Daddy's Home

by Twisted Brew

Chapter 2

Author's Note:

There's a new chapter... Need I say more?
You know, aside from the usual, "Slap that like button like a bitch and be sure to leave a comment below!"
Comments STILL make me feel special :P

"Clean at last!"

Ryan looks around his fromer home, now under his possession once more, with a grin. It had taken most of the night prior and nearly two hours into the early morning, but his residence is now as spotless as he can tolerate making it. However, the now clean slate continues to look barren- perhaps more so now- given the lack of furniture. There are still a few boxes to sift through and organize, but most of the knick-knacks and decorations would have to wait until he acquired structures to place them on. At the very least, he is glad to have gotten everything tidied up enough that he can place items without having to worry about having piles of dust and webbing getting in the way. Still being fairly early into the morning, the resently restored resident has some time to kill before the arrival of his estranged daughter. Glancing to the side, he looks over the-

You haven't put the clock up yet, moron.

As the empty walls have so clearly proven, Ryan has yet to mount the clock along with several other items that once covered up these bare walls. It's almost discomforting how empty the place is without all of his junk taking up most of the space. At this point, he'd even settle for a few wooden crates and empty bottles; anything to make it feel more lively. He takes a moment to contemplate just how bored Azure will be when she comes in to visit compared to himself. She is a child, after all. Mental stimulus is in near constant demand and the last thing he wants to do is bore her by sticking around in this glorified template of a house. The man hums to himself as he leans against the wall and places a hand to his chin to think. She's been in Ponyville all her life, or so he can only assume, so showing her new sights in the area is off-limits. If anything, she probably knows more about this town than he does, given the decade-long 'death' that kept him at bay as if everypony here had the bubonic plague. He considers having her show him around for a moment. While he's sure it would be exciting for her, it almost makes him feel pathetic just thinking about his own daughter being his tour guide. From what he's seen since his return, not much has changed anyway, so there's likely nothing too new that she could show him.

We could always teach her how to set herself on fire. That's an option.

Letting out a less-than-pleased sigh, Ryan pulls himself from the wall. His feet move to spin his body around, turning him toward the structure he was previously using as a support. He didn't need to think on this further as his arms stretched out until his hands met with the wall's surface. Instinctively, his fingers curl as if to declare his frustration to his own person.

What are you doing?

Without a word, Ryan launched his head forward, slamming his forehead into the wall with enough force to breach the drywall. The now caved-in material crumbles around the impact zone, causing a small amount of debris to cascade down onto his head and into his hair. Pain rushes through his skull from the pressure, giving the human some satisfaction in knowing that he wouldn't be the only one feeling it. He is, however, much less vocal about his discomfort than the remaining party member.

Ow!

Fuck!

Take a joke, asshole!

Pulling back, Ryan shakes his head to release some of the drywall dust from his hair and send it slowly fluttering down to the floor like countless little feathers falling from a bird. Removing his hands from the wall, he runs them through his hair for a moment before rubbing the now sore spot in the middle of his forehead. It did hurt, that much goes without saying, but his point is more than likely proven. "Stop saying things that piss me off, then maybe. As it stands now though, you're just plain annoying." He openly states as he turns away from the wall to locate the broom he was using earlier. Spotting it only a few short feet away, he makes his way over to the utensil and grabs hold, getting to work on cleaning up the brand new mess he had just made. "Simply put; Talk shit, get hit. You wanna act like a jackass, I'm gonna beat you like the ugly fucking mule you are."

Alright! I get it! Take your 'Father Of The Year' award and suck a dick, you fucking prick!

Feeling some amount of satisfaction, Ryan finishes sweeping the area before dumping the bits of drywall into a nearby trash bin and setting the broom off to the side. He finds it a little odd how easily he fell back into some of his old habits- after coming to terms with the state of his false identity and the metaphorical mask he had worn for just over a decade. At the very least, he's been able to monitor his use of swear words and expletives, so it's not as obnoxiously prominent as it once was. There's also the aura of confidence that he feels pretty regularly, which was once referred to as his 'not give a fuck' energy. It's been something of a small blessing to have that back, as it's allowed him to take quite a few of these recent drastic changes in stride, preventing him from overthinking every little thing that came his way. The stress is still very much present, but he's not dwelling on the minor details. Instead, he is still currently finding himself at a loss on how to occupy his time with his daughter. Letting out a sigh, the man rubs his temples with his thumb and index finger, wondering if he's overthinking this; Maybe it'll be better to just let it go and see what happens when she arrives. It seems like such a lazy idea, but it's the only thing he can think of that won't drive him up the wall with worry. For all he knows, she might just be happy sitting around and listening to him ramble.

