Chapter 12 (Daddy's Home)
Who the fuck even are you anymore!? What excuse is there for any of that shit!? Are you that soft now, or are you just that fucking stupid!? How are you just going to put up with that!? You- who has lied, cheated, stolen- and even come back from the fucking dead twice! You can do all of that, but you can't be a fucking man for one minute and fight back against that fucking horsefly!? You're that fucking scared of her. When did you turn into such a pansy ass? Why are you putting up with all of this bullshit!?
Nothing feels right anymore. Nearly two hours of comforting and reassurance did nothing to calm the wayward human even a little. In fact, it almost seemed to make him worse. At some point the girls thought it would be best to give him some space in hopes that it might give him time to process it all. However, their departure was only as helpful as their presence. Locked away in the room, literally, he sits as everything plays out over and over in his head. Rusty's mind has always been his worst enemy, but this is so much worse than just the screaming. His body is shaking, his eyes filled with tears and his teeth clenched as his heart pounds in his chest. He feels wrong, as if there is a toxic venom surging through his veins. It's leaving him breathless, he cannot help but to pant for air. Each intake feels as though he's sucking in smoke, burning his insides and slowly choking him out while sweat beads out from his skin. The room feels hot, like everything around him is burning.
I get it, you don't want to be an asshole anymore, but even you have to admit it! There is a fine line between being a complete prick and standing up for yourself! In our world, we didn't take shit from anyone! Ever since we got sucked here you've let these fucking women break you down, hit you and now you're letting that flaming, faggot-haired cunt just walk away like that!? After all the bullshit she has put us through!? And with the daughter you were so fucking ready to let in and baby like some fucking helicopter mom, no less!
Rusty's hands jump to his head, gripping his skull like a vice. He bites his lip as he silently sobs to himself, blood pouring from the open wound that's forming in his face from his teeth slowly digging into his own flesh. The internal conflict is pushing him to his very limit. He knows better than to let himself be claimed by this emotion, but the strength of it right now is nearly unbearable, almost more than he can handle. Many years of bottling and learning to bury this hatred seems to be working against him as he feels as though all he's repressed is going batshit crazy; Pounding on old drywall, easily punching holes into the structure that makes up this shell that's served as a solid container over his years of traveling. The more he thinks about it, the worse it gets. Something about all of this is undoing years and years of conditioning and change he's brought upon himself with the help of his new family. Even thinking of them makes him feel pathetic, like he should be doing more. He wants to break free from this, to stand up and see Dash, to try and talk things out properly. However, he doesn't dare move a muscle out of fear it may just open up the door to something horrible.
You've turned into a pathetic, fucking pussy that can't even stand his own ground! Look at you; Sitting on your ass like some kind of cripple with no fucking mobility in his legs! You didn't do anything! You just laid there when she hit you and let her leave! Then what? You locked yourself in this room and started crying like a bitch! Even our own father would have at least thrown a fucking table! You're no better than him, you useless sack of shit!
"Shut up!"
And thus, the final line has been crossed. At the mention of being like his father, worse in fact, Rusty finally snaps. Launching to his feet, the man throws himself into the wall, his fists meeting with the crystal over and over again. If not for his blind rage, he would be impressed at the fact that he was actually chipping away at the solid structure as he swings at it with no signs of stopping. He would also take notice of the sound of bones cracking, the feeling of sharp pain shooting through his knuckles and rocketing into his forearms, the blood splatters on the wall as the sharp structure tears into his skin each time his balled up fists connect. This continues for a short time before he finally pulls himself back, panting from the exertion. However, the rage has still yet to subside and his energy is still dangerously high. He finds himself searching the room for something, anything to take it out on.
Rusty's eyes settle on a hanging mirror and that anger is born anew as he gawks at a man who is broken, a man who did nothing as his daughter was taken from him, a man who looks all too similar to the very one that abandoned him so long ago. For just the briefest moment, his reflection shifts. He can see that man now staring back at him; Not much older than himself, wearing his clothes and just silently staring back with a mirrored look of hatred and disgust. The human's breathing quickens and he charges the mirror, wasting no time putting his already wounded fist through the glass. It shatters on impact, the pieces scattering and falling onto the floor. Dropping to his knees, his assault continues on the shards beneath him.
"Where were you, huh!? Where the fuck were you!?" Rusty screams at the tiny reflections staring back at him, his anger forcing him to beat his fists against the broken bits laid out haphazardly in front of him. "I needed you and you weren't there! Why!? You let her walk away with me and just fucking left! You didn't even try!" Years of repressed feelings and hatred toward a figure that was never there began to surface like dead bodies in a lake. A hurricane of emotions that were once sucked down to the depths of his mind being spat back out into his face as he pounds his fists into the floor. "Fuck you! Fuck you! You fucking coward! Coward! COWARD!!!"
