//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Another Life // by Ironwolves21 //------------------------------// REA firebase Lassoe Riot laid on the hard surface of his bunk; staring at the ceiling as he fought for sleep. He wished for peaceful sleep, but his mind demanded otherwise. The winds of the desert whipped about outside the pre-fab officers bunkroom. “Sonuva...” Riot turned over in the bed, his mind wandering well beyond the small room. The stallions eyes went upwards to the ceiling as he let out an exhausted sigh. “Fuck.” Riots eyes drifted lazily around until they came in contact with the phone that sat next to the bed. He mulled the thought over in his mind, over and over before reaching out to grabbing the small device. Riot squinted to remember the number through his mental haze, but before long he had tapped in the numbers and the phone was ringing on the other side. One Ring... Two Rings... Three Rings... “Hello, this is Aurora Venture, sorry I’m not in to take your call, but if you could plea-” The phone on the other side was picked up, answered by a squeaky voice. “Hello?” Riot sucked in a breath as the ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “Hey buddy, it’s me...” The tiny colts voice on the other line squeaked in surprise. “Dad!! I missed you so much! I......Are you alright? When are you coming home?” The tiny voice sounded apprehensive. “I’m comin’ home real soon lad, don’t you worry. I...I’ve been missing you too Hunter, how’s my little explorer been?” “I’ve been awesome! I'm finally caught up enough to start going to the new school here! Ms. Cheerilee and the other ponies are really nice.” Riot cracked an eyebrow. "New School?" "Mhm! we moved. Didn't Momma tell you?" The stallion sighed quietly before redirecting the subject. “New school eh? You made any friends yet? Any marefriends?” “Fillies? Blegh! Gross Dad!" The lines goes quiet for a scant moment. "There’s these three fillies who never leave me alone, but at least they’re less gross than Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.” The voice grew a little bit angry at the mention of the last names. “Aw, are the fillies at school giving you troubles little buddy?” Riot slouched on his spot in the mattress, his back legs hanging off the edge. He smiled as he pressed the phone against his ear, so he wouldn’t miss a moment. “Just those two, they’re mean.....They said my ears were stupid, and they made fun of me for not having a cutie mark yet.” He grumbled. “But the other foals are nice... I guess. This white filly won't leave me alone for some reason, keeps talking about some kind of Crusade.” “Fillies huh? I didn't understand them either when I was your age Hunter. How’s the homework?” “It’s not bad at all, but the math stuff sucks. Miss Cheerilee is a great teacher though, and I met this other colt, Featherweight, and he’s helping me out.” Riot smiled to himself as he listened to Hunter. “That awesome; tell him I said hi alright?” He paused for a moment. “How’s your Momma Hunter? Is she...” Riot let the sentence die off before shaking his head. “I’ll be in town soon, maybe I can help you with that math stuff, or I can teach you some cool army magic.” “Really?! That’s awesome! Come home quick Daddy, I-” The small pony was cut off, a sweet voice washed through the speaker. “Hunter, who’s that on the phone?” The voice asked, and there was a short crackle of static, before Hunter spoke again. “It’s Daddy! He just called and- Hey! Gimmie that back!” A sound that had to be the phone passing from pony to pony went through, before the mares voice came through loud and clear. “A-ashfall? Are...Are you there?” The mare almost sounded apprehensive and scared. “I’m here Aurora... I’m here.” The mare sighed happily into the receiver. “Oh thank the moon, it’s been so long, I missed you so much.” She said; Riot could hear Hunter squeaking in the background. “Hey! Lemmie up! I wanna talk to daddy too!” “Just a moment sweetie, I need to talk to daddy, first.” There was a disappointed ‘awww’ in the background, and then she allowed Riot to speak. “Aurora...” He sucked in a breath before speaking again. “I’m sorry that I haven’t called you recently, It’s just been so hectic at the base, since we're trying to figure out what to do with everypony now that the war's over." There was a light chuckle on the other end. "Oh yeah, how'd it go?" Riot paused for a second. "How did what go?" Aurora laughed again. "The war, silly! How'd it go?" "We..." The stallion rubbed the bridge of his muzzle with a hoof. "I uh, managed to get some time away from the base though, so I'll be coming by to visit pretty soon." “R-really? You can come see us?” She was eager, but seemed... Mistrustful, like she was preparing for disappointment. “Yes, I’ve managed to secure some off time, I’ll be swinging by soon enough.” He looked around for a moment before speaking again. “I’m thinking of something more...Permanent. But we’ll talk about that later, alright love?” Aurora stayed quiet for a moment before speaking. “We moved recently, I couldn't stay in Baltimare anymore, and I think Hunter was having troubles with some of the kids.” “Yeah, Hunter said something about that. I would have like it if you’d at least told me before-hoof.” “I’m sorry, it was very recent, I wasn’t even thinking of moving the last time we spoke, but we had to go. We moved to the home your uncle left us when he passed away. This place will be a better fit for all of us, I know it.” Riot sighed in resignation. “Alright. What was the address again?” “145 Willow Street, Ponyville, I’ll see you soon, right?” She asked, sounding regretful over the device. “Sooner than you’d think Aura... Put Hunter back on, would you? I want to wish him a good night.” The small voice returned to the phone, after a short bout of crackling and movement. “Dad?” The stallions smile returned. “Hey buddy, ready for bed?” “I don’t wanna go to bed! I want to talk to you! It’s been so long......When are you going to come and see us?” Riot chuckled for a moment, turning the phone over to his other ear. “Alright, but you gotta ask mum for permission.” There was a bit of mumbled speech coming over the phone, and then it stopped, the small voice returning with a sad tone. “Mom says I have to go to bed in five minutes, it’s a school night. Blegh.” He said, the sound of a hoof striking wood came through the speaker. Riot could practically hear the colt pouting. “Now now, you gotta listen to your momma. You gotta be all good and rested for school, that way you don’t end up like your dad.” Riot glanced over to the small flask on his nightstand and grimaced. “Why wouldn't I want to be like you?! You’re the best pony ever.” The young colt’s voice was filled with reverence. “Ask your mother, she always said it better than I did.” The stallion shook his head for a moment. “Anyways, I can tell you’ll make an awesome architect, or an engineer! I’ve seen some of the things you’ve made with your bricks kid, a damn sight better than what I can make.” The colt giggled, then sighed. “Mom says I gotta go now......I’ll see you soon, right?” “Absolutely Hunter...” He let the sentence die for a moment. “I love you Hunter, you and your Mother....” “We love you too, Dad. And we can’t wait to see you, hurry back.” Riot fell back onto the hard mattress after placing the phone in its cradle. He stared up at the ceiling again, but this time his eyelids started to flutter under the weight of sleep. _____________________________________________________________________ One week later... Riot trotted down the dark street; squinting in the dark to read the addresses on each house. He finally spotted the right one; trotting up to the door as quietly as possible. “Now where is the damn key...” Grunting in frustration as the search grew futile, Riot opted to just knock on the door. The sound of hooves on hardwood caught his ear, and soon enough he could hear a mares voice through the door. “Who would knock at this time of night...” The lock clicked open, and the door swung wide. “Who-” Auroras words were cut off by a quick gasp, and subsequently her hoof. “You....You’re actually-” Riot smiled softly as he stepped