Chapter 4
The cool water surrounded Ryan's furless form, nearly freezing his body as he was submerged and slowly sank into its depths. Not that he noticed. The impact stopped his heart almost instantly, leaving him a lifeless husk to be whisked away by the current that steadily pulled him downstream.
Much to the human's own surprise, his eyes opened. However, this appeared to be all he could do as his body remained still, only moving as a result of the motions of the lake. He could see the water in front of him, a dim light shining through it. The light was far off, but it's glimmer broke through and slowly enveloped his vision. With it came a sense of peace, a luxury he rarely experienced. As he stared into the light, flashes of his life began to play out in front of him. It was like he was watching a movie of himself as everything he had done rapidly played out in front of him.
It would have brought tears to his eyes as it drew closer to the end of his story, if not for the voice he heard speaking to him from within the piercing light that had come so close to him that he was nearly blinded by it. The voice was soft, calm, feminine. Not like the one he usually heard.
"It's not time yet..." The sweet voice all but whispered into his very being, his body beginning to convulse. He suddenly felt cold, pain following soon after in his chest as it was forced into him. It felt like someone was pushing down on him with great force. "There's still a chance for you." The light pulled way faster than it has approached, vanishing into the darkness of the lake, a darkness which began to close in on him. Just before his vision could go completely black, his eyes opened for a second time.
The dirty stallion removed his hands from the creature's chest as it sprang back to life, emptying the water from it's stomach and lungs the only way it could. He brushed his graying hair from his, eyes watching with a concerned look on his face as this strange looking being started to breathe once more. For a moment, he thought everything was going to be okay. That thought died quickly when he watched the creature turn back and start crawling for the lake.
"Nononono!" His reaction was swift as he dove forward, tackling the creature and holding down. It struggled beneath his grasp, thrashing wildly as it tried to claw its way back to its deathbed. "Please, it doesn't have to be this way!" He pleaded, a look of shock coming across his face when the creature responded.
"Yes-" Ryan rasped, still barely clinging to life and desperately trying to finish what he had started. "it does!" The human weakly fought on, wanting to get this miserable life over with before he could do anymore damage. "I can't keeping doing this, I can't."
The stallion looked down at the creature with pity as its eyes started to water, the hate showing on its face shaking him to his core. "They'll look for me....they'll find me" The human said in a defeated tone, unable to fight the force above him any longer. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. I don't want to hurt them anymore."
It didn't take much more for the stallion to see that this creature was clearly distress and trying very hard to stay away from something. Or rather, somepony. Multiple ponies, even! It said it didn't want to hurt them anymore. What had this creature done to hurt them? And if it had done something bad, why would they go out to find it? These questions were troubling and confusing. All signs pointed to this thing being dangerous in a way, but at the same time, it was trying to fix the problem, albeit quite drastically.
The stallion couldn't help but feel sorry for this thing. It was hurting inside, hurting so much so that it thought death was only way out. Despite knowing the protests that would come from his wife later, he knew he had to help this thing. Something was telling him to, he could feel it. Whatever this thing was, it needed his help.
No longer did the creature fight him, it just laid on the ground weakly sobbing to itself. Getting up, he grabbed it's shoulders and pulled it onto its feet. Taking one of its arms, he threw it over his shoulder and began leading it away from the lake.
"They'll find me...They'll find me..." Ryan muttered over and over again. His words were not lost to his so-called savior.
Reaching into the pocket of his worn out suit, the stallion produced a small, colorful stone with a string through it. "Here, put this on." He said, maneuvering the string so that the stone hung around the creature's neck. "No pony is going to find you, I promise."
Their journey continued with the barely-alive human being led further from his demise by this total stranger. In the distance, they heard the blow of a train whistle. One that became all too familiar later on.
Rusty woke up with a bit of a start, sitting up and quickly taking in his surroundings. He let out a shaky breath, reaching a hand up to grab onto the small stone on his neck. A wave of relief washed over him at the realization. "It was just a dream." The human said to himself, playing it all back in his head. "Just...a dream..." It's been a while since he's so much as chanced to look back on that day. Years, actually. He preferred to forget that it ever happened. Lately though, it seems more an more of his past is coming to the forefront of his mind. Hence why he needed to make things right.
