Preview of the Next Chapter of Polarity

It was the oddest thing, Autumn noted, and yet it felt so natural. And that scared him most of all.

Derpy – his Derpelle, the one whose heart he’d had…and broke…and yet somehow still had – was talking to another stallion. And it looked as though they belonged together.

Part of Autumn hated this newcomer just for that alone. Silversteel seemed so naturally at ease with Derpy, as though they belonged together – in that “they’ll marry and start a family together” way. And he wasn’t about to lie to himself: just the thought of that alone, of Derpy leaving his orbit just as he was finally building up the courage to make things right with her and be with her as he should have been – it hit him hard.

Damn himself. Damn it all to Tartarus for even being so weak to think that his life with Ditzy meant anything to her. Did it mean anything to him in the long run? He would have said no, not really, but….

He looked at his daughters, so completely happily while working on dinner with their aunt. Neither of them were his by genetics. They would always be the result of somepony else’s siring foals on Ditzy. But they weren’t involved in the lives of Flutterwonder and Orange Box. He was. They would always be his daughters no matter what, and he would always fight hoof and incisor to ensure their happiness.

Because that’s what a father does, he told himself. The fact that they loved their aunt so much merely dovetailed with how he felt about her as well. And while he understood their love for their mother in the way only foals could have, they were going to eventually be of an age where they would learn the truth about Ditzy Doo and her predilections – two of which resulted in their own births. If nothing else, that would tilt them more towards Derpy than anything he could ever say.

And yet now here was a mountain made of a molehill, a new stallion in Derpy’s life threatening to undo, unmake and unravel all of Autumn’s plans for the future. And how was he doing it? By just being there for her. By meeting her needs. By being the stallion that she so very wanted in her life, a position that it had been Autumn’s to fill until his own stupidity ruined it. And now this stallion, this…Guardspony – Honestly, I never thought that Derpy was the type to fall for a brainless lunk like a guardspony! – was underlining his position just by being here.

I claim her because she needs me, his presence seemed to say. I claim her because she wants me to be here.

“Autumn?”

The weatherpony came back to his senses. “I…uh, sorry. Kinda spaced out there for a second. You were saying?” he spoke to the pony addressing him, none other than Silversteel himself.

“I was just noting that you take a very defensive position towards Derpy,” the stallion said. “You must care about her a lot, being her brother-in-law and all. And look, I know she and I just started dating, but I promise I’m never going to hurt her.”

“Sorry,” the pegasus said genuinely. “It’s just…I’ve known her for years. Only pony I know who’s more protective of her is that unicorn friend of hers, Shining Armor. And it’s not that she needs looking after, mind – I know all the unfair rumors about her just because of that eye of hers, but…she’s brilliant. She’s a genius, in every sense of the word. And it amazes me that she’s able to just move past all that negativity at times.”

“I know,” Silversteel said, a wide smile coming onto his face. “I know what you mean. Everytime I look at her I have to ask myself am I good enough for her, and the answer always seems to be no…and then she turns and gives me that smile that I know is just for me and I know that whatever it is, I might not be good enough for her, but I’m more than lucky enough to be assured that I’ll always have her in my life.”

“Good, you just keep thinking that,” Autumn said, patting the other stallion appreciatively on the withers. Inwardly, however, he wanted to scream.

What chance did he have of salvaging anything from this wreckage?