//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: The Morning After // Story: Breeze of Love // by HeartBeat //------------------------------// Chapter 6: The Morning After I woke up the next morning and found myself holding Dash in my arms. I brushed the her mane from her face and she slowly opened her eyes. "Good morning." She whispered. "Morning Dashie." I whispered back. I yawned and stretched. I sat up out of the bed and Rainbow did the same. We both walked downstairs with smiles on our faces. I grabbed two cups and filled them with coffee and handed one to Dash. She took a sip and set it on the table in front of her. I held mine in my hooves and sat on the couch next to her. Rainbow leaned her head on my shoulder and took another sip of her coffee. My back was sore from our time last night. I stretched out and heard my spine crack. Rainbow laughed. "We got work in a hour. We should probably get ready." I said. Rainbow stopped laughing and looked depressed. "Don't worry. We have the same shifts today." I said wrapping a hoof around her. A smile grew on her face and closed her eyes. "I'm going to take a shower. Would you like to join me?" I asked hopping off the couch. She nodded her head and followed me to the bathroom. I turned on the water and stepped inside. Dash stepped in and we stood close together to share the water. We helped clean each other and kissed under the hot water. I turned off the shower and we dried off. I cleared the fog of the window and combed back my mane. Rainbow shook the water out of her mane and looked like her normal hair. She didn't even need a brush. We walked outside my house and spread our wings. We took flight and soared towards the weather patrol station. We checked in and grabbed our gear from the locker rooms. I looked for Aerohead, but there was no sign of him. Maybe he was late? Or maybe he had a different shift that me. I waited for Rainbow out front and we took off. We both cleared the sky in no time at all. Rainbow could do it herself in less than a minute, but we both cleared a lot of ground in a few hours of work. All of Ponyville had clear skies, but the sky now had to be filled with snow clouds. It was winter now and Hearth's Warming was right around the corner. Rainbow had finished pushing her clouds over Ponyville and helped me finish the rest of mine. "Thanks a lot, Rainbow. But you didn't need to help me." I said landing in front the entrance to the station. "I just wanted to give a helping hoof." She said walking towards the doors. "Well I appreciate it." I said opening the doors for her. I followed her inside and went to the locker rooms. Still no sign of Aerohead. His locker hadn't been touched. I threw my googles and vest inside and walked to the front desk. "Hey did Aerohead show up for work today, or does he have separate hours?" I asked the mare behind the desk. She flipped through the sign in sheet. "No, he had hours today. But he didn't sign in." She said looking back up to me. "Huh... Alright thanks." I said turning back to the doors. Rainbow was waiting outside for me. "Whats up?" She asked concerned. "My friend didn't check in today. He never misses work. Must be because of the foal he is having with Rarity." I said trotting towards her. "Oh, yeah. I forgot Rarity was pregnant." She said looking out to the distance. Rainbow hadn't talked to her friends in a while, I assume because they tried to break us apart. But I didn't want to keep her away from her best friends. "You should speak to your friends, Dash." I said flying next to her. "Yeah, we haven't spoke in a while. I think I'll go alone though." Dash said looking down towards Ponyville. "I understand. I'll be at my house, but I want to stop and get a drink first." I said to her. She nodded her head and flew down towards a cottage out in the forest. I flew down and walked the rest of the way to the bar. I stepped inside and the sudden burst of cold air, cooled the sweat in my mane. I sat in a chair and ordered a drink. He mixed the drink into a glass and slid it down towards me. I took a sip and let the liquid pour over my tongue. It was a strong drink, but I held it down well. I heard soft sniffling noises and glasses clattering to my left. I turn my head and looked down the bar. I saw Aerohead holding his head up with a hoof in the bar. He lifted a shot of liquor and drank it down. I moved from my seat and sat next to him. "Aerohead, whats going on, man? Why didn't you come to work today?" I asked