Man's Best Friend

by Flutterpriest

Part 5: The End of Heartache

The cold wind rushes against your ears as your trudge your way through the rapidly deteriorating winter weather. Placing your paws in the armpits of the sweater, you squint your eyes to avoid the oncoming assault of snowflakes. With the buildings off in the distance shrouded by the snow, it wasn't the chill of the air or the flakes that were accumulating on the shoulders of your clothes that made you feel cold. It was the look of hurt inside the eyes of Anon's wife that haunted you.

What would she do now? How could Anon be so heartless to her? Could the two of them be able to work through Anon's infidelity? Fluttershy has a baby just like you. How could she raise it all on her own? For that matter, how are you going to do it on your own?

You sigh and push yourself through the icy air as the snow accumulates in your hair. Pupsitters are expensive and you wouldn't be able to find time off work. At least, not more than whatever they would give you for maternity leave. A strong wind blows hard against you and blows sheets of frozen snow into the air. A thin icy mask forms on your face as you near the buildings of the town.

You grit your teeth and push forward through the weather. Shivering, you remember Anon's desperation as he tried to plead with his wife. He was so worried and in so much pain at the thought of his wife finding out about everything. Anon knew that when Fluttershy found out, nothing would be the same anymore. Yet, that didn't stop you from coming to break the news to them.

You've ruined everything. Again.

The wind rages against you, forcing you to pause and hide your face from the blustery wind. That seems to be all you are good for anymore. Ruining things.

You ruined your father's life. You ruined your family's life. You ruined Anon's marriage.

Pushing forward, the wind pushes you off guard and you lose your balance. For a split second, the world shifts into slow motion. You fall face forward into the snow, but quickly twist your body to avoid falling on your stomach. The side of your head strikes a patch of ice forcing you to let out an involuntary yelp. Tears form in your eyes as the snow falls on you.

Nothing will ever be the same. That was the perfect way of describing it. But in a sense, nothing had changed. You lie in the cold snow, just outside of Ponyville. If only someone were there for you, to help you through this, then maybe it wouldn't be so hard. Maybe someone to tell you what to do or how to persevere.

Yet, nobody is there. Nobody was ever there.

The rushing wind chills you to the bone as you watch the flickering lights from the buildings ahead of you. The world is a cold place. The world is a dark place. What was the point anymore? The cold snow covers you like a blanket, tucking you into a soft sleep.

You're so tired. Your bones hurt. Your heart hurts. What's the point of going through the same painful, meaningless existence day after day? What's left for you? Just as you are about to shut your eyes, that's when you feel the warmth in your stomach. The warmth that pressures you to push on.

You can't afford to think like that, Ruby. Sure, the world has been cruel to you. Sure, things have been hard. In the end, it's all going to be how you react to it. You pushed yourself away from the cruelty. You foraged yourself a new life.

Opening your eyes, you look out at the blizzard that tries to hold you down. But, as the world around you grows cold, one thing remains the same. Deep down inside you, there is a warmth. A warmth that grows inside you. A warmth that will become new life. A life that counts on you. So how are you going to handle it, Ruby? Are you going to stand up and push forward? Are you going to try and make the best of the hand you've been given? Or are you going to lie here in the cold snow and cry like a little bitch?

Placing a paw on the ground, you push yourself up to your knees. This is your life. Your life gives your child life. Nothing else matters.

Rising up on your own two feet, you clench your paws and push forward through the wind. Sometimes you just have to do what's best for you. One step at a time, you enter Ponyville. As you enter the street of buildings, the tall buildings cut off some of the harshness of the wind. You can do this.

Today, you are a mother. It's not just about doing what's best for you anymore. You have to do what's best for your pup. Which means you cannot give up. Not here. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

You probably won't ever be able to interact with Anonymous or Fluttershy ever again, but that's okay. They have their lives to live and you have yours. What is most important is keeping yourself and your pup alive. Not how Anonymous could be so horrible to you and Fluttershy and not how they are able to save their marriage. They have to deal with that on their own.

