A Friend to the End

by Altoid

First published 15th of February, 2014

How far will a father go just to see his daughter happy? How far will he go if the world is bent on dragging him down? There is no greater test to have someone you love fade away when you can't do anything except hope.

How far will a father go just to see his daughter happy? How far will he go if the world is bent on dragging him down?

There is no greater test to have someone you love fade away when you can't do anything except hope.

-
Art by totallynotabrony

Chapter 1

Author's Notes:

Hello everyone. Due to a lack of editors there might be mistakes. Please point them out to me. I also didn't have many people to give me opinions on the story itself so I need to know how much is wrong with the actual plot.

Thank you- Altoid

She smiled at me from across the restaurant table and I smiled back. I had finished my egg sandwich but her pancakes were only halfway gone and she didn’t seem to be finishing them. I playfully snuck my hand across the table, though she could obviously see what I was doing, and tried to steal her breakfast. Her smile widened and she pulled her plate away from me and started to eat.

“My food!” she giggled with her mouth full.

I acted like I was sad and pouted out my bottom lip. “But Sarah, I’m hungry.”

My daughter frowned. “I guess you can have a little.”

She let me cut a bite of her pancakes. I rubbed my belly. “Mmm, those are good.”

Sarah turned towards the third member of our party; a small My Little Pony plushie that I had bought for her several months ago. I didn’t watch the show but Sarah did and she brought the stuffed toy, which apparently was named Pinkie Pie, everywhere. A plate full of jelly toast sat in front of the toy, untouched.

“Are you not hungry?” she asked the toy. “You need to eat, Pinkie Pie. Daddy, I think she isn’t feeling good.”

“Uh oh,” I said. “Well she did have a big supper last night.”

Sarah nodded. “Oh yeah, she did.”

I smiled softly. “Are you ready to go sweetheart?”

She nodded then asked the pony, “Are you ready to go too?”

Sarah waited for an answer that only she could hear, then picked the pony up and hugged it closely. I stood and picked my daughter up and she gave me a kiss on my cheek as I set her down in her wheelchair.

Seven Months Earlier

She lay motionless on the hospital bed next to me. I held my little girl’s hand as the doctor gave me the news.

“Eric, we found tumors on her thalamic and several other locations in her brain and brainstem,” He whispered, afraid to wake her. “We don’t believe she will ever walk normally again and it will most likely get worse. By the looks of it, she has had the cancer for a while. She will start to develop many problems as the months go by.”

I looked at Sarah’s face, so peaceful. I readjusted a strand of her brown hair and sighed, fighting the tears.

“Are you sure there is nothing you can do to help her?” I pleaded.

He shook his head. “Kemo might help but it’s too far into the stages that it wouldn’t fix anything. I am sorry.”

“Daddy,” I heard my daughter whisper. Our conversation must have awakened her. “My head hurts again.”

I kissed her forehead. “It’s okay, I’ll get you some medicine then later we can go to the store and buy you a toy. Whatever kind of toy you want.”

She closed her eyes and smiled. “Okay, daddy.”

Present Day

“Pinkie Pie wants to go see a movie,” Sarah said as we pulled out of the parking lot. “Can we daddy?”

I looked into the rearview mirror at her. “Of course we can.”

She gave a happy cheer and started up a one sided conversation with her toy. I listened to her talk to her pony about silly little topics. The words chimicherry and cherrychanga popped up occasionally.

“Daddy,” she asked. “Can you make me and Pinkie Pie some cherrychangas? Or, chimicherries?”

“I don’t know what those are sweetheart.” I smiled back at her. I had my suspicions though and a chimicherrychanga thing sounded good.

“Is it okay if I tell daddy your secret recipe?” Sarah asked the toy. “I can? Daddy, a chimicherry is a chimichanga with cherries in it.”

“Oh,” I couldn’t help but admire how well she was saying such long words. “Those sound tasty.”

Sarah nodded. “Pinkie Pie says they are.”

She went back to her previous discussion with the toy. To anybody else who witnessed her conversations with the pony would most likely believe that she was a child with a wild imagination.
I wish that was true.

Five Months Ago

I had been unable to deliver on my promise to buy Sarah any toy she wanted for two months due to her rapidly deteriorating condition. Hallucinations, nightmares and seizures plagued my little girl until miraculously her health started to improve. She gained enough strength to act a little more like a child once again and the days were filled with a little more laughter. Sarah was far from healed but the large majority of the problems lapsed to the point where I could finally take her out of the house without fear of her seizing, going unconscious or screaming in terror from something that didn’t exist.

We went to her favorite toy store and she looked around excitedly at the countless items that I could buy her. Sarah bounced up and down in her wheelchair as I maneuvered through the aisles. Everything she showed the slightest interest in I picked up and put in the basket. My daughter deserved more than just one toy.

Then Sarah went silent and stared wide eyed at a lone, pink, stuffed toy on a shelf. I watched her, slightly worried. But she seemed to be listening to something.

Then she cheerfully spoke to the toy, “Hi, Pinkie Pie. My name is Sarah.”

My daughter picked up the pony, listening to the silence once again. “I think you can come live with me. Daddy, can she come live with us?”

She held up the toy and peered up at me expectantly. I thought she was just playing around. My little girl had a vivid imagination so this seemed normal.

“Of course you can take Pinkie Pie home.”