placing a hoof on his shoulder. He instantly brushed it away and requested another drink. I told the bar keeper to cut him off his liquor, he clearly had enough already. "It's Rarity, Breeze... She miscarried the foal." He said letting another tear roll down his face. He slammed a hoof on the bar and let out a grunt. "And it's all my fault." "Damn... I'm really sorry. But these things just happen. Don't blame this on yourself." I said trying to calm him. "No, it is my fault. She was working too hard and was under a lot of stress. The doctor said that all of that hormone just..." he choked under his sobbing. "Killed it...but I think it's a lot of crap." he finished. "Where is she now? Why aren't you with her?" I asked. "As soon as we got home. Rarity broke down and began to cry on the couch. I tried to comfort her, but she just said she wanted to be alone." He said moving the empty glasses in front of him. "Aero, she may have said that but she really was saying please don't go. She has nopony else to comfort her. You're her husband, you need to be there for her. Remember the vows you made to her. You'll stay with her for-" I was cut off by Aerohead who was slowly lifting his head. "In sickness and health. For better or worse... Damn it, you're right!" He said getting off his seat. He dashed out the door and ran straight to the boutique. I watched him and sipped the rest of my drink down. Than I payed for the drinks that Aerohead drank, including my own. I walked out into the cold and looked up to the sky. The once clear skies have turned to a milky, gray. The snow was scheduled to fall tomorrow and I always enjoyed watching it fall during the night. I walked into the house and started the fireplace. I sat on the couch and watched the fire spread over the logs. A knock at the door woke me from my gaze at the fire. I opened the door to see Rainbow Dash smiling. "Hey, I guess you patched things up with our friends?" I asked as I opened the door. "Would you like to come in?" "Thanks." she said, entering the house. "I did we had a nice talk and caught up on things." "Well, that's good to hear." I said closing the door behind her. "Would you like to do something today?" "Sure, what do you have in mind?" she asked. "Well, how about we melt some marshmallows on the fire?" I asked her holding a bag of the white puffy candy. "Awesome! I haven't done this in forever!" she said taking one of the tongs I held in the other hoof. We both sat in front of the fire and held the sticks in the fire. I pulled my stick from the flame and blew on it. The marshmallow had turned golden-brown and had a crispy outside. I heard a little sigh come from Rainbow. I looked to her and saw her with a frown. She looked at the burn marshmallow and blew the flames away. "Like I said, I haven't done this in a while." she said laughing. "Here, switch." I said letting out a small laugh. We swapped sticks and she looked at my marshmallow in amazement. "Thanks!" she said popping the marshmallow in her mouth. I looked down to her burnt marshmallow bit into it. The crispy shell melted away in my mouth and I chewed the gooey center. I looked over to Rainbow and her face lit up in enjoyment. I smiled as I saw her chew the marshmallow. We ate a few more and finally decided to stop there. "Would you like some hot chocolate?" I said putting a pot of water on the stove and began to heat it up. "Yes please!" She said hopping up onto the couch. We sat on the couch and watched the fire together. I felt Rainbow snuggle up to me and rest her head on my hooves. "Did you hear what happened to Rarity?" I whispered. "Yeah, I feel so bad. How's Aero?" She asked looking up at me. "He was in pretty bad shape. But I'm not so sure now. I hope that he is still with her." I said looking back to the fire. "Me too." She said setting her head back to onto my hoofs. We sat with each other a while longer and Dash said she had to stay at her place, and I didn't mind that at all. "I'm sorry to leave, but I'm sure that Fluttershy is tired of pet-sitting Tank." she said. "I love you, and I'll see you tomorrow." "I love you too, Dash." I said. We kissed goodbye and stayed in a hug for a while. She pulled away and flew off into the sky. I watched her turn to a little spec and the disappear behind the clouds. I looked down to the ground and let out my breath. The air escaping from my muzzle turned to a fog and I watched it fade away. Turning back into my house, I smiled and felt warm in the cold night.