Rusty comes to a dead stop, his heart thumping loudly in his chest as his fist hovers beside his own head. Unlike the mirror, with its shards all broken and scattered about, the pieces were beginning to fall into place and suddenly the world made sense again. It hurts to think about, but now he could understand; The anger at what happened, the reason he couldn't let it go or move past it. History was repeating itself in its own fucked up way. His hands lose the will to stay balled and his arms drop, his head tilting back as he looks up at the ceiling as if staring up at a God who was clearly mocking him.
"No more..."
I beg your pardon?
"I said; no more, god dammit!" Rusty, filled with newfound determination, pushes himself back onto his feet. The adrenaline is still pumping, but fury is the very last thing he is feeling. He is angry, but this is different; This isn't violent, this isn't unbridled rage seeking a target to dominate. This is a special kind of anger; one that he finds hard to describe. "I'm not as bad as I once was, that much I'm proud of. But, I'm no fucking coward. I came here to right the wrongs I made and I'll be damned if I don't do exactly that."
His vision lowers as his sights focus back onto the carnage on the floor. Still, in those reflective shards, he can see that face. It's a face he saw very few times in his life and it's one he's grown to despise. "I'm better than you ever were. I know that for a fact and I'm gonna prove it." Rusty turns his attention to a nearby window. He's been around this town more times than he can bother to count and he memorized an escape route for every building he ever entered, as some of his previous escapades can speak toward. If only Twilight knew just how familiar he was with the castle's exterior. Casually, his feet begin to move toward the window, carrying him with pride. "I refuse to make the same mistakes you did, you son of a bitch."
It's about time you grew a pair. You ready to raise a little hell, huh? Maybe burn down half the town while we're at it? These fucks have it coming.
"Not gonna happen." Rusty says with a nod as his blood-coated hands find their way to the very edges of the window.
The fuck do you mean by that?
There's an audible click as he finds the latch and gives it a tug. The window slowly swings outward as he gives it a push, opening the room up a bit to the world outside of the castle. He takes a breath as a gust of wind blows in, feeling his nerves finally beginning to settle. "Ryan senior; Alcoholic who walked out on his own son. Ryan junior; Alcoholic that got told to fuck off by a psycho bitch and did so without even blinking. Ryan the third; Alcoholic womanizer that abandoned his friends and loved ones because he was a selfish asshole."
Stop fucking monologuing and get to the point!
"I was a lot of things! A lot of bad things, but I'm not like that anymore! I am not going to be that person ever again!" Reaching out, Rusty grips the now open window pane. His knuckles crack slightly, causing him to wince as the adrenaline masking his pain seems to be wearing off. Still refusing to back down, he tightens his grip and pulls himself onto the ledge, looking down at the bizarre, tall structure beneath him that led to the earth below. "I'm not a monster; Not anymore. I'm Rusty...and I'm gonna do this my way."
On that note, Rusty grabs his hood and throws it up over his head before beginning his descent.
Meanwhile, a very uncomfortable looking Fluttershy is holding her position on the other side of the locked door. Having been instructed to simply stay there and make sure Rusty does not leave until he has calmed down, there she stands. With all of the commotion and screaming, she was starting to get worried. That worry was amplified when she heard, what sounded like, glass breaking. While her kind nature dictates that she go in there and make sure he is okay, her natural timid state keeps her from doing so. She has since rationalized her fears by reminding herself that she was supposed to make sure he does not leave the room and opening the door would likely compromise that mission and upset her friends as a result.
That thought does help to ease her nerves. Not by much, but it's better than nothing. The yellow pegasus is still shaking ever so slightly from the noises she heard just moments ago. Rusty hasn't been back long and she hadn't really gotten the chance to get to know this new version of him, but she could feel how genuine he was back in their meeting room when they had him encased in that magical barrier. This outburst seems so much like the old Ryan, not the Rusty they were speaking to earlier. On one hand, she is worried that he could be regressing rapidly for some reason. On the other, it does help reaffirm that this creature is indeed the same human they once called Ryan and not some kind of imposter.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Fluttershy notices how quiet it's suddenly gotten. Even after they left and he was just on the bed trembling, she could hear his heavy breathing throughout her time keeping watch. Cautiously, she moves in and presses an ear to the door. She can hear something, but it doesn't sound like him. It sounds like wind; a soft and gentle breeze coming through from somewhere, causing only a minor disturbance to the objects within the room. She pulls back and debates opening the door to see if he is alright, but fear still grips her heart and she cannot find the strength to go through with it.
Fluttershy faces the door and closes her eyes, clenching them shut as if trying to keep something from escaping from them. "Come on, Fluttershy!" She says in a voice just above a whisper, hoping to give herself the motivation she needs to move forward. "You've got this! You're a big pony, you're strong and you're brave!"