forward. “Yeah. Couldn’t find my keys.” “You’re home!” The batpony burst forward, wrapping her hooves tightly around the stallions neck, embracing him in a tight hug. “Oh I can barely believe it......" She embraced him as tightly as possible, her bat wings spread out wide. She lifts her face from his neck, and smiles, before looking over him. "W-what happened here?” She asked, prodding a new set of scars around Riot’s neck. He brought a hoof up to his neck and failed to hide a grimace. “Miscommunication.” “Oh I don’t even care.” She threw her hooves back around him, squeaking in happiness. Riot hugged her tightly; he buried his face into her neck, sniffing once before reassuring his grip on her. “I’m so glad to be home Aura...” “C-come inside, it’s cold out here.” She curled her velvet wing around the large unicorn; something he hadn’t felt in what seemed like years. The pair walked to the house, all smiles, and a few tears. The door closed behind them, and Aurora broke off from Riot; waving him over to a set of stairs. Riot smiled as he placed his duffel bag on the floor as quietly as possible, then followed the mare into the living room. She turned to him, embracing her stallion as tightly as she could. Riot held her to his chest; his muzzle buried in her shoulder. "Celestia...I missed you so much." Tears matted his shoulder as Aurora sobbed quietly. "I didn't think you were..." She sniffed loudly as she nuzzled him. "I didn't think you were coming back." Riot shook his head as he led her over to the couch. Once they were seated he took her hoof in his and looked into her eyes. "Aura, I will never, ever abandon you. Nothing could make me do that." He kissed her lightly before she spoke. "I...I know. It's just...We don’t get any real news about the war here, so all I can get is idle gossip and rumours from my sister in Gem Valley." She sniffed again, clutching him for comfort. "I was always so scared that there would be that knock at the door..." His hoof pressed against her lips as he shushed her. "None of that Aura." Riot hugged her tightly, stroking her mane to keep her calm. "I got my Honourable Discharge. I'm here to stay." Aurora looked at Riot for a moment, then squeaked her approval as she latched onto him, peppering his muzzle with kisses. "Thank you! I love you so much!" She hugged Riot tightly, as if she was trying to squeeze the life out of him. The mare looked at him for a moment, her eyes brimming with tears. “So...So you’re done with the army? Finished?” Riot sucked in a breath and nodded. “Yeah. They finally decided that I wasn’t fit for du-.” The stallion stopped himself for a moment. “I’ve bled enough for them, I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Hunter.” Aurora bit her lip for a moment, looking at the buck with trepidation. "I think we should celebrate..." She leaned in a bit closer, nibbling at his ear. Riot grinned happily, his hooves wrapping around her side. "I thought you'd never ask." ___________________________________________________________ The pair snuggled together as closely as they could; ignoring the smell of sweat that permeated the air. Aurora sighed happily, her hooves clenching Riots sides as she buried her muzzle into his mane. Riot held onto her tightly as he nibbled her ear. “I missed that... I think I went stir crazy more than once at base.” He let out a breath. “I just... I just want to fall asleep here; just you and me, and wake up like this in the morning.” “T-that’s all I’ve wanted for so long.” Aurora smiled happily at the thought. “What do you want for breakfast, hun? Whatever you want, I’ll get it for you, I want you to know how much I love you.” “I’ll always know that.” He nipped at her before pulling the covers over them. “Don’t sweat cooking tomorrow, I’m gonna make Hunter something special.” “What are you going to make him, Ashie?” She asked, nuzzling his neck. Riot rolled his eyes at his birth name. “Oh nothin’, just somethin’ me pa used to make.” He smiled at her before kissing the mare lovingly. ”Now let’s get some sleep love, I’ve got a long day planned for you and Hunter.” “I’m just happy to have you home, more than anything.” She wrapped her wings back around him, caressing him with their velvety fur. After a few minutes, all that issued from the small bat pony were squeaking snores. Riot ran a hoof through the mares mane, smiling softly at the beautiful bat-pony in his hooves. “I love you.” He whispered into her ear before following her back to sleep. The mare stirred at his words; smiling, but not waking. ____________________________________________________________ The next morning. Hunter awoke to the smell of pastries. His mother never made big breakfasts, it was always cereal. The colt sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. He didn’t remove the mask of confusion at the smell. He hopped off the bed, then started for his bedroom door. The colts bedroom door swung open with ease, but the child was quickly assaulted with a cacophony of wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. Hunter wandered towards the kitchen; in his sleepy stupor, he completely missed the olive drab duffel bag and set of combat boots near the door. “Mmm, what smells so good Momma?” The colt asked, trotting inside. His eyes widened at who he saw standing at the stove. “D-Dad?” Riot turned from his frying pan and smiled widely at the colt. Kneeling downwards, he outstretched his hooves. “Hey there little trouble-maker.” “DadDadDadDadDad!” Hunter screamed happily, galloping at the tall unicorn and tackled him with a flying hug. Riot hugged the colt tightly against his chest as he fell back on his rump. He let out a short laugh before ruffling Hunters mane. “How’s it goin' Hunter? You hungry?” “I’m so happy to see you!” Hunter giggled, snuggling into Riots chest. “I’m starving Dad! Did you make that?” He asked, sniffing at the air. “You bet I did! Hay Bacon strips and apple puff pie! Just the way me pa used to make em’!” Riot let the foal go as he stood up to take the pans off the stove. “You’re just in time too, your momma hasn’t even woken up yet.” Riot sliced off a chunk of the poofy pastry, then placed it next to a small pile of hay bacon. Hoofing it onto the table, Riot picked up the now squeaking colt and placed him on a seat. “Dig in Hunter! Tell me if my army cookin’s good enough for ya!” Riot ruffled the colts mane again as he went to grab his own plate. The colt put some of the puff pastry in his mouth, and his eyes grew huge. He didn’t even speak, he just dove into the plate, starting to devour the meal. “Something smells good.” Aurora said, trotting into the kitchen, nose in the air, smelling deeply. Her mane and tail were dishevelled, having yet to be brushed, and her glasses were perched haphazardly on her muzzle Riot let his plate sit on the table as he went up to the mare; hugging her tight and kissing her lightly. “Mornin love.” The mare smiled at him, but pushed away. “N-no, I’m ugly, I need to clean up.” Riot waved a dismissive hoof as he wrapped his hoof around her to stop her from running away. “Nu-uh! You got to eat first!” He plopped the mare down on one of the wood seats. Giving up the futile fight, Aurora settled into her seat. “Alright, Hunter seems to be enjoying it, or at least, he was.” The young colt was laid back in his seat, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Aurora tucked into the meal, and smiled at the first bite. “This is delicious, Ash!” The mare said, continuing to eat. The stallion sat down next to her with his own plate full of food. “Glad to hear that I can still cook.” He started on his own food pile. _________________________________________________________ “Alright Hunter, you be good at school alright?” Riot had just finished adjusting the colts backpack, but now he was watching his wife take the colt to school. “Bye Dad, see you soon!” The young unicorn said, waving to his father. “Don’t break anything, Ashie.” Aurora said, smirking as they disappeared into the distance. Riot smiled lightly as he watched them trot away. He eventually closed the door and turned to his new house. His smile died slightly as he looked about. “Celestia, this is such a mare