing as fast as they should be. She was incredibly athletic given the circumstances; she was essentially an earth-pony with wings at this stage. But still, there should be a reason as to why she has these wings and why they are not yet grown. I will get to the bottom of this.

"Scoot, I'm sorry, I know we've talked about this...but where are your parents?"

Scootaloo heard the words but she had no answer. The truth was that she didn't really know the answer herself; it wasn't the therapy that had her at a loss for words. It was another day of facing up to her suffering, her missing family hurting her more than any physical pain ever could.

That day in the animal hospital was about two months ago. That day at physical therapy happened around the same time. So much has happened. Our lives have gone in inexplicable directions. As you just read, my dog is gone, and Scootaloo's wings still aren't growing like they should. But shortly after my dog died, something incredible happened. Impossible even. Our lives changed. Our paths crossed.

This is that story. The story of how our realities were sent into Oblivion.