A Father's Love

Chapters

A Father's Love
Alternate Epilogue 1

A Father's Love

Foreword by DjSteelFox

I have to admit that, for a long time, I never had any intentions of writing again. But then along came a show called My Little Pony that changed a few things. My personal mantra is "No matter where the inspiration comes from, utilize it." and well, I was inspired by a little story known as Bubbles. Now before you see that and scoff and click away, I would like you to take a moment to reconsider (please). Bubbles is a great story; well laid out, and told throught the perspective of a small child. This story that you are about to read follow the plotline, but from a differing perspective, the perspective of her father. I have added many events, characters, and places that were never remotely menitoned in Bubbles, but I still remained faithful to the original plotline. I give you this as a labor of love, I have spent months writing and editing this. All I wish is that you read it, and that you feel entertained by it. This story is not for the faint of heart.
I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

-Dj
Chapter 1

"I'm home!" I called out as I entered my home, briefcase in mouth, closing the dark brown door behind me. My house was the typical Equestrian design: brightly colored walls, the visible brown rafters accentuating the light tan walls. Pictures of our family lined the walls, bookshelves here and there, and the whole place practically sparkled. I guess Feather had been at her old tricks again. My wife is named Feather Duster, a Pegasus from the same neck of the woods as I, an apt description considering her penchant for cleaning and keeping the place squeaky clean. Literally. My damn leather chair squeaks every time I use it, she has it washed so often. But, we all have our habits that go with our personalities, and I digress.

My name is Hard Hat. I'm a Pegasus pony from Cloudsdale, where every other Pegasi tend to be from, and I live in Fillydelphia. Don't get me wrong, I love my hometown, but here in Fillydelphia everything is just so....quaint. Simplicity defined in the form of a city. I work for the Cloudsdale construction crew, repairing and maintaining the town itself and the Weather Factory. The town isn't too hard to maintain: a bit of cloud and magical restraints here, a bit of typical Pegasus ingenuity there, and the town pretty much holds itself up. Well, lately we've been having problems with some of the lower restraints, but I'll chalk that up to Changelings. Little bastards always love to mess with Cloudsdale, disguise themselves as construction ponies and begin methodically de-constructing everything. Then there is the Rainbow Factory, which is a big pain in the flank. I swear every time there's a problem we get dispatched to fix, Canterlot dispatches a platoon of Royal Guards to watch our every twitch. I mean, I get the reasoning behind keeping the magic safe and secure, but they watch us like wardens watching prisoners, waiting for us to take one step out of line. Just last week my buddy Chimney was cleaning out some exhaust vents, and he was arrested by the Royal Guard. He came back the next day with a broken leg and bruises around his face. We tried to send a complaint to Canterlot, but got nothing back, and Chimney won't talk anyway. Poor bastard, they probably got paranoid and beat the shit out of him. I keep my observations to myself, for I am but a drone in service of the flock and wish to keep my anonymity.

Aside from my work grumblings which basically everypony has, my life is pretty good. My wife, as I mentioned before, is Feather Duster, and I love her to pieces. Lately she's been having some errant mood swings, but she's been on antidepressants for some years now and these trends come and go. She's a very cleaning oriented pony, her cutie mark is a feather duster, so it makes all kinds of sense. I have a young daughter named Ditzy, which I think is a cute name, though some ponies don't agree with me. She is an amazing kid (but every parent says that about their children), and I love her so much. Ditzy is a bit mentally deficient, the doctors prescribed it when she was quite little and I can't remember the name of what she has for the life of me, but she is a little slower that the average pony. Whatever, she's my little mare and I'll be damned to pony hell if anyone says anything against her. I'm a protective father, so there is the odd occasion when ponies come up to me and say "Oh, it must be hard raising her.", and it severely pisses me off. There's nothing wrong with my daughter, she's simply built by a different set of blueprints, I would always say. Then I get that empathizing look, that oh-im-so-sorry-your-life-must-be-hard look, and it makes my blood boil.

"Daddy!!!" I heard from the living room, along with the rapid clop of little hooves running along the floor. A gray and blonde blur collided into me, making me back up a step or two. "I missed you!" Ditzy said, love dripping from every word. My work hours prevent me from seeing her in the morning, I'm gone long before she wakes up, so this is the only time we have together. I looked down at her and hugged her tightly, her little legs wrapping around my neck.
"Oh, how's the world's cutest Pegasus today!" I said, smiling.
"Goooood!!! How was your work!" Ditzy replied happily.
"Better now that I'm home!" I said as we walked into the living room. I heard a clatter in the kitchen, Feather must be cooking or cleaning up a storm. That mare, I tell you.
"I made you a piture today!" Ditzy exclaimed happily, holding up a crayon picture of me and her under a sun with a smiley face. I find her mispronounciations cute. I took the picture in my hoof.
"Aww, thanks sweetie!! Tell you what, this is going on the wall in my office tommorrow! First thing tommorrow morning I'm going to hang it up!" I said, beaming.
Ditzy's face lit up. "YAAAAY!!!" she exclaimed as a flurry of hugs and cheek kisses came my way. I accepted them without complaint, Ditzy is the most affectionate pony I know. Suddenly, a confused look shrouded her mismatched eyes. "Daddy, I gots a question."

"What is it?" I asked.

"What's a reetard?" Ditzy inquired. My anger rose in my throat, but I managed to keep my face calm and semi-smiling.
"Where did you hear that?" I asked, a touch of concern in my voice.
"Mommy called me that today after I dropped a bag of flower. It was an accident, I pwomise!" Ditzy replied, a sad look in her face. She knew enough to know it was some sort of insult, she just didn't know what it meant. I smiled.
"Don't worry about it, sweetie, I'll tell you later. Now it's almost bedtime, can you be a big girl and get into your bed? I'll be up there in ten minutes, ok?" I said, my face not revealing the seething anger I felt. Ditzy smiled happily.
"Otay!" she replied, bounding upstairs with her Miss Sweetie doll in her mouth. I turned into the kitchen and walked inside. Feather was there, cleaning like a madmare. She looked extremely frazzled, and seemed ready to fight. There had been too many fights under this roof lately, over the most trivial shit. She once didn't talk to me for a week after I didn't fix a lightbulb. A lightbulb. Seriously? Now I have a tangible and valid reason to be on the offensive.
"Honey, can we talk for a minute?" I asked, carefully managing my tone. She looked up at me with a frusturated expression.
"What is it?" she said, in a pissed off tone.
"Ditzy asked me what a retard was today, and she said it came from your mouth. I'm curious what caused you to say that." I said, my tone hard. Feather hung her head, sighing.

"Look, I know how you are sensitive about that, but things just slip out sometimes." she said levelly.

"It's not me I'm worried about, it's Ditzy. She may not know what it means, but she can tell she's being insulted. You know how she takes these things." I replied evenly.

"What, the fact that she forgets it almost instantly when presented with a distration?" Feather snapped at me.

"Honey, where is this coming from?" I asked, a little taken aback.