Opening her eyes, the mare takes a step forward and reaches out for the door handle. "Ryan never did anything to hurt you. He is a good...man. He's a good man and he would never hurt you." She says to no one in particular, trying to convince herself that doing this would be fine. That no bad would come from it. "Especially now. He's changed! He said so himself. So...just do it!" Gripping the handle, the pegasus steels her resolve and twists before pushing the door open. A sharp intake of air, the gentle wind hitting her face, the door swinging open to reveal a room lacking any life.
Fluttershy's eyes go dead as she stares at the room, noticing a disturbing lack of human. Her heart sinks to the bottom of her stomach as she becomes reacquainted with failure. She had one job; make sure Rusty does not leave the room. That's all she had to do! And yet, here she stands, staring into the vacant bedroom and not a single hair of him to be found. Her panic is only fueled as her eyes settle on the open window, her instincts driving her to flare her wings and fly over to it as fast as she can. Reaching the impromptu exit, the mare looks down at the ground from the open window, spotting a number of ponies going about their daily commute below. And still, no Rusty to be seen.
With her heart weighing heavy and tears threatening to escape from her eyes, Fluttershy quickly turns tail and flies out of the room. She zips unnaturally quick through the halls as she calls out for aid, for her friends. She had failed once already and she would not allow that failure to multiply by delaying. With nothing but dread filling her chest, she finally finds the ponies she was looking for and breaks down.
How the hell do you steer this thing!?
"Shit!"
Rusty falls to his side, crashing into the edge of the basket- which he can only assume is wicker. His body curls over the ledge, leaving him face to face with a very long fall back to the earth. His insides tighten as he forces himself back up, grabbing onto a rope that hangs down into the center of his chariot from hell. Having forgotten what that particular rope was attached to, the force of his pull ignites a flame above him and his ride suddenly starts going up even further into the sky. He glances up, then down at his hand. His eyes widen as he releases the rope. This being his first ever time being in a hot air balloon, he's at a complete loss and is completely out of control as the wind carries him every which way. And, from the looks of it, there's no way of actually being able to manually control the thing.
What kind of fucking psycho designed this thing!?
"I don't know!" Rusty replies in a panic as the oddly conflicting winds send the balloon one way and the basket another. This is something that he does take note of whilst falling and doing a half somersault into the one of the wicker walls. Letting out a groan, he reaches for the edge and grabs hold, pulling himself back to his feet. "Why is the wind going different directions at the time!?"
How the hell should I-
...I have an idea! Cooperate and you MIGHT just survive!
Against his better judgement, Rusty submits and grabs onto the rope that had nearly given him a panic attack not even two minutes ago. With a tug, the flame above him ignites and he is going up once more. The crazy winds seem to be a lot more stable as he goes up a few more feet, only pushing him in one direction. His hand releases the rope and he takes this moment to actually observe and take in his surroundings. Judging from the position of Ponyville, he was blown around in circles for a bit, but he wasn't too far off course, that much he can tell when his sights finally lock onto the floating cloud-house about a mile from his current position.
Bitch-Face McFuckstick is due one mile South of us. Unfortunately for you, we're being blown to the East. Hope you got Mother Nature on speed dial, cause I sure shit-...Well fuck me running.
Somehow, someway, something miraculous happened. A power gust of wind suddenly swoops by, pushing the balloon toward the cloud house. Rusty, who was previously kicking himself for not having a way to get to his destination, is now in shock at the event. This was on a level beyond strange and it is far too convenient to simply be a coincidence. Even so, he's not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. As the balloon hovers toward the humble homestead of his former lover, he notices...that they're going down.
Oh shit! Oh fuck! MAYDAY!!!
Panicking once again, Rusty stretches his arms out and holds on tight to the basket, bracing for impact as his ride is about to fall right...or land right on top of the cloud with no issues what-so-ever. The sudden impact is enough to make him drop to his knees, but not much more. He takes a few seconds to get his bearings back and attempts to process what is going on. Cautiously, he gets back onto his own two feet and peeks over the edge of the basket. Sure as the sun sets in the west, Rainbow Dash's house is right there and the basket he is currently two steps from cowering in is sitting on the edge of the cloud that very house is built on.
I don't understand...the logic...I just...I hate place so much...
With a deep breath, Rusty forces his nerves to settle as he stands up straight and looks over at the house. His initial plan was to try and hover nearby while trying to convince Dash to hear him out. Obviously, that didn't work out. Rather, fate seemed intent on getting him killed, but his luck begged to differ. Looking over the edge, he sees that the basket is indeed just resting on the very edge of the cloud, aligned so that the door was straight ahead. The walk wouldn't be more than ten or fifteen steps and he, who knows better than to walk out onto clouds, would be close enough to knock.