Rusty breathed again, this time more calmly as he pulled himself free from the comforter and peeked out of the nearby window. It was pretty early in the morning, from the looks of it. Celestia hadn't even raised the sun yet. His eyes looked over the small town, spotting a few of the early birds that came out to prepare for another work day.
If memory served, Rarity would be in bed for another hour or so. Not due to laziness, or anything like that. The lady just needed her beauty sleep, as she calls it. This gave him an idea...
The morning sun shined through the window, the rays warming the fashionista's white coat, slowly coaxing her to come out of her sleep. She did so, slowly lifting herself up with a yawn while stretching her arms out wide. Upon opening her eyes, she was met with an odd sight. Her room was the same as it's ever been, but off to her side, sitting on the small dresser beside her bed, was a plate. On this plate was a small array of food; A stack of pancakes, some hash browns and, to the side, scrambled eggs. Next to the plate was a glass of milk.
"Breakfast in bed?" Rarity wasn't sure what else to say, but she would have to thank her guest for being so kind to her. Never in her life would she ever think he would go as far as cooking for her. She grabbed the plate, levitating the utensils that were hidden behind it over to her as well, and took a bite of the lightly browned cakes.
Eyes wide, she glanced down at her plate with a look of shock. "If he makes this a regular thing, I may just have to ask him to live here permanently."
After finishing her breakfast, Rarity got to work on prettying herself up for the day, making several mental notes on what she would need to get done. First; There were orders that needed to be filled. None of them were too hefty for the hard working unicorn, but it would keep her busy for a while. After that; She would have to find a way to lure Rusty out of hiding without scaring him off. The second task was more mentally straining than the first by far. The art of the dress was a simple one, once you got it down. Trying to bring your estranged friend into the daylight, that's something she had very little experience with.
"There's a first time for everything, I guess." Rarity says aloud, adjusting her outfit so it it her form properly. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she collected the dishes from her meal and began her descent to see Rusty. "Now for the hard part."
Azure peeked around the corner, looking into her living room. Her mother could clearly be seen laying on the couch, passed out from the night before, a half empty bottle held in her closed fist, which hung over the edge of the cushions. The older mare snores softly as she rests, her chest rising and falling with each breath.
Tell her...
"No, you tell her..."
...Think about what you just said...And then tell me why that's stupid...
"Oh...right." Azure cringes at her mistake, her eyes still locked onto her mother's sleeping form. "Should we tell her? I mean, she won't be too happy when she wakes up. The hangover will be sure of that."
True, but she has a right to know...Doesn't she?
Azure falls silent as she battles herself on whether or not to tell her mother about her recent discovery. It doesn't take a therapist to see that the cyan pegasus was hurting inside, likely from the supposed death of her coltfriend so long ago. On hand, the news could pull the mare out of her funk. On the other though, this newfound information could result in disaster. The filly's mother was known to act out, especially when she became emotional. And hearing that her late lover was still alive, that would most definitely stir up some conflicting emotions.
If she were being honest, Azure was feeling rather conflicted herself. Part of her is excited beyond belief that her father is alive and well. This feeling is only enhanced knowing that he's in town! Her wish came true, though she never truly expected it to. However, this knowledge made her afraid.
Azure knew that her father was unaware of her existence. He 'died' before her mother could tell him that she was pregnant. This caused her young mind to wonder on how things could backfire. What if he doesn't believe that she's his own flesh and blood? Or, what if he didn't accept her? Would he even give her a chance to prove that she could be everything he could ever want? Does she have what it takes to be the daughter he wants?
These thoughts made Azure's heart ache. Reeling back, she slumps against the wall, her body slowly dragging down until her rear met the plush, cloud floor. "What if he doesn't want a daughter..."
Okay! We're just gonna push those thoughts aside for now!
At those words, Azure's mind was slowly cleansed of such depressing thoughts. However, the feeling of doubt remained. It weighed down heavily on her chest, making her feel as though she couldn't breathe.
Sweetie, you have to do something and soon. The longer you wait, the worse you'll feel. And, if you don't do anything, it'll just drive you mad.
Azure takes a deep breath in, waiting a few seconds before releasing it back into the world. "I don't even know where to begin. "What am I supposed to do?"