"I'm frusturated, just really frusturated. It feels like Ditzy's never going to change or get better! Everyday she just gets worse and worse!" Feather said, exasperated.
"She isn't sick, she's disabled! She won't get better or worse, it doesn't work like that!" I said, defending my little girl.
"You wouldn't know! I take care of her all of the time! I put up with her shit 24/7, and I'm losing my mind doing so! She's always well-behaved when you're around, you still have novelty!" she yelled, pissed off.
"If I could change it I would!" I shot back.
"I'm just so tired of this shit, Hat. I'm tired of being pulled in ninety fucking directions!" Feather snapped, fueled by a mixture of anger and frusturation.
"Yes, she is a handful, that is true. But snapping at her and making her feel like shit is not an answer to the problem!" I yelled. There was silence for a minute. Then I spoke "Are you still taking your medication on time?"
"Why does it always boil down to the fucking meds all the time! Meds this and meds that! I'm tired of being pumped up on antidepressants like a walking medical cabinet! I don't need meds, and I'm sick of taking them! Ditzy is retarded, I know you know this too as much as you don't want to admit it, and I'm sick of it being just me who takes care of her all the time! I have dreams too! I had a life! I'm tired of being the only one around here!" Feather yelled, venom in her voice.
"Oh, so this is what everything is about, huh? You think I want to work to get away from everything?!?" I replied, angered.
"Yea, as a matter of fact, I DO!! I ALSO THINK YOU WANT TO GET AWAY FROM ME!!" Feather roared.
"Celestia forbid that I try to keep a roof over our heads! I don't want to work all the time, I would give anything to be here with you and Ditzy! As much as I want to, I can't change that! I can apologize as much as you want, but it never changes the way you treat me and her! It's not my fault you're unhappy with you're life! Why you are is a mystery to me, you have everything you ever wanted!" I shot back.
"DON'T YOU DARE PUT THIS ON ME! YOU ARE NEVER AROUND, YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME, I DOUBT YOU EVEN LOVE ME ANYMORE!!" Feather screamed. There was silence for a solid five minutes, which I just stared at her, hurt.
"How dare you.........I love you, I could never stop loving you.......in fact, it hurts me that you could say that. You could have been the one to go, you know." I began, quiet and sad," You could be the one with the full time job. But you wanted me to do it. You wanted me to work dawn till dusk, you said 'we need a roof right now, time together will come later'. So don't you put that guilt on me......I have too much already." I finished, muted. Just then the door moved.
"Daddy? Mommy? Is everythin otay?" Ditzy said, sleepily rubbing her eyes. My heart melted. How much did she hear?
"Here sweetie, come with me, I'll put you to bed." I said softly, picking up my daughter and placing her on my back. I purposefully didn't meet Feather's eyes as I left the room, but I felt her hate filled green eyes boring holes in the back of my head. Ditzy yawned as I climbed the stairs, her soft grip on my back reassuring to me. We got to her bedroom and as I gently laid her on her bed, she asked "Were you an Mommy fighting?"
"No, honey, we weren't." I lied.
"Cause I don' want you to. I want you an Mommy to be happy and I want us all tuh smile together like we used to." Ditzy said softly, tears glistening in her eyes, "Is it because I'm bad?"
I calmly reassured her. "No, it isn't, and don't you ever think that. Your mommy and I were just disagreeing, that's all. It is not your fault, and it never will be. Okay?"
"Otay, Daddy." she mewed, sniffling and wiping her eyes. She reached up and hugged me, her grip suprisingly strong for a young one. "I love you, Daddy."
I returned the hug, a tear escaping my eye "I love you too, Ditzy." I pulled back and looked into her eyes, "Always remember that Daddy loves you, and nothing you or mommy or anypony does will ever change that."
"Not even Princess Celestia?" she asked, a smile forming on her lips.
"Not even Princess Celestia." I reassured her, managing a smile.
"Otay." she replied. I walked toward the door and switched off the lights.
"Goodnight, babygirl." I said lovingly.
"Goonite, Daddy." she said softly as I quietly shut the door. I wandered down the stairs, feeling horrible. What it this doing to my daughter? What happened to our family that, not so long ago, loved and cared for each other? I felt like complete shit.
The lights in the kitchen were dark, and the patio light was on. I saw through the window that Feather was sitting at our deck table, head in hoof, staring into space. She seemed a bit more placid and calm, although I know that her calmness is often the quiet period before the storm. I quietly walked out and sat across the table from her, not quite facing her, but facing the street. The night had arrived, the streetlights the only sign of life or light in the night other than the moon or the ever-present gleam from the Fillydelphia downtown.
"What are we going to do?" Feather said, almost at a whisper, the fight gone from her.
"I don't know, I just don't know anymore." I said exasperated.
"I just....I just can't deal with the pain anymore. I love Ditzy, you know that, but seeing her struggle every day just kills me inside," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks, "She will never get better, you know that right? She will always be this way, ponies will always consider her different, and treat her different, and that thought kills me. Every day is just more hurt for her, and as much as it hurts me to say, there has to be a way for her to not have to hurt."
I was quiet, and my tone sad. "There is. We have to be there for her, and I know I have to get home more often. Everypony will treat her different, but you've seen the ponies around here. They're caring, and understanding, and they love everypony the same. Regardless of their differences. Ditzy being who she is won't make a difference to anypony."
Feather dwelled on that. Then she spoke, quiet and broken "Do you still love me?"
"Yes." I replied, without hesitation.
"I don't love me. I hate what I've become. I hate myself for every bit of pain I cause Ditzy and you. As much as most of me screams otherwise, deep down I know that you only want what's best for our family." she continued, crying quietly, "That's exactly it: I feel nothing. I want us to be happy, I just feel like I'm distant from everyone and everything. You have been nothing but kind to me all of these years: married me after you knocked me up at flight school, worked tirelessly to ensure a stable home, given us everything and more, and you've been the greatest father to a child I can't even mother properly. And I feel....I feel....." her voice cracked "...I feel like I just mess it all up and no matter how hard I clean and how hard I try, I just destroy all hope we have." Feather finished, sobbing quietly. I moved over to her and put my leg around her, holding her gently.
"Well, I love you. I love you for you, and you trying harder and harder to fix yourself isn't going to fix anything. In fact, that's what I feel is messing you up inside: You are trying so hard to fight your way out that you are falling deeper in. Slow down and things will get better, you'll see. Ditzy loves you so much, as much as I do. In her eyes, you are the greatest mommy in the world. That won't change. You are an amazing mother, better than anypony around here. Cloudsdale be damned, the folks there can all go to pony hell for all I care, but the ponies around here think you are an amazing mother too. And we will never lose hope, we can't." I held her tight, "Times are dark now, but when we persevere through them, hope will shine ever the brighter." I said, tears in my eyes.
"I just don't know, Hat, I just don't know anymore." Feather cried quietly, trembling in my arms.
"We simply have to carry on." I said, tearfully but resolutely.
Feather pulled away from me. "I have been, but I don't know if I can anymore. I feel like I'm just going to lose it." She walked quietly indoors, but as I went inside to follow her, she stopped "Please. I just.....I need to be alone right now." she said softly, tears still flowing. I stopped and watched her as her walked up the stairs, head lowered. Feather stopped by Derpy's door, opened it a little, then quietly closed it with a muffled sob as she wandered to our bedroom and closed the door behind her.
I stood there, unsure of what to do. Why does everything have to fall apart now? I sighed as I closed the door and sat out on the patio, breathing in the cool night air. The memories came rushing by like a waterfall: the first time Feather and I ever met, the late night chats and trysts under the stars, our love that seemed so new and full for so long now seemed empty and hollow. I remembered the mixed jubilation and worry when the doctor told us we were expecting, and how I jumped for joy that day: how proud I was to walk around Cloudsdale with Feather by my side, her swollen belly eliciting smiles from passerby as we went on our way. Ditzy's birth flashed before me: the first time I ever held her as her little eyes opened and how her mother and I both cried tears of joy that day, Ditzy's first birthday cake and our wedding cake on the same table, and how we laughed and lived. The bad memories came too: the doctors that told us her growth has somehow been stunted, and how no magic in Equestria could heal her. Our despair the day we realized that our daughter would never lead a normal life, my quiet determination and Feather's silent agony. How the people in Cloudsdale singled us out: the jeering and whispers and rumours behind our back, how at Ditzy's first day of school her bladder betrayed her and the teacher later told us in a condescending tone that he belived Ditzy would never be able to go through schooling, and how fast my hoof came around and knocked the sneer off of his face. Our resulting move from Cloudsdale to Fillydelphia: and the years spent attempting to deal with everything in our own way. Feather bottled everything up, attempted to mask her true emotions, and has to take antidepressants and antipsychotic medications just to stay calm. I focused my pain, made it work for me as fuel to strive for a greater life for my family. And what does that get me? Misery and pain. My little ability to use my pain is also a hinderance when it comes back.
"My blessing is my curse." I said softly to myself as the tears began to flow freely.
Unbeknownst to me, a pair of sympathetic eyes watched me and listened to me.

Chapter 2

"Hold on!!" the forepony said as the giant metal spar was winched into position at the peak of the warehouse. The Rainbow Factory has been a nexus of reconstruction for a long time, this storage facility being the biggest addition to the complex. I held onto the deep purple spar to stabilize, flapping below it, the weight making it hard to stay airbourne. My radio on my hard hat buzzed, and I smacked it with my free hoof to turn it on. A tinny voice came out.

"Hard Hat, you up there?" the box buzzed.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Forepony says to hold up a bit and stay up there to keep that spar in line. We got a problem with some of the floor crew and some Royal Guards he's gotta fix, so just stay put!" the voice replied.
"Roger, although some help would be nice." I replied, straining. Damn thing must weigh 400 pounds, easy.
"We'll send help as soon as we can. Over and out." the voice replied before the box clicked off. I groaned. Son of a bitch, I'm going to be up here a long ass time. I looked down to see is any action was visible, but I was too high up to get any sort of detail. The sweat dripped down my forehead and my wings beat furiously to keep the spar in position. The time ticked by slowly, it felt like minutes became hours. Suddenly, the beating of wings behind me alerted me to some presence behind me. I waited for the unknown Pegasi to come in front of me, then I began "Well it's about ti-" I cut myself off.
The Pegasus was dressed in the armor of the Royal Guard, but it wasn't the typical gold armor. Ths armor looked very dark, almost a dark purple blue, the same shade as the pony who wore it. Tattoos covered his right foreleg, and this guy looked very menacing indeed. The scientific term would be 'built like a brick shithouse'. He saw my confused expression, but disregarded it.
"Need help?" he said, in a deep voice.
"Yep." I grunted, still straining. He flew over to me and propped up the other end of the spar, taking a ton of the weight off. We remained that way until after the welding crews has secured the joist, than flew to the other side of the factory, landing by the office block. I turned to him. "Thanks, I appreciate the help."
"Not a problem at all." he said, smiling.
"So.....you don't look like any Royal Guard I've seen." I said, my curiosity peaked.
"Yeah, I get that. I don't work for Celestia, I work for Luna." he said levelly.
"Huh. Had no idea Luna had her own Guard detachment." I added.
"Yeah. We're a small group, typically hoof-picked by Luna out of the elite of the Royal Guards units. She's a good boss, and we get a bit more freedom. Our group is called the Lunar Guards." he said conversationally.
"No offense, but why are you guys here? I mean, the Royal Guard has been practically sending battlegroups to watch us, surely they don't need more." I asked. He pointed his hoof down to the floor, where a group of ponies were huddled around. I stared into the group, and to my suprise a group of paramedics trotted out pulling a stretcher, and a very badly beaten construction Pegasus lay on it. He had clearly broken a wing, and was covered in bruises and blood.
"That is why." he said simply.
"Holy shit, what in Celestia's name happened?" I asked, shocked to see such violence.
"Celestia's name indeed." he said darkly, "Her Royal Guard units lack social skills, and are quite merciless for those who get in their way. They do not distinguish between purposeful intent and accidental run-ins, they punish both the same. Obviously that gives them a poor track record in the public relations department, but that is why me and my troops are here. There are only three ponies that they listen to: Celestia, Luna, and me. I'm trying to keep them in line." He looked at the scene below. "I am letting my men have a bit of fun keeping the other Guards in line, but they can only do so much."
"My question is: What is so secret about this place that it needs two types of Guards and damn near capital punishment to keep the construction crews from getting curious?" I pondered out loud.
"If you knew, you would never come here again." he said, a mix of dark intonation and sadness in his voice. I glanced at him out of the side of my eyes. He stared into space with that thousand-yard-stare, similar to a gaze of a troubled mind or a combat veteran. Subject change time.
"Do you have any family?" I asked, steering the conversation into another direction, "And I never caught your name." I said with a smile.
"Night. Captain Night." he said, shaking off his daze. "No, I'm not fortunate enough. Being the night operators we are, the shock troops one would say, we move around too much for a stable life."
"What do you mean by 'shock troops'?" I asked, curious.
"We do......things...that Celestia would never consider sending her troops to do. Luna reigns over the night, and in turn the dark things that roam during said time fall into her jurisdiction." he said, very level. I read his expression correctly.
"I won't ask." I stated, eliciting a smile from Night.
"Thanks. Hard Hat, is it?" he asked.
"Yeah." I replied. Night looked down at an argument starting on a platform below us between a construction crew and a group of Canterlot Guards.
"All is not well; I doubt. Some foul play; would the night were come!" he stated philisophically, "Till then sit still, my soul. Foul deeds will rise, though all the earth overwhelem them, to men's eyes." The group below us picked up in volume. "Till we meet again, Hard Hat!" Night said as he flew down to the platform below.
"Okay, see ya!" I shouted, but by then Night had flown out of immediate earshot. A yawn escaped me, and I glanced at the wall clock, the hands indicating and early time yet. My radio buzzed.
"Hard Hat, come in." the tinny voice began, this voice different than the last. "It's the forepony." I smacked it on with my hoof.
"Yeah, I'm here." I chirped.
"We're still having trouble with the guards, the whole fuckin' thing has gone FUBAR and we ain't getting shit done today and probably not tommorow either. Ya want to get off early?" the forepony offered. I only had to think for a picosecond.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks forepony.", I said.
"No probs bud, I know how you fly damn near three hours each day to get here and how hard you work. I remember loyalty." the forepony's voice echoed throught the headset.
"Much appreciated." I replied, switching off my headset. My office door was open, and I wandered in, closing it behind me. My office was spartan in its furnishings: the walls temporarily constructed out of aluminum siding, my desk the typical particle board IKEA knockoff, the velvet padded chairs being the only nice things in the room. The office is only temporary, after all. I sat in the chair behind my desk, utterly tuckered out. "A short nap." I said to myself, setting the alarm on my watch for a half hour. I laid my head on my desk and quickly drifted off.