"Why is it only just now occurring to me that I know virtually nothing about her?" Ryan asks himself aloud, matter-of-factly.

Well, you're an idiot. That's one reason.

Ryan lets out a sigh before resigning himself to sitting on the floor, his legs crossed with his hands on his lap. His posture slackens, showing his internal turmoil. "As if I don't have enough going on; now I'm stressing myself over having free-time and not knowing what to do with it."

Can you really consider babysitting 'free-time'?

"Don't. Just fucking...don't."

Christ, you're pathetic! Go out and get fucking ice cream, dipshit!

That particular idea does sound promising. It's simple, easy and will provide him with ample time and opportunities to work on how to continue with the day.

Everything just has to be SOOO difficult with you...

---

Clothes; check! Mane; check! Luggage...Luggage? Now where did we put that-

"We don't have any luggage..." Azure comments matter-of-factly, wondering where that came from as she eyes herself through the mirror in her bathroom. She can't tell if it's nerves or just plain ol' excitement that has her a little on edge about going out to spend time with her father. She has had dreams about doing this sort of things since before she could even spell properly. Granted, the scenarios weren't quite this limited or full of a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo. However, it's still a dream come true and she does not intend to waste this precious time.

Darn right, we're not gonna waste this time! We're just a few short weeks away from having the family we've always dreamed of!

A confident smile blooms across Azure's face at the reminder of her approaching end-goal. Things may be tough right now, but in due time they were going to be a family; just like her daddy had promised before the princesses found him- and stole him away to the castle for a little while. Regardless, he promised and she would trust him to deliver. It's not like he's ever given her a reason not to trust her...despite not being around for the first eleven years of her life, making everypony think that he was dead while he was out exploring with an entirely different family. The filly's smile falters at that thought and she blinks hard, shaking her head a bit to get her bearings back.

You uh...You doing alright there, hon?

"Y-yeah...Yeah! I'm fine!" Azure loudly announces, being fairly confused herself about how her train of thought had suddenly gone downhill for a moment there. She's heard plenty about what had happened from her friends and her father about what he had been up to while he was gone. It didn't bother her then, but thinking about it now suddenly puts a pit in her chest. The feeling itself is something she can't quite explain, being completely new to her. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the feeling vanished and now here she stands, her confident smile replaced by an unsure, neutral expression. She squints at herself in the mirror for a second, almost as if eyeing a pony that she knew but could not identify off of the top of her head. Scowling at her reflection, she submits to remaining ignorant and turning away from the mirror. "Enough of that! This filly has things to do and places to be!"

That's my girl! Now get out and make some magic happen.

Nodding to herself, Azure marches out of the bathroom and makes her way to the main floor of the cloud home. Surprisingly enough, as she enters the living room she finds a rather uncommon sight that causes her to stop in her tracks. Sitting properly on the couch is Rainbow, looking very much sober and not even slightly hungover. As if the stars themselves had aligned, she also appears to be nervous; A sight that Azure never thought she would ever see in her lifetime. The mare's leg shakes a bit as it bounces up and down, a blue knuckle locked between her front teeth as she stares stoically at the floor. It's easy for the filly to say that this is rather strange compared to the habits that she's grown accustomed to on her mother's end. In its own way, she finds it to be a little unsettling. Cautiously, the filly begins closing the distance between herself and her mother, coming to a stop when she's about ten steps away from the grown mare.

"Mom..." Rainbow Dash's eyes shoot up to meet the standing form of her daughter, the mare seeming somewhat surprised to see her there, as if she hadn't even noticed the filly's approach. "Are you feeling alright? You're kind of jittery."