Present Day

It was a weekday so the theatre wasn’t busy. Sarah pointed excitedly at a poster for the new My Little Pony movie. We approached the window where a teenager was standing with a bored look on his face.

“Can we see the 3D one?” Sarah asked.

I shook my head. “3D makes you sick, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” she sighed sadly. “I don’t like it when I get sick.”

I booped her nose. “I don’t like it when you get sick either.”

“Welcome to Big Studio Cinemas, “ the teen greeted.

“Three tickets for My Little Pony in 2D,” I said, handing him thirty dollars. Two for me and Sarah, the other for Pinkie Pie.

He looked at the pair of us, obviously confused. Then decided that the third part of our group would probably be coming in later and that is why I had ordered an extra ticket.

“Thank you,” I said and we entered the theatre.

Four Months Ago

“She thinks it is alive,” I explained to the nurse as we stood outside of Sarah’s hospital room. My daughter sat inside the room with her toy, having a conversation with it. “I-I don’t know what to do.”

The nurse shook her head. “I don’t think there is anything you can or should do. She seems perfectly happy with her new friend. I believe it would be best not to take away something that brings light into her painful world.”

I understood what she meant. Sarah had been a completely new girl after the pony joined our family. She rarely complained of headaches and the seizures were happening less often. And there was her smile, something that rarely happened before I bought the toy now was a daily event. I would do anything to keep my daughter smiling. Sarah even told me one time that Pinkie Pie told her that smiles make you feel better. I always told her yes and that staying happy would make her better.

But it didn’t alleviate the pain I felt to see my daughter slowly lose her mind.

Present Day

Sarah seemed to be enjoying the movie, with her small bag of popcorn and drink. The pony sat in her own seat next to her, staring blankly at the screen with its own bag of candy. I didn’t watch a large percentage of the show. Most of my time was spent keeping an eye on Sarah to make sure that she didn’t laps into a seizure due to the multiple, bright colors flashing on the screen. Typical young girl movie. Whenever Pinkie Pie was on screen though I could see the excitement in Sarah’s eyes double.

I couldn't help but feel at ease that the character she heard in her head was such a fun and happy individual.

The show was nearing the end when suddenly she let out a pained gasp. I looked and saw her start to shake uncontrollably. Damnit, she almost made it through the whole thing this time. I lifted her up and took her out of the theatre. Her seizure soon stopped and she looked around anxiously for her toy which I handed to her.

She hugged the pony. “That was scary, wasn't it Pinkie Pie? Can we see the rest of the movie daddy?”

“Sorry sweetheart,” I pushed her wheelchair towards the exit, immensely happy that the seizure was only a minor one. “I will rent it for us to finish when it comes out on DVD. Okay?”

She shrugged, downcast. “I guess so.”

The ride home was mostly uneventful other than the happy conversations Sarah was having with her toy. I hadn’t listened to the radio for several weeks. Her imaginative discussions always kept me entertained. Though at the same time it reminded me of the whole thing behind it all.

Two Months Ago

The pictures on the wall showed nearly a dozen large masses in her brain. That morning Sarah had difficulties waking up. An increasing problem the past few weeks.

“They’re growing again,” the doctor told me. “More rapidly than before and a few small ones have also popped up.”

My breathing and heartbeat quickened. It was too soon! I wasn’t ready for our time together to end. “How much longer does she have?”

“Weeks, maybe a month.” He wiped sweat from his forehead. “If you are lucky, maybe more.”

My mind was going numb. “What should I do? I’m so lost.”

He put his hand on my shoulder. “Take her home and make the last months of her life the best time for both of you. Live like everyday is her last one.”

I took his advice and that was exactly what I did. Even though I still cried every night as she slept in her often nightmare filled dreams.

But her pony was always next to her. Occasionally, when Sarah would toss and turn in some painful part of her mind, I would see her hug the pony closely and her breaths would quickly calm. Whenever one of my actions to soothe her pain failed, somehow that wonderful toy succeeded.

If only it could cure her.

Present Day

Sarah hugged me one last time before I tucked her into bed. I then placed the pink toy pony next her and she cuddled with it. I prayed, like I always did, that this night would be free of nightmares and that I would be able to wake her up easily tomorrow morning. I kissed her forehead and stood to leave but she stopped me.

“Daddy,” she said. “Pinkie Pie says that we are going on a vacation soon and I am sad.”

I was puzzled at this. I had no plans to go on vacation because I would be too far from her doctor if something went wrong. But perhaps I could think of something if that was what she wanted to do.

I was also confused on another topic. “Why does that make you sad?”

She hugged the pony close to her chest and sighed. “She says that only I can go on this vacation and you can't come with me. I don’t want to go anywhere without you, daddy.”

My heart caught in my throat. I screamed in my mind that she wasn’t talking about the end. I tried to reassure myself that it was a vacation, that we were going to have fun and she was going to be fine.

Tears started to form in my eyes and I tried my best to hide them from her. “Don’t worry, Sarah. I will meet you there a little while after you arrive. We will go on the best vacation ever.”

“I like that idea. I don’t want to go without you.”

I knelt down and pulled my daughter into a hug. I didn't want to let her go, ever again. The tears ran down my cheeks freely now.

“No, that vacation doesn't sound like a bad idea.” I whispered through my shaky voice. “It doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all.”

I kissed her forehead when she eventually drifted off to sleep in my arms and hesitantly walked out of her room, fearing that this would be the last time I would see her alive.