****

A cold breeze roused me, causing me to groggily raise my head, my eyes still adjusting to the light in the room.

"The ability to put yourself to sleep that quickly is remarkable." said a smooth, darkly feminine voice.

"Yeah, I-" I cut my self off when my eyes finally focused on the figure standing in front of me.

Princess Luna herself stood there, a bemused expression on her otherwise stoic face. "Good evening, or good morning depending on your perspective of the cycle of day and night." she said philisophically. I sat up stock still.
"Uh......Your Majesty.......I.....uh...." I stammered. Luna laughed.
"Luna alone will suffice. I do not prefer my royal title any longer, nor do I speak in the royal grammatical tongue or voice. Such things distance me from the common pony. Relax, as the adage says, I do not bite." she explained.
"Oh. Okay......sooo......not to sound rude, but what're you doing here?" I asked, still a little stunned.
"I am a denizen of the night. As such, I am omnipresent. I am in many dreams across the planet at the current point in time." she said with a half smile.
"This is a dream? It's night right now?" I asked, worried about getting home on time.
"It is not. Just as the time of day is irrelevant to the sleeping pattern of ponies, there is always a side of the globe under the cover of night, therefore I am always in millions of places at once. Physical interaction in the waking world requires a large amount of focus, and I can only be in one physical place at one time." Luna explained, "As the song says, it is five-o-clock somewhere."
"Interesting viewpoint." I remarked, chuckling.
"To answer your question that you asked earlier requires an explanation worthy of a long time. As I have stated previously, I am a denizen of the night, and I watch over the young and innocent. Evil I am made out to be, but evil I refuse to become, and a small commotion in Fillydelphia captured my attention. I feel...." Luna paused, gathering her thoughts for the next part of her explanation, "I feel that sometimes, a touch of intervention can infinitely aid in a tense situation." She stared at me. "You do know about the subject I speak of.". I looked at her nervously, her eyes piercing through me and almost reading my thoughts. "Do not be alarmed, in this dream all royal pretenses are removed, you can tell me whatever you wish." Luna said, her tone taking a gentle lilt. I took a deep breath and explained everything, the problems with Feather, Ditzy, work and everything that was troubling me. Luna never interruptued a single time, she simply sat and listened, absorbing all the information. When I was finished, she spoke.
"May I ask you a few questions?" she asked.
"Sure." I replied.
"If you left Cloudsdale in shame, why do you return to work there?" she inquired calmly.
"It has been a couple of years since we left, and we need the money badly." I replied, slightly morosely.
"I see. And does Feather have a history of emotional turmoil such as this?" Luna asked, locked onto me.
"Only a little after she gave birth to Ditzy, but she stopped not long after. Yesterday was the first day like that." I replied.
"I would attribute the earlier episode to post-partum depression." Luna stated as she nodded.
"Yea, but there was more than that last night. She isn't happy with her life, and I've tried every fucking thing possible." I said sadly, with a touch of frusturation.
Luna's eyes softened. "Do you love Feather?" she asked gently.
"Yes." I replied.
"Do you love your daughter?" Luna asked.
"With every iota of my being." I replied passionately.
"Than that is all you need. If you prize Ditzy's well being above everything else, all will be well." Luna reassured me.
"Are you sure?" I asked worredly.
"I am certain." she said, smiling, "Now, return to your family and heal what is broken." And with that she firmly planted her hoof on my chest and said, "If I am needed, I shall come." Luna pushed me back, but instead of falling back onto the floor, the momentum carried my head and torso off of the table as I awoke with a start.
"Holy shit." I said aloud, still very pleasantly suprised to have a full-fledged princess on my side. My thoughts continued on their tangental paths as I carried on my way on that long, long flight home.

****

I walked through the door, tossed my briefcase and hard hat into a corner and said my traditional "I'm home!!". The house seemed unusually quiet, and the little gut feeling you get when something is wrong started tingling in my gut. I heard a low groan from by the windowsill which caught my attention.
Ditzy was laying on the floor, one leg stubbornly clutching her doll and the other holding her slightly distended abdomen. She seemed to be moving in and out of conciousness. Instantly I was by her side, rubbing my hoof on her back. I nuzzled her to try to get any sort of reaction. "Sweetie, are you okay?" I say, concerned. I recived a muffled groan for my troubles, which set me off in a panic. Her heart was racing, and sweat was beading down her forehead. Not good. I rushed around the house, calling to Feather.
"Feather! Feather! Hello?" I yelled.
"In here." came the muted reply from inside the bedroom. I ran into the bedroom. Feather sat on the bed, curled up into a little ball, trembling.
"Are you aware that our daughter is extremely sick right now and in a horrible amount of pain?" I said, concerned and slightly pissed off.
Feather stared off into space.
"Feather." I said, trying to get her attention. Nothing. "Feather!" Still nothing. "FEATHER!" I yelled. That seemed to shake her out of it. "What the hell is wrong with you? What's going on?!?" I yelled.
"I.......I made her muffins......and.....an-and I wanted her.......to......to......" Feather trailed off.
"Wanted her to what? Spit it out!" I said, my guts churning. She looked at me, her eyes temporarily locked on me.
"I wanted her to feel no more hurting." she said, devoid of all intonation. My heart and brain paused for a long minute.
"You WHAT?" I yelled, utterly shocked and stunned.
"I'm sorry honey, I just lost it for a bit, a-and I did something I shouldn't have." Feather began to cry. My uber-protective father instincts kicked in.
"What did you put in the muffins? What did she eat?" I yelled, sprinting to the kitchen. There was no answer from Feather, but truthfully I wasn't listening for one. The kitchen was an all-out mess: flour spilled all over the floor, dishes thrown askew on the countertops. The only place that wasn't a complete mess was the table, which had a few pans of brown muffins on it. There was the crumbs of one, and the half eaten remains of another which I proceeded to smell. They smelled...slightly acidic. I ran to the counter and started throwing dirty dishes aside, and that's when I found it. An empty box of powdered drain cleaner lay underneath a pot covered in dough. I held it up, inspecting it. The box was white with stern blue writing on the side, and the little symbols labeled Toxic and Poison stood out to me clearly. How badly had Feather lost control that she decided to poison her own daughter? A muted groan brought me out of my trance. Ditzy!
I sprinted out to Ditzy, who was sweating even more profusely now and looking progressively worse and worse. "Daddy's here now, and I'm gonna take you to the hospital now, okay?" I said, trying my hardest to keep a gentle and calm tone in my voice. She looked at me, her eyes moving in and out of focus, a muted cough coming from her throat. I picked her up and threw her on my back, figuring that she might be stable enough to travel. Ditzy immediately started crying and moaning, her tears soaking the back of my neck. "Just hold on sweetie, you'll be okay!" We took off towards the cart, and I quickly loaded her inside of it. She immediately folded into the fetal position, crying even louder now. I fumbled momentarily with the straps, slamming shut the rear gate. The harness went onto my back as fast as I could put it on, and I took off like a shot. The hospital was not far away, and I was praying that I could make it in time. My cart swerved around a slower Pegasi hauling a cloud and almost toppled, but a quick tilt in the opposite direction prevented its movement any further and righted it on its course. Suddenly I saw the whitewashed outline of the hospital in the distance, and I put the metaphorical gas on, flying as fast as I could. A beating of wings notified me of another ponies' prescence, and I tilted my head to look.
Luna was keeping pace with me, her dark mane and tail streaking back behind her, forelegs outstretched. "What is wrong?" she asked, concern in her powerful yet veneer voice. I paused for a second, some parts of me having not acccepted Luna's presence as reality. I shook myself out of it, focusing on the task at hand.
"She's been poisoned, I gotta get to the hospital now!" I said, closing in on the hospital doors. The cart skidded to a stop, inches from the wall of the emergency entrance. Luna nodded and alighted beside me, concern in her eyes as she looked down at the barely moving form of Ditzy curled up in the back. A pair of paramedics who had seen my high heat landing came running out to see what was going on, but stopped and stared, jaws agape, at Luna. I grunted angrily at them, hoisted Ditzy onto my back, and barged in the front doors yelling "I need a doctor RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" A group of orderlies ran out with a stretcher which I loaded Ditzy onto, a doctor sprinted up and began quickly assessing the situation. He was a pure white unicorn, his mane a light shade of tan, almost khaki, set off by his white lab coat and horn rimmed glasses.
"What happened?" he asked, concerned.
"She got into some powdered drain cleaner shit, I don't know how much she ate but she obviously ate alot of it!" I spilled out, adrenaline pumping through my veins and worry permeating my voice.
"Alright get me a CM-1 stat! I want the emergency room prepped now, and hurry!" the doctor barked at the orderlies as he began checking Ditzy's vital signs. "Breathing labored, heart rate at....104," he pulled a padded device off of a wall and wrapped it around Ditzy's foreleg, "Blood pressure at 120/95 and rising! I need-" He saw Luna as she walked in beside me and stopped. Luna looked at him, her expression firm.
"Do not focus on me, simply do your job." she stated. The doctor nodded sharply, and took off with the stretcher, heading towards the emergency wing of the hospital. Luna and I walked alongside, my hold on Ditzy's outstretched foreleg unrelenting. He turned to me as he turned the stretcher into a emergency medical room. "I'm going to have to get you to wait out here, sir."
"No! No fucking way!" I shouted, attempting to break past him. Two burly orderlies appeared from around the corner and attempted to push me into the hallway. "NO! NO! DITZY! DITZY!" I screamed, losing my tenacious ground against the orderlies. I heard Luna's hoof come down behind me.
"LET HIM THROUGH!" she commanded in a voice that made the walls literally shake, her eyes glowing a bright blue as she stared down the orderlies. The orderlies and the doctor immediately backed off, letting me run into the room. Ditzy had started crying again, but her cries seemed weak and high pitched. The doctor ran in beside me, and immediately got to work. I turned and saw Luna, who was still staring at the orderlies as if willing them to make another move. Her eyes reverted to their normal state, and she snarled, "Leave." at the orderlies. The orderlies sprinted down the hallway, as fast as they could. Luna walked in, her anger rapidly replaced by a growing sense of concern.