You don't have time to feel sorry for yourself anymore. You can't waste a single moment of your precious time worrying about something you can't control. Pushing past the town square, you push through the weather as if it were a beautiful summer day. The only thing you can do now is make your life the best it can possibly be. Not just yours, but for your pup.

Then, for the first time in months, a smile curls on your face. None of them matter anymore. It's just you and your pup now. No more Anon. No more guilt looming over your head. You won't have to spend another sleepless night wondering if he's going to come back for you, because it doesn't matter.

It's not a matter of if you can, or if you can't.

You have to.

It's going to be hard, but your mother did it for you. If your mother could do it for you, you can do it for your pup. And if you can be even half the mother that yours was to you, then you will be a great mother. Pushing forward, a new feeling washes over you as you make the last turn to your home.

A feeling of weightlessness and joy. It was as if a massive weight that you carried your whole life was suddenly lifted at that very moment. A feeling of freedom that made you stand straighter and realize that no matter how hard it gets, it's going to be okay.

Your new yellow friend gave you more than just the ability to keep on living tonight. She gave you the ability to live again.

"Hey!" you hear called from behind you though the screaming wind. It was faint, but you could just barely hear it. Turning around, you see the tall stature of a man running through the snow.

Stifling an angry groan, you turn forward and push towards home. Of course it would be him. You just need to get inside. The spare key should be under the mat. Maybe you can get in and lock it before he catches up.

"Hey! Ruby!" Anon calls out to you in the storm.

You quicken your pace, pushing through the storm to get home. Your muscles burn as you try persevere through the icy weather. Anon is the last person you wanted to see. You don't need him. All he has ever done is made your heart and soul hurt. What could he possibly do for you now?

You close the distance to your home, leaving a boot print path straight to your doorway. Reaching under your mat, you grab your spare key and quickly shove it into your door. Unlocking the door, you swing it open and step inside. As you turn to close it, you see Anon jogging through the weather holding your coat and bag. Anger swells in your chest and you grit your teeth. A fire burns in your eyes, seeing the one person who has caused you so much pain over the last few months. His eyes lock with yours and he bee-lines for you.

"Ruby, wait!" he calls to you.

You cannot let this human into your life again. Your paw grips the door and pushes it closed, a faint hint of joy builds in your soul at the thought of finally locking him out of your life for forever. Yet, the door slams into a shoe as Anon places his foot in the doorway.

"Ruby, please-" he pleads.

"Go away, Anonymous," you growl at him. "You've already done enough."

"I just want to try and make things right," he calls to the inside of your cold, unlit home. You push the door against his foot, but he doesn't budge from his spot.

"After two months of nothing? Absolutely nothing?!" you growl at him. "There is no making things right anymore." Anon sighs as the wind blows outside and snowflakes breeze into your home.

"Your right. I can't make things right. I was horrible. I was horrible to you. I was horrible to my wife," he stated, his tone down and full of regret. You stand on the other side of the door as he leans against it. "I've ruined everything; my life, my marriage. I don't know where to even start to pick up the pieces, but the least that I could do is to try and ensure I don't ruin anyone else's in the process. Like the children," he says solemnly.

The silence between the two of you if only filled by the blowing wind outside.

"Can we just... talk about this? It's Hearth's Warming Eve. I have nowhere to go now," he muttered.

"That's not my problem," you snapped. "You only have yourself to blame for this mess." Anon remains silent as you push against the door.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was so harsh to you. I'm sorry I abandoned you," he whispered.

"It's too late for apologies now," you spat back.

A fire burned inside you as you pushed harder against the door. Why won't he just go? Why won't he just leave you in peace? All you want to do is just live your life on your own now. You don't need his help. You don't need anyone's help. A growl develops in the back of your throat as he sighs.

"Can we at least talk about the baby?" he asks, unwilling to accept to defeat.