Rainbow's thoughts are still racing. After the craziness of the last few weeks, she finds herself struggling to sit still for even a moment. When she does, she often finds herself like this; tense and trembling in some way. With how everything has played out, she is finding herself conflicted and a bit overwhelmed. There's also a not-to-subtle desire to approach things more directly, causing her current inner turmoil. After a few seconds of silent staring, she finally removes her knuckle from her mouth and coyly speaks up. "Y-yeah, sure. I'm fine." She begins, mentally kicking herself to keep the small conversation going. "I was just thinking that, maybe, I should...You know...Go with you. To your dad's."

Azure gives her mother a sideways glance at this and Dash is quick to attempt her recovery. "I just figured that, since we are trying to improve our relationship and because we do have that couple's counseling thing later today, it would just be easier and more...I don't know, beneficial?" She feels foulish for trying to push this and the air around her feels thick and pungent. Letting out a defeated sigh, her head falls to her knees and rests there, her ears falling flat against her head. "Could you be any more pathetic, Dash?"

Given her mother's current state, Azure can't help but to feel bad for her. She wants to hug her mother, to pull her close and tell her that everything will be alright. It's a strange image in her head, having had very few encounters like that between them, but she pushes on. This is all for our family, she reminds herself; determined to help bring them all together again. With that in mind, the young pegasus pulls her mother up right before wrapping her arms around the larger mare. Rainbow is taken aback by this sudden gesture, but an odd sense of warmth soon follows the embrace. It fills the middle of her chest and proves to help put her mind at ease some.

The shaking in Rainbow's leg comes to a stop as her daughter holds her, the filly's chin resting on her shoulder. A small smile starts to work its way across her face, her own arms raising soon after to wrap around the little filly; her little filly. Dash's grip tightens around her child, basking in the sense of unconditional love and affection. The mare cannot honestly remember the last time she just held Azure like this; less so the last time she felt even this remotely content. "I know I've never really been good at this whole 'being affectionate' thing." The cyan mare began in a hushed tone, "If it means anything at all though, you were the best thing to ever happen to me."

---

Now this is nice~

"I can't even remember the last time I just laid down and looked at the sky." Ryan says aloud as he does just that. Perched atop his roof, with his back toward the ground, the man idles on the slight incline of his roof and looks straight into the large, ever-expansive blue mass above him. He can see pegasi zipping by every so often, either moving clouds or just going about their day as per usual. A few spare him a passing glance, but he ignores them and continues to bask in the light of the sun and let his worries melt away like ice on a hot sidewalk. "Christ, I needed this."

See! Listening to me isn't always bad!

"Only when you're not being an asshole and we both know how rare that is."

Fuckin' blow me.

"Case and point." Ryan goes back to admiring the world above him, admiring it in all of its glory. He spends some time there, practically motionless and at peace before the familiar sound of flapping wings draws close. Curious, he slowly begins to pull himself up. With a few grunts and about as much grace as an old dog, he gets onto his feet and scans the area, spotting two winged figures landing in his front yard. He knew Azure was coming, that much was given. However, there is some amount of surprise to be had seeing Dash there alongside her. He gives the two a whistle and a wave, earning their attention from above. "Up here!'

The two ponies take notice of his location and Azure wastes no time leaving the ground and flying herself onto the roof with him. Her landing on the inclined surface is something to behold on Ryan's part, but he doesn't get much time to think on it before the filly rushes into his gut in a frenzied blur of blue. The force is nearly enough to knock him off balance, but he steadies himself to prevent either of them from toppling over and rolling down like logs on a hill. "Easier there, kiddo. Not trying to see the doctor any sooner than I have to."

Azure can only giggle in response as she clings to his front, her arms wrapped around him like a small vice. Ryan wastes no time returning the gesture as best he can from his current angle. Not too long after, Rainbow touches down no more than a few feet from them. She locks eyes with the man holding their daughter and silence begins to overtake the surrounding area.

Ryan stares awkwardly at the mother of his child, trying to think of the best way to get the ball rolling, so to speak. "H-hey."

"Hi." Rainbow replies in an equally unknowing tone.

"So uh..." Ryan pauses as he tries to collect himself, Azure finally pulling away and looking up at him expectantly. "I was..."