"I need that Ewild tube, now! Nurse, get it running!" the doctor said, hooves whipping around like lightning. Luna and I both stood there, unsure of what to do, and by the look on Luna's face she seemed to share the feeling of helplessness that dominated my mind. A frantic voice caught my attention.
"It won't work! It won't work!" the nurse exclaimed, frantically pressing buttons and levers on the console of the beige machine, but to no avail. The machine showed no signs of life, its' buttons black as night. The doctor aimed his horn at the machine and a crackle of yellow energy shot from him into the machine. The machine remained still.
"Well fuck!" the doctor yelled, frusturation getting the better of him. Luna's face suddenly became placid and calm.
"I shall try something that may work." she said, her eyes closing and head bowing to Ditzy's midsection. Her elongated horn sparked and glowed purple, and deep purple and black beams of light flowed directly into Ditzy. She inhaled shakily and said "This may be slightly unpleasant.", just mere seconds before Ditzy convulsed and vomited all over the hospital bed, her vomit a sickly black color. Luna opened her eyes and gasped, staggering back a few steps while panting heavily. "I have removed all that I can." she said between pants, "Her system is quite fragile, to use any more magic would only hurt her greviously."
"Thank you." I stammered, still watching Ditzy's relatively still form. Luna simply nodded, the doctor's mouth still hanging open.
"A purge spell. An honest-to-Celestia purge spell." he stuttered, "I had no idea that was possible, let alone achievable on the spot like that."
"Dark magic is a fickle force, one that can be utilized for helpful reasons in very careful moderation." Luna replied, her energy slowly returning. "However, it uses a large amount of my energy. Now, focus,"
"A-alright," the doctor said, buzzing to the medicine cabinet, "I'm going to give her some concentrated alanine transaminase, it'll help her body process the toxins through faster." he explained. He grabbed a small bottle and proceeded to pour some thick black substance into a small 50CC dropper. "Please hold her down, this stuff never goes down easily." he chirped as he lowered the dropper near Ditzy's mouth, but as soon as the first little bit dripped into her mouth, she jerked her head sideways, stubbornly fighting it. The medicine spattered the side of her face. "Dammit." The doctor cursed, refilling the dropper.
I help Ditzy's hoof in mine as Luna walked around the other side of the bed and held a comforting but secure hoof to Ditzy's forehead. "Sweetie, you're gonna be okay, alright? Just take this medicine, it'll be okay, I promise!" I pleaded, hoping that Ditzy was conscious enough to register what I was saying. Derpy's head twitched, her eyes opened and very dimly focused on me, her mouth opening. "That's it, that's a good girl." I said soothingly. The doctor dripped the solution into Ditzy's mouth, gently massaging her throat to make her swallow it. The nurse finished hooking up the EKG machine sensors to Ditzy, her heart rate beeping out a rapid but regular rhythm.
"Her heart rate is still a bit too high for my liking." the doctor commented, his voice calm and smooth. He set about diggin in the medicine cabinet, but suddenly Ditzy began convulsing and her EKG machine beeps became extremely erratic and mismatched, all semblance of a stable pattern dissappearing.
"What is going on! WHAT IS HAPPENING!" I said, panicking to my fullest extent.
"Cardiac arrest, that's what!" the doctor replied, turning to bark orders to the nurse. Luna was faster, she rapidly grabbed the defibrillator paddles and turned them on in one smooth motion, handing them to the doctor. "Clear!" called out the doctor moments before he pushed the paddles onto Ditzy's chest. A muffled WHOOMPH sounded out, and Ditzy's whole body jumped, then lay still.
"DITZY!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face. The EKG machine read a solid line. No one spoke for a moment, but suddenly the beeps started appearing in a regular pattern again, the speed slowing down dramatically. Ditzy's breathing finally calmed down to regular speed as she lapsed into unconsciousness. "Oh holy shit, thank you doctor!" I said, my emotions tired of the whiplash.
"Don't thank me, it's my job. Thank Luna, it was her stomach pump spell that got most of it out." the doctor said between pants, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead.
"What happened?" Luna asked, "What substance could she have ingested that could have had such an effect on her?"
"Well, it wasn't just drain cleaner, I've worked with cases of such poisoning before, and I've never had a patient go into full cardiac arrest." the doctor said, turning to me. "So now it's question time, and I need honest answers. Did you purposefully poison your child?"
"What?!?" I stammered, incredulous.
"You heard me. The rapid onset of cardiac arrest was a dead giveaway. The poison was cleverly disguised in the drain cleaner she ingested, but I would say it was a high dose of methylphenidates." the doctor said accusationally.
"I would never do that! I love her, I would sooner die than hurt her!" I said, hurt.
"I've heard that before, too." said the doctor coldly.
"What are methylphenidates?" Luna asked, her tone unreadible.
"The common name is Ritalin." the doctor replied, still staring at me.
"Shall you tell them or shall I?" Luna asked me. I remained silent and looked at the floor. She took my silence as my answer. "Hard Hat is not the pony to blame. His wife is. She takes medication, which I presume is the Ritalin, or rather she was taking medication. Clearly, she missed a dosage." Luna explained.
"What do you mean?" the doctor said, still eyeing me carefully.
"What other than temporary psychosis could convince a mother to attempt to murder her child?" Luna said, all gentleness leaving her voice as she turned to me.
"WHAT?!?" the doctor yelled, shocked.
Luna nodded. "Yes, you heard me correctly. His wife is a emotional wreck, and she had mentioned she wanted to find a way for Ditzy to 'stop hurting' , as she so eloquently vocalized it last night. Think about it Hard Hat: what was she doing when you entered your home today?" she asked.
"Rocking back and forth like a madmare." I replied, not wanting to face the truth.
"Whether you wish to admit to it or not, your wife is dangerous for your child. This episode is proof. You will never be able to fully trust her again with Ditzy." Luna said, eyes hard. I cradled Ditzy's head in my arms.
"You.....you don't know her like I do....she may have problems, but deep down Feather loves Ditzy. We just need to find a way past her issues, or find a way to solve them." I said, sadness in my voice. The doctor piped up.
"I need you two to go now, we should get her to a permanent room for the moment. We'll keep her in observation, but I need you two to wait in the lobby for a few." he said. Luna and I walked slowly down the hallway towards the lobby, the hospital quiet this early in the morning.

"Do you really belive she can pull out of her state?" Luna asked me.

"Yes." I said simply.
"Is this possible without medication?" Luna inquired.

"I don't know." I said, tired and slumping into the first chair in the lobby I could find. Luna sat beside me. There was silence for a few minutes.

"I was serious when I mentioned you could never fully trust her again. How do you know she will not do anything more?" Luna asked, her voice cold.
"Feather can be saved. She.....she has to be able to be saved." I stated remorsefully. Luna looked at me with pity in her eyes.
"Think. Is it Feather you want to save, or your perception of Feather?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"You see Feather as someone who, deep down, is good at her core. Consider this from my perspective: A mare having a serious psychotic episode poisons her mentally challenged daughter as a form of mercy killing. It is clear to me that Feather has snapped, and many do not bounce back from such a thing. Truly, the word snap is quite accurate: the mind fractures. Yet you believe she can be saved. Is it truly Feather, who is clearly in need of help, or your perception of Feather, as the mare she used to be, that you wish to preserve?" Luna explained, her eyes radiating concern, but her tone rapidly hardening.
"I know Feather can be saved, I have to try for Ditzy." I replied, my burnt out voice sounding hollow.
"Saving Feather will condemn Ditzy." Luna hissed.
"I still have to try." I said, tired determination echoing in my voice.
"Then you are a fool." Luna fumed, getting up. "Heed my warning, for Ditzy's sake if not your own: Feather is a danger to your daughter, and all the more you convince yourself she is not, the worse she becomes."
"Where are you going?" I asked, worried my support was leaving.
"I still have to watch over the night. Also, whether you agree or not, I am putting Feather in the capable hooves of the police." she replied. I could care less. Luna stopped right before exiting the doors, and turned to me. "Make the right choice. I do not wish to have another young pony pass into the afterlife on my watch!" she hissed in anger. Luna walked outside the doors, and walked into the night. I sighed in sadness. The doctor walked up next to me.
"She is all set in her room now. You may spend the night with her if you wish." he offered. I got up and followed him to Ditzy's room. In the hallway I stopped him.
"Do you have any fillies, Doctor?" I asked tiredly.
"Yes, a little colt." he replied.
"Married?" I asked.
"Yes, but I'm missing your point." he replied honestly.
"In my situation, what would you do?" I asked hoarsely. He rubbed his eyes, the stress of his occupation evident in the way he sighed.
"The best path is not often the clearest. But I would think Ditzy would need her mother." he said.
"Yeah." I replied as I wandered into the room beside Ditzy's still form, the EKG machine beeping at a slow and steady pace. I pulled up a chair next to the head of her bed, and promptly bowed my head and fell asleep, my hoof in hers.