That night I prayed harder than I have ever before for something, someone, to help her. For one last miracle before I lost her.

I lay in bed with a mind too full for sleep. On the edge of my thought there was a soft noise, like a church bell chiming midnight. In my sleep deprived state I took the tolling as an evil omen. But through my thoughts I realised that the nearest bell tower was downtown and I tilted my head over to look at my alarm clock to read the time as 10:17. A time that no bell ever told.

The bell continued to ring. Sounding at first like a distant echo but progressively growing louder. I sat up and peered out of my window, expecting to see the source of the ringing but only a passing truck met my eyes. Delirium brought on by lack of sleep became the next possible cause of the bell. Perhaps it was only my stressed mind.

Then the ringing stopped and I returned to bed. No sooner had my head hit the pillow did it start up again. But now it sounded like it was all around me and growing louder. It felt as if I was inside the bell itself. The walls started to shake as I stumbled out of my room and towards Sarah’s. I threw open the door to find her sitting up and staring at the wall at some invisible spectacle. I rushed to her side and wrapped my arms around her just as the bell reached deafening pitch.

Suddenly, silence. I looked up and noticed my daughter was still watching the wall. I followed her gaze and my heart stopped. The wall had disappeared! Beyond I could see a flowering meadow with distant hills and a the beginnings of a soft sunrise. I was dumbstruck and frozen in my wonder. Clearly I had lost my mind.

Sarah squirmed her way out of my arms and grabbed her pony plush before I could stop her. I jumped up after my daughter but she came to a halt anyway at the edge of her room and the unknown land beyond. I stood next to her and looked out over the meadow with confused and bewildered thoughts running through my head.

I felt Sarah put her hand into mine. “Come daddy.”

She hobbled ahead on weak legs but I stayed at the edge. “Sarah wait!”

My daughter gave me no heed as she continued to half run half stumble, barefoot through the flowers as the sun crested over the distant hills. I decided to follow after her. I too was barefoot and the dewy grass was cold yet soft under my feet.

“Sarah, hey-wait for me!” I caught up with her as she was picking a few flowers. “Don’t run off like that!”

I couldn’t help but feel happy as well. But that joy was quickly diminished when I looked back the way we came. The bedroom had disappeared leaving us in this unknown land. Since I was coming to the realisation that this was nothing more than a dream, though one that was very vivid nonetheless, no panic came to my heart. The sight of my daughter happy made me happy and only that mattered.

We picked flowers and played for what felt like hours until the sun had risen high above. I hadn’t seen her this joyful and healthy feeling in a long time. It was as if the place we found ourselves in held some magical property and it started to affect me. I felt younger, happier and all my cares had fallen away. But it all came screaming back when I heard her give a watery cough.

“Sarah!” I knelt down beside her and saw the onset of another bloody nose. I wiped it away and picked her up. “Come, lets go home.”

“But our vacation...” she started to speak but fell silent. She twitched slightly before drifting into unconsciousness.

“Sarah?” I lifted her eyelid and her pupils drifted up: unseeing. Her breaths were quickly becoming labored and slow. Panic finally gripped my heart.

This dream was turning quickly into a nightmare. I willed myself to wake up but to no avail. Even in a dreamlike place of beauty and peace, my daughter was dying.

Chapter 2

I walked for hours cradling her in my arms. I had found a narrow dirt path that led through the trees, beneath leaves that were turning orange, yellow and red. Sarah had regained consciousness and stared unspeaking at the beauty passing above her. A smile laid across her tired face and the plush was wrapped in her arms. I wish I could be as careless and happy like her, but I couldn’t. It was my duty to worry for the both of us and I prayed that this was all a dream.

My foot suddenly snagged on a rock and I tumbled forward and fell to my knees. I cursed silently and Sarah looked up at me in shock.

“Daddy, are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just stubbed my toe.”

In truth I wasn’t. My knees burned and I could feel blood drip down my left leg as I stood up. If this was a dream then it was the most painful one I had ever experienced. I pressed on down the path, ignoring the pain in my legs. Eventually I came to a crossroads and I sat Sarah down on a nearby rock as I secretly tended to my wounds.

“Which way do you want to go?” I asked her.

Sarah held up her plush and whispered the same question to it then looked over at me. “Pinkie says we should go to Ponyville.”

I smiled at her innocence. “Which way is that?”

Sarah pointed down the path that led away from the mountains and into a wide valley. I nodded, lifted her back up and followed the trail. It wasn’t long until the path widened and became a dusty, well trodden road.

“Look daddy,” Sarah chimed. Her finger pointed towards the distant mountains to the North. “Canterlot!”

I followed where she was looking and through the morning haze I could see a strange formation that looked very much like domes and towers sticking out of the mountainside.

“Wow,” I whispered. “It does look like a city.”

My daughter laughed. “It is a city, daddy.”

This was a dream, I assured myself, and that rock formation could very well be a city. I returned my attention to the road ahead and stopped short. We stood at the crest of a ridge and below us sat a happy looking town that reminded me very much of the places in fairytales. I had seen the place before, on TV.

Sarah let out a gasp of pure excitement. “Ponyville, daddy! Look-look! It’s Ponyville!”

It might have been a dream but her joy felt so genuine. I was going to milk the situation for as much happiness as I could.

“Lets go down and see if we can make friends!” I exclaimed. She clapped her hands and we both smiled widely as I proceeded down the hill.