house...” Another week later: Riot had barely left the house at all, he had more than his fair share of paperwork to go over, and most of his time was spent in bed or revelling over the softness of civilian toilet paper. Aurora sat on the bed, a small plastic stick in her hooves. She was watching the clock as it ticked away. The two minutes felt like an hour. After the time was up, she looked down. A small plus sign was on the tiny screen. She smiled, and galloped out of the room. “Ash! I’ve got something to tell you!” Riot looked up from his workbench, a small metal box and a pulled apart rifle resting on it. “What is it?” His face and hooves were smattered with oil and grime. Ignoring the weapon, she held the small object in her hoof, hovering slightly in excitement. “Looklooklook!” She squeaked in delight, holding it just in front of his face. He squinted to see the thing over the workbench, but when he did. “I-Is that thing accurate!? It’s only been a week!” Riot dropped the tuning key he was holding and cantered over to the mare, taking the small thing up in his hoof. He stared at it, not speaking. “Yep! It’s one of those fancy magic ones! You know what it means!” She circled him once, glasses askew from her quick flight. “I’m going to have your foal again!” The bat pony nuzzled his face. Riot blinked rapidly, squinting hard at the little device. “I-is there something wrong, Ash?” Her face fell with a feeling of dread. His muzzle slowly broke into a smile. “This...This is amazing!” He hugged her tightly, causing her to squeak in embarrassment and surprise. “Aurora! We’re going to have a foal! I’m gonna be a dad again!” His smile turned into a massive goofy grin. Aurora squealed in happiness. “I’m gonna be all pregnant again.” Her face lost a bit of it’s gaiety. “I’m gonna be all pregnant again.” She repeated, groaning slightly. “All fat, and disgusting.” Riot grunted in disapproval as he swept the mare off her hooves. “Aura, you are the most beautiful pony ever. Bearing my foal makes you at least three times as beautiful.” She blew a lock of hair out of her face dismissively. “Oh you’re just saying that, you big lug.” She said, hoofing him in the chest. “I’ll be fat, and my boobs will be hanging down from my belly. Blegh.” The bat pony said, rubbing her belly. “I won’t even be able to fly anymore.” He waved a dismissive hoof at her. “Bah, you can wear my pants.” He motioned towards the loose fitting combats. “They’ll be too sensitive me to even wear pants!.......Darn, but it’s all worth it for another little foal, or two, or eight like that one mare.” She shuddered, rubbing at her stomach. Riot shuddered as well. “I don’t think I can handle eight, or even two. Hunter was pretty easy, but that’s because he was such a sweetheart.” Riot grasped the mares hoof with his own. “Speaking of which, I think It’s about time for Hunter to be getting out of school... Want to go and pick him up together? I haven’t gotten a chance to meet his teacher yet either.” “Mmhmm, do you think we should keep it a secret from Hunter, lest we get the ‘where do foals come from’ question?” The bat pony said, tossing out the pregnancy test, and bringing the stallion out into the main room, and away from his rifle. “We should prolly think about it for a bit, see how he reacts to the idea.” Riot nuzzled her lovingly. “Lets the scenic route there, It’s a beautiful day out.” “You’re right, come on, ‘hun.” The mare opened the door, and the pair headed off into the sunny Ponyville afternoon. It was warm, and there was scant a cloud in the sky. It wasn’t much of a walk to the schoolhouse, but they stopped for a moment in the park for Aurora to talk to a few of the ponies she’d met after moving there. “That green one would make an awesome tank pilot. Wouldn’t even have to train her in how to sit in the damn thing.” Riot looked around, but started to notice the obscene lack of stallions in town. "Though she seems to be pretty friendly with that other mare. Huh. Weird." “What’s wrong, Ash?” She asked, looking at his slightly scrunched-up features. “Are you suddenly against fillyfoolers?” He cocked an eyebrow at Aurora. “They were sitting together, how’s that make them foolers?” His nose scrunched for a moment. “I wouldn’t have even known if you hadn’t said anything about an adoption. “You just don’t have a mare’s intuition.” She said, nose rising into the air snootily. “So, if that’s not it, what’s wrong? You’ve got an odd expression.” “There’s fuck all for stallions here.” He stopped dead in his tracks and started scanning. “Any that I do see are propped up with a mare.” “Yeah, it’s odd, huh? I noticed it a lot when I got here too. Most of the mares aren’t even fillyfoolers, poor gals.” She said, frowning slightly. “Some mares have even started sharing stallions, especially around when the heat cycle starts.” Riots eyebrows went straight up into his fringe. “They’ve been doin’ what now?” “Well, heat can get.......Nasty.....when you’ve got a whole town syncing up, and with very, very few stallions to mares, things can get out of hoof quickly. So I guess some mares share with their friends, if both parties are willing to do so.” She shrugged. “I’m going to hide in the basement, it'll be a veritable apocalypse.” Riot looked at her. “I’d rather take another turn on The Wall.” “Don’t be silly, Ash. You’re all mine. I’m not going to let some whore grab a hold of you, no matter what.” She nuzzled him. “And don’t worry, the mares here are safe, and clean.” The bat pony giggled. “I’ll only rent you out to a couple of close friends.” Riot shook his head slowly as he returned to her side. “You’re crazy.” She giggled again. “Just wait until you see Cheerilee, you might change your tone a bit” The mare nuzzled Riot. “If you do anything with her without express permission from me, I’ll cut it off.” She looked at him dangerously. “Dammit girl! Stop toying with me!” Riot whinnied in protest to the mare. “But it’s so fun for a tiny mare like me to fluster a huge stallions like you. You are giant compared to most of the stallions here, look around. You’re getting more than a few stares.” She tittered squeakily again. “And you’re getting a rather large number of glares your way love.” Riot trotted past the boundaries of the park, but a blur of pink in his peripheral vision caused him to slow and narrow his eyes. “I... No, hold on.” “Hehe, yup, all the mares in town are soooo jealous, I love it.” She smooched the stallion on the cheek. “What did you say Ash? I couldn’t hear you.” There was another flash of pink, just out of his vision. Riot whirled around, his face scrunched up in concentration. “It’s getting closer.” Aurora smirked a bit, her face scrunching up in amusement. “Ash, what are you on about? You’re acting like a weirdo.” She poked his side in a jest. “Yeah...” Riot turned to the mare. “I suppose you’re ri-” 'BANG' “WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!” Riot whipped about just in time to bear the brunt of a gut wrenching explosion. The stallion screamed in terror as he flung himself to the ground, covering his head with his hooves. His voice was consumed along with the air in his lungs. The explosion rattled his brain, forcing him to close his eyes. Dirt rained down as the artillery continued to pound his foxhole. Somepony nearby screamed for a medic. “Ash, what are you doing?” Aurora asked, prodding the stallion as he huddled on the ground. “Pinkie, you went and scared him!” “Scared him?! How am I supposed to scare a big pony like that?! That’s crazy! That’d be like Big Macintosh playing with dolls!” All Riot could hear was the dead ringing in his ears. He was face down in the trench, with the smell of blood and gunpowder burning at his nose as the familiar taste of coppery blood filled his mouth. Somepony grasped at his uniform in pained terror, their words lost on his ringing ears. He looked up with bloodshot eyes in time to see the enemy soldiers pounding across the destroyed fields. “Ashfall? Are you alright?” Aurora’s face grew concerned, and she put her hooves on Riot’s face. “What did you do, Pinkie?” The pink mare scrunched her face up in confusion as a few ponies started to notice the commotion. “I