Your teeth grit in defense and push against the door harder. "What about my baby," you barked.

"I just wanna help," he responded.

He wants to help? You rip open the door and it slams against the wall of your home. Anon stumbles as he loses his balance, then stands to look at you. That was it. That was the last straw.

"You want to help? You want to help?! I was doing just fine before you came along," you roared at him, your face reddening and contorting by the second. Your paws ball into fists as your voice cracks, unable to handle the pure dose of rage that you deliver with every word. Leaning towards him in an act of aggression, you scream louder. "Before you showed up, everything was great! Then you had to trounce on in and ruin everything. You made me feel like I was worth something. You made me feel like I had a purpose. Then you just disappeared without a trace. Do you have any idea what that was like?" you thunder at him.

A fire burns into an inferno in your crimson eyes as he watches you with his own hollow, dead expression. "I waited for you. I waited for days. Then I went to find you. I searched for MONTHS. Then I find out I was some sort of filthy one night stand for you. Some sort of mistake that you were trying to cover up. Do you have any idea what that's like? To go from feeling loved to being someone's dirty secret? Diamond Dogs may be mean, but at least we stay loyal to the ones we love!" you bark at him.

His posture slouches as he stares at the ground, taking your beating without a word of defense. He knows he deserves it. His regret is written all over his face. "Now, you just want to come back here and HELP?" you roar. "What is wrong with you? I don't want your help. I don't want anything to do with you. I just want to set my sights on raising this child the best I can on my own."

The wind blows against Anon as he stands like a statue outside your home. He looks back up at you, with some faint little glimmer of hope in his eyes. His face is covered in frost and the red in his cheeks slowly begins to turn blue as a thin layer of snow forms on his frame. The snow blows even wilder and accumulates on the ground even thicker than before.

"You don't have to do it alone," he stated.

This is it. The coup de grace. With one more phrase, you could destroy him and remove him from your life completely. You open your mouth to spit one final string of acid into his eyes, but you pause. The warmth inside you causes you to stop. Is this really the right thing to do?

It's not just about doing what's best for you anymore. You have to do what's best for your pup. Every bone in your body wants to destroy that glimmer of hope in his eyes. But is that what you want to teach your child? Do you want to show them that the world is a cold and cruel place? Your mouth closes and your fists unfurl.

"Can we just talk about this?" he asks weakly.

He looks down to your coat and bag, as you feel the snow melting into your sweater. Your muscles tense in anger. No, we can't talk about this. Go away and never come back. With a heavy sigh, you look back at him. His body shivers in the cold weather that seems to only be getting worse.

Are you really that cruel?

You snatch the bag and coat from Anon's hands and step aside. "Fine," you reply. "Just stop letting the cold into my house."

Shaking your head in disbelief of your own actions, he steps inside. Closing the door behind him, he steps in and looks around at the surroundings that he last tried to escape so quickly.

"T-thanks," he stutters through chattering teeth.

"Well, take off your coat. I can't have you go out into your death. You will have to stay the night," you sigh.

He gently takes off his coat and places it on a hook near the door. Having him in your home again instantly gives you a migraine unlike any other you've experienced. You need a drink. On the other hand, you are pregnant and alcohol isn't an option.

Heading to the kitchen, you search your cupboards until you find a few old teabags sitting in an old box. Your eyes move to Anon as he stands around awkwardly in your home. You quickly give the bags a sniff. They smell like tea, rather than dust, mold or any other foreign substance. Looks like they will have to do. Grabbing a kettle, you fill it with water and set it on the stove to warm up.

"You wanted to talk. Let's talk," you state bluntly. Anon places a hand on the back of his neck as he slowly paces.

"Well, what now?" he asks you.

"What do you mean, 'what now'?" you ask him forcefully.

"How are we going to handle this?" he asks with blank expression, walking closer to you.

"Handle what? My baby?" you ask in disbelief.

