Author's Note: Get the tissues. Here it comes.

The days in the hospital weren’t too bad, but there was one thing, the confinement. I couldn’t stand being trapped in the same room for the whole time. I felt like I had traced the entire room’s edges at least five hundred times over. If I actually wanted to, I could probably even draw the entire room from memory. The sketch would be exact, down to every little crack and curve.

The visits were not bad. In fact, they were probably the only thing that was keeping me sane. Had I been alone, I might have started confusing my doctor for a piece of candy and my bed a cloud. I was visited by the ponies, Spike, Derpy, Crystal, Celesta every so often, and many others. They always came around checking on my health and giving me something to talk about. Dashie was always there. She never once left my side.

To my surprise though, somepony that I never expected to visit knocked on the hospital door. The pony that I knew wasn’t a pony but a human. Forest slowly walked in, guided by Pinkie, avoiding my frightening glare. He actually didn’t even speak until Dashie and Pinkie nudged him next to me. I still gave him the cold, steel voice. But eventually, I loosened up. He saved me after all.

I’m not sure if he noticed but he did the same. We got around to talking casually, about small matters like the weather, the food, and ponies in general. The conversation soon escalated to his participation in the race that Dashie couldn’t compete in. Apparently, he was the best runner there. After a long chat about that race, he left the room, giving me a nervous smile.

If I had to say, I think it went pretty good. For someone who I had an eye out for, I was pretty calm and not too short with him either. I guess the feeling of persecution ended. I no longer felt like the Spanish Inquisition or Christian Crusaders. I felt somewhat happy if anything.

Other than that, the time of my stay was pretty routine. Waking up, getting checked, eating the hospital food, getting visitors, and so on. Slowly, the days seemed to go by faster. Minutes had become hours. Hours had become days. Days had become weeks. And the weeks became a full month. The month had passed, long after the doctor’s predictions. I guess this fulfilled the saying 'Time flies when one anticipates death’.

Everypony was starting to gain hope. I had beaten the doctor’s educated guess. They thought ‘Maybe it went away, maybe even back to normal.’ I, however, stayed on edge. I had learned once already that the time when you're completely sure of yourself, when you least expected anything to happen, it would happen. Sure enough because of my readiness, nothing came.

A few days after this, Dashie was being reprimanded. She was taking too many days off from her duties at the skies. She hadn’t done any weather control in a month. On this particular day, the clouds had gotten so out of hand that the whole village was drenched in a large downpour. It felt like a second flood from the almighty being from above.

Dashie reluctantly flew at the speed of light, wanting to finish the job quickly and get back to me.

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Man, this is so annoying. I gotta go and clear the clouds because apparently, the pegasi here can’t handle a few heavy clouds themselves. Like really, this is such a bummer. I’m flying around the air though, and I have to admit, there a lot of clouds out here today. Whenever I take one out, it feels like two more pop up in it’s place.

Almost none of the other pegasi are helping. They decided that I could handle this on my own just because I wasn’t there the other times. Like come on, I have a dad in the hospital. DOesn’t that give me a good enough reason for a break? Whatever, I just gotta get the ones around here and I should be done.

I flew around, doing the same thing for what seems like an hour now. These clouds just won’t give up. I finally reach the biggest cloud of all. It was like really gray, almost black. I did whatever I could but it didn’t seem to be affected. Finally, I use all my strength and kick it as hard as I can. The big wisp dissipates and I give myself a pat on the back.

A feeling sends a shiver through my whole body. I don’t know what it is, but I know for sure it’s not good. I never had this feeling before. I can’t even begin to describe it. I remained still, flying in the still dark air, when the feeling comes even stronger. I feel like I’m on top of the mountain that Canterlot is built on. I feel as if I am just wrapped in snow. I decide to do what came instinctively, I fly as fast as I can to my Dad.