That honestly couldn't have been more perfect even if you actually knew what you were doing.
That particular thought is overshadowed as Rusty comes to a rather unpleasant realization. He is a good ten to fifteen steps away from the door to Rainbow's house. Rainbow's cloud house. A house that is made out of clouds. Clouds that he is incapable of walking across. He blinks as he stands there in silence, fresh out of ideas. Part of him is starting to feel really stupid for not thinking ahead on this little adventure of his, especially since he overlooked this very crucial detail even knowing that he couldn't walk on clouds the way a pegasus could.
You know, thinking back, maybe we should have just gone to Twilight. Not only could she have just zapped us here, but I think I remember her saying something a while back about having a spell for this exact situation...Actually, she gave us that potion one time when we went to visit Rainbow's parents! Remember that? Next time, we should just ask her to enchant our shoes or some shit.
While Rusty was mostly annoyed by the inner monologue and the reminiscing on things that he, once again, overlooked, it did give him an idea. It's not really a good one, but it's better than standing here with his thumb up his ass. Turning his attention downward. the human lifts a leg and grabs onto his foot. Using his free hand, he pulls his shoe off before placing his leg back down and turning his attention back to the house. Going off of what he knows about larger houses, the adults usually claim the upstairs as long as it's not an attic. He can see a window- god only knows how that works- that he is going to assume leads to Dash's room.
"Nothing ventured..." Winding his arm back, Rusty takes aim and launches the shoe at the window. At least, that was his plan. The attire, recently turned projectile, instead collides with the wall that the window is connected to. Or, more accurately, it phases through the wall. On the plus side, it did sound like it hit something solid on the other side. In just under a minute he sees a figure appear at the window. "Well I'll be damned."
The window slides open and the mare of the hour appears, her front half leaning out of the opening while her arms keep her propped up against the frame. It's clear to him that's in a fragile and emotional state, if the matted fur around her eyes is anything to go off of. For once in his life, seeing her like this is actually painful. He can feel his heart beating painfully in his chest as he feels something akin to a crater form in his sternum. It goes without saying that she is hurting and it's all because of him. Each tear that falls from her face is a choir of pain that he is orchestrating just by being here.
After a moment of silence passes, Rainbow finally speaks up. Unlike what Rusty was expecting, her words don't come from a place of anger or spite. Rather, her tone is defeated and weak; it's something that he is all too familiar with these days. "What are you doing here?" She asks aloud, each syllable cutting him like a knife simply by how hollow her words are. "I told you to never come around us."
There's a small part of Rusty that almost wants to listen to her, to just leave and let the mare get on with her life. Surely things would look up once she finally forgot about him and his existence is nothing but a distant memory. As nice as it would be for that to be true, it's far too late. The damage is done. All he can do now is try his best to mend it. "I came here to say something. Just let me say it and then if you still want me to leave, I'll go and you'll never see me again."
Liar.
Dash seems conflicted, the region between her mind and her heart becoming a blood soaked battlefield while the two vie for dominance over the other. She figures that, at the very least, what he has to say will help her decide which one will be victorious. "W-well spit it out!"
"Nothing gained..." Rusty mutters to himself, finishing the quote from earlier before taking a breath and bracing himself for a very different kind of impact. "I'm sorry;" He says, truly and genuinely hating himself for all that his influence has forced her to endure. "For everything! I...You didn't deserve me."
An apology is the last thing Rainbow was expecting to ever hear from him. Hearing those words come from his mouth was like finding a leprechaun and actually getting its gold. What's more, it didn't stop there. "I was never good to you; or anypony else for that matter. I was a shitty person as a whole; A bad person, a bad friend and an even worse boyfriend."
Dude...
"I'm not going to stand here and bullshit you into anything. I know who I was and what I was about. And I could give you a list of excuses, but that wouldn't make a difference." Still in shell shock, Rainbow remains silent while Rusty continues spilling his own guts to her, putting his full person on display without even batting an eye. "I'm a selfish asshole and I always have been. And I was just too fucking stupid to see it, to actually sit down and work through it. For over ten years I thought I was better, that I was different now. But, in the end, nothing had actually changed. I was still running from my problems instead of facing them. I was still me, just with a different name."
"I'm not asking you to forgive me. I don't even want you to forgive me! I don't deserve it!" Rusty's voice all but tears into the sky, the self-loathing he had kept buried for so long and ignored rather than dealing with finally pushing its way back to the surface. "But I am begging you; Please, please, just give me one chance to prove that I can be better. I want to make things right, to stop running from everything and finally get everything back to the way it was, but better than it ever was! I just-" He pauses, unsure of how to describe this feeling. In a way, he feels like a kid again, upset and scared of the world while wanting nothing more than to- "I want to come home."
