//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Year One // Story: A Cozy Tale // by Leondude //------------------------------// "Whose one is it?" Facade telekinetically threw an empty wine bottle at his wife, who was frozen in terror of her husband. The smash of the bottle reverberated through the house, which did not ease Brocade's terror in the slightest. While he hasn't gotten to the point of screaming at her yet, she could tell her husband was furious with her. And worst of all, he thinks she had an affair with somepony else. Brocade hid her face as she tried to not look at her enraged husband in the eye, afraid that he might hit her. Whether it would be with his magic or with his hooves, she knew that he was going to hit her. The only movements she can make were to flinch away from him, hoping to be away from a physical striking distance should Facade use his hooves. "Can you keep it down?" Brocade asked meekly "You're going to wake up Cozy Glow." "Whose one is it?" Facade asked again, his voice being nothing but cold fury. "It's ours!" Brocade replied as quickly as she could, flinching as she did so. But Facade didn't believe her. Facade lifted Brocade up with his magic and threw her into the leather sofa. While such a thing was expensive, he was too angry to care. And even if the wife did damage it, he could always get a new one. "Liar!" Facade shouted. "It's the truth!" Brocade replied, "You know I would always be faithful to you!" "Why should I believe you?" Facade asked coldly. "Because I love you! You know I would never cheat on you with another stallion!" "Then perhaps you could explain to me why it's a bucking pegasus!" Facade lifted Brocade up again and pinned her to the wall. Brocade felt a tight grip around her neck, as if Facade was deliberately using his magic to choke her. "I..." Brocade tried to get out "I...h...have...a...cousin..." Facade threw Brocade down onto the floor. Brocade coughed and spluttered as she slowly got up. She was shaking in terror, worried what Facade was going to do next if she didn't calm him down. "I have this cousin," Brocade explained "Four times removed. Or was it fifth? Anyway, she was a pegasus. Worked in the weather department in Cloudsdale." Facade couldn't believe what he was hearing. All this time, this useless quim of a wife had pegasus blood in her this entire time and he didn't tell him about it. And here he was hoping to have another unicorn to pass his wisdom on and to inherit the mass fortune he amassed. Not that he really cared about having an heir but at least it would have made the family name last longer as well as provide some good PR. The only good thing he could think of besides the PR is that he won't have to pay for Magic Kindergarten. He lifted her up, pinned her against the wall again, and delivered a right hook to Brocade's eye. "I told you to get that abortion!" Facade shouted "But did you listen? No! Because you're bucking selfish!" Facade lifted Brocade up again, this time with his hooves, and delivered a painful blow to her abdomen. The brute force of the blow was enough to cause Brocade to vomit onto the floor. Facade used his magic to get a towel from the kitchen and threw it at Brocade's hooves. "Clean that up," Facade said coldly. Facade trotted towards a wooden cabinet filled with all sorts of drinks and picked out a whiskey. He drank the whiskey as he trotted up the stairs. When he was gone, his bruised and battered wife began quietly crying to herself. Tears dripped from her face as they mixed in with the puddle of vomit in front of her. She felt weak. Useless. If she can't protect herself against Facade's wrath, how in Tartarus is she suppose to look after a baby filly that her husband doesn't give two horseapples about. Cozy Glow was in her room, her throat sore from all the screaming and crying she had been doing. She still had it in her to scream some more. The loud banging and the incomprehensible yelling made it difficult for her to get back to sleep. She was worried that something bad might have happened. She worried that there was a big bad monster waiting to get her. But she didn't know what those things were, which made it all the more frightening for her. The door creaked open. And when it did, her crying went a bit quieter. A mare with a ruffled mane and tail and bruises all over her body trotted towards Cozy Glow. While she looked different, Cozy could recognize the mare as her mother. She can tell by the jaded eyes. Brocade lifted Cozy up with her magic and held her in her hooves. "Shh, it's okay," Brocade said, "It's okay." Brocade felt a sense of relief knowing Facade hadn't strangled Cozy in a drunken rage. "Everything's going to be just fine," Brocade said, trying to comfort the young filly. Needing somepony to comfort her, and knowing Facade won't do it considering the bad mood he was in, Brocade took Cozy to bed with her. She saw Facade passed out drunk and sprawled out in the middle of the bed, empty whiskey bottle in hoof. Gently placing Cozy on the floor, Brocade used her magic to carefully move Facade over to the side of the bed to make room for her and Cozy. Brocade tucked herself and Cozy into the bed, before curling herself around Cozy for protection. While Cozy fell asleep within a minute, Brocade's eyes were wide open. She couldn't sleep, afraid that Facade might harm her in front of Cozy. Or worse, kill the both of them in her sleep. Her grip on Cozy tightened slightly, but not enough to cause the sleeping filly discomfort. While she was scared out of her wits, at least she had one thing that can keep her warm in the nights. Her little Cozy Glow.