set off my welcoming wagon silly! It was all like BANGWHOOSHPINGCAKE!!” She pointed to a little cupcake that sat in the miniature oven. “See?” “I think something’s wrong with him.” Aurora said, taking the stallion’s head in her hooves. Pinkie nodded. “I think we broke him.” The mare looked about. “I would ask Twilight, but she’s still mad at me over replacing all of her ink with food colouring... Spikes farts turned purple.” The mare burst into chortling laughter. “Just go get Twilight, I think something might be really-” Riot stood up from the trench with his bayonet at the ready. All of his ammo was spent, but that wouldn’t stop him from holding this fucking hill. He would tear those bastards to pieces with his hooves and teeth if he had to. With malice in his eyes and Celestias word emanating from his being, Riot charged. The enemy soldier cocked its head as Riot lifted out of the dirt, but was caught off guard as Riot burst forward, knocking the pony on his ass. Riot raised up, then brought his brass-shod hoof down down onto the stallions face. He could hear the bone breaking under the impact, a quick jab with his bayonet would end the mongrels atta- “ASH!” A scream penetrated his hallucination. In an instant, the savage dirt smeared soldier disappeared to be replaced by a surprised red stallion who wore no uniform. The malice in his eyes faded away, only to be replaced with confusion. “You’re not....” “Uh, if ya’ll could be so kind as to git off my chest, it’d be much appreciated.” The red pony blinked slowly, staring at the crazed stallion who had quite possibly cracked a few of his ribs. Riot looked about, his look of confusion being replaced by fear. “I-I...Alright, sorry about that...” Riot hopped off the stallion, before offering his hoof to help the stallion up. The other stallion took it, then was pulled to his hooves. “Y’all hit harder than any unicorn should.” He forced a smile past grit teeth. Definitely busted ribs. “Ash! What’s wrong with you?! You attacked Big Mac! You’re just lucky he wasn’t any smaller!” Aurora flapped over to him, grabbing his ear between her teeth. “I’m so sorry, Big M, I’ll send over some bits for compensation.” She said sweetly, before yelling into Riot’s ear, dragging him away by the ear. “What did you think you were doing!?” Riot stared at her, dumbfounded. “I...I was defending Hill forty two.” “Are you nuts?!” She struck the stallion in the side, yanking on his ear. “You could have really hurt him!” He slumped slightly, his face blank, yet pained. “Sorry Aura. I...I think I’m just gonna go home, my head’s killing me.” He kept his mouth closed as he ran his tongue over his blood stained teeth, in a vain attempt to clean them. The mare growled at him. “I’m not leaving you alone, not after that! You’re coming with me.” Her glasses were skewed again from the confrontation. She righted them, and continued walking down the road, silently. Riot sighed in exhaustion as he followed Aurora along the path. He looked up to Aurora, only to find that she had trotted quite a bit aways. His vision of her trotting away from him was cut off by the pink blur again. This time, he didn’t so much as flinch. “Hiya! Sorry about the party cannon, I think I packed too much icing into it!” The pink rocket smiled widely at Riot before pressing an invitation into his hoof. “Here!” The mare started to bounce away happily as the stallion stared blankly at the letter in his hoof. “Ash, why are you just standing there? Come on.” Aurora said from up the road, still frowning at him, fore legs crossed as she hovered. “Sorry.” Riot picked up his pace, quickly catching up with her. “Thankfully we’re almost there; see?” She asked, pointing ahead to a small schoolhouse at the top of the hill they were climbing. The pair finished their walk in silence, coming up to the door. There were still a large number of foals who had yet to be picked up, thankfully Riot’s antics hadn’t made them late. “Hunter isn’t outside, he must still be getting ready to leave.” Aurora said, knocking on the door to the schoolhouse. Riot stood there blankly, staring at his hooves. The door was opened by a purple mare, whom Riot could only assume was the teacher. “Well hello Aurora! You must be here to pick up Hunter.” The light purple mare trotted up, giving Aurora a quick hug. “Hey, Cheer! It’s good to see you.” Aurora replied with a smile and a hug in return. “Yes, could you get him for us? He isn’t in trouble, is he?” She shot Riot a quick look. Cheerilee smiled at the pair before shaking her head. “Oh no, he’s quite nice to the other foals. I believe he’s on the playground with his new friends.” She looked over and motioned to the little grey unicorn with the shock of bright orange and red hair that was playing with a stark white unicorn filly. Cheerilee beckoned the pair over to the second door that led to the playground and opened it. “Hunter! Your parents are here!” The colt looked over and waved to his parents, who waved back at him. He turned to the filly and said something to her. The two quickly hopped off the playground and galloped over to the three older ponies. “Hi there, Hunter.” Aurora said, smiling. “Look who’s here!” She gestured to the grey pony next to her. The colt nodded his head and hugged the leg of his father with gusto. “I’m so glad you’re here Dad! You can meet my friend Sweetie!” He motioned to the little filly, who smiled brightly at the tall unicorn. “Hi! My names Sweetie Belle!” She waved at the stallion, like he couldn’t see her. “Wow mister, you have a big horn! You must know a whole ton of magic!” Hunter smiled at the filly. “He sure does! My dad is so awesome! He’s in the army, he knows a whole lot of spells, and he said he was going to teach me some!” The colt was practically bouncing at the last words. Cheerilee looked over Riot with a critical eye, unbeknownst to both Riot and Aurora. “These two have been getting along quite well, but I have to ask Sweetie; where are your other two friends?” The filly shrugged. “Scoots said she had a Rainbow Dash thing to do, and Apple Bloom had to help her sister on the farm.” “You’re a cutie, you are.” Aurora said, kneeling down to the filly’s level. “How did you meet my little Hunter?” “Mooom! Don’t call me little!” He crossed his hooves defiantly. Aurora just chortled, and allowed the filly to speak. “Diamond Tiara said his ears were stupid, but I told her that her face was stupid! She started crying and ran away... But Hunter is neat! I’ve never met a baticorn before!” She said, her voice squeaking on the high notes. Cheerilee frowned. “You know you’re not supposed to say mean things Sweetie, but you did the right thing, standing up for Hunter.” The colt pouted as he stood under his father. “I could have stood up for myself if Diamond Butt didn’t smell so much.” “Hunter.” Aurora said, a motherly sternness growing into her voice. “Alright, geez Mom. I’ll tell her I’m sorry next time I see her.” Riot chuckled softly, ruffling the colts mane with his hoof. “Ready to get going little guy?” Hunter looked up at his dad and smiled. “I sure am, but can Sweetie come too? Rarity is really busy working, and Sweetie’s other friends are busy.” “Is it alright with your mum Sweetie?” Riot looked at the filly just in time to see her scowl. “Oh, Ash. Sweetie lives with her sister Rarity, at the dress shop in town. Her parents aren’t around very often.” Aurora said, looking to the unicorn. “Sorry, Sweetie, he hasn’t been here for very long.” The filly smiled at him before gasping. “Has Pinkie given you your welcoming yet?” Aurora grimaced slightly. “Yes, you could say that....” She said, looking slightly away from the young pony. “Come on, Sweetie, lets get the both of you back to our house.” Cherrilee smiled at them, but quickly looked at Riot and spoke. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we’ve met properly.” She offered the buck her hoof. “I’m Ms. Cheerilee, the school teacher. Heh, obviously.” She smiled awkwardly at him. “So your name’s Ashfall?” Riot nickered as he picked up both Hunter and Sweetie with his magic, depositing them on his back. “Yeah, but everypony calls me Riot.” Cheerilee cocked an eyebrow. “Riot? That’s an odd name.” “Nickname, actually.” Cheerilee rolled her hoof, almost begging for more. Riot sighed to himself. “Iron Venture. Captain of 1st battalion, REA. Retired.” He did a mock salute to the mare. Aurora giggled, nuzzling the pony. “My big strong army pony.” She smooched him on the cheek. Hunter opened his mouth, and mocked shoving his hoof down his throat, sticking out his tongue; Sweetie giggled. “Aww, they’re so cute together.” The little unicorn filly said, smiling from Riot’s back. Hunter shook his head rapidly. “No they’re not! It’s gross, they’re all ‘Oh I'ma kiss you and smooch and be big and blegh!” “It’s not that gross.” Sweetie said, laughing at the young unicorn’s antics. “It’s cool seeing a family that loves each other.” She smiled lightly, with a hint of strain. Riot nickered as he diverted his attention to the foals on his back. “Alright kiddo! Where are we off to?” Hunters eyes went large and he grabbed the bucks mane to brace himself. “Sugarcube corner! Ice cream!” Sweetie giggled happily and grabbed onto Hunter. Riot rolled his eyes and nodded to Cheerilee. “Good meeting you ma’am. I’ll take these two hooligans off your hooves.” The teacher smiled seductively for a split second, before her usual smile shone through. “They’re not that bad! But yes, it was a pleasure meeting you finally!” She looked over to the foals on the stallion’s back, who were braced for a race almost. “You two behave alright? And don’t forget to do your homework!” For a moment, the teacher seemed conflicted for a moment before speaking again. “Oh, Aurora, are we still on for coffee tomorrow?” The mare looked at her in surprise for a moment before smiling. “Of course, I’ll see you at the normal time.” She looked back at the group behind her before turning away from the teacher. “Let’s get a move on; nice to see you, Cheer!” Aurora said, waving as they walked off down the hill. “How was school little ones?” She asked, looking to the little unicorns on Riot’s back. Hunter groaned as he buried his face in Riots fur. “Mooom! Can we talk about it later? Dad promised ice cream!” “Alright, ‘hun. We’ll get some ice cream, and then we can talk about school. Who are your other friends I see you with, Sweetie?” The filly smiled sweetly at her before answering. “Vanilla and Chocolate!” She then brought up the most effective shit-eating grin ever created by a foal. Riot chuckled at the pair’s antics before he picked up the pace. “C’mon Aura, these foals need some unhealthy sustenance!” Aurora smiled, and started to fly next to the pair, just a foot or two off the ground, so she was at the same level Riot was. “Hey Sweetie, have you ever flown before?” The filly gaped at the prospect, shaking her head slowly. “N-no ma’am, but I’d sure like to try!” “Come on, lets fly bat pony airlines!” She laughed, and both adults slowed, so Sweetie could cross over. “Hold on now, neither of us want you falling off.” The filly did as she was told, clutching the mares fur with her hooves and legs. Riot glanced over to Hunter and smiled; the pair shared a nod of understanding. Riot broke out into a gallop, yelling: “Race ya there!” He cried out as his lead on the surprised mares grew drastically. Hunter raised his hoof and pointed towards an off-shooting street. “Go that way Dad!” Aurora’s altitude grew, and she started into a quick pace. “We won’t let those smelly colts win, will we Sweetie?” She asked, looking back at the tiny unicorn. The filly nodded, but a bit of fear stayed in place. “Don’t you worry one bit, this is the most stable ride in the sky.” She said, quickening after the boys. She saw them pass into a side street, but instead chose to go over, hitting the roof, and running across it, before hopping onto the next one. “You’ll never catch us now!” She called down to them, as she took to the sky a few feet above Mane street. Riot looked over to Hunter before he spoke. “We can’t let them beat us, come on buddy, know any short-cuts?” The colt nodded, and pointed towards a small alleyway. Smirking, Riot pulled forward, his adrenaline kicking in. Aurora’s mouth dropped open as he saw the boys rocketing away, taking a dirty short-cut towards Sugarcube corner. “Do you think we can catch them, Sweetie?” She asked, wings pumping, barely keeping pace with the two unicorns below them. The little filly nodded. “I’ll just have to use some of my magic!” “Alright, just don’t hurt yourself, okay?” The bat pony said, as the boys put more distance between them. Sweeties horn lit up, but the pale purple light was replaced by a flickering flame on both her horn and Auroras rear. “AHH!” Aurora shouted in fear, pouring double her speed into her movement, effortlessly carrying the pair over Riot and Hunter, rocketing through the doors of Sugarcube corner. This would have been horribly painful, and probably crippling, had they not been caught in a massive catcher’s mitt, and doused with a bucket of water. “Just in case of giant flaming baseball emergencies.” Pinkie pie finished with a smile before putting the mitt...somewhere. She walked back behind the counter to serve the next flabbergasted pony in line. The stallions came to a skidding stop just beyond the stores doors, Riot cursing under his breath while Hunter was hooting and hollering as he jumped off his fathers back. “That was awesome Mom! You were on fire!” Aurora craned her neck to look at her scorched rear. “Yeah, I really was.” She said, grimacing. “Are you okay Sweetie? You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” The filly looked up from her clenched position on the mare's back, and slowly started to break into a smile. “That. Was. AWESOME!” Her words came out squeaky and adorable. “Your horn is alright? I saw the fire, is it okay, Ash?” She asked, turning so the filly was facing him. “She looks fine, I’d say she’ll make a fine unicorn once we get past the spontaneous combustion.” Riot chuckled as he picked up the filly. “Alright, girls win this round. I’m buyin’.” He looked at the two mares as they shared a high hoof. “What do you gals want?” “Vanilla for me.” Aurora said, smiling widely at her win. “Oh, and some ice, please.” She said, wincing, looking at her blackened rear. “Strawberry for me please!” Sweetie stood near Riot, waiting as Hunter hopped down from the tall buck. “Mint for me please!” Riot smiled at the pink mare behind the counter. “You heard ‘em. Three regular cones please.” “You don’t want anything, ‘hon?” Aurora asked, cocking her head at him, trotting to his side. Pinkies brow furrowed heavily as she stared at the stallion. He looked at her and smirked. “A muffin, if you will.” The mare brightened considerably, nodding fast enough to put a machinegun to shame. “Alrighty mister! Three cones and a super muffin coming right up! You folks just take a seat over there alight?” She pointed to an empty booth in the corner. The four ponies took a seat, Riot and Aurora on one side, and Sweetie and Hunter on the other. “So, how was school today you two?” Aurora asked, smiling brightly. She squeaked a bit when Riot pressed the icepack against her rear. “It was nice, Ms. Cheerilee taught us about the different kinds of ponies today.” Hunter fidgeted in his spot, anxious for his treat. “Sweetie’s friend said something funny though.” Sweetie blushed slightly at the thought. “It wasn’t that funny...” “What was it, Hunter?” Aurora asked, noting the slight discomfort from the white filly. The colt snickered at the thought. Riot placed a tentative hoof on Aurora’s leg, sending her wings up slightly. The colt broke into a cracking laugh, as did Sweetie. “Ash!” She cried, folding her wings back into position, crimson blush washing into her features. Hunter giggled happily, talking to Sweetie in a hushed voice. “Heh, wingboner.” The filly went bright beet red as the colt broke into a giggle fit. “T-that’s not funny, you two!” Aurora started, but it was overridden when she started giggling as well. “Alright, now that we’ve embarrassed momma, how about we hear the story of the funny thing that was said as school?” The two foals shared a look before smirking at her. Riot clued in, chuckling to himself. “W-what?” Aurora asked, confusion on her still-pink features. Riot