//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Daddy's Home // by Twisted Brew //------------------------------// "Don’t fill life with struggles, fill life with joy. A flower always struggles to survive, but it never forgets to bloom with joy." - Debasish Mridha "If life starts to get you down, don't just lie there and take it. Grab life by the crotch and punch it right in the fuckin' throat!" - Twisted Brew You know what they say about playing with fire; In the end, you just get burned. After a while though, you can't even feel the heat anymore. The flames start to go down and the only sensible thing that comes to mind is to bring them back. You grab a can of gasoline and add it to the fire in a desperate attempt to rekindle the flames that once brought you warmth and comfort. Even when the flames do return, you still can't feel the heat, even as they lick at your body, singing hairs and melting away layer after layer of skin. What was once your greatest ally is now becoming your end. It kills you slowly and you don't even notice it. Most don't catch on until they're burnt to a crisp, some get lucky and have enough sense to put out the flames. Then there are those rare few who are turned to ash and eventually rise from those ashes like a phoenix. Those are the few who got a second chance, one last attempt. Some will learn from their mistakes from playing with fire while others will fall back into the habit. There is one who finds himself in that situation, being given yet another chance. While the fire within him still burns bright, he knows better than to return to it wholly. Outrunning the flames wasn't an option as it eventually caught back up with him and the world around him started to burn. Finally, he took that step forward and stomped out the flames with the help of an unlikely little filly, who played a much larger role in this struggle than she will ever know. Having looked back on the embers of the flames that followed him to hell and back, he saw what lay within; history itself, a never-ending wave of mistakes and regret. All things that could have been avoided had he just stopped and thought about what he was doing. All of it a result of him playing with fire. Time has become something of a bizarre concept over the course of these last few weeks. All manner of strangeness, heart-felt apologies and even X-rays to prove that he was who he said he was. The days started blending together at some point and it was admittedly rather frustrating at first. However, it was a small price to pay once he was able to say his part and return to his family. Before that, certain arrangements had been made to ensure both his safety and ability to live comfortably. After many days of legal jargon and more hugs than he could count, he was given the option to continue where he left off. Nothing has ever sounded more perfect than that. "Is this place really so bad?" Ryan asks aloud as he sets down a large, cardboard box onto the all-too-familiar living room floor. Standing up straight, his eyes scanned the abandoned home. He adjusts himself a bit and fiddles with the strap on his chest, releasing the clasp and setting the old-looking, brown bag down beside the box. According to his friends, this house has remained untouched since the incident. No pony dared to set foot on the property line, let alone try to buy it out from under Celestia. "I mean, there's nothing really wrong with it...structurally speaking." Meanwhile, it looks like the spiders have made themselves at home. Little pricks. "To be fair, darling-" Ryan turns his head in time to watch one of his closest friends walk into the filthy house, a look of disgust clearly plastered across her face and muzzle. Gingerly stepping in, she levitates several smaller boxes and a large number of plastic bags into the center of the room before setting them down in a neat stack. "you did leave quite an impression. And most ponies knew that the princess herself was the one who purchased this house for you. That alone would have kept a majority of ponies at bay." Ryan shrugs at her words, figuring that she's correct. Ponies look up to Princess Celestia, especially the small town ponies. The word 'respect' doesn't even begin to describe how much they value her as a whole. Without delving too far into thought, his attention returns to the door as a pair of heavier footsteps soon follow Rarity's example. Coming in, both with two large boxes in tow- one on each of their disturbingly powerful arms- are Applejack and Big Mac. The two earth ponies waste no time walking into the old house and effortlessly deposit the boxes next to the unicorn's stack. I bet she still has those deliciously sculpted abs~ Clearing his throat, Ryan shakes that thought from his head and tries to keep it clear by any means necessary. "Thanks a lot for helping me out, guys. I really appreciate it." After straightening herself out, Applejack marches over to Ryan and is