Feeling weak and powerless, Rusty leans forward, resting his hands on the edge of the basket as his head drops. Unpacking his feelings has been a trial during his short time being back in Ponyville. Before then, it was virtually impossible. The more he goes into his head, the more he finds himself deconstructing his alter-ego. Rusty Nails; a good person, an honest man and a huge fucking sham. A few things have changed, that much can't be denied. But, in the end, he was still the same person playing pretend. When you really boiled it down, Rusty Nails was just a pretty mask covering an ugly face. Even the name itself is a reference to a horror film, though unintentional at first. Maybe that's why he liked the name so much in the first place. Deep down, he's still Ryan.
It was a good movie though. Still kinda pissed that we never got around to watching the sequels. They were probably trash, but still.
Coming to terms with this is probably considered endearing to outsiders, but to him it just speaks for how little he's actually done to help himself. When one can lie so convincingly that they even deceive themselves, then how can anyone possibly know what is fictional and what is reality? The sound of beating wings pulls Rusty out of his own mind and draws his attention back toward the house. He can see dash slowly descending to the cloud floor, her wings spread out as she carefully flaps them to keep a steady pace before reaching the end. Once back on a not-so-solid surface, her wings fold to her sides as she begins her approach.
Rusty doesn't dare move a muscle, lest he fall from his own body and plummet to the earth as a ghost of a man. He simply watches her approach in silence, reading her features as best he can. Her eyes are still holding an unfathomable amount of sadness. But, he could also see hope on her face. Whatever it is she is hoping for, he can only pray that he has what it takes to bring that hope to life.
As she closes the distance between them, Rainbow finds herself rubbing one of her arms, mostly due to not knowing what to do with her hands. Her eyes lock onto Rusty's, scanning them for any sign of deceit or fallaciousness. "D-do you really mean that?"
"I do...and to prove it-" Rusty begins, releasing the basket from his grip. The man reaches into the neck of his shirt and pulls out a colorful stone on a string. This stone has been like his best friend, in a way, feeding into the lie he's been telling himself for over a decade. As subtle as it was, a toxin is still a toxin and now seems like the perfect opportunity to put an end to their disgusting relationship. "I want you to take this from me."
"Magic and I have a very unique relationship and Celestia has had her eye on me for a long time. Since the fire at my house though, she made it a point to track me. Even found a spell to do it with- don't ask me how I know." Before Rainbow Dash can respond, Rusty's free hand jumps out of the basket and grabs onto her hand, pulling it from her arm and moving it to his neck. With the appendage now in range, he forces her to close her hand around the stone and holds her hand in place. "And this stupid thing is the only reason that she, or anypony else for that matter, has never been able to find me." Despite the fear gripping at his heart at the prospect of facing Celestia again, Rusty lets go of her hand. "And now it's in your hands..."
Rainbow takes a few seconds to register exactly what it is that he is telling her to do and how much of an impact this will actually have on him. She blinks a few times as she stares at her closed hand; The very hand holding this one little stone that has kept him off of the radar and all but dead to the rest of the world for almost twelve years. If what he is saying is true, then doing this would allow anypony to find him. He would be vulnerable to anypony with a horn and knowledge of who he is. Glancing up at the human, she sees that his eyes are clenched shut, his chest expanded, but not rising or falling.
"Are you...are alright?" It almost feels weird for her to be asking him this, considering the circumstances.
Rusty lets out the breath he has been holding, but his eyes remain sealed. Nodding, he answers. "No...I'm terrified...But this is all I have. So...just do it."
Rainbow can feel her arm pulling at the stone, the string wrapped around his neck lightly sinking into his skin at the pressure. She glances down at her hand once more, taking it all in. Once this stone comes off, it's all over. No more running, no more hiding. He'll be back in the limelight once again and this time no one will let him out of their sight as his one trump card, this stone, will be long out of his reach.
Rusty waits in fear, feeling the tugging at his neck. There's a sudden release of pressure from his neck and, soon after, a pressure around his torso and a warmth overtaking his front. Opening his eyes, his breathing slows as he looks down to see Rainbow Dash leaning over the basket, her arms firmly wrapped around his body while she buries her face into his neck. It's not what he was expecting, that's for sure, but it is nice. He can't find it in himself to leave her actions unreciprocated, and returns the gesture with a small smile forming on his face.
Nuzzling the side of his head for a second, Rainbow lifts her head to where her lips are next to his ear. "I don't know when, or if, I will ever forgive you." That alone is enough to do some damage, causing Rusty's smile to fall. "But...I do trust you. And I believe...I want to believe that you will do better." Even as she speaks out of hope, he still feels guilty for having made her lose it in the first place. Her face returns to rubbing his neck as she bathes in his presence for the first time in far too long. "Please...Please don't make me regret this."