For as long as I can remember, all you've ever wanted was to have him; You want to see him, to have him hold you, talk to you, play with you. Now is your chance for all of that and more...
There were so many confusing emotions sweeping over the filly, leaving her lost on whether to laugh or cry.
Azure...For so long you've waiting for something to come to you. Now it finally has.
You have no more excuses.
I told you to turn around.
I told you to run.
But, did you listen?
Fuck no, you didn't! Now look what you've gotten us into!
Rusty stared stupidly at his reflection, eyeing the new 'outfit' Rarity had thrown together for him. It looks like something you'd see in Great Britain three hundred years ago. The human couldn't even grasp how to describe the outfit, minus a few simple words; Too blue, kinda poofy, itchy wig.
"Is this really necessary?" Rusty asked uncomfortably as his unicorn friend nitpicked with the 'poofs' going down the undershirt. "I look like the old English threw up on me."
"Oh, hush you!" Rarity remarked, stepping back to admire her work. "You look absolutely divine."
"Of course you would think that." Rusty deadpanned, starting to wiggle around in the clothing. "Can I take this off now?"
Rarity huffed at his request, secretly finding it rather refreshing. "Fine! If you want to hurt my feelings..." Rusty shot her a look that almost made her laugh. It was true that the human has changed immensely from when she first knew him, but at times she would see remnants of his former self. Though, they were heavily diluted in comparison. "Your clothes are in the dressing room, darling. Go ahead and change."
Rusty left his spot in front of the mirror in her workshop and walked into the dressing room to put on his only other set of clothes. As he entered, Rarity followed his steps and walked toward the dressing room, her heart pounding as she now stood mere inches from the door. "H-have you thought about what I said earlier?"
There was a pause before Rusty's spoke up, his voice slightly muffled from closed door between them. "I have..."
"And..." Rarity presses, her breathing becoming heavy.
Once again, there was a pause that lasted a few painful seconds. "It's not that I don't want to...I'm just...I'm utterly terrified by the idea." The door opens and Rusty steps out, now dressed in the clothes Rarity made for him yesterday, the outfit he changed out of folded in his arms and his face showing just how afraid he truly was. "Wouldn't you be?"
"I can't even imagine what you're going through, darling." Rarity answered genuinely; carefully extracting the clothing from his arms with her magic and levitating them out of sight. "But you've already gone this far. You can't just keep hiding from it."
"The longer you wait, the harder it will be to finally go through with it." Rusty knew that her words were true. He feels like a fool for having tried to delay what he knew needed to be done. For trying to put off the very reason he came back to Ponyville for. "And if you continue to do nothing, it will only drive you mad."
Rarity eyes his features, looking for some sign of submission, but the fear plastered across his face only made her feel bad about bringing it up. "I'm sorry, darling." She said, feeling responsible for his being uncomfortable. "I don't mean to rush you. Forget I said anyth-"
"No..." Rusty closed his eyes, swallowing hard as he considered her words. "You're right...I have to go through with this." Opening his eyes, he looks to his unicorn friend, offering a somewhat weak smile. "I made a promise to myself that I would come back and try make things right. It's about time I make good on that promise."
Or we could leave! That's also an option!
The human bit his lip, nodding at Rarity. "Let's go see Twilight."
"Wonderful!" Rarity beamed, jumping at the human and wrapping him in a tight hug, which he happily returned. "I'm so proud of you, Rusty." The mare broke the embrace, looking to her friend with a proud smile. "Just let me grab a few things and we can be off."
Rusty watched as the unicorn left the room, his smile falling as panic rose in his gut. He told the truth when he said that he was terrified, but Rarity was right. He needs to stop putting it off and face it head on. His reason for coming back was to right all of the wrongs he committed. There's no was he could forgive himself if he turned back now.
Again, you could leave! You could run out of that door right now and haul ass back to the train!
"Shut...up..." Rusty growled under his breath.
Not until you leave! We don't need this bullshit and we don't need them! Why can't you just-
"Shut the fuck up!" Rusty snapped, his fingers digging into his scalp as he grabbed the side of his head with both hands.