instantly upon him. The earth ponies arms wrap around the human's form in a surprisingly gentle embrace. Though initially caught off guard, he wastes no time returning the gesture, smiling as he does so. "It's no problem at all, sugarcube. We're just happy ta' have you back." "Glad to be back..." Ryan and Applejack separate slowly, the mare taking a step back. This leaves just enough room for the significantly larger earth pony to pounce, slipping between the two and going a step further. "Holy crap!" The human calls out as he's suddenly lifted off of the floor, his body now suspended in the air as Big Mac holds him in his absurdly strong grasp. The stallion's grip forces the air out of Ryan's lungs and gets a few audible pops out of his back. The human tenses up as he feels his spine crack, several small waves of pain shooting through him. "That's my spine!" He calls out in a breathless, strained tone. "I need that! I need that to walk! Very important!" After getting his fill, Big Mac sets the human down, who quickly takes in a large gulp of air as if he had been underwater for too long. Weak from the lack of oxygen, along with the tingles in his spinal column, Ryan takes a few steps back and leans against the wall separating the living room from the kitchen. "Oh, sweet Jesus..." He manages to choke out as he gasps for air, trying to get his wind back. "Anyone ever...tell you you're...an absolute unit!?...Oh, god! My lungs!" While Ryan continues the struggle of rediscovering how to breathe, Rarity takes this as her opportunity to share her own affections. The unicorn's embrace is swift, coming seemingly out of nowhere, but is much less detrimental to the integrity of the human's bone structure. Despite being caught by surprise, he is relieved rather quickly by the lack of crunching in his chest cavity and slowly works his way into returning the gesture.  With the two lost in their own world, they were the last to notice the presence of yet another pony strolling into the humble home. Taking in the layout, the significantly shorter pony can only think of one thing to say in regards to this long abandoned house. "Wow...This place is filthy..." The voice catches everypony's attention. The Apples, who had seen her coming in, simply smiled at the filly in the doorway. Ryan and Rarity quickly turn their attention to the small blue pegasus now walking into the living area before separating from each other. "I would hope so." Ryan comments as he is freed from the third hug of the day, giving his full attention to Azure. "It's been empty for over a decade. The last thing I need to hear is that spiders are suddenly strong enough to hold a duster." Nearly the whole room shudders at the thought of that, with the exception of Ryan, who has preoccupied himself by simply observing the filly. He can see so much of Rainbow Dash in her, what with the blue coat of fur and being a pony. There are hints of him in there though; the yellow hair and baby blue eyes. Part of him still finds it hard to believe that she is actually his own flesh and blood. He never thought it possible for a human and pony to actually conceive a child. Apparently, even the princesses were taken by surprise at this revelation as well. At least, back when they had first heard of the conception. They were understandably skeptical in the beginning, but science and magic made it very clear that Azure was the shared results of both a pony and the- once thought dead- alien that used to live in this very house. This information was given to him during his short visit back to the castle a few weeks ago. The moment Azure had pulled the shadow stone from his neck, Celestia's magic flared and he was back at the castle in the blink of an eye. Not wanting to revisit the events that followed, Ryan pushes those thoughts aside and allows himself to focus proper. He can understand why Celestia and Luna took the measures that they did, but it doesn't make it any less irritating. There's already enough going on as is and he would rather not sour the mood. Tick Tock! Your crib midget's on the clock! Ryan breaks his focus and looks over to the window, idly walking over to take note of the sun's position in the sky. Having been homeless for over ten years, with very little to help him keep track of things such as time, he's managed to pick up on a few tricks; one such trick being to tell time by seeing where the sun is residing. It almost pains him to do this, but he has no other choice at the moment. "Alright, baby girl." He says aloud, gaining the room's attention as he turns to face Azure. "Time's up. You gotta go back to your mom's." Azure's ears flatten against her head as her father says this. While her mother isn't the worst pony to be around, most of her childhood was spent keeping her distance from the mare. Not so much to avoid conflict, simply out of habit. Rainbow Dash liked her alone time and did whatever she could to have it, on most