Chapter 3
I awoke with a start, looking around the room frantically, my heart still racing from the tension and emotional whiplash of the night before. Soft light filtered in through the partially drawn blinds, a grey and cloudy morning already in motion. Rain gently thrummed on the window, not harsh but a soft patter. The light bounced off of the room's relatively whitewashed walls. The doctor from last night was in the room, consulting a notepad on a clipboard. He didn't seem to see me at first, but when I raised my head, the movement caught his eye and he jumped.

"Sorry, I completely forgot you were there. Busy night and morning." he spoke, a touch flustered.
"S'alright." I mumbled, still groggy from sleep and sore as hell from the chair. They sure don't make them like they used to. The doctor proceeded to check the EKG machine, jotting down his notes as he went. Ditzy laid there, her peaceful form misleading of the war her body raged within, motionless except for her breathing. Her eyes were closed and her blonde mane was spread all over the pillow, disheveled.
"Still wound up from yesterday?" the doctor asked, concern in his voice.
"Yeah." I replied, looking down at Ditzy. "How's she doing?" The doctor sdjusted his glasses and stared at his clipboard.
"Well," he began, "I will start off by saying that your daughter there is an extrordinarily lucky girl. Are you aware she has a very pronounced atrial fibrillation?" he asked, looking over his material.
"What is that?" I asked, worried. "Is it bad?"
"It can be. An atrial fibrillation isn't great, but it is treatable. The more common name for a condition such as this is a heart flutter. A heart flutter is when her heart has a series of disorganized electrical impulses that throws her natural rhythm off. Her heart simply works in a different, less practical manner." he said. The truth of my words before clicked in my head.
"She's simply built by a different set of blueprints." I said philisophically. The doctor nodded.
"Basically. The Ritalin steered her heart into overdrive, causing her subsequent cardiac arrest. That's why we don't prescribe such things to heart patients." he replied. His tone changed, a touch darker. "I don't see why we prescribe such things at all." I nodded.
"Ponies are pumped full of too much shit these days." I mused. He went back to his happier demeanour.
"Ditzy's lucky she didn't absorb the amount she ingested into her system, or we'd be singing a different tune. Princess Luna had a large part to play in that, you ought to thank her." he stated, looking up at me. "Had I known of Luna's spell and of our machine's relative inefficiency, we would have done it sooner. As far as the drain cleaner goes, it's processed differently, and the little amount that remains in her system should be out in..." he looked at his watch, "...a few hours. The Ritalin...well, we're going to hook her up to a hemofiltration system, which will help remove the toxins out of her bloodstream so her body can focus on purifying her liver. We will do it continuous, simply because hemofiltration works better in one long burst and I want to keep an eye on her heart. Before we do that, I think she should go through an MRI while she's here just to see if there's any brain problems from the defibrillation." he finished. I looked at him, confused.
"Brain damage from a defibrillation?" I asked, confused, "I thought that was not a factor in defibrillation." He nodded.
"It usually isn't. It is rare that the electric shock affects any other systems, but I just want to be certain." he replied.
"Doesn't the heart have to be stopped for a defibrillator to work properly?" I asked, curious.
"No." he chuckled, "that's a common misconception. Defibs don't work like that. We have what is called the 10/30 second rule: if the heart is stopped for longer than 10 seconds, the chances of getting it restarted go down to 30%. Ditzy's only stopped momentarily, maybe 2 to 3 seconds because we were johnny-on-the-spot with the defibs. Defibs don't bring ponies back from the dead, they just knock a heart back into rhythm. It's similar to a runningback stumbling diagonally with the football about to fall, and using a lineman to physically knock him back to balance and forward motion. The lineman won't help if the runningback is on the ground." he finished. I nodded, trying to take it all in.
"Is she going to be okay?" I asked slowly, bracing myself for an answer I dreaded to hear. The doctor adjusted his glasses.
"If things turn out optimally, so if the MRI comes back regular and the Ritalin filters out, she can recover in possibly two weeks. Optimum result." he replied.
"And if it isn't an optimum result....." I trailed off.
"Let's worry about that if it happens, okay? You've been through enough shit in the last 24 hours." the doctor reasurred me, hoof on my shoulder.
"You never told me your name." I asked, grateful for this pony and his practice.
"Most never ask." he chirped, smiling."I'm Doctor Bronson Whooves, PhD in cardiotherapy and pedicatric care." I tilted my head.
"Like......the Doctor Whooves?" I asked incredulously. He laughed good-naturedly.
"No, not the timey-wimey supposed time traveler, I prefer my calling to time travel. We simply share the same name. The name Whooves is more common among unicorns than you think actually." he said cheerfully.
"Oh, my bad." I said.
"No worries." he replied, holding out his pad and pen with his magic. "We can begin the procedures as soon as you sign off and approve it." I grabbed the pen and signed it, noticing another signature other than the doctor's.
"Who is that?" I asked, confused. In Equestria, health care isn't free nor is it cheap, and the pony paying for it has to sign off on both the approval and payment spaces.
"Oh." he said, "I forgot to mention. Princess Luna signed her name and told me 'No matter the cost, see that it is paid for', so I guess she's paying for it. You got friends in high places, brother." he said, chuckling.
"Is that even legal?" I asked. He frowned at the paper.
"Technically no, but this is Princess Luna so I don't think legalities matter." he said. He shrugged and tucked the notepad in his coat pocket. "Would you like a moment alone with her?" he offered. I nodded, and he took his leave, closing the door softly behind him. I walked over to Ditzy's bed and sat on the edge, gently rubbing her forehead with my hoof.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered softly, tears in my eyes, "I'm so sorry baby, you should have never had to be put through all this. I-I could have done so much different, I could have been there more, there's just so much stuff that I could have done differently, so much I wish I could change.". I sat there thinking for a while, crying softly when I heard a few muffled sounds escaping Ditzy's mouth.
"How are you feeling, sweetie?" I said gently, leaning down to her face, instinctively knowing my child was attempting to talk to me. Her eyes opened and closed repeatedly, moving in and out of focus.
"S.....Suh.....Sweetie...." Ditzy barely enunciated, trying incredibly hard to stay lucid. The tears in my eyes fell free now, trailing down my face. I buried my head in her head and neck, hugging her tightly while crying uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry Ditzy, I'm so fuckin' sorry. I love you so much, and I will make a change. For you, not for me or your mother or anyone else, just you." I sobbed, holding my daughter. She had fallen back asleep, lapsing back into peaceful bliss. I got up slowly, not wanting to disturb her anymore than I already had, getting myself together. Well, I tried to, but when I walked into the hallway, Doctor Whooves read me perfectly.
"Stay strong brother, you're doing one hell of a job so far." he said to me quietly as he led a group of orderlies into the room, preparing to wheel Ditzy to another wing of the hospital. A Pegasus police officer I had not noticed standing there walked up, stepping beside me with the quiet authoritative air that most officers have.
"Are you Hard Hat?" he asked, flashing me his badge. I had no doubts he was a cop, his blue uniform and radio/gun belt as well as his reflective aviator glasses were a bit of a giveaway.
"Yes," I replied, quite wary, "Why?"
"Your wife.." he looked at his notepad, "..Feather Duster was brought in very early this morning by a team of Lunar Guards, bearing warrants hoof-signed by Princess Luna herself. We have Feather at the station if you feel up to coming down there." he said bluntly.
"Did anyone say anything about why she was there?" I asked, beginning to walk towards the exit of the hospital.
"Princess Luna wrote the station chief the whole story, and we're just waiting on word from the Police Comissioner in Canterlot." he replied calmly. We picked up the pace. "The whole station knows what happened, by the way. Just saying." he said, deadpan. I decided to ignore that.
"Why do you have to wait on word from Canterlot?" I asked.
"Luna's out of her jurisdiction, and she knows it. The Fillidelphia Police Department is a subdivision of the Equestrian Police Force, which resides in Canterlot and ultimately falls underneath Princess Celestia. And since this is such a high-profile case..." he trailed off.
"High-profile?" I questioned, wary.
"Right now, your wife is sitting at 1 case of attempted murder, 1 count of severe child abuse, and 1 count of criminal neglect causing harm. Under Equestrian law, she might do 15-20 years in the Fillydelphia Penitentiary." he explained as we walked out of the hospital doors towards his blue and white police cruiser cart. "Unless she pleas for insanity which, no offense, she has a good chance of getting." I stopped dead in my tracks by the passenger side of the cruiser.
"Excuse me?" I said, taken aback.
"Look, I mean no offense at all, but that lady has some serious shit loose in her head. If I were you, I'd take that kid and get as far away as you can as fast as you can." he said bluntly as he proceeded hooking himself up to the harness.
"No offense, but I'm going to leave the psychological evaluations to the professionals. And if I wanted advice on how to live my life and my problems, I'd have asked for it." I snapped back as I hooked up, putting extra emphasis on the words professionals and my. The officer shut up and stared forward, his expression completely unreadable behind his blue-tinted lenses. I finished hooking myself up, and we shot off into the sky, the cart rocketing along with the combined power of two Pegasi driving it. We flew past the on-routes, opting for the faster speeds and quicker transits not availible on highways. Scenery raced by us for about five minutes, the city blocks and parks racing by below us in a multi-coloured blur. The officer steered us towards a massive blue building with the words Fillidelphia Police Department blazing across the front wall of the building in bright white letters, steering for a yard filled with cart cruisers identical to the one we were currently in. We landed by a small side door, coming to a rapid halt.
"Just walk on in, the station chief is expecting you in there." the officer said shortly. I unhooked myself from the cart, stepping away from it. The cart shot off into the air, the officer clearly enjoying being away from me. That's why you watch what you say, he's lucky he's a cop, I wanted to knock his teeth out. I stepped into the doorway, the door opening before I could grab it. A tall, black guard pony stared at me, the handle for the door still in his hoof.
"Follow me." he grunted in a baritone voice, as he turned around and walked into the dimly lit building. Boy, this seems like a basket of apples. Not. We wandered through the maze of hallways, our hoofsteps echoing in the labyrinth of brown walls and black doors, the offices all darkened and empty.
"Pretty quiet for a police station." I remarked, attempting to make idle conversation.
"Long weekend." the guard grunted, his tone damp and unreadable. Our path wrapped around a few more turns and led into a maroon door. "He's in here." the guard grunted. I wonder if he only ever speaks in grunts. I opened the door, the guard opting to stay behind outside. The office I walked into was huge and richly furninshed: varnished oak and rosewood paneling for the walls, the fireplace mantle inlaid with gold, awards and medals in silver frames and cases. A grey-maned, tan skinned old pony sat behind a very big mahogany desk, the pictures on the desk facing his way.
"Sit." he said, his voice a rough Southern drawl, his brown eyes locking on me intently. I obeyed his advice, sitting down in a rich velvet chair. He pulled out a file folder and laid it on the desk, opening it to view it's contents.
"Are you the station chief?" I asked tentatively.
"Yup. Ah know your name, so let's dispense with the pleasantries. It's been five years since I dealt with a case involving fillies that was as fucked up as this one, and Ah'm not happy Ah have to deal with it. Let's cut to the chase: Your wife is in one heyull of a pickle. She has only two options: plea insanity and be put on a heavy psychological program as well as mandatory medication." he growled, putting emphasis on the word mandatory. "Option two is jail time: she accepts the charges and does..." he looked at the folder,"...fourteen years, eligibility for parole beginning at eight years." he finished.
"What can I do?" I asked, horrified at the process of Feather being locked away for eight years minimum.
"Are you aware of the charges?" he asked sharply.
"Yes." I replied.
"Well, you can talk to her. If you find that she is in fact insane or somehow not at fault, you can de-brief with the psychol-o-gist, and we'll go from there." He leaned towards me, his tone darkening. "Ah'm under ridiculous pressure from Luna and the entire Lunar Guard to put Feather away for a long-ass time, but Ah belive in fair judgement, and my job involves following due process."
"What do you think?" I asked, concerned. The Chief sat back in his chair, running his hooves through his mane.
"Ah think you have a mare with a serious problem, but deep down she loves her baby. You just can't fuck with a mother's love." he sighed, "Ah did four tours in Vietmare during my thirty-two years in the Royal Guard, and Ah've been here for thirteen. In that time Ah've never seen this much political pushin' come my way. Princess Luna takes care of the little ones, but she'll go though anyone who gits in her way. You've got some allies in high places, or at least your daughter does." he finished. "That's what Ah think, anyway." I nodded.
"Where is she?" I asked, concerned.
"Ah'll take you to her.", he grunted. The Chief stood up and walked me back through the hallway, leading me to the soild metal door directly across from his office. He pulled a card from his front pocket and scanned it through a small box set in the frame of the door, the device clicking and whirring as the door slid open soundlessly. The room behind the door was the same shade of cold steel grey, a small metal table with two chairs on either side the only furnishings present. "Sit here and wait." he spoke, sitting me in one of the chairs and exiting the room, the door sliding shut behind him. I sat there twiddling my hooves for about four minutes, then the door on the other side of the room clicked to life and slid open.
"Hi, honey." Feather managed as she slowly walked out. She looked like hammered shit: blonde mane bedraggled and mussed, her orange prison getup rumpled and creased, eyes radiating exhaustion both physical and mental. Without hesitation I leapt up and embraced her, holding her as tightly as I could. Feather began crying, sobbing uncontrollably into my shoulder. "I'm so sorry." she repeated between muffled sobs. I managed to get her sitting down in one of the chairs, which was a bit of a manuever considering how tightly she held on to me and how much she trembled.
"It's alright, honey, it's alright, easy now." I consoled her, my voice calm.
"Is.....Is D-Ditzy okay?" she stuttered.
"We don't know yet, but she seems like she's doing a lot better than last night, and the doctor says she has a good chance of pulling through." I said reassuringly. Feather nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry honey, I-I just d-don't know what happened." she stammered.
"What do you mean?" I asked, voice calm but curiosity running my brain.
"I-I was cleaning a-and Ditzy must have set me off or something, but one m-moment I'm looking at Ditzy at our table and the next I-I'm being tossed into a closed carriage by some C-Canterlot Guards in b-blue armor. I d-don't remember anything, I sw-swear!" she managed, breaking down into deep sobs again. I gave her a big hug, gently and silently consoling her.
"You don't remember anything?" I asked softly, looking intently into her eyes.
"I love our baby! I-I would n-never do anything t-to hurt h-her!" she cried. Her eyes revealed her heart, noone could be in that much pain and lie.
"You don't remember talking to me?" I inquired.
"N-No, this is the first time I-I've seen you since you left for w-work Friday m-morning!" she bawled.
"I belive you, honey, I belive you." I replied, meaning it with all my heart. I can't belive I've been so heartless towards her, she loves Ditzy as much as I do! "We can get through this, you can see her again." I spoke.
"H-How?" she asked through tears.
"It's going to be the plea for insanity, which means you're gonna have to go on some heavy medication." I offered, praying inside that she would choose the right path.
"I'll do a-anything, just a-as long as I never hurt my little girl ever again! I-I want m-my baby!" she cried, head in hooves. Luna was wrong, I could see in Feather's eyes that she never in her right mind hurt Ditzy. She simply departed her right state of mind for a while. The door Feather entered in slid open, a grey guard pony standing there, her sidearm strapped to her foreleg. I got Feather to stand up.
"I'll get you out of here, Feather, I swear by everything I hold precious I will." I said, determined to make good on my promise.
"Time's up." the guard pony grunted, checking her watch. Feather and I hugged, enjoying each other's embrace. We kissed passionately one last time, then the officer led her out of the room.
"I love y-you." Feather stammered.
"I love you too." I said moments before the door closed. The door behind me opened, the Chief poking his head in from the hallway.
"The psy-chol-o-gist is waitin', and so is the captain of the team that brought her in." he grunted. I followed him out of the door.