"Rusty...?" Rusty's head quickly turned to the mare standing on the other side of the room, a large purse hanging over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide, staring at him with a look of shock on her face. "is everything alright?"
Rusty lowers his arms to his sides, a look of shame taking over him. "I'm fine, Rarity." He answered weakly, a small smile forming on his face. "Let's get going. I don't wanna chicken out before I even get the chance to hear another of Twilight's famous lectures."
Rarity seemed unsure of his response, but didn't want to press the matter, assuming it would only make him even more stressed. "Very well then." Walking to the front door, she waited for the human to join her. "Shall we?"
Something doesn't feel right...
Rusty reach out and opened the door, an odd wave of discomfort passing over him. He kept his cool though, "Ladies first."
"Such a gentleman~" Rarity teased, going to take a step through the door, only to freeze in place at the sight in front of her.
Rusty threw up his hood to hide his face, about to join her until he witnessed her statuesque state. "Are you alright, Rarity?" Her lack of response only prompted him to look over her shoulder to see what had caused her to go still. From the looks of it, a small pony was standing in the doorway, blocking their path. Leaning back, the human grabbed his hood out of instinct, making sure that it hid his features from the filly.
Azure looked up nervously at Rarity, who was breathing pretty heavily. The unicorn she considered a second mother was locked in place, panic spread across her face. Seeing no reason to keep the silence, the young pegasus decided to break it. "H-hi..."
Don't chicken out now, baby girl! You got this!
Azure gulped, looking past Rarity to the hooded figure behind her. "H-hello....mister..." The filly had to force her attention back to the unicorn, lest she go as still as stone herself. "May I come in?"
Rarity shook her head as the world around her came back into focus. Her mind was all over the place, trying to think of a way to deter the child. "I'm sorry, darling. But we're in a bit of a rush. Maybe-"
"It's fine, Rarity." Rusty spoke up from behind her, much to the unicorn's dismay. "A few extra minutes won't hurt. Go ahead and see what she wants."
Rarity tried to speak, but the words just wouldn't come out.
"Actually, I'd like to see you!" Azure blurted out, speaking much faster than she anticipated. All eyes were now on her small form, only making her that much more uncomfortable. "I...I wanted to see you, mister...if that's alright..."
Rusty was confused by this, having never seen this filly before. He looked to Rarity for some kind of answer, but the mare looked nothing short of horrified. "Sure..." He said, his eyes still on his friend, "come on in."
Grabbing the pale looking mare, Rusty stepped aside with Rarity in tow. Azure entered the boutique, closing the door behind her and keeping her gaze to the floor.
Rarity was paralyzed once more.
Rusty was beginning to worry for his friend, but was curious why a child he didn't know wanted to see him. "Rarity, go sit down for a bit. You look sick."
More like guilty...What's she hiding?
Cursing himself under his breath, Rusty turned his attention to Azure. Just as the voice stated earlier, something felt off. An odd feeling rose in his gut as he looked down at her. It wasn't a suspicion, or even worry. There was something strangely familiar about her. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Azure's mouth stayed shut as she nodded at him, her eyes staring intently into his. "My name is Azure Bees-"
Breeze
"Breeze!" She quickly corrected, "And I uh...I wanted to...I would like to..." Her legs started to shake, her knees starting to feel weak. "C-can you...please come down here?"
Rusty wasn't sure why the small pony seemed so nervous. Hoping to help ease her troubled mind, he lowered himself to a knee so he would be on her level. "Azure Breeze..." He said, grinning at a small blush that appeared on her cheeks. "That's a very pretty name."
"Th-thank you...My mom picked it." Azure responded.
"Well she picked a very pretty name for you." Rusty said, his grin turning to a pleasant smile as Azure returned the gesture. "I bet she's a lovely mare." The filly's smile dropped a bit at this, a motion that was not lost to the human. "Isn't she?"
Azure didn't want to wait any longer, but couldn't work up the nerve to outright say something so direct. "My mom has been struggling for a while. She's been that way since my dad died." Rusty's expression switched to panic. He was about to say something, but wasn't given the chance.
"Mister...Could you please take off your hood?" The human raised a brow at her. "I know you're not a pony. I just wanted to see what you looked like."
Crafty...Not very subtle, but it works.