We were drawing near to the town when the dream decided to take another dark turn. I was steps from the bridge when I felt a stream of liquid warmth drip onto my hand. I looked down at Sarah and blood streamed from her nose. Her eyes had rolled back and were glazed. I lifted up her head so the blood wouldnt go into her lungs.

“Damnit, not again!”

The sudden urge to throw myself off of the bridge and break my neck so I could leave this twisted dream rose up in my mind. A grim action but I was use to committing suicide in my many nightmares. Yet this time something pushed that thought from me. Instead I ran into the town seeking help but the streets were empty. Yet it felt like we were being watched as I pushed on.

“Can somebody help me?” I yelled at the emptiness. All the while the thought of forcing myself to wake from the dream pressed harder against my mind. “Please help!”

On the edge of my hearing I heard someone whisper. I looked in the direction of the source and a brightly adorned house with a pointed purple roof filled my vision. The murmuring stopped momentarily until a voice broke out through the building’s doorway.

“I'll help!”

Despite the conviction that I was in a dream, there still was a shock when a light blue pony with pink hair came rushing towards me. A similar pony with reversed colors ambled out reluctantly behind her. Both creatures hurried near but slowed down when they were mere feet away. Their ears barely came up to my waist and they looked up at me with mixed expressions of curiosity and fear.

“Can you help me?” I had no idea why I was asking cartoon characters in a dream for assistance. “I just need somewhere to set her down and wait until she regains consciousness. Also, I need a towel and water to wipe away the blood.”

They remained where they were but now looked at Sarah’s face and saw the condition she was in.

“Oh my,” the blue one cooed. “The poor thing’s bleeding!”

“Look.” I wanted them to stop gawking. “I need help now. This all might be a dream but I have no intention of letting it turn into a nightmare. So will you help me or are you going to watch my daughter die?”

I didn’t truly believe Sarah was going to die. Bloody noses and going unconscious happened often; though with increasing regularity. I expected her to wake back up any moment and laugh happily at the colorful ponies standing before us. If this wasn’t a dream then I would have actually worried more.

“Yes, of-of course,” the blue one stammered. “Follow us.”

The inside of the building smelled strongly of flowery perfumes. I set Sarah down on a couch and knelt beside her. The two ponies left to fetch water and towels.

“Hey, honey,” I whispered. “You'll never guess where we are. Wake up and have a look around.”

The ponies returned and I took the items from them. I moistened a towel in the warm water, wiped away the blood and kissed her forehead. One of the ponies slipped out of the building but I paid no attention to her leaving. After remaining there next to her for a few minutes I heard the door open and the sound of hooves coming up behind me.

“Excuse me, uh, sir?” A familiar voice asked.

I turned and was met with the troubled faces of the main characters from my daughter’s favorite show. My eyes darted to each one. I didn’t know who looked more wary of the other; them or me.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” the one I remembered to be Twilight Sparkle spoke again.

“Uh, yeah.” In truth nothing came to mind. I looked back at Sarah’s peaceful face. I wanted to see her smile so badly. “Honey, wake up and see who’s here. You’ll never believe it.”

“Is she alright,” the one named Rainbow Dash loomed over my shoulder making me slightly uncomfortable.

In my mind I shot, ‘no, she hasn’t been alright in a long time.’

But outwardly I remained silent. Sarah moaned and I took it as a good sign. I stood up, causing the ponies to quickly back away, and sat down on the couch next to my daughter. My attention turned back to the ponies and I stared at them. They stared back.

“Who are you, and what are you?” Twilight inquired when she realised that I wasn’t going to talk.

“I’m a man trying to enjoy a dream yet it seems to be turning into a nightmare quite quickly,” I replied. “My name is Eric.”

“Hello Eric.” She held out a shaky hoof. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Hi.” I was already turning my attention back to Sarah, wanting ever more for her to wake up. I could care less about meeting the ponies. What I desperately wanted to see was my daughter’s joy in meeting them herself.

The room returned to a silence that lasted for several minutes.

Soon Rainbow Dash spoke. “Didn’t you say there was something we could do to help?”

“Yeah, yeah.” I was still too busy dabbing a warm towel across Sarah’s forehead, deep in thought.

Another minute of silence passed by before Dash spoke again. “Then what can we do?”

She snapped me out of my mind. I faced them again. “Huh, what?”

“You said we could help,” Twilight replied.

“I did?”

“Yes.” The purple unicorn nodded.

The yellow one, Fluttershy, peered from behind her friends and noticed my scraped up knees.

“Oh my! What happened?” The pegasus pushed closer to me and looked at my injuries before realising that she was now the nearest pony to me. She backed away slowly. “If you don't mind me asking.”

I had nearly forgotten about my knees. I was actually surprised that the dream had retained their existence. The amount of realistic detail in this place was starting to make me uneasy.

“I tripped.”

Sarah moaned and I returned my full attention back to her. A minute later her eyes creeped open. She looked up at me with a dazed and bleary expression. But soon the color returned to her face and she rubbed her nose then sighed. She looked so tired, so near fading away. I tried not to think about it.

“My head hurts real bad.” She clutched the Pinkie Pie plush strongly in her arms and started to look around. “Where are we?”

I chuckled, the sound seemed to startle the ponies near me, and helped Sarah sit up. “You won’t believe it but look who’s here!”

Her eyes went wide. “Wow!”

“Hello,” Twilight greeted. The perplexed look on her face almost made me laugh. “I take it that you already know who we are?”