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“Hey Twilight.” I say with a warming smile. “Hey Brian.” She answers back sincerely. “Sorry the others aren’t here yet. This rain is making them take a little longer.” I nodded in acceptance. “That’s quite alright. As long as they’re here right?” Twilight began to speak in a wondering tone. “You know, I have never seen the rain as bad as it is now. I hope Rainbow can fix this fast.” I laugh at her remark. “If Dashie heard you say that, she’d have a hay d-“ A pain is felt all throughout my body. The epicenter of this was at my heart.

“AAARRRGGGGHHHHH! AAAAHH!!” I scream out loud. “Brian? Brian?!” I can’t respond to the now frantic unicorn by my side. “DOCTOR! HELP!” She runs out of the room for a split second, coming back while dragging five doctors with her. All I can do from this point is grip my chest, trying to feel my heart and hopefully alleviate the pain. The doctors gather around me with multiple things flying.

“Get the anesthetic, and don’t forget the defibrillator unit! He’s having a heart attack!” The doctors rush all around me as the pain over encumbers me. I can’t help but succumb to the need to close my eyes. I can hear little strips of words shouting around me. “His heart is going to fast!” and “It’s getting too much voltage!”

I stop hearing everything, just silence. I don’t see anything either, just pitch black. A far too familiar voice whispered out expectantly “Welcome Back” I felt a sudden jolt thorugh my entire body. “CLEAR!” Another jolt, this time waking me up. I gasp for air, clinging to what was the doctor next to me.

“We saved him, thank Celestia!” The doctors all sighed in relief. “That was too close for comfort, Mr. Dash.” Even though, I was brought back, I felt like something was still paining me. “Excuse me, I don’t feel right…” The doctors looked down at the floor. They knew what was coming. “We’re….sorry, Mr. Dash. It seems that at this point, we can’t do that again…You’re going to go by the end of the night..”

Twilight was covered in tears, the watergates of her eyes by now were completely empty and unrelenting. I on the other hand, was calm. I knew that this was over once I heard that voice again. That evil and menacing whisper. I was tired; I couldn’t go on much longer. They hooked up the heart monitor once again, telling them when I was dangerously low.

Twilight began scribbling furiously into a scroll that she had brought along. She ran around the room frantically. “WHERE’S SPIKE!? I have to get this to Rainbow right now!” It was no use, the dragon was not here. I knew what I had to do. I wrote in a piece of paper, scribbling in my final thoughts and words to my little girl if I pass before she comes back.

I calmly call out to Twilight. “Twilight, my dear friend, will you hold this for me? When I go, I want Dashie to have this.” She started tearing up again, barely able to look me in the eyes. She nodded and took the note. “I hope she comes soon.” The other ponies came into the hospital room. “Sorry we’re late. That darned rain got us stu- Twilight what’s wrong?” Applejack asked.

The look on Twilight’s face explained everything to them. They looked at me and started crying. I faintly gave them a half-smile. I was using a lot of energy to do this simple task. Then ran around to my bedside. Then they realized something. “WHERE’S RAINBOW DASH!?” They said in unison. They all ran out of the room. They came back a few minutes later. They shook their heads in sadness and sorrow.

I smile at them with some energy again. “It’s alright girls. Just don’t let me die alone, okay?” None of them dared to look at my face. My calm and joy smile just made them want to cry. I rested my head back on the pillow, my eyes half open.

“Where is he!? Get outta my way!” That loving voice finally returned. Dashie pushed all of the girls aside and helm my hand. “Dad, I knew something bad would happen. I just felt it!” She was staring right into my soul, teary-eyed. “That’s alright. Life gets you when just one thing isn’t there. It’s funny really.” And indeed it was. I chuckled at this. This happened right when Dashie wasn’t here. No other time when she was had anything occurred.

“Dad?” She looked at me with a smile while covering my hand in tears. These tears were not like the rain. No, they were warm. I loved how they felt upon my chilling skin. “It’s all okay..Just let me sleep for a while…” I said closing my eyes. I went to sleep comfortably.