occasions. This has left her to doing the same in kind and thus adapting to bonding with other ponies. With the return of her father, a new set of rules have come up and, while she couldn't understand most of the weird legal talk, her father was able to explain it in simple terms; Part of the day with him, the rest with her mom. It's more than a little upsetting that she can't come see him whenever she wants, having always been out and about on any typical day and now having to be restrained to one parent or the other for a set time. Azure's only solace in this situation is the promise that was made about this only being temporary. Even so, it still sucks. She wants to argue on how unfair this is, but knows that it's out of her hands. Remember what they said at the castle? Once mom and dad sort their issues, then everything can go back to normal! Eyes on the horizon, sweetie! Now straighten that back, perk up and be that big, strong filly I know you are. Taking a deep breath, Azure adjusts her posture and her ears rise from the sides of her head. A casual smile comes across her face as she pulls herself together, reminding herself that this will all be over soon. She has to remain strong and help her mom and dad toward the path of recovery. Then her dream will finally be realized and they can become a real family. "Yes, daddy." Completing the circle, Azure charges into her father's front and wraps him in a hug, pressing the side of her face against his gut and nuzzling him as he lowers his arms and holds her in return. "I'll be back first thing in the morning." Get out of my house! Ryan smiles sweetly at his daughter as she looks up at him, taking her time in letting him go. "I'll see you then, hon." He adds, keeping his thoughts to himself as she begins to her departure. "Be good for your mother, Azure. She's going through some stuff right now." Pshh; This isn't our first rodeo. "Don't worry, I will!" Now in a significantly better mood, Azure takes her leave. Once outside, her wings flare and she flaps her way into the sky, flying toward the cloud home on the other side of town. Meanwhile, Ryan watches her through the window, losing himself to his thoughts once more. His zoning isn't lost on his guests, but they don't want to disrupt him or cause him any more stress. The last few weeks have been hectic, but he's been doing well to keep himself in check.  "She's taking all of this surprisingly well." The masculine voice can only be one stallion and it's just as shocking as Azure's calm nature despite the chaotic arrangements going on with her parents. All eyes are now on the bulky, red earth pony, who continues to commend the filly. "Ah know I would have a hard time going through what she has. Ah'm honestly amazed at how she is behavin'." Applejack's smirk can be seen for miles as she closes the distance between herself and her brother. "With how we've raised that filly, ah ain't surprised in the slightest." She says rather pridefully, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she stands beside the taller pony. "Ya gotta be hardy to make it with our family. Not to mention, she comes from two of the most stubborn creatures in Equestria." Ryan chuckles a bit to himself as he watches the farm pony motion to him with her head. Taking that as his invitation to join the conversation, he can't help but to comment on Azure's perseverance as well. "She's been a real trooper through all of this." He idly makes his way to the pile of boxes in the center of the room, taking a seat on one of the larger ones as he plays out how things will be going from this point on. He lets out a breath as he reminds himself of the stressors that are to come, already getting under his skin. "I just hope she keeps it together while we do...all of this shit." Previous desires to not kill the mood now gone, Ryan submits himself to a bit of despair and leans forward to let his head hang. It doesn't help much, but adds a small amount of relaxation to his recently consistent, tense form. With everything that's been going on since his return; from his meeting with Celestia to the emotional roller coasters that followed and now all the legal garbage to deal with, he's at his wits end and barely hanging on by a thread. It feels like the weight of the world is suddenly on his shoulders and his legs are about to give out at any second. What makes it worse is that this is only the beginning. Between trying to do right by his daughter and wanting to make up for his failures in the past, he's on the verge of collapsing and letting the world eat him alive. "Are you alright, darling?" Ryan looks up from his spot to see the three ponies standing no more than a few feet from him. Rarity is the closest of the trio, a look of concern etched across her face as she stares down at him. "You don't look well. Are you feeling okay?" "I'm fine." Ryan assures her, not wanting to drag them down with him. "Just a little stressed