"Yeah," he clarifies. You fold your paws and stand up straight.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear, Anonymous," you growled. "You will not set one foot near my child until I say so. Do you understand?"

Anon takes a step back, shock covering his face. "What? You can't do that," he thunders.

"Oh? Why not?" you reply. "It's my child. My choice. I don't want you near my pup,"

Anon opens his mouth, but turns away with a groan. "I'm just of a part of that baby as you are, Ruby," Anon replies, trying hard to suppress some form of anger.

Your expression remains rigid and firm as you calmly reply back. "Except you abandoned me, Anonymous. I can't trust you. If I can't trust you, how can I allow you near a child?" you reply matter-of-factly.

He turns back to you and raises his hands in the air. "I said I was sorry!" he exclaims.

"Well sorry isn't going to cut it!" you bark back at him. "Your wife kicked you out and now you come running back over to me, because you think that if you can come over here and play nice that maybe I will forgive you-"

"I didn't come back here for you! Christ!" he shouts at you, his face burning red and throwing his hands on the ground. "I'm here to try and work things out for the kid's sake." Anon breathes heavily as he looks at you with anger.

Turning away from you, he rubs his forehead and walks out of the kitchen and into the living room. Good. You didn't want to be near him right now anyway.

Returning your attention to the kettle of water, your mind reels with options. The good news is that he isn't here for you. That's good, because you have no interest in him. At all.

And you aren't just telling yourself that.

You should probably go talk to him. Turning to the living room, you stop. You could wait until the tea is done...

That sounds a lot more appealing.

With a sigh, your brow furrows and stare at the metal kitchen utensil. This also gives you the chance to calm down before you try to talk to him again. If he said one more thing to upset you... you couldn't be held responsible for your actions. You could use something warm to calm your nerves. Looking down at the few packets of tea that you have, you examine them carefully. Fluttershy's tea was good. You wonder if there was some sort of secret to the tea she made.

With a sigh, the answer invades your mind. It was probably love. The fact she made it with love made it taste better. She also probably didn't use mystery teabags that had been sitting in the back of a cupboard. Maybe you could at least make it a little fancier.

Looking into your ice box, you find some cranberries that had been sitting for awhile from a stray craving that made you buy them at the store. Pulling them out, you look into your spice cupboard and grab some honey and cinnamon. Grabbing two mugs, you place them on the counter and place a few berries in each, with a stick of cinnamon and a little honey. Returning your attention to the water, which slowly warms up to the proper temperature.

He really seems to only want to be in the child's life.

But there are still unsettled questions. Where is Fluttershy and him at? If he does help you, where does that leave him with Fluttershy's child? How do you know that if she doesn't take him back, that he wouldn't leave you high and dry again later. Just like last time. You shake your head and take a deep breath. The best thing to do is to never get reliant on it in the first place.

If you got used to his help and he just disappeared again, you would have to go through all the steps of becoming independent again... You need to stick up for yourself, Ruby. The only person who can do this is you. Steam slowly begins to escape the nozzle of the kettle and you take the metal container off the heat before the whistle could hurt your ears.

Pouring some water into the two mugs you prepared, you place the bags in and watch it's essence begin to brew. This is it, Ruby. This is your defining moment as an adult. Can you go into there and have a serious conversation with Anon about how to raise this child? Taking the two mugs, you stand up straight and take a deep breath. You sure hope so.

Moving slowly to the living room, as to not spill a drop, you notice Anon sitting on a beat up sofa that you claimed when someone was going to throw it out. You hold the mug in front of him and he gently takes it.

"Thank you," he whispers.

"Are you cold?" you ask quietly. "I have fur, so I tend to keep it cold in here to keep the bills down.

"Yeah, a little," he answers, warming his hands with the heat from the mug.

"I'll get you a blanket. You'll need one to sleep on the couch anyway," you add.