Rusty's body reacts on instinct, his grip tightening around her as if he's afraid that she'll vanish into thin air. "I will never allow that to happen. Never."
The two remained this way for what felt like an eternity, basking in the feeling of the other. It's a feeling neither of them can find the words to describe as it doesn't quite make sense to them yet. Regardless, they are content to stay this way for now. However, all good things must come to an end. As the two finally break apart, with Rusty standing upright in his basket and Rainbow Dash firmly planted on the cloud, they smile at each other; hoping that this can be the start of something new. Something better than before.
It takes them both nearly a minute to realize that they've been holding the others’ hands throughout this short stare down, with Rainbow being the first to break the silence upon looking down before Rusty could. "What the hell happened to your hands?"
Rusty gives a questioning hum as he follows her gaze, seeing the thin layer of dried blood and purple splotches where bruises had formed decorating his knuckles. He slowly pulls his hand free from Rainbow's hold, lifting them up near his face so he can inspect them. "I uh...had a bit of a tantrum when you left with Azure." He lowers his hands slightly, just enough for Rainbow to be the sole focus of his vision. "To be honest, I kinda surprised myself with how bad it got."
Rainbow rolls her eyes as she reaches out and forcefully grabs his hands, pulling them to her face so she can get a look at just how much damage he had done to himself. She nods her head disapprovingly, muttering just loud enough for him to hear, "Dammit, Ryan..."
"Actually, it's-" Rusty pauses before he can correct her, his thoughts from earlier coming back to haunt him. Maybe haunt isn't the right word. Maybe they're here to remind him of his previous, intern quarrel. Rainbow glances at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish his thought. After spending some time thinking about it, he lets out a breath and let's her continue. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."
Rainbow gives him an odd look, but eventually goes back to looking over his hands. After getting her fill, she let out a sigh and releases her grip on him, allowing his appendages to return to their rightful places by his sides. For a moment she doesn't know what to say or how to continue this horrible mess. She wastes no time vocalizing this inquiry. "So...what do we do now?"
Rusty
Ryan thinks to himself for a second, before turning his attention back to his hands. "First, I think I should get these cleaned and patched up." He says casually, feeling surprisingly good; like today was just another day. "After that, I think..." He pauses, looking down once more, this time at the stone still hanging around his neck. Nodding to himself, he looks back up at Rainbow Dash. "I think you, Azure and I should go back to the castle. We both did kind of take off in a...less-than-ideal manner."
Nodding, Rainbow seems to agree with him. "Alright then. I'll grab some stuff from the house, we'll get you fixed up, then Azure and I can meet you there."
Red flag!
"About that, uh..." Ryan's eyes widen and he bites his lip as he looks for a way to explain this that doesn't make him sound like an idiot. "I...have no idea how to fly this thing."
Rainbow raises a brow at him questioningly, glancing back and forth between Ryan and the balloon. "Then how did you-"
"I shit you not; one hundred million percent of pure luck."
10 Minutes Later
The balloon lands just a few feet shy of the staircase leading to the castle. Its three passengers look on at the large, crystalline structure as a cyan arm removes itself from the ignition rope. The two pegasi flap their wings and lift themselves from the basket while the resident human manually steps out, being careful not to put too much pressure on his now bandaged hands. Once they're all out, they stand side by side, still observing the castle.
Azure is the first to break the silence as she looks up at Ryan, her eyes filled with curiosity. "What are we going to do here, daddy?"
"You'll see, hon." Ryan responds, his eyes still locked onto the castle as he speaks. "We've got something important to discuss with the girls."
That being all he is willing to share, Ryan is the first to start walking up the stairs with Rainbow and Azure both following after him. As they reach the top of the steps, the human raises his fist- only to stop as he sees the white wrapping covering it. He huffs a bit before lowering his hand and lifting his foot. He then proceeds to kick the door three times before lowering his leg and waiting patiently for somepony to answer. It doesn't take long before a rather familiar purple dragon opens the door. Spike's eyes rocket open as he sees the three standing on the other side of the door, his sights mostly being focused on the human though. Turning his head, he calls out into the castle, which has sounded like a roller derby since the door opened.
"I found him!" Spike calls out into the castle. The chaos that was going on within only gets louder as it seems to be getting closer. The dragon tenses as he sees the approaching horde and takes off with a yelp to avoid the carnage.
Both doors suddenly swing wide open, revealing the six disheveled mares that were clearly doing something crazy for one reason or another. There is a look of panic on all of them, which gives away to a random combination of relief and dread upon seeing Ryan and Rainbow Dash standing next to each other. The bandages on the humans hands do not go unnoticed either and assumptions are quickly made, several glares quickly being directed at the taller, cyan pegasus. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that all hell is about to break loose. However, that would impede Ryan's progress and that simply couldn't be allowed.