out is all." His head lowers once more and he closes his eyes. "Between Celestia wanting to see me regularly, trying to work out custody arrangements with Dash and the couples counseling that I'm gonna be legally obligated to participate in; I'll barely be able to take a piss without someone else standing on the other side of the door." Opening his eyes, Ryan keeps his sights on the floor. His schedule is going to be all over the place and on top of that, he is still trying to find time to do things with Azure and straighten out his unstable relationship with his friends and- eventually- the rest of Ponyville. He can only thank his lucky stars that he wasn't in town when his name suddenly popped up in the papers. The populace went nuts at the discovery of the 'Dead Man Walking'. Rumors of him being undead or a vengeful spirit seeking revenge on the town for one reason or another were spreading like a desert fire and instilling panic. If not for Twilight intervening and talking to the press, they probably would have chased him out of town the moment he came back. Now, he just has to deal with the looks of disdain and suspicion constantly being directed at him whenever he is out. Again...we could just leave...Oh, wait; No we can't! Cause you gave the glowing tyrant our fucking shadow stone, you dumb cunt! Shaking his head, Ryan gets back to his feet. The ponies in front of him take a step back, giving him some space as he looks up at them. With his mind in turmoil and his lid about ready to blow, he figures now is as good a time as any to clear the area. "Thanks a lot for your help today. I've got it from here." The ponies all exchange concerned glances among each other, seeming unsure of themselves. Rarity, still being the most defensive whenever it comes to Ryan, is the first to speak up. "Are you sure, darling?" She asks aloud, her voice carrying worry equal to the expression on her face. "I don't mind helping you clean up a bit. I'm sure Applejack and Mac won't mind either." Rarity glances back at the two earth ponies behind her to confirm, getting her confirmation in the form of two nodding heads and casual smiles. Looking back at Ryan, she can't help but feel bad for him. His reintroduction into pony society was supposed to be slow and laxed. However, with Azure, being the cunning filly that she is, that plan was thrown to the wood-works and thoroughly ground down to nothing. Everything has happened so fast since then that she can hardly keep up with it. She can't even imagine what's going through his head right now. Get out! Of my fucking! HOUSE!!! Shaking his head from side to side, Ryan turns down their offer. It's not that he doesn't want or appreciate their help. Recent events have just been whittling him down and some peace and quiet would do him some good. At least, that's what he hopes. "It's fine, really. I just need some time to be on my own and clear my head." His eyes scan the dusty, old house for a few seconds and he begins to take notes on how he will go about cleaning it. "This seems like the perfect way to do just that." Already knowing what she would counter with, he goes on in an attempt to shoot down any arguments she may have. "I'm not going anywhere, I know where to find you and, if I happen to start having trouble, I'll come straight to you. As it stands now, I've got this." Having been shot down in every way, Rarity finds herself at a loss. She doesn't want to leave him, but it's becoming very clear that he wants to be alone and is asking for that courtesy the only way he knows how. Stubborn though she may be, she's still a lady and will respect his wishes. Feeling helpless, her ears lower and she nods. "Very well..." Turning back to the siblings, she ushers them along and leads the trio toward the door with unsure expressions, but not making a fuss. As they make their way outside, Rarity pauses at the exit and glances back at Ryan, a look of desperation now taking over her features. "I-I'll see you tomorrow...right?" Leave! Ryan nods, offering the most consoling smile he can muster. "I'll see ya then." While his reply does give her some comfort, Rarity can't completely shake the feeling of dread hovering in her stomach. Even so, she grabs the door and pulls it close as she takes her leave, granting the human the solitary he has silently been craving for some time now. Ryan lets out a sigh and let's his body loosen up a bit, feeling as though some of the weight on his person has been lifted. Finally... To avoid getting himself engrossed in his own thoughts, Ryan looks back at the small pile of boxes and bags behind him. "Now which one of you has the cleaning supplies?" He asks no one in particular, turning around and grabbing onto the largest one before pulling it open. He finds a number of miscellaneous items within, most of it being decorations, silverware, Tupperware and kitchen utensils; Everything he once had occupying his kitchen. "Why did they hold on