...ICE CREAM!

Ryan flinches and raises his hands defensively, "I know! I know, just..." His eyes wander back and forth between the two ponies in front of him, who have started to eye him with a small amount of concern before he finally breaks the silence. "Ice cream?"

Like a tiny, blue guardian angel, Azure pipes up with a raised hand, bouncing in place. "Actually, can we go to Doughnut Joe's? He makes the best coffee!"

Ryan glances up at Rainbow with a somewhat twisted expression, having been caught a little off guard by the filly's suggestion. "No denying it now. She's definitely mine." This gets a small laugh out of the older pony, with Ryan turning his attention back to his daughter. "Coffee sounds perfect."

The trio descend from the roof, albeit with Ryan taking the more cautious route given his lack of wings, before marching over to Doughnut Joe's. The walk is mostly silent and their small group earns a few sideways glances and even a few glares- most of which are aimed at Ryan himself. He chooses to ignore them and keep his focus on his child. It doesn't matter what the rest of the town thinks of him as long as his daughter is happy and healthy. Then, of course, there is Rainbow, who seems to be taking some of these onlookers' expressions a bit too personally. At one point, she even does a false jump at somepony, causing them to flinch and recoil. Fortunately, nopony was put into actual harm's way and they arrived at the shop without any large scale issues arising. Darting ahead, Ryan opens the door for his company and marches into the shop behind them. There's a small number of ponies currently residing within the shop, quite a few of which begin silently watching them. The only pony who isn't staring them down is the stallion manning his station, who has preoccupied himself by wiping down his station.

Azure seems oblivious to the stares and immediately runs over to the counter, greeting the stallion running the show back there with a large smile. "Hey, Joe! Good to see you again!"

Joe looks up and spots the filly, who is quick to pull herself atop of the stool and sit herself right in front of him. The stallion smiles and sets the rag he's been using on his shoulder. "Hey there, little lady! Can I get you the usual?" His eyes wander from Azure, catching sight of both of the filly's parents approaching the counter as well. "Well ain't this something; The whole family together at last."

Both Rainbow and Ryan glance at each other before looking back at Joe.

An odd, uncomfortable blush slowly peeks through Rainbow's features as she picks up the pace and takes a seat to Azure's left. Ryan finds himself shuffling awkwardly to his own chair to the right of his daughter, looking more confused than anything else. "That's one way to put it, I guess." The man replies to Joe, the word 'family' bouncing around like a rubber ball in his head. It doesn't feel quite right to think of their unit as a family, which makes Ryan question a few things, mostly between himself and Rainbow. "I'll take my usual."

Joe starts to pick up on how tense things still are between them. Without Azure here to balance it out, the doughnut pony would be at a complete loss. He masks his own feelings on it with practiced ease, turning his attention to the rainbow haired mare opposite of Ryan. "I know those two well enough, but you're not really a regular here. What can I get you?"

Just as he had pointed out, Rainbow pretty much never comes here and now finds herself at a loss. Glancing around, she tries to spot something that can give her an idea of what to order. After a few seconds of searching, she concedes and lowers her head, pointing a thumb over to her daughter. "I'll just take whatever she's getting."

"Oh! And some glazed doughnuts too!" Azure announces, doing her best to keep the air somewhat palatable between the two awkward potatoes she's sandwiched with. Joe nods to the filly and turns toward the back to get to work on their orders.

I mean; It's nice to be out and about with them, but...damn this is uncomfortable! I'm cringing so hard up here!

Azure could choke to death on their company alone. It's as if they're strangers sitting across from each other. Looking in either direction, neither of them is even daring to glance in the other's direction. If she doesn't do something soon she's going to explode. However, there's only so much she can do in a coffee shop. She tries hard to think of something, but to no-

I've got it!

Azure's eyes light up and she quickly turns to look at her father with pleading eyes and a bright smile. "So...you're technically an alien right?"

Ryan turns his head to face Azure, Rainbow doing the same in kind to the inquiry. "Yeah, I am." Her father begins, "I'm from another dimension entirely, actually; A real rotten place called earth. You wouldn't like it, that's for sure. It's dirty, polluted, the people smell weird. Not to mention the politicians, don't even get me started on them."