ran a hoof down her cutie mark, causing her wings to rise again. This sent the foals overboard, they giggled uncontrollably, and soon a bright pink mare was giggling along with them. “Q-quit it, Ash!” She cried, hoofing him in the horn. “Aha! What? You still can’t figure it out?” He grabbed the cones from the mare with his magic. “Thanks ma’am.” He passed the treats out before turning to his own. “No! I don’t get it!” She said, licking at the vanilla cone. He poked at her wings before wiggling his eyebrows at her. “Okay, all this poking fun at the winged one just because one little filly said-” She lowered her voice. “Wingboner?” Riot cracked up, his suppressed laugh coming out through his nose. He nodded curtly before taking a bite of his muffin. “Racists.” She said, in mock-anger. The bat pony was licking at her cone, and had a bit of vanilla on the tip of her nose. Riot smirked, before lunging at her. She squeaked in surprise, only to have her nose licked and a bite stolen out of her cone. Riot pointed a hoof at her nose and smiled while he chewed down the chilly treat. “You had shomshing on your noshe.” Hunter made the same gagging pantomime as before, and Sweetie noticed a bit of his had ended up in the same place. She smirked mischievously, and nipped him on the nose, taking the bit of ice cream with her. She went back to her ice cream, blushing slightly. The colt stared at his nose, almost going cross-eyed despite his burning blush. He looked at Sweetie and smiled weakly. Riot smiled at the complete normality of the situation before placing a hoof around Aurora’s shoulders. Aurora smirked at the large unicorn, and looked to everypony. “Are we all finished?” She asked, finishing munching the cone. Hunter looked up from the tattered remains of his cone. “Almost mum.” Sweetie nodded in turn, licking the trace bits left on her lips. “Alright, let’s get along home, then.” She said, standing, letting Riot out next to her. He hopped out and motioned towards the door. “Come on kids, lets get movin.” This time Aurora took Hunter onto her back, and Sweetie sat on Riot. “I bet Ash here could teach the both of you some magic.” She said, as they walked through the town’s streets. “I was actually planning on something like that, right buddy?” Riot looked over to Hunter, who nodded furiously. “C-can I learn too? My magic is.....lame.” Sweetie said, looking down. Riot leaned forward, tapping the filly on the shoulder and mocking a whisper into her ear. “Ya know, when I was a wee little colt, I couldn’t do magic either.” “R-really? No way, you could levitate a whole train!” Riot shook his head to stifle a chuckle. “I’m not that good kid, those suckers are heavy. But! I can do quite a few useful little spells.” He looked at both of the foals and spoke with a deep tone. “You two won’t be learning any flashy or useless spells from me, oh no. You’ll be learning utility spells and the like, things that can help you and others no matter the situation. “ Hunter yawned dramatically. “That sounds boring dad-” “Boring!? I’ll be teachin’ you shield spells, fall reducing spells, Telekinesis, and low yield healing spells.” He looked at the pair and grinned. “That’s just the silly stuff. Once you’ve proven your worth, we’ll move onto the big things!” The pair were grinning widely. “Scratch what I said, that sounds awesome!” Hunter looked over to Sweetie Belle. “I told you he was the best Dad in all of Equestria!” “Ash, don’t be teaching them anything dangerous, Rarity would have a conniption fit if she thought that we were teaching her sister attack magic.” Aurora shot a concerned look at the stallion who trotted next to her. “I’m not gonna teach them anything like that, just some basics and the like. “ Riot nipped Aurora on the nose. “I know better than to do that.” ___________________________________________________________________________ The four ponies finished their trot, laughing about something that Hunter had said about school. “This is it, Sweetie.” Aurora said, tossing her head towards their house. The foal looked it over before smiling. “It’s a pretty house! At least it isn’t a stupid carousel...” “Thank you so much, aren’t you just the nicest filly.” The bat pony said, patting the small filly on her horned head. “Come inside, and relax before we get to magic.” The group trotting into the home, but they were quickly split up. Hunter pointed towards his door. “Come on Sweetie, I’ll show you some of my stuff.” “You two run along, I’ll make you both a bit of real food.” Aurora smiled at the pair, trotting off into the kitchen. “Behave alright? Just give me a holler when you’re ready for learning.” Riot nudged the colt along, who was more than happy to catch up with the white filly. Riot smiled to himself before following Aurora into the kitchen. He looked up to find her with her back to him. A sly grin crossed his features as he stalked towards her. The mare had her front hooves up on the counter, and she was gathering the ingredients for a Caesar salad. Riot snuck up behind her, before wrapping his hooves around her waist. He kissed her neck as he hugged her from behind. She squealed, squeaking at his touch. “A-Ash! T-the little ones are just over there.....” The bat pony tried to pull away slightly. Riot smiled as he nibbled her twitching ear. “I’m not doin’ anything, just holding my beautiful mare.” Aurora bit her lip, blushing as she was nipped at. “Y-you tease....” He nipped at her neck before pulling away. “Don’t forget the croutons. I’ll be in the shop, that rifle’s not goin’ anywhere without me fixing it.” The bat pony shuddered a bit after her finished with his cuddling, and went back to fixing the salad. Riot trotted into the garage, but as the door closed behind him his smile faltered and eventually failed. He leaned up against the workbench before running a hoof over his face. “What the fuck happened today?” He looked at his hoof, but quickly recoiled at the blood that was pooling in the cup of the hoof. He blinked quickly before dumping it in the garbage can; he grasped for some of his shop wipes, then quickly dabbed at his nose. He scowled as the wipe came away clean as a whistle. There was a knock at the door. “Ash, I made some for you too, are you hungry?” Riot blinked through the haze before shaking his head. “N-no, I’m fine Aura.” “Are you okay? You sound kind of strange....” She pushed open the door, and came in, a bowl of salad on a small tray. Riot waved his hoof at her, making her stop at the door. “I’m fine, just a headache.” “You’ve been getting those a lot lately, are you sure you don’t want to go see a doctor?” She placed the food down, and trotted over, putting a soft hoof on his shoulder. “I’m fine.” “You’re sure?” The mare had a look of genuine concern on her face. “Yeah.” He braced a hoof against the bench. “Go feed the chitlins.” “A-alright.” She said, taking the tray and heading back to the kitchen. “Fuck.” Riot spat the word out in conjunction with a glob of spit. He shook his head before opening up a small cupboard to pull out a familiar flask. “Fuck me...” The stallion stared at the flask for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m sorry.” With a flick of magic, the flask was at his lips and a long swig of the liquid flowed down his throat. With a rough cough, he placed the flask back in its hiding spot. He had barely put his flask away when two tiny ponies burst in. “We’re ready, Dad! Come teach us some awesome magic!” Riot pushed out a smile at the two foals before clapping his hooves together. “Alright! Let’s move out!” He waved his hoof past his head before he cantered towards the back door. The trio burst out into the yard. “Woohoo!” Hunter said, bounding out into the grass. Sweetie was more reserved, walking alongside Riot as they left the house. “What’re you gonna teach us first, Dad?” The young colt asked, eyes shining with wonder. “How about some basic levitation, we’ll figure out what we can do and go from there.” He smiled at Hunter and Sweetie. “How 'bout it Sweets? You up for some practice?” The filly nodded her head rapidly, excitement filled every fibre of her being. Riot chuckled at the attention. “Okay, let’s start by getting some