"Nopony move! Nopony talk!" Ryan announces in a tone that shakes most of the mares to their core, knowing that he is serious from past experiences when his voice reaches that particular level. "Inside! Form a circle!" While confused, the mares obeyed, slowly marching into the castle entryway and standing so that they were rounded and left a fairly sized gap in the center. Azure went to join them, but was stopped as one of her father's bandaged hands grabbed onto her shoulder. "Not you, sweetie. You stay by me."
Azure looks up at him curiously. She can see the stern look on his face and it almost scares her how serious he looks. This must be important if he is being so commanding. "Yes, daddy."
With the circle in place, Ryan closes the castle doors and moves to stand in the center with Azure by his side. The anticipation is killing the company, that much he can see. Although it's hard to tell if that's the case with Pinkie, since she usually looks like she's about two seconds from leaping out of her own skin. Looking around, everyone is accounted for, including Starlight. She looks the least anxious of all of them, seeming rather to be shooting him a look of suspicion. He ignores this, understanding where she is coming from given how things have played out so far. He can even see Spike peeking out from around the corner.
Confidence or stupidity, he really can't decide which one drove him to speak. Regardless, Ryan opens his mouth and begins. "First off; I would appreciate total silence for just a few minutes while I explain everything. And by that, I mean everything! I'm laying it all out on the table. This is very important to me, so can we all please just keep calm and save out questions until the end?"
The circle of pony's all glance back and forth among themselves, questioning looks adorning all features within the room. After a few seconds of this, they turn back to Ryan and nod in agreement. He repeats this gesture in kind. "Thank you."
"As I've told everyone here; I came back to Ponyville to right the wrongs I've made." Ryan begins, pacing around the circle to help his mind stay occupied while he goes through the mental list of things he wants to get out into the open. "Mend the shattered relationships, fix the broken bridges and wipe away all of the bad blood...That's changed a bit since I got here, having made several pretty big fuckin’ revelations over the course of my return. Not so much by the nature of choice, but rather by the die roll that led this cascade of fuckery to where it is." A few of the mares blink at his word choice, Rarity visibly flinching. Hearing him speak so crudely was strange after having rarely heard such things come from his mouth, let alone so casually.
"I still intend to follow through with my initial plan to do just that. But, it's gonna have to take a backseat." Suddenly the mares all start speaking at once, asking him the same question, but in different ways. He lets out a heavy breath in response before shushing them very loudly until all is quiet once more. "As I was saying; It will be taking a backseat, because I have something very, very important that I have to do."
Breaking his stride, Ryan turns his attention to Azure. The filly had remained in place at the center of the circle, simply watching and listening to her father. He makes a B-line toward the small pony, coming to a stop once he's standing right in front of her and slowly lowers himself onto his knees so that they are eye level with one another. "Azure, I'm deeply sorry that I wasn't a part of your life for so long."
Oh no! Oh crap! Don't let him get sad!
"No, no, no!" Azure says rapidly, being quick to defend her fathers actions. "You don't need to be sad, daddy! It's no-"
Ryan shushes the filly, covering her mouth with hand until she too joins in the silence. "Just let me finish, hon." He waits for a response, which comes in the form of a nod. He lowers his hand and picks up where he left off. "If I could turn back time and change the way things had gone, I would. If I knew then what I know now things would have been very different. But, we are not so lucky." He takes a second to gather his thoughts, not wanting to trip over his words or be misunderstood. "Azure, you deserve much more than I can give. But, I'm going to do everything I can to be the father that I should have been a long time ago."
Reaching out, Ryan grabs onto Azure's hands and pulls them to his chest. "Please understand, I care very deeply for all my friends and I have every intention of making things better between myself and them. But, right now, you are the most important thing in the world to me and I am not going to let you go another day without me by your side." A single 'awww' can be heard from his left. Judging from the voice he can assume it's Pinkie, but he lets it slide. Daring to glance around a bit, he's surprised that more of them didn’t do it. His attention moves back to his daughter, his grip tightening on her hands despite how much it hurts to do it. "Before I can do right by them, I'm going to do right by you."
Pulling Azure's arms up, Ryan leads her to the stone hanging around his neck, easing her hands around it. "For you, I'm going to stop hiding and face the world head on."
Gasps are heard all around them as Azure's eyes widen in terror at the implication. Her reaction is practically mirrored all around the room. Rarity finally breaks the vow of silence, stepping forward to say her piece. "Darling, you don't have to do this! It's still so soon! We can take our time and-"
"I had eleven years, Rarity!" Ryan cuts in, his voice loud enough to be heard by all, but not spoken out of anger. Instead, his voice was hinting at pain, the sorrow he felt for having started any of this to begin with. "For eleven years I locked myself away from my family and my loved ones. I hid from the world for eleven years...I've waited long enough."