“Where are they?” I asked.

“Two doors down, brown door.” he responded, heading back to his office.

“You aren’t coming?” I asked, confused. He turned his head around to look at me, his expression unreadable.

“They play nice enough, and you’re a big boy now.” he said levelly before turning into his office, the door closing behind him with a resounding clang.
"Well then." I said to myself as I turned towards the door the Chief had mentioned. I sqeaked the door open, this room evidently less used than the rest of the station. This room was furnished a bit more modestly than the office the Station Chief used: simple black couches, a small coffee table situated between them. A small tan pony in a wrinkled brown suit sat on the couch furthest from me, briefcase by his side on the couch. The other pony had his back to me, but his blue and purple armor gave away his occupation. I almost spoke when I saw the Guard's tattooed blue foreleg raise a green can up to his mouth, then it hit me. "Night?" I called. Night turned around, a cockamanie smile on his face.
"Well shit, it's a small-ass world." he said, slurring slightly. I smiled.
"Indeed. I thought you were working in the Rainbow Factory, what happened to that?" I inquired. Night grunted, setting down his empty can and reaching down by the side of the couch for another.
"When Luna says jump, I say how high and in which direction." he replied with a half-smile. He pointed at the pony on the other couch, "This is Doctor Headcase or something."
"Doctor Headcare, actually." the doctor spoke, his accent slightly Trottingham-ish.
"Good to meet you, Doctor." I said good-naturedly, walking over and shaking his hoof.
"Likewise." Headcare replied, as I walked over to Night's couch and sat down, taking note of the mulititude of empty beer cans.
"Wow, uh....what is your score?" I asked colloquially. Night thought for a second.
"Sixteen, I think." he said, smiling mischeviously. A piece of white on Night's shoulder caught my eye, a bandage right above the top of Night's tattoo.
"What happened there?" I asked, gesturing to Night's bandage.
"Oh yeah, did Feather mention anything about that?" he asked, his eyes watching me intently. I know when I'm being read.
"No, she never did, she said her memory has a big hole in it, she only remembers when she was put in the carriage." I replied carefully.
"Do you belive her?" he questioned.
"Yes, of course. Feather wouldn't lie at the state she's in right now, she wants help." I returned.
"Mark that down." Night said as he glanced at Headcase, the doctor's pen rapidly scribbling on a piece of paper. "Well, when the call came down the pipe to dispatch to Filidelphia, my team and I hauled ass 'cause the order was a black label order." he continued, turning back to me.
"What's that mean?" I asked.
"A black label order is straight from Luna. Being as I am, the top of the collective tree is still a small jump, but if she surpasses your commanding fucking officer to give you orders specifically, it behooves oneself to make haste. Anyway, we sped our asses to the target zone, stick to standard practices, typical snatch-and-grab op. We breached our way in, but I noticed one little detail." he paused, "The first thing you do when you breach a residence is keep an eye on the pictures. The pictures in a location tell you who should actually be there. The pictures on the wall showed you, a mare, and a little one who I assume all this is about. Our orders were to get the mare. So when there was no noise in the house, we all got real wary. We found her curled up in a ball on your bed, but we still were careful. In the briefing it said she would be non-ambulatory and potentially hostile." he took a swig of his beer, "And hostile she was. I went to go pick her up, and she whipped out a kitchen knife and sunk it into my shoulder. Damn near stuck my tattoo." he explained, glancing at his shoulder.
"Oh. Shit. Sorry." I said, genuinely apologetic. Night shrugged.
"I've been shot, stabbed, thrown, run over, set on fire, blown up, the whole nine yards. This one is not too bad, all of the major arteries that should have been there happened to not be there at the time, so largely it was just tissue and a bit of muscle damage. Netted me a week and a half of leave, so I suppose I should actually thank her." he said with a drunken chuckle, "As soon as she went into the carriage she seemed to come to her senses and got quite compliant, and by compliant I mean not stabbing the arresting officer too." he smiled.
"Yeah, that's when she said her memory came back to her." I replied.
"Mark that down." Night said, pointing to the psychologist. He swigged down the rest of his beer, then tossed it across the room. He reached down and picked up another, "I haven't had Equestrian Lager in years."
"I have." the Headcase remarked, staring at Night and organizing his papers.
"So.....when are we going to get this settled?" I asked Headcase. Night stood up and put his hoof on my shoulder, answering my question.
"We shall. I will leave you two at your task, for taking my leave will enable you to continue." he said, smiling.
"Indeed, Captain Redundant." Headcase mused, a slight smile forming on his lips.
"I hate you too, don't worry." Night said, still smiling. He turned to me, his expression suddenly serious. "What good is a pony if his chief good and market of his time is but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more. Sure, that he made us with such large discourse, looking before and after, gave us not that capability and godlike reason to fust in us unused. Now, whether it be bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple of thinking too precisely on the event. A thought which quartered, hath but one part wisdom, and ever three parts coward. I do not know why I live to say, 'this things' to do'. Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means to do't." Night said, the look in his eyes revealing a deep set wisdom as opposed to drunken thoughts. He wandered our of the room, wobbling slightly as he closed the door gently behind him.