Feeling bad about bringing up such a sensitive topic, and seeing no reason to hide his face from a child, Rusty reached up and slowly pulled his hood down. What's the worst that could happen, right? "Is that better?"
Azure's eyes became wide, water beginning to build up in her sockets as she all but stared into his soul. "It is you..." The tears in her eyes worked their way to freedom, rolling down her cheeks as her one wish finally came true. She has finally met her father. It was him, she could feel it in her heart. "Daddy..."
Excuse you, tiny horse?
Rusty's reaction was about the same as that. "I'm sorry, Azure. I think you might be confused." He paused after that, his brain starting to put a few pieces together; Rarity's weird behavior, this filly wanting to see him, saying that her dad was dead. As impossible as it seemed, there were a few unlikely signs pointing right at the answer that Rusty was rather skeptical to believe. At the same time though, he couldn't help but wonder, 'What are the odds that this is just a coincidence?'
No, it can't be true. He's a human and the filly in front of him is...well, a filly! Not to mention, he's a completely different species. It should be literally impossible for him to make a pony pregnant. And even if he did, it would likely fail because of the mixed genetics...Right?
Angling his neck, Rusty glanced behind him. Having not moved an inch, Rarity was still standing right behind him, looking in every direction but his. If that wasn't suspicious on its own, the look of guilt that had taken over her was a dead giveaway to something. These actions only seemed to enforce the filly's words.
"Rarity..." Rusty began, his voice riddled with disbelief as the unicorn struggled to look directly at him. "She couldn't be...I'm not..."
Rarity looked as though she had just been proven guilty for murder. She couldn't figure out what to do with her hands as they anxiously rubbed nearly every inch of her body. "I...I wasn't sure how to tell you..." There was a pang in her chest with each word that left her lips. "I wanted to wait until you were ready."
Rusty's head snapped back at the silently sobbing Azure, his eyes locking on to hers as his jaw dropped in a mix of shame and fear.
Azure quickly reached a hand up to wipe the tears from her face, lowering it just as fast to return the human's gaze. "Hi, daddy..."
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Finally! Now just 10 - 20 more chapters to push the drama away and finally get into that reunited Father-Daughter sweetness!
-inside rustys head-
screaming intensifies
yay an update!
I love the contrast between Ryan's voice and his daughter's. Hers is so sweet.
Well isn't that a solid cock-shot of feelings.
Eased him into it you did not. The results will now be terrifyingly heartwarming I imagine. Or involve screaming and running.
Yeah... Alright it was worth the wee wait, Nice going, Dude! I love seeing a new chapter from you in my feed.
9161990
I bet she punches him. She is Dash and his child.
And now it truly begins. Now... HURRY THE FUCK UP WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! I want to see what happens next.
Uh oh. What will happen from here, I wonder...
I started reading Freindship is Cynical a while back but stopped for reasons that arent to clear to myself as I look back, maybe it was the character, the abundance of cursing for no reason and being a straight dick (trust me, I find that shit hilarious bc of the scenarios it can be used in) but I just lost interest when Chrysalis showed up. Then I found this sequel, read it then went back and finished FiC, and GOD DAMN. I regret not pushing thru and reading it all when I had the chance bc that was a rollercoaster. I very much enjoy this sequel and eagerly await the next chapters to come. GREAT WORK!
I wasn't expecting this meeting so soon, but boy, I am glad it happened.
Oh you mother fucker! I started reading today! And no more chapters posted! I demand to see the cuddles, I see cuddles or you die in a ducking pineapple sex pit!
9227323
Joke's on you! I like fucking pineapples!
9227830
Jokes on you, the japs poisoned them, you big bag of dicks!
9227860
If it don't kill me, I'mma be mad. And if it does, I'm haunting you. I will poltergeist the fuck outta your house and you will wake up with a pineapple between your legs every morning.
9228474
That’s gonna be hard to manage when your mothers between my legs.
9228696
I should have known you were into beastiality. You seem like the type XP
9229918
Your mom’s a furry?? I ain’t gonna let that touch my pecans.
9229963
Don't you lie to me XP
9229991
What’s her fursona?
9230026
Cow. Enjoy them udders
9230070
Wilco.