There are times during our somewhat peaceful lives when we have to look on towards the future, and just hope for something better up ahead. It isn’t that there is always something waiting for us, but rather somepony might be waiting up ahead. You can’t always hang on to that you have lost, because sometimes that is what holds you back. Sometimes, these ponies are there waiting for you to come back to them, waiting for you to let go of the past.
Night had just come over the skies of Cloudsdale, almost a full hour after everypony else because of their altitude. Parents were now able to have some much needed quiet time since most, if not all, fillies and colts were fast asleep. The majority of the parents wanted to sleep, and hold each other as they layed in bed with the one they loved. There was one exception to all of this, a single father with greying mane sitting alone at his dining table. His name was Buckaneer Blaze. He has a light blue and almost periwinkle coat, golden eyes, and a colorfully dull mane the colors of the rainbow. During his lifetime, he has seen many things come and go; some of which being ponies and others just material items. He could easily let go of anything that came to him, brushing it off in an instant as if it had never actually happened. There was, however, one thing that kept burrowing deep into his mind. His daughter, Rainbow Dash.
It was something that he knew would always be there, always imminent in the future. He never knew when, where, or how it would happen - but he would have to eventually let his little girl go. It was one of the things he came to fear the most in life, but it was also one of the most secretive fears he had. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed of his daughter, but it was rather that he just wanted to keep the pony he had raised instead of sending her out into the world. A small shoe box sat on the table directly in front of him, the lid slightly ajar. He pulled it close to his body, opened it, and set the lid gently to his side. It was full of photos, some older than others and some more important than others.
There was one resting upon the top of the stack, some wear visible around the edges. It was a simple picture, but it was worth years of his life, and years of someone he had lost as well. A mare with a fluffy pink mane and a light violet coat; a small filly burrowed into her hair, a smile of happiness and joy upon her face as they flew through the sky. It was the photo he loved more than any other physical item he had, mainly for the reasons that it helped him remember. It helped him remember, even though it took his heart hostage. Rainbowshine was her name, and the filly - Rainbow Dash. A mother and daughter that were so happy, even with the fate of the future looming dark overhead.
She was so young... Buckaneer thought to himself, reeling back over the events of the day his wife had passed. Why did it have to be her and not me? I almost couldn’t bring myself to tell a little filly Mommy wouldn’t be coming home...
Tears were making their ways into his eyes, and just as they had - he had wiped them away. Some wondered why he never liked to talk about it, or why he never wanted to talk about her. He would have indulged any questions about his wife had she been around... but he hated to show his soft side, just as Dash had learned from him. It was a good trait to have, especially with how tough the world could come to be sometimes. Although, it could be considered detrimental to one's social life, as you keep your friends and family out of things that you shouldn’t be facing alone. And the things Blaze has had to deal with... he should have never faced them alone. So much stress on his mind and body, and the sleepless nights thinking about it all.
He often looked back at it all, and wished that he would have talked with someone about it. Talking could have helped him, it could have brought him out of his depression and possibly opened him up more in his home life, instead of ignoring his daughter as he often had. It was something he regretted every single day, ignoring Dashie. When she asked about Rainbowshine, he tuned her out to do what he thought was saving her. He thought he was saving her from the heartache he was experiencing, the pain he felt, and he didn’t want to cry in front of his daughter if he could ever come to help it. But now that she was older, the actions of his past were catching up. His little girl was no longer there, but rather a mare who was out all day, and back late at night. It was never his thing to give her explicit restrictions on a curfew as long as she was home before midnight, which was the deal. The only times she ever had a set curfew was if she had broken some rule, or even a law - which demanded a bit more action than a curfew.
I just want my little Dashie back... he thought to himself, tossing the photo of her and Shine back into the box.
Digging through the box, he searched for the indicators of Dashie’s independence. The pictures of races, Flight School, and even a homecoming dance. The picture of the Flight School dance gave him a small chuckle, just as it always had. Seeing his little Dashie throw a hoof right to the jaw of the guy she was ‘with’ as she caught him with another mare, it was satisfying in a way. The fact that she was able to stand for herself and hold her own was great, even though the event struck her hard for a matter of weeks.
It was starting to get rather late, just about 11PM, and Buckaneer knew that Dash would be getting home sometime soon. Swiping all of the photos of Dash’s teenage years into his hoof, he set them safely back into the box and closed the lid tight. He picked up the box, and started to head back to his room, and hopefully give the appearance he wasn’t waiting for her to come home. As he rounded the corner to the hallway, he nearly dropped the box of photos in disbelief.
Standing just down the hall, stood a light violet mare with the pink hair he had always remembered.
“I missed you, honey,” she smiled at him.
“But... Rain-”, he stopped, as he cocked his head. He started to grind his teeth, and dropped the box of photos on the floor. The photos flew every which way, as he began to act as if he was being suffocated. His left hoof rubbed his chest as his mouth drooped open, and he looked back to the mare in the hallway. “I can... I can’t leave Dashie...” he groaned, barely able to speak.
“It’s okay, we’re safe now. She will be just fine, you did great...” She told him, as Buckaneer fell to the floor with a distinctive thud.
“Dad?”