to all of these?" You'd think that they would have sold all of this crap. You know, thinking that you were dead and all, get some bits out of it and toss the clutter. Ryan finds himself shrugging at that thought as he sifts through the kitchen wear, finding nothing too helpful at the moment. He closes the box and moves on to a smaller one, thinking that he might get lucky and find a duster at the very least. Upon opening the box and examining its contents, he finds a number of old trinkets, some of which had followed him to Equestria during his nonconsensual transport. He digs around and examines a few items, things that he once carried on his person at all times; A chained wallet, a pair of headphones, coins that held no value here, an old pocket kn- A sudden pain shoots through Ryan's wrist. He hisses in response and looks down, or up rather. The night sky is above him, along with his arm. There's a rope wrapped around his wrist, holding him aloft over the edge of a cliff. The sound of rushing water is prominent in his ears as he stares, not at the sky, but at the orange mare one the other end of the rope. Applejack lays on her belly, her chest and everything above it dangling over the cliff as her powerful grip keeps him from his descent into the watery depths below. Her face is scrunched up as she holds him aloft. He can see her mouth moving, but can't hear her words. The sound of his heart beating dominates all other noise around him. All he can do is watch as she lets go of the rope with one hand and reaches out to him.  Applejack's mouth moves again, but her words are still lost to him, being overshadowed by the loud thumping in his chest. The desperate look on her face slowly subsides, only to be replaced with horror. A small, metallic tick reaches his ears as he moves his sights to the rope. The muscles in his arm tighten his free arm shoots into his vision, knife in hand with the blade easily piercing through the rope before burying itself into the muddy cliffside. The knife slips from his hand as his weight begins pulling him down. For a while, he can still see her at the edge before the winds blow his body and force him to look down at the quickly approaching waves below. The view of the water only lasts a few seconds before suddenly hitting him with a loud smack. As the world goes dark, Ryan opens his eyes and stares out at a room that he can't make out. The beating of his heart still reigns supreme in his ears as Ryan sits on the floor with his back to the wall. Even his own jagged breathing is but a whisper in comparison to the rapid-fire drum beat all but screaming at him from every direction. The world around him is a blur and he can't make sense of his surroundings. Colors and images are all blending together like an out of focus camera that only seems to worsen with each thump in his chest. Seemingly out of nowhere, a voice breaks through the pounding that has taken over his hearing. It sounds loud, but also distant. Given the situation, he has a hard time pinpointing the location. Then there is a warmth on his face, each cheek feeling as though it is being grabbed. The blur in his vision develops some semblance of color, mostly yellow and an odd, greyish pink. The voice becomes softer as Ryan's head is carefully turned toward it, but he is still struggling to make out what it is saying. His heart takes its sweet time, but eventually starts to settle. As his heart rate declines, he finds his vision slowly returning to normal as well. His breathing softens and becomes more consistent. "There you go. Everything will be alright. Just keep breathing slowly. In-" He can hear a long, sharp intake of air and follows suit. "...and out-" Again, he mimics the pony by his side, exhaling along with her, feeling himself returning to a coherent and calm state. "just like that. And again, in-" This goes on for several minutes until Ryan can finally make sense of everything around him. Resting on her knees, Fluttershy sits by his side, cupping his face in her hands as she takes deep breaths and exhales slowly with him following her example. As he returns to reality and begins to think clearly, he breaks away from the instructive breathing and grabs the mare's hands, lightly pulling them from his face. He begins scanning the room around him, taking in anything and everything he can. Nothing has really changed since he came in here with his friends earlier, with the exception of his new guest and a small box being toppled over on the floor with its contents strewn about the small area. "Can you hear me now?" Ryan's sights move back to Fluttershy, the mare whose hands are still trapped in his own as she stares into his eyes with nothing but care and an odd look of understanding. There's a small smile on her face as she faces him and it grows as he nods at her. "That's wonderful! I'm glad you're feeling better." Confusion starts to fill Ryan in droves as he tries to process what just