"I'm actually impressed. Drunk off his flanks and he still quotes near perfect Shakespeare." Headcase said thoughtfully, "Hamlet, I believe. Have a seat." I sat down on the couch across from him, fiddling my hooves nervously. "So what do you think?" he asked, looking at me over his glasses.
"What's your diagnosis?" I asked, wary that if I fucked up here Feather would spend fifteen years behind bars. Headcase adjusted his glasses, looking at his notes.
"Involuntary mood swings, memory loss, sociopathic tendencies. Feather falls in the ballpark for a few different disorders, I would tentatively say dissascotiative identity disorder and possibly schizophrenia. It isn't easy to diagnose given that Feather refuses to speak very much, if at all. In the intrests of keeping it short, I will say one thing: Your wife is a danger to your daughter, we can give her medication to aid this but we cannot deny the danger nor stop it one hundred percent." he stated.
"Okay, so what's all going to happen?" I asked, unsure of his answer.
"I am abandoning my job traits for a brief moment here, simply because we are at a moral and legal impasse: Feather's diagnosis is unclear. We can either put her away in an asylum, jail, or let her go. Since I can't rest myself with separating a mother and her daughter or putting a little girl in danger..." he sighed, looking at me, "I'm not making it my choice. What do you want to happen?" I looked back on him, confused. "The responsibility falls entirely on you. I got shit to do and I just had to watch drunkie there slam down a ton of beer, then I got this shit sandwich thrown on me by Luna herself. Not fun for a recovering alcoholic." he continued, clearly stressed.
"Alright, alright." I said, attempting to pacify him, "And you'll supply the meds?"
"I can see that it's done, yes." he replied.
"Choice number two then." I said, internally rejoicing at my victory.
"Okay, " he sighed, " I'll bounce back to the asylum and get on the horn for the insanity plea. You can pick her up tommorrow at this station." he said, packing up his briefcase and putting on his jacket.
"Sweet. Thank you so much, Doctor." I said gratefully, getting up.
"Not a problem at all. This is quite an.....unorthodox case, but I'm glad it's been handled." he said, tiredly. I let my question go, judging by Headcase's expression he was done with questions for today. We both headed out into the hallway. "Go to the far end of the hallway, the main doors are just beyond that." he said, gesturing into the frosted glass doors in the distance.
"Thank you Doctor Headcare. Catch you later." I replied.
"Have a nice day, Mr. Hat." he responded business-like, rounding the corner and dissappearing further into the maze of hallways.
I walked out of the main doors, the cloud cover still overtop in the sky, tiny raindrops beginning to fall. My wings flared out, stretching for the flight to the hospital when I noticed Night leaning against a wall. He was attempting to light his cigar, a few more empty cans and the now-empty box at his feet, his matches sputtering out in the gentle rain and wind. I decided to have some fun with him and, grabbing one of his cans he left by the doors, tossed it at his head, yelling, "Heads up!". Night's hoof whipped up lightning fast, stopping the can a mere inch from his head, his eyes completely focused on the cigar.
"That's not how you recycle." he said, unsuccessfully attempting to light a match, the match head not even catching a spark. My jaw dropped as I walked up next to him.
"How in the hell do you do that?" I asked, quite impressed. Night smiled devilishly, striking a match off the side of my face, my stubble apparently working for the match as it caught a flame. Night gently touched the flame to the end of the cigar, smoldering it slightly.
"Don't have to be completely sober to utilize my spatial awareness. Also, my guard is up." he replied with a chuckle, "So what're you up to?"
"I was just going to head to the hospital and check on Ditzy, it's almost lunchtime so my guess is that there will be a slight lull in hospital traffic." I said conversationally. Night took a long drag of his cigar.
"Don't be so certain." he said, gesturing to a radio on his belt.
"Umm.....care to explain?" I said, waiting for him to elaborate.
"Radio fired up not five minutes ago. A train was a touch overloaded leaving Canterlot and made it as far as some tiny ass town called Ponyville. A large amount went to the medical bay on the Lunar Guard base at Bluehook Lake, but I guess the overflow were airlifted here, and there's a fuckton of overflow." he said.
"By overflow, what do you mean?" I asked.
"Passengers. Big ole' train toppled over." he said, taking another drag of his cigar. "Anyway, mind if I come along? I don't know what to do with myself, other than getting drunk and conking out in my hotel."
"You okay to fly?" I asked, looking at him skeptically.
"I've been much worse." he said pointedly. I shrugged.
"Alright." I said as I launched myself into the air. I looked back at Night, who launched off the ground at a bit of an angle, nearly careening into a streetlight before catching up to where I was hovering. "You sure you're okay?" I asked, bemused.
"More or less." he chuckled drunkenly, his hover involving a bit of wobble.
"Why do I not belive that one bit?" I said.
"Shut up, Goose." he said, shooting off in the direction of the hospital.
"Uh......what?" I said as I followed him into the distance.