Setting your mug down on a table near your reading chair, which was on the opposite side of the room as Anon, you move to your room to get a blanket. Opening your closet, you look to the top shelf, where the blankets were. Standing on your tip toes, you reach up and pull down a few.

Pulling on a thick blue blanket, it falls down to the floor along with a smaller light blue blanket that comes with it. Picking up the smaller of the two blankets, you examine it closely. It was the same blanket that you had when you were a child. With a gentle smile, you fold it up and place it back where it was. You know exactly who will be getting that as soon as they are born.

Grabbing the larger blanket you sigh and head back out to the hallway and return to the living room. Standing beside him, he sits gently on the tea you made for him.

"Here," you offer to him, extending the blanket in your arms.

"Oh, thanks," he says, taking it and wrapping his legs in a protective pocket of warmth.

Turning away from him, you move to your reading chair and recline into it. Taking your own mug of tea, you gently sip the contents and look up to him.

"So, what else is there to say?" you ask him.

Anon holds his tea in his hands and looks down at the contents. You can recognize the look he wears as he stares into his reflection in the liquid.

"I want to be a part of the child's life. Somehow," he says.

With a sigh, you lean back in your chair and try to keep an open mind. The answer sits on the tip of your tongue. No. Never going to happen.

"Why?" you ask patiently.

Anon looks up to you, realizing this might be the only chance he gets all day. Carefully, he chooses his words before he opens his mouth.

"Because the children, yours and Fluttershy's, are the only people I haven't hurt yet. The very least that I could do is try and be a good father," he answers quietly. He looks up at you with that same glimmer of hope in his eyes. Ugh. Why does he have to have a good reason? Why can't he just be gone?

"How do I know you won't hurt mine too?" you ask him, staring daggers into his eyes.

He looks around the room."Well, I don't have any experience with being a father. At all. It's going to be hard. I'll probably mess up," he says. "But, it's better than if I didn't do anything at all."

You open your mouth to reply, but close it as your eyes move to the floor. He has a great point. How do you even know that you will be a good mother?

Snap out of it, Ruby.

You cannot afford to not be a good mother. With a sigh, you rise from your seat and move across the room, at a loss for your next question. Then, his wife pops into your head again.

"What about Fluttershy's baby?" you ask while looking away from him. Anon looks back up to you.

"Why would one get favoritism over the other?" he asks sincerely.

"Oh, well. I dunno, maybe she was your wife or something," you snap back. His gaze returns to the floor as he slouches in his couch and shakes his head.

"This was the straw that broke the camel's back. I doubt there is going to be any going back to any sort of normal after today," he answers. You stop in your tracks and turn to face him directly.

"So, that's it? You are just going to give up?" you ask in surprise. He looks back up at you with a stern look of shock.

"What else am I going to do? Stamp back in and ask for forgiveness?" he asks you in an offended tone.

"Weren't you just saying that it would be better to do something than nothing at all?" you intentionally attempt to use his words against him.

He opens his mouth to shoot back a retort, but comes up with nothing and his gaze returns to the floor. "Knowing her, I might be lucky to see the child once in a blue moon. If I'm lucky, maybe be a babysitter. That is, if her friends are all busy. She is very protective of the ones she loves," he replies. "This might be my only chance to be the father these kids deserve." Anon looks back up to you with the same gaze a homeless filly would wear when asking for a piece of bread. "Please. Can I at least have a chance?" he asks quietly.

You look down at him and try to envision the scene in your head. Anon seeing the pup once or twice a week to play in the park, under your supervision. Maybe he helps him with his homework. Perhaps he watches him while you are at work. That would definitely solve the babysitter problem. All you would have to do is leave your only child with him, while you are out of sight for eight or more hours a day.

An involuntary growl rests in your lungs and your muscles tense at the thought. There is no way you could allow that to happen. You don't trust Anon. That's it. That is all there is to it. The only way to restore that trust is to give him a chance. You look at him dead in the eyes as you sigh.