“Mm-hmm.” Sarah nodded slowly. “You are Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie, you are my favorite!”

“It’s almost like she knows us personally,” Applejack stated.

“How do you know, or know about us?” Twilight’s face had only grown more twisted in confusion.

“We watch a show about you,” my daughter smiled widely.

Rarity stepped closer “A show? Like a play?”

Sarah yawned then giggled. “Sort of.”

“Are we famous where you come from?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You know, if they are making plays about us then we must be famous.”

I cut in. “Yeah, you could say that you are famous.”

Pinkie Pie noticed the plush in my daughter’s arms. “Oh wow, is that a stuffed pony of me!”

“Yep!” Sarah held it up and the ponies stared at it with mixed expressions of curiosity and excitement.

“Where are you from?” Twilight examined the plush for a moment before looking up at me. “How come you know so much about us but we know nothing about you?”

“The TV,” Sarah replied. Pinkie Pie had now moved close enough for my daughter to reach out and pet her. Pinkie giggled and Sarah squealed happily. “You’re so soft!”

“The TV?” The Twilight watched her friend interact with my daughter. She finally seemed to realise that we meant no harm. “What’s that?”

“It’s a glass and metal box that shows us things,” I replied. I too was watching Sarah and was enjoying every moment of her happiness.

Twilight puckered her face up in contemplation. Eventually she exclaimed. “It’s a type of magical looking glass! Right? A tool that lets you see far away places and events?”

The conversation was growing tiresome and I just wanted the topic to change to something else. “Uh, yes. It’s a magical type of looking glass.”

“Wow.” Twilight whispered. I could tell that she was now wishing for her own TV.

The pain in my knees suddenly flared up again. The vividness of the dream was now wearing on the last of my nerves. The ponies had also left the door open and a soft summer breeze was blowing through. The smell of flowers and baked goods lingered in the air.

My stomach growled. ‘Great, now I’m hungry in a dream as well.’

Luckily Pinkie Pie and Applejack heard my bodily protests.

“Sound’s like you haven't eaten in a while, sugarcube.” The hat wearing mare trotted up and beamed at us. “Me and Pinkie here will fix that problem right away. Can’t have guest starvin’ now!”

“And we can put bandages on your legs as well,” Fluttershy added in a barely audible voice.

I nodded my head and I followed the six friends out of the building. I was startled to see the street filled with curious ponies wanting to see the two strange visitors. Sarah waved happily to them but I remained unresponsive as we pushed through. Since I was a great deal taller than the ponies it wasn't hard getting past the crowd.

The place we ended up was Twilight’s library. Pinkie and Applejack disappeared into the kitchen and I took a seat by the window with Sarah on my lap. Fluttershy fetched some bandages and was about to tend to my injuries but I politely denied her help and wrapped up my own knees. All the while Twilight asked more questions.

“What brings you to Equestria?”

I shrugged. “Fell asleep and now I’m dreaming. Though this is one vivid dream.”

“This isn’t a dream, dear,” Rarity stated flatly.

“Hmm.” I nodded. “I have been in many dreams where I wished it was real. Never have I had one that openly tried to convince me that it was true. Damn, I must be desperate to get out of the real world if my subconscious is trying to lie to me.”

A particular dream I continued to have popped into my mind but I quickly pushed it away. It was too painful to think about that memory.

“This isn’t a dream.” Rainbow Dash looked at me like I was crazy. In fact they all did.

“Rainbow,” Twilight sighed. “I think he is just having a hard time and is a bit weary. After lunch and a quick rest, perhaps, he will be fine.”

“Did somepony say lunch!” Pinkie Pie trotted in with a mixture of baked goods and salads.

Applejack followed behind with a tray full of pies. “I hope ya’ll are hungry because we made plenty!”

I was slightly wary of food that had been prepared so quickly but I instantly remembered that dream logic dictated that food could be prepared within such a short amount of time. Sarah laughed and talked with the ponies and I was content eating my food in silence, watching her. Twilight on the other hand wasn’t going to let valuable time be wasted that could be used as opportunities to question me.

“So, Eric...” she began.I looked at her with an expression that stated that I didn’t want to talk but she continued anyway. “Tell us more about yourself.”

I chewed slowly and thought for a moment. There wasn’t really much I could say to my subconscious that it already didn’t know.

I shrugged. “Not much to say. I’m a simple man that spends nearly all my time with my daughter.”

Twilight looked over at Sarah then back to me. “Speaking of your daughter; is she sick?”

“Yes,” I replied slowly.

“How sick?”

The pony was a little too nosey for my liking. “Very sick.”

“Have you taken her to a doctor?”

“I’ve taken her to twelve doctors,” I replied blandly.

“Twelve doctors?” Twilight shook her head in disbelief. “The doctors must not be very good where you come from. Perhaps I can recommend my doctor.”

I was getting angry. “They were some of the best doctors in the world. My daughter is too far gone though and there is no cure.”

“Maybe I-” the pony’s eyes went wide. “No cure? You don’t mean that-”

I leaned forward and my voice came out like a whispered growl. “Yes, my little girl is going to die and there is nothing to help her. I also think you have overstepped the limits in your questioning and is now prodding about things that you have no right to ask about on such a personal level. Understand?”

“I-I’m sorry.” Twilight’s head dropped down to hide her embarrassment. I noticed her give a mournful glance towards Sarah before entering silence.