Azure giggles a bit at his description of his homeworld and while she is curious, something else is weighing heavily on her mind. "Your species has like, normal families and stuff though, right?"

Ryan rocks his head fro side to side, thinking on how to answer that. "Debatably, yes. What's this all leading up to?"

It's clear she's trying to dig for something deeper here, but he can't quite put his finger on it. Rainbow is in roughly the same boat, lost as to what it is she's trying to hint at. "Well, I know I probably won't ever get to see them, so I was hoping that you could tell me what grandma and grandpa are like."

Ryan's eyes go dead as the truth finally comes out. "You want to know...about my parents?"

Azure sinks back a bit at the sudden change. His eyes, his voice; it's almost like the very life has been sucked out of him. Before she can press further, her mother's voice chimes in from behind her. "You know...A lot of us have wondered that same thing." Rainbow says cautiously. "You've never really talked about your family to anypony except Big Mac and when we've asked he gets really weird about it and doesn't say anything."

"I mean, they're the reason you're here." Azure cuts back in, hoping to salvage this somehow. "They must have been nice, right? They probably really loved each other. They would have to if they had you."

Alright, let's just take a second here, bud. Breathe. Stay calm.

Ryan's mind is racing so fast he doesn't even notice Joe's short-lived return to drop off the coffees and small plate of doughnuts. His eyes are locked on his hands that are resting on the counter, trembling as he is flooded with memories that he would rather forget. The trauma of it all he has learned to live with, but the suppressed anger and resentment still lives deep inside, shoved back into the furthest reaches, only surfacing when he is met with the reminder of something he just never had. It isn't until a blue hand comes into his view that he is reacquainted with the real world, lulling him out of this putrid state of mind.

Just tell them to fuck off. We don't need to be digging up old demons like this. Just leave it buried. In the dirt. Where it belongs!

Before Ryan can even truly register what is happening, another hand is placed atop his, as well as the on that was previously resting there. He slowly looks over and sees both Azure and Rainbow leaning toward him, worried and a little sad. He hates seeing them look at him like this. He wants to shove it all away, shove those demons back in the ground and go on like nothing happened.

There are some things that are just better left forgotten.

Biting his lip, Ryan finally replies. "They weren't and they didn't." He simply states. "To be honest, I don't think they ever really liked me either."

With that potential crisis avoided, Ryan takes in the area and spots his steaming hot beverage already mixed the way he likes. He reaches out his free hand, the trembling having finally settled, and takes hold of the cup before bringing it to his lips to take a sip.

Rainbow's hand pulls back and she resumes sitting in silence, but still listening to what's going on. Azure stands firm, staying in place while she looks him eye to eye. "So...you never really had a family either?"

"I have a family." Ryan counters matter-of-factly. "You're just the only one of them that's actually related to me."

Azure remembers a conversation with Joe some time ago, when he finally started telling her about her father before sending her to Big Mac. "Because loyalty is what makes you family, right?"

Hearing this brings a small smile to Ryan's face. "Exactly." Azure smiles back in response. Feeling a bit more at ease, the man feels much more inclined to keep the conversation going. "So, the Apples are our family. They've always done good by me and despite some issues in the past- which were admittedly my own fault- I know that they will always be there for me whenever I need them. Rarity, another person I will always consider close. And finally, your mom."

Azure's pupils dilate at hearing this. Meanwhile, Dash is listening much more intently, her ear flicking at the mention of her name. "We haven't always had the best relationship, but even when things were at their bleakest, she would still go out of her way to back me up, even if it was passive aggressive at times." Ryan spares a glance in Rainbow's direction, who's eyes shift away before becoming completely preoccupied with her cup of coffee. "Regardless, she is literally the element of loyalty and rightly so. I honestly don't think I could ask for a more dedicated person in my life."

Sipping her coffee, Dash manages to hold back a choke and an audible sniff. While she still has a lot of mixed feelings about everything going on, especially everything to do with Ryan, it does bring a warm feeling to her chest for her actions to be noticed, even if they weren't always pleasant. He was telling the truth about their relationship being pretty rocky and rough, but she never did stop caring about him, even when she was actively trying to.