"I can't," you say selfishly. He looks back to the ground as the glimmer finally fades. "I can't trust you, Anon," you reply. "You hurt me so much that I didn't even want you to come inside my home. I wanted to leave you in the cold to fend for yourself, but I couldn't do that with a good conscience."
You shake your head and return to the chair. "If I can't trust you, then I can't have you around my child. I just can't."

He nods and covers his face with his hands.

"How can I begin to gain your trust?" he asks desperately.

You remain silent as you watch his body begin to shudder. Maybe the events from today have all finally began to crush down on him. You have to be strong. This isn't just for you anymore. Your child deserves to be watched by those that you can trust. A moment passes before Anon opens his mouth to speak again.

"Right. I understand," he says with a sigh, trying to sit back up straight. "I just... I just don't know what to do from here." He looks back up to you with a faint smile. "I suppose that doesn't matter to you though, huh?" he asks sarcastically. "All that matters is doing the right thing for the baby."
You open your mouth to correct him, but his words ring true. "Well, I suppose the best thing to do at this point is to wait out the storm," he says. "I dunno about you, but I just feel drained."

With a quiet nod, you rise from your chair and grab your mug of tea. "You can stay the night, but-"

"I'll be gone in the morning. I'll leave you and the baby alone," he interrupts. "If that's what you really want."

A moment of silence confirms his suspicion. Your muscles tense and the back of your throat feels as if it had swollen shut as you try to find something to say.

"In that case, thank you, Ruby," he says, laying down on the couch and closing his eyes. He covers himself with the blanket and lays on his side, facing the inside of the couch.

"You're welcome," you reply to him.

Quietly, you move to the hallway and into your room. Closing the door behind you, you freeze and carefully think over the words that you said. You got what you wanted. Your baby is all yours. Anon won't interfere. This is perfect.

This is exactly what you wanted.

Then why do your muscles hurt? Why do you feel so guilty? You turn to your closed door. Placing your paw on the handle, you think to yourself that maybe it isn't too late. Maybe you can work things out. He's back here. Isn't this all you wanted to begin with? Your chest burns and you close your eyes as you remember how you felt being held in his arms on the bed that sat just behind you. The paw on the door handle trembles.

Then turns the knob... and locks it.

There is no going back. You can't trust him. Moving to the bed, you lay down and wrap yourselves under the covers that had long since lost his scent that kept you awake at night and filled you with heartache. You will just have to eat through the guilt. Everyone makes mistakes in life. Yet, while a part of you wonders if doing this is a mistake, you can at least ensure those mistakes that others make will not be made on your pup. Closing your eyes, that restful thought gently lulls you to sleep. Your pup will have a better life. That's all that matters.

---

Your eyes open to streaming sunlight coming in through the bedroom windows. Sitting up in bed, you look around your room. Rising to your paws, you grab a pair of sweats and a sweater and throw them on as you re-approach your bedroom door. Alright, Ruby. You have to kick him out.

He isn't your responsibility. This is the final step. Placing a paw on the door, you take one last deep breath. You can do this.

Turning the knob, you pull the door and it slowly squeaks open. You tip toe down the hallway, your hair surely a complete mess, however, you couldn't take a shower with him in the house. It might send the wrong message. As you return to your living room, you find the blanket sitting folded on the couch, with a small note and a small pouch. Approaching the blanket, you pick up the card to find a note in scrawled cursive.

"It's not much, but should at least help you make ends meet for awhile. Let the hospital know I will cover all expenses-"

You crumple the note and toss it across the room without reading the rest.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, Anonymous?" you growl under your breath. "I'm not some damsel in distress that you need to save."

Grabbing the blanket, you stamp across the hallway as your blood begins to boil. That was it. That was the final straw. He thinks that you can't do this all by yourself? Well, you can show him. You can prove it to all of them. Who needs Anon?

Him leaving was the best thing that could possibly happened.

"UURGH!" you groan as you toss the blanket onto your unmade bed with a lot more force than you should. "I'm going to be a great mother and I will do this all by myself."