"Azure,-" Ryan says in a softer tone, earning his daughter's attention. The fear is still plastered across her face, but she is paying attention. "I want you to do this for me, okay?"
Still locked in place, unable to move her hands out of shock alone, Azure can only think of how this can go badly. "B-but...Celestia! If she finds out, won't she be mad?"
"Oh, I'm sure she'll be furious." Ryan says playfully, giggling a bit to himself despite just how scared he was as well. Taking a breath to calm himself, he focuses back on the task at hand. "But, It'll all be worth it in the end. And you have to be the one to do it."
"But...why me?" Azure asks, still dreading the thought of it all.
"I already told you; You're the most important thing right now. And if you can't do it, then I can't ever truly come out of hiding." Ryan's reasoning was sound, to him at least. No one else would probably be able to understand, but this is what he has to do. What she has to do. Over a decade of life and not once had he seen her until recently. He wasn't there for her birth, her first steps, her first words. He wasn't there. And, as a result, those moments are simply gone forever with him never being able to experience them with her. There aren't many big moments in life, but this one seems big enough to warrant that same togetherness he missed out on. "I'm trapped in this cycle of being nothing but a shadow, Azure. And I need you to set me free."
This will be a big moment in all of their lives and he wants her to be the center of it, to know that she played a major role in his life. A life that, god willing, will only get better. That way, this day, this memory, will forever be with her. And she will have the cause of it all. She could finally have a long lasting, good memory of the father she never had. That's all he wants right now; He wants her to know that she is important to him and that she is special.
"What do you say, baby girl?" Ryan asks her softly as he releases his grip on her hands, lowering one arm while he lifts the other and places his hand on her head, sliding up down her long, yellow hair. "Will you set me free?"
All eyes are on Azure right now, but the filly doesn't even notice as she stares into ones right in front of her. Her father is asking her to do something very important. This could very well change their entire lives. It's a huge responsibility and she doesn't know if she can handle it. But, if it mean-
"If I do this-" Azure begins, looking into her fathers eyes with a mix of hope and desperation. "can we be a family?"
Though it does bring him a bit of pain to hear, Ryan smiles and lowers his hand to her shoulder, holding on tight. "We always were a family." He says reassuringly, "It just took me a while to find you." Several soft whines shatter the silence this time, but they choose to ignore it. This moment is between them, father and daughter. "Once you do this though, we can start over. And this time we'll do it the right way."
With steady, even breaths, Azure nods and tightens her grip on the stone. "Okay. I'll do it."
"That's my good girl."
"I love you, daddy." Azure begins to tug on the stone, the string holding it to his neck straining as she slowly works up the courage to finish the job.
"I love you too, Azure."
With one hard tug, the moment finally came. The strain was too much on the material and the stone necklace breaks free as the string breaks apart with an audible snap.
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AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very good. I liked it.
That ending is a massive sequel hook, you sly bastard! Loved reading this, though! Hope you are doing alright
I can confidently say I was bamboozled, but this story is by far one of my favorites so if doesn't get a sequel Ima piss YOUR pants.
10565201
i.redd.it/vfum1izka0161.jpg
We have been fooled quite possibly bamboozled overwhelming round of applause my good man enjoyed very much
Glad they finally reconciled, 10 years is a long ass time for a family to be split like that, and most don't get back together.
Man, reading this without reading Friendship Is Cynical (only because I passed by the link in the description without noticing) felt like an entirely different experience. A lot of mystery and surprises. But now that I'm finished with this, I think I'll finally read Friendship is Cynical. Otherwise 10/10 story. It was freaking amazing. Emotions were so high I almost got high on it. Was amazing to experience this journey.
10565627
This is your one warning: I went into that story without having an intended purpose. So the beginning bunch is mostly focused on comedy rather than actual story telling. However, it does give you a feel for how unstable and all over place the character is.
I am happy with this ending it leaves it open for possibilities and the future if you decide to continue if not I am happy the story had an ending at all. Pat yourself on the back you finished this story.
make your own ending. thats usually the best way a author can finish a story.
im sure someone out there will piggyback off this story's premise and do their own ending.
anyway what does this ending mean for you now? are you gonna continue writting new stuff? done with mlp? gonna focus on a different story marked "imcomplete"?
1:30 al 1:39
I enjoyed this a lot! Not gonna lie I am disappointed we won’t see how this all cascades down with the brake of the string but it was an enjoyable read so thanks for that and keep up the awesome work!
I wanted to see big ol sun butt find him. But never the less. Good shit my guy
10566094
I'm gonna do what I do best; get drunk and see where it takes me.
10566272
I've seen you in many comments and I can't get over how adorable your profile picture is.
10567392
Thank you. She is a doctor.
I'm just gonna say that the ending totally made me pissed
. But never the less that was a great story you told.
GREAT JOB!