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Dad went to sleep right there. Was he dead? Was he passing right this instant? No, he wanted to take a nap after what just happened. He was just worn out. I couldn’t bear to see him like this, so I went to sleep too. I wanted to get into his dream, if these were his final moments.

I’m in a dark cave or something. I can’t tell, all around me is black. I can hear talking further ahead of me. I fly fast, trying to see what it is. I head Dad’s tender voice. Then, I hear a whisper answer back. Dad is talking to that same shadow guy from before. Then, he starts falling into the floor. I see him, being covered in that darkness like before.

“DADDY!” I call out to him. He can’t hear me. I try to fly to him, but I get pulled back. I look back to my wings. All around my body are dark hands, not letting me move a single inch. Then, my wings disappear, but no pain follows it. I have no idea what’s going on but I know that Dad is falling. I can’t see him anymore, only his hand reaching out.

“NO! DAD!”

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I hear Dashie calling out to me. I can’t do anything though, this darkness has me trapped. It wanted to take my soul this entire time. All I can do is reach my hand out, trying to grab her hoof. But then another thing grabs it. It feels like another hand? It feels warm and soft. “Hello, honey.” I get pulled out of the darkness that drowned me. I look to my sides, both my hands holding another. “Hey kid, its time for the big leagues.” Dad said. My mom and dad were here with me, holding my hand and making me somehow fly.

We flew fast, maybe as fast as Dashie. No, we are going faster than her at her best. I hear her calling out for me again. This time in bewilderment. “Daddy?" I flew as fast as I can. My parents guiding me to the light shining high above. We are getting closer and closer. All I want is to spread the light and save Dashie from this madness.

I feel something behind me. A force emerges from a big gush of air and rainbow. Was I doing a SonicRainboom? All I know is that all of the darkness is fading away, Dashie is set free again. As I get pulled into the light, I look down at her. She is smiling, joyfully and amazed at my feat.

“See you later, Dashie!” I wave to her, my parents smiling at the two of us. The light envelopes me. No longer was the darkness plaguing me. No longer did I have to feel pain and suffering again. No longer was there any sadness or grief. This was paradise.

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'BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPP' A loud sound wakes me up. I know this sound. I dreaded hearing this sound. It was the sound of a heart flatlining. I couldn't help but cry into his body, which is getting colder with each passing second. Daddy was gone, taken away from my reach. I can hear crying from behind but I don't care. I want to hold him in my hooves. The noise continues to drone the whole time. The sound of the rain pattering against the windows lessen.

I must have been crying into Daddy's body for ten hours. By the time I got ahold of myself, it was morning. The rain had also stopped. I cant cry any more, I used up every drop of water in my body. The girls are also silent. I look up to see Dad's face one last time. What was there shocked me beyond words.

There, on my Dad's soft, aged, face, was plastered a smile. It was a full, whole-hearted smile. He probably used up all of his energy to do this. All I can do in return is smile back. I look back to the others who had also taken notice of this. They come up and give me a hug.

This made me feel better. Not only did I get a final smile from Daddy, but my friends were there for me. I break from the embrace after some minutes and head to the balcony. The sun was glowing in the sky. The sight of Ponyville is amazing. All of the rain was shimmering from Celestia's beauty. It was like jewels had covered the town. I take notice of something colorful out of the corner of my eye.

Twilight and the gang was next to me by now. We looked in awe at what was painted in the sky. It was a rainbow. The most beautiful rainbow I have ever seem. Something was just..different about this one. I examine it more closely. The colors were so contrasting, yet awesome. Red, orange, yellow, green, Dad, blue.. Wait what?

I looked back to where the green was. Next to it, I saw a distant figure smiling at me. "I-IT'S DAD!" I yell out, pointing to the green. The others squinted their eyes, trying to see what I was talking about, but didn't see anything though. I still saw him. He was there smiling at me. He didn't stop. And when the rainbow disappeared, he was still smiling. He would remain happily smiling at me forever.

In my heart.