My vision suddenly caught the faces of the other ponies staring at me. I looked down and caught Sarah’s shimmering eyes watching me. Apparently they had heard me and my heart dropped to my stomach. A tear slid down my daughter’s cheek and I suddenly wanted this dream to end more than I had previously.

“Sarah,” I croaked. “Sarah, baby, I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”

She buried her face into her plush and cried. This dream was now past its due and needed to end. I set my still weeping daughter down on the chair, stood to looked out of the window.

Behind me Rarity started to speak. “Perhaps the Princesses can help.”

“Yeah, of course they could help,” Twilight replied.

I wasn’t listening. I was trying to think of the quickest way to end this nightmare. The window was on the second floor, not high enough to kill me. But perhaps the fall itself and the pain would be enough to snap me out. The injuries on my knees though helped quell that idea. Pain and falling probably wouldn't be enough to pull me from a dream that wasn’t intending to let me go freely anytime soon.

“The Princesses could make me feel better?” Sarah asked.

I heard Twilight sit next to her. “They aren’t all-powerful but I think illnesses can be fixed.”

“Daddy,” Sarah called to me and I left my thoughts. “Can we go see the princesses?”

I glanced at her, then at the ponies and back to my daughter. Was the dream really trying to drag me further into it? Was my subconscious trying to show me something? I didn’t know and I now found myself in another dilemma. To end this dream now or see it through to the end.

That was when it hit me. Was this how I viewed my life? When Sarah died would I have anything else to live for? She was all that mattered after my wife passed away and with her gone would I just end it all? The more I thought about it the more I didn’t like the answer.

No. I wasn’t going to give up so easily on life or this dream. I had to push on as best as I could. It also helped that my curiosity was now spiked and I wanted to see what my dream had in store for me.

“Yes.” I sat back down next to Sarah and kissed her forehead. “We can go see the princesses.”

My daughter’s face lit up and I smiled too.

Pinkie Pie cheered happily next to me. “Hooray! We’re going to Canterlot!”

Twilight jumped up and started to leave. “I will go get the train tickets. I’ll be right back.”

“We’ll stay here with Eric and Sarah,” Applejack replied and the other’s nodded.

The lavender pony opened the door and was about to leave before she stopped and turned around. “Spike! Wake up! I need you to send a letter when I get back.”

I heard a tired groan from another room as Twilight closed the door behind her. I was still slightly hungry and I grabbed a cinnamon roll. It was also a measure of insurance to prevent the ponies from asking more questions. A full mouth is a valuable tool to protect oneself.

I was almost done with my third one, they were very good after all, when Spike came down the stairs. He noticed the five ponies watching him and he stopped.

“What are you guys doing here?” He quickly saw me and Sarah. “Who and what are they?”

“They are visitors from a far away land.” Rarity explained. “We are getting ready to go to Canterlot so the princesses can help the little one.”

“Oh. Is that why Twilight wants to send a letter to Celestia?”

“Yes.”

The dragon nodded. “Okay.”

The door opened and Twilight walked in. “Got the tickets.”

She magically passed a ticket to all of us except Spike. Twilight instead gave him a pen and paper.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” the pony began without hesitation. “My friends and I are coming to visit you, if you are not busy of course, and we will be bringing along two visitors who require your help. They are from a far away place and the younger one is very sick. Where they come from there is no cure but we believe you can help. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike scribbled down the last words and sent the letter on its way with a puff of green fire and smoke. I absentmindedly watched the air clear before looking at my train ticket. Once again my dream amazed me with its attention to detail. Unique numbers and words were printed comprehensively over both sides of the paper.

“Is everypony ready to go?” Twilight asked. I nodded while still reading the ticket.

“We’re leaving now?” Rarity gasped.

Twilight nodded. “I got tickets for the soonest train. Why?”

“I must pack some items for the trip, my dear!” The fashion pony was flabbergasted. “You know me, I can’t go on trips without being prepared!”

“But the train will be here in fifteen minutes!” Twilight rolled her eyes and stared flatly at her friend.

“I will meet you at the station,” Rarity said as she rushed to the door. “Don’t fret. I’ll be there soon!”

The station was crowded with ponies wanting to see us. Being in a better mood I waved to them and said the occasional “hello”. The train was pulling in when Rarity came running up with a large assortment of luggage. Why she needed all of it was a mystery to me. She searched for a place to store her stuff as the rest of us found our seats. Pinkie Pie sat down next to us and immediately started to talk excitedly to Sarah.

I noticed that my daughter hadn’t talked to her plush the entire time we had been here. I guess she didn’t have to since the real thing was with her. Well, as real as you can get in a dream. As the train lurched forward I allowed myself to relax and actually enjoy the passing countryside and laughter of my daughter.

Author's Notes:

I did my research on how cancer kills, primarily the type of cancer Sarah has, and I tried to make it as accurate as I could. This is a fictional story and I do not believe I have made it completely accurate to how someone would descend into a ever worsening state but I tried my best.

Chapter 3

I had drifted off into thoughts about what my dream could have waiting for me when I felt Sarah start to shake. Her muscles were tense and eyes rolled back.

Twilight gasped. “What’s happening to her?”

“A seizure.” I tried to take her plush to set it under her head as a pillow but her hands held onto it tightly. I pulled it free, causing the left front leg to rip. A small amount of stuffing fell to the floor as I placed the toy under her head.

“What do we do?” Twilight whimpered.