things to levitate...” __________________________________________________________________________ A few hours later “Welp, I think that’s it for today lads and lasses!” Riot sat down on his rump before looking up at the tired looking unicorn foals, who still wore the same look of amazement and excitement. “Wow, Dad, you must be like, the most powerful unicorn in ponyville.” Hunter said, falling back into the grass in exhaustion. “No, in all of Equestria!” Sweetie chimed in, mimicking the colt’s movement. “Heh, I don’t think I hold that one, but I’ll let it slide this time. He winked at the pair before standing up. “Welp, I think it’s time I took you home Sweetie, It’s starting to get dark out.” “Aww, do I have to?” She asked, giving her best puppy dog eyes to Riot; penetrating his very soul with cuteness. Riot ruffled her mane with a hoof. “If you want, you can come over and play with Hunter after school. Of course, if your sister’s alright with it.” “She doesn’t care. I bet she didn’t even notice I wasn’t home today.” The filly kicked a daisy vigorously. “I’m sure she did Sweetie, she is your sister after all.” Riot cocked an eyebrow at the filly; honestly curious as to why the filly was so biased towards her own sister. Then again, it wasn’t like he was such a great role model for that. The stallion frowned at the thought. If Rarity was anything like Kepler... The filly blew a bit of her mane out of her face. “She doesn’t care about me at all, she only cares about her precious ‘job’.” She said, in a mocking tone. “I go off with my friends just so she doesn’t yell at me whenever I try to help her.” Riot frowned again before standing up. “Well, if you’re ever bored feel free to come over. I’m sure Hunter won’t mind.” The pair of foals joined him by the gate. “She can keep coming over as long as you keep teaching us all this awesome magic!” Hunter smiled up at Riot as the buck opened the gate and ushered the pair through. “Heh... alrighty, I’m going to tell your mother that I’m taking Sweetie home.” Riot trotted away from the two and into the front door. He cracked it open and hollered in. “I’m taking Sweetie home Aura! Hunter’s coming with me.” “Alright! Hurry home you two.” The mares voice echoed in from the kitchen, and the smell of fresh food gave the stallion no reason to dawdle. The little filly yawned, and started down the dirt road. “You’re the best dad ever, Mr. Venture.” She said, hugging his foreleg between her small hooves. “I try my best lass.” Riot smiled at the pair; witnessing them both yawn simultaneously, he wrapped them in his magic and placed them on his back. “I’ll handle it from here folks.” “Thanks Dad.” Hunter said, curling up on Riots back. The little filly shivered in a cold breeze, and laid down next to Hunter, closing her eyes. The Stallion carried the pair into town without incident, and he easily found Sweeties home, due to her talk about carousels earlier. He looked back at the foals on his back as he trotted up to the door. He smiled as he looked over the two sleeping forms. Riot raised his hoof up and knocked twice. There was the sound of a set of dainty hooves crossing hardwood, and the door opened. The pony who answered was a short, white unicorn, with a few bolts of fabric, a pair of scissors, and a measuring tape floating along next to her. “Why hello, Sir. Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic’ unique and magnifique.” She said, sounding like she’d said it many times that day. Even though she kept an air of dignity and poise, Riot could see the slight droop in her steps, and her magic wavering slightly from exhaustion. Riot nodded to the mare before speaking. “Evenin’ ma’am, just comin’ by to drop off Sweetie, she spent the day with Hunter here.” He motioned to the sleeping forms on his back, smiling slightly. “Oh Sweetie Belle, already found a coltfriend, I see.” She smiled down at her sister, warmth in her eyes. The filly stirred slightly in her sleep, snuggling closer to Hunter. Riot smirked at the white mare before speaking again. “Anyways, I figured I’d bring her home in time for bed, she’s already eaten dinner.” “That’s wonderful, Darling. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble, she can be a bit of a hoof-ful.” She added the filly to her already-large group of objects in her magic, she was trying in vain to hide her strain. “I can carry her to bed, it looks like you’re about ready to collapse yourself.” “No thank you, Darling, I can fare just fine myself.” She sounded confident, but her magic wavered, and a heavy bolt of fabric dropped from it. “Or maybe that would be best....” The white mare finished, passing the snoring filly gently back to Riot. “Eh, no worries lass.” Ignoring the his accent coming through, Riot placed the filly back onto his back, feeling as she nuzzled into the thick fur. “Where's her room?” The mare stopped, hearing the change in accent. “What accent is that? I don’t recognize it, and I recognize most.” She put a hoof to her chin, obviously thinking. “Last at the end of the hall.” He nodded and continued down the hall, not answering the mares question. He cracked open the door and levitated the filly onto the small bed. Pulling the covers up to her neck, he smiled at the filly before trotting out and closing the door. “She’s a good kid, and she’s a fast learner.” “She is quite the filly.” Rarity said, chuckling to herself. “Now, I recognize your accent, but I can’t place where.” Rarity cocked her head at him. “What? I’da figured Emerald Isle was a bit more common out here, but I suppose not.” Riot rolled his eyes. “I think it’s started to fall away, considering the last time I was in that part of the world it was when I met Aurora in Dublin.” Riot trotted down the hall and into the main foyer. “Aurora? You mean that new mare I see every so often? When did you meet her?” “You ever heard of the Na’cht us fre’ fla’mens?” “No, what does it mean?” The mare asked, interest piqued. “The Night of Tall Flames. Dublin burned for forty eight hours after one of the refineries blew. Half the city was coated in ash, the other half burned out of control. Then some rogue griffons figured they'd send a little attack over.” Riot sighed. “My bits are still on the chance that they were the ones who blew the refinery.” “Oh that’s just horrible!” Rarity said, putting a hoof over her mouth. “Don’t tell me you were there!” “Military support. The local fire suppression team was so hard-pressed they had ponies dropping left and right from exhaustion. Dublin called in for military aid, and my base just happened to get the call.” He looked out the window for a moment. He shook his head to dispel the memory. “Aurora was working with the fire crews, trying to keep the water talismans from exploding from duress.” The mare’s other hoof went to her mouth. Her various items floating over to a table. “Please, sit down and tell me more.” The mare patted the couch next to her with a hoof. Riot glanced at the couch, then out the window. “Sure, but I can only stay for a bit before Aurora starts asking questions.” He lifted the sleeping colt off his back and onto the soft pillow on the couch. “Aurora? You live with her? Oh that’s wonderful! And this is your little one?” She asked, ruffling the sleeping colt’s mane. “Yeah, we’ve been married for about nineteen years now.” He stroked the colts tail, causing the foal to nuzzle against his leg. “Hunter is... He’s a pretty awesome kid. Better than I was when I was his age.” “I’m sure he is; it’s so nice to see Sweetie with less destructive friends. Rarity scrunched her nose at that. “Anyways, how did you meet your wife?” Riot smirked at her from the fringe of his hair that obscured his view. “Every volunteer, military or not, fought many hard battles for two weeks. Everypony deserves a break...” He looked at the colt again before speaking. “I met Aura near some dingy beer hole that hadn’t closed. Some bucks were giving her trouble, and she was too timid to call out for help.” The mare put her hooves over her chest, listening wistfully. “Such gallantry!” She said, wiggling her rear hooves slightly. “It wasn’t all that hard. Even drunks know when to back down when they’re staring down the business end of a thirty odd six carbine with a ten inch bayonet. The pissed off guardscolt on the other end was just the icing on the proverbial cake.” Riot smirked at the thought. “Alright, maybe not the picture of a knight in shining armor, but close enough in today's day and age. I hope I can find a stallion as chivalrous.” She said, nuzzling into the couch longingly. “Aurora is a lucky mare.” “She’s definitely lucky I came along when I did, but I’m the lucky one. She decided to stick around...” Riot smiled wistfully at the memory.’ “Lovely. It was so nice talking to you, but I shouldn’t hold you up any longer. Your mare needs her knight.” The white unicorn says, waving her hoof. Something seemed to come to her mind. “I just realized I never asked you your name.” The stallion saluted lazily. “Captain Iron Venture of the REA, retired. You can call me Riot, everypony else does.” “A Captain? My my, I didn’t expect to have somepony of such rank in my humble home.” She said, looking dreamily at him. He smirked at her before shrugging. “What about you? I’m sure you’ve got quite the proper Canterlot name.” “My name is Rarity, Rarity Belle, but I’m sure Sweetie must have told you.” The mare said, standing for a curtsey, before beginning to pick up a few things in her magic. “She may have mentioned it.” Riot quickly picked up the still sleeping foal in his magic before depositing the load onto his back. He made his way for the door. “Have a good night, Mr. Venture. You must get Aurora to come see me sometime, I’d love to make a dress for her; not to mention learn more about her interesting heritage.” She said, smiling a practised businesspony smile as he left her shop. “G’night Miss Belle.” The door closed quietly behind him. Riots trot home was pleasantly uneventful, and he eventually found his way home by the time the sun completely disappeared. He unlocked the front door and trotted in. “What took you so long, Ash? Your dinner is almost cold!” The bat pony said crossly, eyeing the larger stallion. He held a hoof up to his lips, signifying silence. He cocked his head towards Hunter and smiled. “I’ll take him to bed and tuck him in. Come on Aura.” Riot started towards the colts room, then opened the door into it. He stepped cautiously over strewn about plastic blocks of death and laid the colt down on his soft bed. Riot pulled the cover over the colt, then tucked in the edges. “Good night little moon, I’ll see you when the goddess sleeps.” Aurora nuzzled the small pony, kissing his forehead affectionately. Riot closed the door silently behind himself before following the mare into the living room. “I’m sorry I took so long, I got caught up in a chat with Sweeties older sister, Rarity.” “Oh? What did she have to say?” Aurora asked, trotting into the living room next to the large stallion. Riot shrugged slightly before sitting down on the couch. “Mostly questions about us, how I met you and all that jazz.” He laid back, kicking his hooves up onto the coffee table. “She was digging for gossip.” “She has been known to do that.” Aurora tittered lightly. “She’s a nice mare, even if we haven’t been able to be properly introduced.” “She said something about bringing you by to have a dress fitted.” Riot patted the spot next to him on the couch. “Wants to know more about you.” “Really? A dress on a plain maintenance pony like me, silly.” The mare said, giving a halfhearted flap of her wings. “I will need to see her about maternity clothes though, nothing I have would fit.” Riot smiled wide, hugging the mare tightly to his chest. “I love you.” The mare sighed, rubbing a wing into him. “I know, I love you too. It’s just that....Having another foal in the house, it’s going to be hard, especially now that you’ll have to get a new job, and I’ll have to take my maternity leave in six months. We aren’t doing the greatest right now as it is.” “We just need my military pension to come in, we’ll be fine. Worse comes to worse I get a job in town.” Riot nuzzled the mare. “We’ll be fine; more than fine, actually.” “I hope so.” The bat pony nuzzled him, tufted ears wiggling. “I bet I could rent you out to mares for big bits.” She said, giggling at him. “This again? I thought I made it clear that your exotic charm was all I could ever ask for.” He nipped her tufted ear, making the mare squeak. “Unless you want to rent me to a zebra mare, I could do with more exotics.” Riot grinned slyly at Aurora. “Well, there is one......” She said, smirking at him. “I’m surprised you didn’t see the signals Cheer was laying down for you.” “Oh I saw them alright, she wasn’t as subtle as she thought she was.” Riot laid down on the couch, bringing the fidgeting mare with him. The mare bit her lip nervously. “So......what did you think of her?” He exhaled slowly before nuzzling her neck with his bearded chin. “She’s not my sexily exotic batpony.” “You didn’t answer my question.” She said, nipping his chest. “She was nice, pulled off the school teacher thing pretty well. Not so good at hiding the lust between her legs, but hey, nopony's perfect.” “Who could hide it when talking to you? You make my legs weak, can't see it being different for others around town.” Aurora said, rubbing his chest with a hoof. “What about her butt?” Riot cocked an eyebrow. “Do you have a mareboner for Cheerilee?” “I w-wouldn’t use that word.....” She said, blushing hotly, looking to the side. “I j-just think she’s....attractive, is all.” “Knew it.” Riot stood up from the couch, but as the mare started to protest, he picked her up and started to carry the featherweight mare to the bedroom. Aurora let out a breath before speaking. “Ash...We need to talk... About what happened today.” “Heard that a lot before I got kicked out of college.” Riot plopped the mare down on the bed before crawling in with her. She squeaked,but her gaze soon hardened. “Ash, what happened in the park? That wasn’t you.” The stallion frowned as he looked away. “I don’t know. That...Thing, went off, and I wasn’t there anymore.” Aurora nodded, but kept a small distance between her and her husband. Riot scowled before getting out of the bed. “I don’t know what happened. I’ve seen it a few times in some of my men, when they get too hurt, or too scared to comprehend what’s going on... We call that Shellshock. But... I wasn’t shell shocked...” He sighed heavily again. “I need to wash my face.” “Then what-” “I don’t know!” Riot snapped at her, causing the mare to pull back in fear. “I don’t know what the fuck happened, one minute I was with you, the next I was gutting some little fucker with my bay-” Riot clamped his jaw shut, and started towards the bathroom. Riot closed the door behind him, then quickly turned on the tap. He stood there for a moment, pushing his thoughts deep down into the drain. In a moment, his anger came to a boil, and his hoof went through the bathroom mirror. Aurora could hear the mirror crack, and she dug herself deeper into the bed, fearful of what was going to happen. Riot hung his head in shame, letting the droplets of blood fall into the sink from his hoof. He cursed quietly as hot tears followed the blood. She covered her head with her hooves, trying to drown out his tears. “P-please, Ash......Come back to m-me.....I need you.” She said quietly into the darkness. A grey hoof wiped across Riot nose, wiping away the blood and tears. He shut off the sink before opening the door. He looked over to the mare and shook his head. “Yeah...Yeah, I’ll be there in a second.” The mare forced a smile of relief. “Good... I’ll be waiting for you.” She smiled again as she relaxed. Within a few minutes, the bathroom door opened, and Riot trotted back out. “I uh... Slipped and hit the mirror. I’ll see about getting it replaced tomorrow.” He smiled sheepishly as he slid into bed. After a few moments of sliding about, Riot finally found a comfortable spot to be in. Aurora, despite everything, pulled herself closer, snuggling up against him. “Goodnight Ashie... I love you.” Riot clenched his eyes in pain before smiling. “Yeah, I love you too Aura.” The large stallion didn’t sleep though, not right away. His eyes stayed locked on the ceiling for fear of what would happen if he let go.