I wasn’t sure why, but I was crying. Maybe I was happy to be alive, maybe I was sad. Perhaps I was crying about what my dreams had clearly meant. These last five years, Dashie had been living like that. Crying herself to sleep every night. I couldn’t bear the thought. To think I let myself go for so long… It wouldn’t happen again. I promised myself, right there and then. No matter what, I would stick by her side.

And then… in they walked. The Elements of Harmony, all of them. Minus one. Rainbow Dash wasn’t with them. Twilight approached me. I saw the shining tears in her eyes through the blurriness of my own. She said nothing at first. She stretched out her hooves. I stretched out my arms. The other four gathered around… and we embraced one another.

Twilight finally spoke, her tears rolling on to my shoulder. “We… w-we thought we had lost you.”

“I know,” I cried. “I did, too.”

“How… how did you come back after that?”

“I… I don’t know. I-I dreamed about Dashie, though. A lot. I was h-her, for a while. I’ve seen what she’s been through. I’ve seen what you’ve been through. I am so, so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight said. “You’re here now.”

The other four were now crying as well. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, hugging them. Honestly, I didn’t want to let go when we did. But slowly, Twilight and the others left my arms. I surveyed the room. Rainbow Dash was still not with us.

Fluttershy noticed that I was looking for her, and she cowered away. I turned to Twilight. “Where is she?”

Her lip quivered. I looked around the room. They all seemed to be hiding something. I stared them down. Applejack kicked her hoof on the ground. Fluttershy crouched behind the others. Finally, Twilight took a step toward me, and whispered in my ear.

“We’re sorry, Brian, but she’s been gone for three days.”

“So… she left? And none of you noticed she was gone?”

“It isn’t our fault, Brian!” Rarity spoke up this time. “Darling, Rainbow Dash just took off one day. Nopony saw her leave, heard her say where she was going, anything! She just… left!”

“I promised I would help her, and I’ll be damned if I stay here one minute longer instead of doing just that! I’m going to find my daughter. If any of you ever cared about her, you will too.”

I got out of my bed. I was wobbly, but I convinced myself I was fine. Shoving through the ponies, I made my way to the door. Twilight flashed her horn and put herself in front of the door.

“No,” she said. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“Move, Twilight. I can handle myself.”

“Don’t make me hurt you.”

“Do what you must,” I said. “I’m getting her back.”

I pushed her aside and swung the door open. Applejack swung a hoof at me, and I fell to the ground. Quickly, I got back up. Twilight was charging a spell. I didn’t give her time, though. I rushed out the door and started running down the halls. A few of the nurses looked at me funny. I suppose they had every right to; a man running in a hospital gown isn’t something you’d see every day.

Regardless of them, I made my way down the flight of stairs. Twilight kicked the back of my head, and I collapsed at the bottom of the steps. I wiped my mouth with my hand, and saw that I was bleeding. She stood over me.

“You’re not leaving until you get better,” she said. She shot a spell at me, putting me inside a purple bubble.

“Hey!” I screamed, “Let me out! Twilight!” I started banging on the bubble, but it wasn’t going to pop anytime soon. I looked at her face. I could tell she was only trying to help, but this wasn’t the kind of help I wanted. I just wanted my little girl back.

Twilight levitated the bubble all the way back to my hospital bed. By the time we got there, I was crying again. She popped the bubble over my bed, making me fall back on it. I looked at the ponies.

“I just want my daughter back,” I cried. “Please…”

Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity looked at Twilight. She turned to me, smiled, and nodded. “I can tell we aren’t stopping you,” she said. “So, the best thing we can do… is help you.”

I smiled, and wiped my eyes. “Thank you.”

The Elements of Harmony smiled at me. Pinkie Pie cheered, hopped over to the door, and opened it. As I opened the front door to the hospital, I felt a slight breeze hit my face. The warmth of the sun heated my skin, and the clean air permeated my nose. I took a deep breath.

I was home.

***

“Dashie?” I yelled. Nothing but the sounds of the Everfree responded.

I looked at Twilight. She seemed to be concerned for me. “I’ll find her,” I said. “I know I will.”

“It’s getting late though, Brian.”

“So?”

“Well, the other four have already stopped looking, and I don’t think two of us can search the entire land of Equestria for one pony…”

“You’re just going to give up? Like that?”

“Well, it just doesn’t seem so likely that we’ll find her… How do you even know she’s in here?”

“I don’t, but I know where she is.”

“Oh?”

“You said she was gone how long?”

“Three days. Why exactly is that relevant?”

“Because I doubt you ever looked at the lake.”

Twilight gasped. We began vaulting logs and slapping tree branches. We knew where she was, for sure. I was going to get my daughter back.