“Nothing really that we can do except wait for it to pass.”

Thankfully the seizure didn’t last long but Sarah remained unconscious.

‘That’s it,’ I thought to myself. ‘I’m done.’

I stood, quickly left the car and made my way to the back of the train. I opened the rear door and stood on the platform that overlooked the rails passing quickly below. I wondered if it would hurt before I stepped forward and fell.

“No!” someone screamed from behind me.

I stopped in mid air, a purple glow suspending me. My face hovered mere inches from the tracks. I cursed loudly as I was pulled back onto the train. This dream really didn’t want me to go! The purple glow released me and I spun around to face a horrified Twilight.

“Why did you do that?” I spat.

“Why did you do that?” she shot back.

“I need to get out of this place and you won't let me!”

“You still think- this isn’t...” she struggled to find words. “Look, I don’t care if you think this is a dream, and I don’t think I can convince you otherwise. But your daughter is in there and she needs you. Are you really going to abandon her so easily?”

“She isn’t real!” I screamed. “You're not real! This place isn’t real! Next thing I know my wife is going to appear next to me and I’m going to have to watch her die all over again! This nightmare seems to want only to torture me. I am done!”

The pony’s mouth hung open. “Your- your wife?”

“Yeah, my life is shit. I don’t need the pain to follow me into my mind.”

She remained silent but I could tell that she was about to cry. I suddenly felt bad for my words and actions. I didn’t understand why. I still believed it was a dream and the figments of my imagination, who had no feelings, meant nothing to me. Or so I thought.

I sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she replied. “I can’t begin to try and understand the pain you must be in. But you can’t just give up.”

I opened my mouth to argue the fact that this was still just a dream but decided against it.

“Will you come back inside?” Twilight asked, her voice full of hope.

I chewed my lip and responded slowly. “Yeah, sure. I’ll come inside.”

Sarah was awake when I entered the car. I sat back down next to her and she looked up at me with sad, questioning eyes.

“Where did you hurry off to?” Applejack inquired.

“He just went out to get some fresh air,” Twilight answered for me.

“Daddy.” Sarah held up the toy pony. “Pinkie Pie’s leg is ripped. Can you fix it?”

“I can fix it!” Rarity rummaged around in one of her bags before trotting over magically holding a needle and pink thread.

Sarah handed her toy to Rarity and the pony looked over it for a minute.

“Oh my, this will not do.” Rarity tossed her thread back into the bag. “The color of the thread and the toy don’t match.”

‘So?’ I asked mentally.

Pinkie Pie plucked one of her curly hairs from her mane and gave it to Rarity. “Will this work?”

“Oh most definitely!” Rarity quickly started to mend the plush.

I watched her work while occasionally taking glances at Twilight. The unicorn looked back with thought filled eyes.

“There,” Rarity exclaimed as she cut the makeshift thread. “All it needs is some final touches.”

The fashion pony took a purple ribbon and tied it around the toys leg, like a makeshift bandage. She inspected it for a moment longer before returning the plush to its owner. Sarah took her best friend happily and gave it a hug.

“Thank you, Rarity!”

“Yes,” I said. A smile was returning to my face. “Thank you very much. You have no idea how much that thing means to her.”

A door behind me slid open and a voice called through the car. “We will be arriving at the Canterlot station in five minutes!”

That was another thing that was starting to bother me with this dream. Usually your mind would skip to the important parts of the story but not this time. Everything was happening and my brain was actually creating filler for what usually would have been a blackout.

“Eric.” Applejack pulled my attention back to the situation and I saw that she was pointing at my daughter’s eyes. “Somethin’ isn’t right.”

‘Something isn’t right’ was an understatement. Sarah stared blankly into the distance. The tired expression she had worn the entire time we had been here was more evident now than ever.

“Sarah, baby?” I caressed her face in my hands but she gave no reply. “Sarah? Speak to my, honey.”

Her eyes slowly moved but they were unseeing and stared off into the space behind me. A thin stream of blood started to trickle from her nose.

“My...” she slowly said. “head...hurts.”

Almost immediately Sarah’s eyes rolled back and she went limp. I laid her back down and felt for a breath and pulse. I was relieved when I felt both.

“The train is stopping,” Rainbow Dash stated.

I didn’t move. Twilight approached and stood next to me. Despite focusing most of my attention on my daughter I could still notice that the pony was hesitant about speaking to me. She was probably worried that I was going to run off and kill myself.

Twilight placed a hoof on my shoulder. “We should take her to the palace as quickly as we can.”

“Of course,” I hissed. In my mind I was raging at the dream. At how it was tearing me apart.

I lifted Sarah and followed the ponies out of the train and into Canterlot. We started at a swift walk but we soon broke into a jog. Ponies watched us pass but I gave them no heed. Sarah was starting to feel cold and heavy in my arms.

“Halt!” A stern voice demanded and the eight of us stopped. I glared at the two pony guards that barred our way.

“We need to see Celestia!” Twilight nearly screamed.

“I am sorry Twilight Sparkle,” the armored stallion replied all the while eying me suspiciously. “Celestia is currently busy right now. We didn’t expect you to arrive so soon. You can come back in two hours.”

“But we don’t have two hours!” Rainbow Dash growled.

I was no longer going to sit back and let this dream have the last laugh. There was no way I was going to let my daughter die in my arms when we were so close to the goal. Even if the plan forming in my head didn’t work perhaps I could be killed, and released from the dream, by one of the spears the ponies on the ramparts above were carrying.