You take a deep breath and try to ease your temper. He's just trying to help. He was trying to be kind and stay out of your hair. Rubbing your temples with your paws you try to get a bearing on what the right thing to do is now. You take slow measured steps from your bedroom to your bathroom, where you look at yourself closely in the mirror.

While your golden brown hair remained the same, as well as your crimson eyes, the reflection seemed to have a different appearance than the Ruby you saw in your tea yesterday. Yesterday, you nearly ended everything permanently. Today, you finally broke free. A smile curls on your face. You're free.

No more Anon. No more Fluttershy. All that's left is for you to live your own life. You won't let your troubled past tell you that you can't anymore. There isn't a single female in Equestria that could be a better mother to this child than you can.

Looking deep into your own eyes, you look over the new version of yourself that you've become. The first thing to do, is to wash away all of tears, sweat and pain of the least two months. Shedding your clothes, you turn the water to warm and return to the mirror. As you wait for the water to reach the proper temperature, a part of you wonders if your own mother looked at herself in the mirror and wondered the same thoughts that ran through your mind.

With a slight chuckle, you take a step back. You suppose, at the end of the day, that doesn't matter. No matter what, one thing is for certain. You will make your mother proud by raising this child, just like she did for you.

Comments

[not original for names]

You go, Ruby!

[Artemis Kuma]

Not to be that guy, but I found that you've used the wrong 'faint' at least a couple times. Always accompanied by a smile.

Faint: A) To pass out or lose consciousness
B) Weak, small, hardly there or visible

Feint: To decieve, as though to go one direction, then suddenly go another direction.

Wonderful story though. I was waiting on this. :)

[Red Bomber]

It doesn't matter how kind you are, it doesn't matter if you're apparently the nicest guy on the planet, cheating is still cheating, there is no forgiveness, except for maybe trying to fix it immediately (having no sex with the person you're cheating with would greatly help in that regard too) instead of hiding it, but even still it's a 99% unforgivable act. Because in the end, the mistake wasn't the fact the act was made, the mistake is that the girls trusted you and you betrayed them.

Though I have to ask what exactly did he do that night to make her love him so much that caused all of this, if I was him I would want to know how I acted when I was drunk, even though I'll never drink again and live in misery until I can find a way to pick myself back up. It's just that it's pretty sad that this is probably the only Diamond Dog x human story that I'll probably only end up finding and it's about a guy who accidently cheats on a pony with one of them.

[Peacekeeper]

hell yeah ruby stick up to fucking anon! poor fluttershy though i really hope anon gets what he deserves. luckily shes friends with the mane 6.

[CorvusGhost]

That's why in horse land you toss societal morality to the wind and let carnal instinct take control. No love, only lust. Don't start relationships, live the good life.

[Hyper Matter]

Where's the option to choke all of these characters. Hilariously enough, Anon did the least wrong here. He and Ruby are mostly just victims of circumstance.

Edit: Actually, just choke Fluttershy and Ruby. The more I think about it, the more I dislike them. Fuck saying "Poor Ruby" or "Poor Fluttershy". Poor Anon. He got driven to his wits end by an overbearing woman who demanded that he dissolve his social circle be she wasn't fond of his friends (we don't even know anything about them), made one mistake (because of her pressure), and that mistake came back to bite his ass off. And Ruby? Oh, Ruby. I felt bad for you until you threatened Anon's right to visitation and custody of his child. I've seen this song and dance way too much. Angry, vindictive women using a child to dig into the hearts of men who want to be genuine, loving fathers.

Then you have Anon, the Fucking Trooper. Dude basically shouldered every fault for every party and never even brought up what they did. He ain't even call Ruby on her bullshit and just let her have it. He never brought up how he hurt or his issues beyond the first argument with Fluttershy. I mean, the moment he saw the situation he just came clean even though Ruby might not have ever said anything.

What a trooper.