One year

One year. It’s been one year since Dashie left, and even after all this time I haven’t adjusted to her leaving. There will be days where I will open the front door after a long day of work and expect to see her lounging around on the couch watching TV or playing video games. Sometimes this will make me chuckle, sometimes it will make me cry. However, this time hit me the hardest; maybe it’s because of how long it’s been, I don’t even know. I dropped down to my knees, crying from all the memories of her flooding my mind at once. I felt worse than the day it happened, crying out her name between sobs, begging for her to come back. The feeling of utter helplessness filled my person as my vision went blurred from the salty tears.

Eventually, I got up off the ground and turned towards the door. I wiped away tears as I began to do something that I mindlessly did in my youth; I began to go for a walk. I remembered what had happened when I went to work the next day, I was heartbroken but I couldn’t talk about why for fear of them thinking I was crazy. As they kept on asking, I eventually had to tell them something, so I told them that I had lost my 20 year old daughter. After a few weeks I began to stop socializing with them completely, only talking with them about work related topics. That stage lasted no more than a month, and soon enough I was able to return to a semi-normal life.

As I walked along a trail, I let my mind wander with those thoughts while taking in the scenery. Occasionally I would find a spot which held a memory, and I would stop there and look back with nostalgia to the point where I practically saw Dashie in front of me. About an hour into the walk, I found the tree. It was the most prominent spot in all these woods, where Dashie and I reunited after our biggest fight. I sat down underneath it, reliving the event and how emotional it was for the two of us. I hadn’t stepped under this tree since the incident, which reminded me that I really needed to get out more often. I chuckled as I scolded myself for not getting much exercise, and slowly stood up deciding that it was time to head home.

I walked back into my home, reminding myself that, no, Dashie still wouldn’t be there, and yes, I was still alone. I went into my living room and sat down at the fireplace, looking over the seats which had once been filled by Celestia and Dashie’s friends. On the table in front of me were my last two physical reminders of Dashie’s existence, the letter and the photo album. Since she left, I had added a few more pages to the album of me at national parks, at parties, and at the indie 500. On that page was a ticket to the indie 500 that I was going to go to with Dashie, the other one having gone literally god knows where. When Celestia took Dashie away, she erased all evidence of her being here, so that may have disappeared too. However I was reminded of the shoebox that she carried with her before she left, maybe she brought it with her. Deciding not to dwell on it, I dropped the subject and put down the album.

For a while I just sat there, undisturbed, just enjoying the silence. I looked at the wall opposite to me, trying to force the pictures that once hung on it to reappear. However, before I could master my telekinetic skills, I heard something that I hadn’t heard in a long time- A knock at the door. Since friends had recently been dropping by for casual visits, I did the normal drill of hiding the album and letter to avoid answering some questions I’d rather not answer. As I walked down the hall the person at the door knocked again, the same tempo as before. Rolling my eyes, I called out to them “Who is it?” There was a brief moment of silence before the person spoke “Can I please come in?” The voice was obviously feminine, and oddly familiar, but that didn’t answer my question, so I told her “Today’s a bad day for me, and you still didn’t say who you were.” Another brief silence pursued, and the woman responded calmly “I know, that’s why I’m here.” I thought for a bit, debating whether or not to open it. It’s probably one of my co-workers or friends coming over to see how I’m holding up. It took a couple seconds to make a decision, but I chose to open the door. “Okay, seriously. Why won't you tell me who you are?” I said as I opened the door. However what I saw was not what I expected at all. Before me, once again, was Princess Celestia, looking at me with a smile on her face.

“Now may I come in? We need to talk.” She said, waiting for my response.

I was speechless, but almost instinctively I gestured for her to come in, and along with her trotted Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. As I watched them come in I was brought back memories of that fateful day when they took Dashie from me. Now, one year later, they have come back. As they entered the living room and sat down, I cut to the chase. “Why are you here? More importantly, where is Dashie?” I said, looking at them with mixed emotions. They all looked at each other, then turning to the Princess as if asking for guidance. Eventually, Celestia spoke “We’re here because of her. She doesn’t want to stay in Equestia anymore. She claims that she doesn’t belong with us, and that she belongs here, with you.”