happened, letting go of the mare's hands as he begins pushing himself up. His efforts are brought to a quick end as Fluttershy's expression changes and she places her now free hands on his shoulders. "Oh, no! You shouldn't be moving yet!" She exclaims, her usual docile tone now being one of concern as she eases him back down, which he finds himself unable to fight against. "That attack looked really bad. You should stay here and try to relax a little bit longer before exerting yourself. You don't want to set yourself off again." Ryan's is still perplexed by everything and he doesn't quite grasp her meaning. "W-wha-" He says breathlessly as he blinks a few times, still feeling his heart pounding in his chest, but much less aggressively. Beads of sweat roll down his head, the sensation being enough for him to raise his hand and wipe away the moisture. Looking at the now wet hand, his confusion only grows as he focuses his attention back onto the pegasus. "What attack? What are you talking about?" Fluttershy blinks a few times herself, wondering how he didn't know and thinking for a second on whether or not to tell him. On one side, it could help him understand what's going on. One the other, he could lapse again and start freaking out, which could cause more harm and make things worse for him. "I-I'm sorry. You were just..." She stutters, trying to find the right words to express the situation to him without it leading to another episode. "I came in and you were...Having had a few myself, I just thought that... I, uh..." Still at a loss for words, Fluttershy resigns herself to focusing on his recovery, rather than adding to his stress by digging further into this pit that's already forming around him. "Maybe it's best that we just let it go for now." It goes against some of her own morals to let this slide the way she is, but Ryan has always been something of an anomaly and she was never really equipped to assist him in his 'endeavors'. Hopefully she can change that some time in the near future. For now, she makes a mental note to tell Twilight about what happened at a later time. Maybe she will know how to approach this moving forward. "How about I make us a nice, hot cup of tea. That should help you relax, right?" Ryan isn't sure what to think right now, a lot of what just happened becoming a blur in his memory at a surprising rate. He doesn't understand what's happening, but he gets the sense that Fluttershy might. Rather than test fate with his old, damning ways, he concedes and nods his head before letting it fall back against the wall supporting him. "Yeah...Yeah, that sounds nice." A smile works its way back across Fluttershy's muzzle as she takes her hands from his shoulders and gets back to her feet. "I'll get everything set up and have it ready in no time." She turns so her body is facing the stack of boxes, but her sights remain on the man still glued to the floor. "You stay right there. I'll take care of everything." "Alright..." Ryan's lack of movement instills some confidence in Fluttershy. Being almost sure that he wouldn't try to get up and do anything to stress himself further, she goes over to the boxes and digs around for a few supplies. It takes some time, but she does manage to find a kettle, some cups and everything she needs in the grocery bags to make some Oolong tea for them to share. Gathering everything up in a bag, she carries the supplies into the kitchen. Now out of his sight, the mare exhales a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Setting the bag down on the counter, just beside the stove, she dares to take a peek. Placing a hand to the collar of her sweater, Fluttershy stretches the neck out and looks down at her cleavage. The mounds of flesh are resting oddly against each other, this being due to the dirty, folded pocket knife wedged between them. Prying this out of his hand took a lot of effort, but it was worth it in the end. Having found him in the middle of one of the most unpleasant looking panic attacks she has ever witnessed sent a shockwave through her body. She couldn't help herself as she dove down to try and help him. No matter what she did though, she couldn't get through to him. His sights were locked entirely on his hand, or rather, the knife locked in a death-grip behind his fingers. After a lot of fighting and tugging, she finally managed to pry it out from his fist and quickly tucked it out of sight. After that, she noticed some life returning to his gaze and moved on to coaching his breathing in hopes that it would help break whatever spell this had on him. Fluttershy silently thanks Celestia that her plan worked as she releases her collar, letting it bounce back to its natural position on her neck. She pushes back her worry, reminding herself that Ryan has calmed down and is now patiently waiting for her to return with the promised beverage. With that in mind, she unloads the bag and gets to work on making their tea.