Without hesitation I shoved one of the guards into the wall, knocking him unconscious, and rushed past the second. Before anyone could react I was through the doorway and running through the hall.

Somewhere in the building a bell tolled and a voice rang out, “Intruder in the palace!”

I had no idea where I was going but I carried on through the white stone hall. The fractured light from the stain glass window danced across the floor and my daughter’s pale face. A wide door stood at the other end and I reached it quickly, threw it open and was unexpectedly knocked to the ground by a guard that had hid himself on the other side.

Trying my best to protect Sarah, I turned and fell onto my back. My vision blurred with rage as more guards entered the room and surrounded me. I rose up onto my knees.

“Come on!” I stood still cradling Sarah in my arms. “Kill me already! I just want out of this hell!”

All I got was confused glances from the ponies. A few stepped forward uneasily but the rest stayed back. My anger quickly gave way and I sank back to the floor, defeated. I laid Sarah softly on the floor and brushed away her short messy hair with my hand. My little girl looked like she was sleeping. Her cold face was so peaceful and a barely noticeable breath escaped her lips.

“You win!” My anger returned again but this time it was directed at any greater power that controlled the universe. “You win! Quit toying with me! Just end this nightmare already!”

“No one is toying with you.” A kind voice cut in.

I looked up as a tall white pony approached through the crowd of armored guards. She stared at me with a stern yet kind expression. Twilight and her friends filed in behind her.

“I’m inclined to believe otherwise.” I wanted to stand up and punch somebody but instead remained calm.

Celestia nodded. “I understand why you would believe that. Twilight and her friends told me what has been happening as we hurried here.”

“Then put me out of my misery.”

“I will not.” Celestia approached and stood next to me. “All you want in life is to see your daughter healthy and happy.”

“More than anything.”

The princess looked down at Sarah and gave a sad smile. “I am not promising a miracle but I do believe we can help you and more importantly, help her.”

A cruel chuckle escaped my lips. “Perhaps in this dream but she is still going to die someday after I wake.”

Celestia’s expression didn’t change. “All you need in life is faith and hope that your daughter will be healed.”

“Faith and hope has gotten me nothing but a broken heart.” I couldn’t believe how hard this dream was trying.

“Please, Eric,” I looked into her eyes and saw sincerity. I could feel my pain fall away slightly. She continued, “have hope one last time. For the sake of your daughter. That is all I ask.”

I nodded slowly as Celestia motioned for Twilight and her friends.

“I will need your help,” Celestia said. “We will need the Elements of Harmony.”

I lifted Sarah into my arms. Suddenly Pinkie Pie chimed up.

“Oh! You dropped this!” She trotted up and gave me Sarah’s toy. “Don’t want to leave this behind when you guys go home.”

“Thanks,” I replied as I placed the plush into my daughters arms. I kissed Sarah’s forehead and whispered, “we're going home.”

My eyes didn’t leave her face, even as the room filled with light. I felt my pain and hurts start to fall away as the light washed around us.

I sat up out of bed and looked around my room. I was home and a wave of relief rushed over me. After sitting in silence for a while I jumped up and made my way towards Sarah’s room. I took a calming breath before quietly opening her door.

She lay in her bed in a deep sleep and her Pinkie Pie plush wrapped firmly in her arms. I walked over to her bedside and kissed her forehead.

“I will never give up hope for you.”

Fourteen Years Later

The photo was of me and Sarah. She sat happily on my knee holding her Pinkie Pie plush with a smile of simple happiness. I tried not to think of the old days. They brought back too many painful memories. I sighed then put the photo away.

After sitting on my bed for a while I stood and made my way to Sarah’s room. It had changed little. Her Pinkie Pie plush was still sitting on her bed and the sight of it pulled forth another memory. I still didn't know if that was a dream or what but life was never the same after it. I picked the toy up and looked at it. On its leg was a purple ribbon hiding skilled needlework.

“Maybe one day I can go back and thank them,” I whispered. “If they were real.”

The sound of the front door opening and nimble footsteps running up the stairs snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned around just as a lovely young woman appeared in the doorway. A puzzled expression flashed across her face before she started to laugh.

“Oh, dad!” Sarah ran up to me and gave me a strong hug. “The college is only forty miles away. There’s no need to get all sentimental now! You can come visit me whenever.”

I hugged her back. “You know me, I worry too much. Promise me again that you will go to your doctor appointments.”

“Do I have too?” she pouted. “The cancer is gone and no sign of has been seen of it for years now. Can I skip a few appointments at least?”

“No.”

“Okay, fine.”

I held up the Pinkie Pie plush. “Do you want to bring this with you?”

She took it from me and stared at it. I could tell a memory was flashing behind her eyes.

Sarah never told me if she had the dream. She also never asked where the ribbon came from. I believed she put it there and she probably believed that I put it there. But I couldn’t help but wonder If somebody else we met at a faraway town put it there.

“Nah.” She gave it back to me. “I have often wondered why I still keep it. I guess it has always been such a good friend to me.”

“Yes it has.” I placed it carefully back onto the bed. “It was always your best friend.”

“Not my best friend,” Sarah said as she gave me one last hug. “It has never been a better friend than you.”

Author's Notes:

So concludes another story/experiment by me. Please give me feedback as long as it's information that can improve my writings.

Thank you so much again- Altoid