It’s been five years. Five depressing and painful years. And somehow, I still manage. I still get up, walk to work, work, walk home, and go to sleep. Just like Pops used to. But that doesn't bring him back.

Nothing will.

I closed my journal, slid it under the couch, and stared at the wall. There used to be a painting there, that his mother made in that spot, but now it was just blank. As I sat on my couch, remembering the good times I had with him, I slowly came to realize that some things were simply not meant to be. I needed to let go. Doing so wouldn’t be easy, but it wasn’t fair to my friends.

Thinking about all of this at once exhausted my brain. I put my head on the arm of the couch and dozed off. Just like I had every night since he left me. I would sleep there for hours at a time, in the morning, afternoon, or evening. It didn’t matter. When I was tired, I slept. I occasionally skipped work to sleep. The weather ponies were getting angry with me, but I couldn’t care less.

Just like the other times, I had a very realistic dream. It always felt so real, but I always knew it wasn’t. I tried to enjoy it while I could. I was in a strange place. A calming one, though. I was with Pops, and all of my friends. It always feels so happy. I ask Pops how he’s been doing, and we chat a bit with all of my friends. And then... the shadow. It comes from behind Pops, drags him away from me. I scream and yell, but all it does is shove me away.

“His time has come.”

Then I wake up. In this particular instance, however, something was off. When I woke up, I wasn’t on my couch. I was in a bed. A quite comfortable bed, actually. My mouth tasted foul, I felt dizzy and sore, and I was very groggy. As I slowly came to, I suddenly realized that I was in a hospital. The blob beside my bed was becoming more and more visible. It appeared to be a very dark-colored pony, at first. The blurriness went away.

“Zecora?” I asked. “What happened?”

“Fear not, sweet Rainbow Dash. You simply had a heart attack.”

“Wait, what?”

“Please Rainbow Dash, just relax in this room; it’s the only way to get well soon.”

“Just… tell me how it happened.”

Zecora shifted a bit, and smiled nervously. "The how and why are unclear Brian, but when they are you'll roar like a lion."

"Wait, Brian?"

That's when I awoke for the final time in my hospital bed. Something weird was going on. Had I just dreamed that I was... My daughter? For five years? Furthermore... I was alive.

"Hello?" I called out. It didn't take long for Nurse Redheart to run in the room. She gasped.

"Oh boy," I said, "how long was I out this time?"

"Brian," she started, "you've been in a coma for a while... Your daughter has been paying an incredible amount of bits to keep you in this place."

"How long...?"

I saw the answer coming: "Five years."