"You didn't always make it easy, you know." Dash says, mostly to herself, but loud enough for the other two members of her party to hear, thus earning their attention as she continues to sip from her mug.

"I know." Ryan finds himself nodding in agreement. It goes without saying that she's been a real firebrand since he met her, but to push all the blame on her would be the height of ignorance. "To be fair though, neither of us really had solid ground to walk on. We kinda just coasted with the occasional combustion."

Dash lowers her mug, giggling a bit as she swallows her coffee. "No truer words have been spoken." Daring to look him in the eye, she finds herself becoming lost in his gaze. It's a little scary, but a familiar comfort follows close behind. "Do you think...If we could go back and do it all over again...would you?"

Ryan takes a moment to ponder the idea before answering. "As much as I'd like to say I would, for the sake of sparing everyone the heartache and all the crap I put you all through, I like to think that we've all gained something in this rather unpleasant venture. Plus, it would kinda suck to have not met Steel Hoof and his family. I probably wouldn't have grown nearly as much."

"I'm not saying that I wouldn't have done things differently if I had known then what I know now, but I feel like a lot of it would lose its meaning if not for all of this." It's difficult for Ryan to find the right words to explain what it is he's thinking, but Dash seems to be absorbing it well enough. All the while, Azure's head is swinging from one person to the next as they discuss this little scenario.

"I want things to work out here, but..." Dash lets out a near-defeated breath, trying herself to find the best way to air her own feelings out. "I still have a lot of...fear, I guess. I don't know how all of this going to play out and it's been weighing on me pretty heavy lately." She will never understand why talking to him has always felt so natural. Sure, miscommunication has played a role in their combined instability, but when they do finally sit down and just talk it out, everything seems to flow well enough. "I really did miss you, you know."

No amount of words felt right at this moment. And if nothing else, Ryan has always been a man of action. With that in mind, he removes himself from his seat, abandoning his cup as he moves to stand behind Rainbow, who tenses at the sudden change of position. Both she and Azure watch curiously as he takes a stand directly at her back before leaning forward and wrapping his arms around her front. Locking himself in place, he sets his head down atop Rainbow's scalp and goes still. It's a simple gesture, sure, but among many of the things he's learned one of them is that- sometimes- you just need a hug.

"We'll get through this Dashie." Rainbow's body relaxes just as quick as it had gone taut, her eyes becoming reflective and wet. Sniffling, she grabs onto him, her eyes clenching shut as she presses her muzzle against his forearm. "It might pass like a kidney stone, but all of this will pass. We'll figure it out."

This would be the perfect opportunity to snap her neck and be done with all of this.

This is the perfect opportunity! Get in there, little butt!

Azure quickly dives into her mother's lap, who responds by releasing her grip on Ryan's arms and pulling her daughter into her chest to hold her. For the first time in over ten years, everything actually feels like it'll be alright. In fact, she would even say that this is the happiest she's been in a long time as well. She feels inclined to believe Ryan and look forward to better days to come.

Everything will be fine...

"Awww, that's so sweet~"

"Shut up, Joe!"

Comments

[shadow wolf1573]

I really do like this story. Well I'll see you in another 2 years

[ultrapoknee]

It lives!

[Prince Jules Moonshade]

Ah this story, I shan’t lie I forgot it existed but glad to see it again. Here’s hopping we don’t have to wait another two years though. :P

Anyways keep up the awesome work!

[Soulless Soldier]

Well color me surprised, this was not a story I thought I would see updated. Definitely most welcome that's for sure, hopefully more is yet to come (within a shorter time frame that is 😅)

[Armored_Shadow]

Awww, that's so sweet~"

"Shut up, Joe!"

Hahaha, but seriously this was a good chapter I could feel the emotions you put into them

[Witchery]

Just read through all three. Good stuff.

Have to wonder what Chrysalis has been up to this whole time though.

[InsanityStreak]

Good to see Ryan and Azure again, I missed seeing their brand of mental.

Hope your going alright as well Twisted, be good to see more notifications of yours popping up with all the warm and fuzzies they bring.

[Gaz1997]

Ow!

Fuck!

Take a joke, asshole!

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