Chapter 4

We landed by the hospital, the newly arrived emergency vehicles nearby all packed around the entrance and rooftop landing pad, their sirens a loud beacon into the relatively still afternoon. Night had been rambling the entire time, my attention wavering in and out as I stymied in my own thoughts.
"...so the guys says, 'Check through this forest', and his entire fireteam moves in thinking that they could get a quick flank manuever through on us. Meanwhile, me and my team are hugging the trees in ghille suits, and they fucking walk by us no more than three feet away. They walk by and we get up and silently ghost his whole team! Fuckin' slickest operation I've ever done." he rambled as we decreased altitude.
"Uh-huh, cool." I said, my attention suddenly diverted from my thoughts towards two burly Lunar Guards stationed at the door. They stared daggers at me as I landed in front of them, but as soon as Night alighted beside me they immediately stiffened up and saluted him.
"Sir!" they barked simeoultaneously. Night wandered over to them, trying extremely hard to filter the wobble out of his step.
"What's your posting....Sergeant?" he said briskly to the Guard on the right, looking at the Guard's rank patch.
"Sir, Princess Luna is here, our posting is her security detail at this entrance." the Guard replied.
"Where is the Princess?" Night inquired.
"Inside, sir. We will need to see your ID card, sir." the Guard answered. When Night gave him a black look, he responded, "Strictly protocol, sir." Night grumbled under his breath and reached into a pocket on the front of his breastplate, pulling out a small blue card and flashing it at the Guards. They both nodded and stepped aside, opening the doors to the hospital.
"He's with me." Night said as I walked by them, their semi-hostile stares never quite leaving me. I waited until the doors were shut, then I turned to Night.
"How did you.....you're on leave, aren't you?" I asked, confused as we continued walking by the main desk, the ponies behind it a flurry of activity.
"They don't know that. Besides, noone questions a Captain in his uniform." he replied, grinning, "Damn. Half cut and I can still get past a checkpoint. I'm good." We wandered on our meandering path to Ditzy's room, passing by doctors and nurses, every single one busy beyond belief. The hallway was suddenly chock-full of stretchers, some bearing moaning ponies with superficial injuries, some silent and covered in blood and bandages.
"Fuck, that was a nasty crash." I commented. Night grunted, evidently lost in thought.
"Yeah, that's why I hate trains." he replied, looking down at a pony who was missing his front left foreleg, "Trains are a great transport method, but they will fuck you up if something goes wrong. Can't fight it either, you're at the mercy of physics."
"Not big on fast transport?" I asked, sidestepping past a nurse.
"I'm not big on forces I can't fight back against." he replied. We paused for a moment to allow a team of doctors to pass us, then continued on our way, trying to block out the cavalcade of voices in order to hear one another.
"So why's Luna here? Or is that a classified thing?" I asked, a hint of playful sarcasm in my voice.
"Luna is a pony of the people, whenever there's a big disater like this, she's in the thick of it trying her best to help. I don't suppose you remember her Nightmare Moon days?" he asked.
"Yeah, a little bit. She wasn't pleasant back then, killed quite a few ponies." i replied, unsure of where this was going.
"Well, she's trying to make up for that, I guess she feels guilty. Real guilty." he spoke as we neared the door to Ditzy's room. I put my hoof on the doorknob.
"I suppose helping out with disaster victims is a good place for Luna to start." I said as I opened the door. A hard, icy, feminine voice emanated from the room.
"I would like to think so as well, although the amount of disasters that occur leave me somewhat overdrawn." Luna said from her seat on the side of Ditzy's bed, her eyes shifting to me. "I am here simply to check on this young one, she seems to be in a better state than yesterday." Her gaze shifted to one of the machines connected via needle to Ditzy's left foreleg. "Machines are capable of so much in this era, it was not long ago that they were of a simpler manifestation." Night and I both walked in the door, carefully out of instinct.
"I never got a chance to thank you for all that you did for Ditzy. You saved her life, you know." I said, my tone soft as the events of yesterday rushed to the forefront of my mind. She nodded, her hoof gently stroking Ditzy's forehead.
"Life is a precious gift; many do not realize how fortunate they are to live the life they do." she said philisophically, Night and I both detecting a undertone of regret in her voice, "Many do not realize how easily it can be plucked away, and yet it seems the innocent suffer while the evil prosper. An odd concept, do you not agree?" she asked. I nodded. She went on, her tone changing. "With any luck, this will be the only hospital trip this little one will have to make in the near or far future." Her tone somehow became even more gentle, "Far too many young ones spend their days and nights in need of care, and even more depart before their time. I regret this aspect of our society." Luna seemed to notice Night in the room, as she turned to him, her voice becoming brisk and official. "Captain, you are on leave, correct?"
"Yes ma'am." he said smartly.
"I would then find it most preferable if you removed your uniform." she replied, Night nodding, "As well, do not call me 'ma'am'. You are aware of how I feel of such a thing. You are also not on duty, therefore you do not need to adhere to military doctrine."
"Okay." he said. Luna sniffed the air, narrowing her eyes.
"Are you intoxicated?" she inquired, her glare piercing Night's suave facade.
"Pretty well on my way there." he replied with a cockamanie smile. Luna shook her head, dismissing it.
"All of the preparations are ready?" she questioned him, my allusion radar going off inside my head.
"Yeah, but....ah....ahem." he said, slightly gesturing with his head toward me. Luna looked at me, reading me for a moment before looking at the door.
"To sate your curiosity, Captain Night Feather's role is less....traditional than most. He handles more specific tasks than others of his ilk." she spoke icily, her gaze refocusing on me. "Tasks that require secrecy. No more about such things." she continued, Night's gaze awkwardly traveling around the room. "What, pray tell, was the psychoanalyist's diagnosis?"
"She is getting her insanity plea, with a mandatory medication program and most likely daily therapy. I hope they send a live-in therapist, that would make things much easier for her, less transition and all." I replied. Luna stared at me, the only emotion on her placid face a slight twitch of her jaw, her stare slowly acquiring a glacial quality.
"You did not heed my warning." she spoke, voice incredibly level.
"She didn't want to hurt her, she only blacked out and there's no chance that such a thing will happen again." I said, attempting to disarm the tension I felt in the air.
"Do you know that for certain?" she said, increasing amounts of anger building in her voice.
"No, but-" I began to say as she cut me off.
"Than why do you insist on placing your little one in harm's way? I was not lying when I said Feather is a danger. Dost thou think I say such things lightly?" she said, venom in her voice. I saw Night out of the corner of my eyes, eyes big in an oh-shit expression. "I will not choose for you, but if thou continues to make such grave errors of judgment, I shall be much inclined to reconsider my hesitation of revealing to you the end product of your path. I pray that I am wrong. I pray that your family can return to the way it once was, and most of all I pray that the convoluted dream that thou seakest and holds such presence in thine heart becomes reality." She stuck her face close to mine, her icy-blue gaze searing my soul with cold fury. "However, I am usually correct." Luna walked out of the door, slamming it behind her. I could say nothing, cowed as I was by Luna's violent reaction. Night whistled, quite taken aback as well.
"Pony hell hath no anger like a mare scorned, and pony hell cannot begin to conjure the force of nature that is Princess Luna's rage." he said, watching the door, "She was real pissed right there. You managed to get her speaking in the old tongue for a bit, she has to be quite enraged to do that. That means there is a torpedo is the fucking water."
"Yeah, she gets strangely angry whenever I mention Feather or my attempts to help Feather." I said, deep in thought.
"And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, that are dreamt of in your philosophy." Night mused. I stared at him, confused.
"What the fuck does that even mean?" I inquired.
"Get used to it, there's weirder shit out there that you can even imagine." he explained.
"So why not just say that?" I asked, slightly miffed. I hate people who dance around the bush.
"That's just how my mind works. I simply process shit differently." Night chirped with a smile. I walked over to Ditzy's bedside.
"Speaking of processing shit differently, can you tell me what exactly Luna meant by 'reconsider my hesitation of revealing to you the end product of your path.'?" I asked him, feeling like her meaning had more negative connotations in it than I'd originally detected.
"The thing you have to know about Luna is that she's very astute. She can pick up on things that nopony else notices. Also, she's been around for over a thousand years, so it's safe to assume she can predict stuff to a relative degree of accuracy." Night replied, eyes locked forward in thought, "Or she knows something we don't."
"How would that be?" I asked, my eyes softening as I gazed upon Ditzy's peaceful face.
"I don't know, gimme a break, I've been drinking." he chirped, smiling. The door clicked open behind us, and Doctor Whooves walked in, the ever-present clipboard in front of him, a sheaf of papers dangling on the front.
"Oh, hello, back already?" he said with a pleasant smile. I nodded, a smile forming on my face. He glanced at Night, "Long time no see."
"Hello, Bronson." Night said as he walked up and shook Doctor Whooves' shoulder with his hoof, "Hooves first into hell."
"And tail first into heaven." Whooves rreplied, completing the saying the two had obviously known for a long time.
"Wait, what?" I asked, confused. Night chuckled, merry wrinkles forming around his eyes.
"Bronson and I were in the same squad during our tenure in the Canterlot Guards since basic training, back....ohh....." Night trailed off in thought.
"Eleven years now." the Doctor answered, "I was squad medic, it helped me get my doctorate. Night.....he left the forces in a different fashion." Night poked his head up.
"Ix-nay on the tory-say." he said, clearly uncomfortable. "How's your colt doing?"
"Just passed his twelfth birthday, top marks in his class." the Doctor said, a wide grin crossing his face.
"Takes after his dad." Night grunted.
"I like to think so." he chuckled. The Doctor turned to me. "Anyway, Ditzy is doing better already, we have much less of a hair trigger now. We put her through hemofiltraton and she responded well. She should be awake at some point, she'll still be sleeping for a good amount of time as her body heals." he finished.
"How's the shoulder?" Night interjected.
"Mine or yours?" the Doctor replied with a grin.
"I don't feel mine at this current point in time, so yours." Night chirped.
"Well, it works, not enough for the forces though. I don't think I'd go back to being a soldier anyway, I'm closer to my family this way and I like what I do, it makes more difference keeping me here than behind a rifle." he explained, detecting my curious expression, "The last mission we went on turned a little too FUBAR for my liking, had to react quicker than normal."
"And react you did. This mother fucker," Night said, pointing at Whooves, "catches a piece of shrapnel, steel rebar I think, with his shoulder tendons and a bullet in his side and still hauled out three other ponies, including my wounded ass. Recieved a Silver Star, a Purple Heart, and an honorable discharge for his troubles."
"Wow, I never pegged you as the war hero type." I said, genuinely impressed and correctly guessing that this experience was where he garnered his patience. The Doctor shrugged.
"Shit happens, and you do what you have to do to get everypony home." he said humbly. His eyes brightened a little bit. "The MRI machine that Ditzy is lined up for has freed itself a bit earlier than expected, so I'm here to take her there." I frowned.
"I just got here though." I protested, "Besides, I damn near got my face frozen off by Luna and I'd enjoy some time with Ditzy." Whooves adjusted his glasses, nonplussed.
"I have the opportunity to take her now, as opposed to getting in the queue of ponies from Train 83. Which will take days to resolve, most likely a fair amount will go to the downtown hospital but even then there is a ton of folks waiting for this equipment. I sympathize with you, belive me. If my son was in the hospital I'd want to spend all the time I could with him too, but we have to put making sure there are no underlying problems ahead of that." he finished patiently. I sighed and nodded, wishing I could spend much more time with my daughter.
"I suppose." I said, saddened and a touch exasperated. Ditzy shifted again in her sleep, gaining my attention. I leaned down and softly kissed her forehead, gently murmuring, "If you can hear me, babygirl, Daddy loves you very much and I'll see you soon." as my hoof caressed her forehead lovingly. Bronson began unhooking the levers by the wheels, enabling the wheels to rotate, keeping the conversation going as he went.
"Ditzy's lucky in a few ways, but she has another advantage: She's young. Young ponies tend to bounce back a bit quicker than their adult counterparts, and the fact that Luna worked her magic and the hemofiltration worked it's science helped immeasurably." he explained, clicking off the second wheellock.
"Have you had patients this hurt before?" I asked, somewhat nervous.
"Many. Cardiac arrest is as scary as hell, and defibrillation isn't a picnic either, but I've had droves of patients much worse off than Ditzy, and they bounced back alright. I recall one patient," he said as he clicked off the third wheellock, "who suffered a severe skull fracture. She was two years younger than Ditzy, her brain was swelling and there wasn't much we could do to help her. Her chances of becoming braindead were ninety eight percent. Yet somehow the mare pulled through alright and actually woke up, after a few months of rehabilitational care managed to regain almost all of her brain function. Greastest recovery I've ever witnessed."
"Almost all?" Night asked, as the Doctor reached down and clicked the last wheelock out of place.
"Yeah, she lost her sense of smell. Not quite sure how that works really, I'm not a brain surgeon." he said colloquially. He began wheeling Ditzy towards the door.
"Doctor." I said, my tone softening,"Make sure she comes out okay." The Doctor looked at me, his eyes soft yet a determined shade cast a glint in them.
"I will do everything in my power as a doctor, I always do. You have my word." he said grimly as he wheeled Ditzy out of the room, the door silently swishing shut behind him.
"Well......balls. Now what?" Night mused. I turned to him, determined to get some perspective. You can never know exactly how a situation looks without visualizing it though another's eyes.
"Do you know....what all happened with Feather?" I asked, eyeing him carefully.
"Yeah, it's pretty well known, and I've been given more of the critical details." he replied. I sighed, my shoulders sagging.
"I guess everypony and their mother knows now." I stated morosely.
"How is that a bad thing for you?" Night questioned, his tone both inquisitive and confused. I looked at him, my gaze hard.
"It isn't a bad thing for me, but it is for Feather. It was originally because of our community treating us like garbage about Ditzy that we left Clousdale in the first place. Now how do you think she'll handle most of the city that before had accepted us doing the exact same thing? And especially now that she's recuperating from her episode, any shit like that will just make her more unstable and reactive." I sighed, emotionally shot. "I'm just sick with worry over everything, and I'm sick of worrying about everything, and more and more shit just keeps getting piled on me like so much dirt. I.....I just don't know how I'm supposed to handle this all." I finished, my demeanour saddened. Night put his hoof on my shoulder consolingly.
"Conscience does make cowards of us all; and thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied over with the pale cast of thought." he said, calm and collected, while slightly swaying on his hooves, "How do you handle all the shit dumped on you? Don't. You make too big of a deal over what other ponies think, regardless if it's about you, Feather, or Ditzy. While this is a normal reaction, eventually you will get sick of upholding your image. Don't. You have a daughter that needs her daddy and a wife that, more than ever, needs a husband. She needs your love, your affection, every bit of you that you can possibly give. In giving everything, you have no room for any extra worries, you'll naturally drop those worries like a mouldy sack of potatoes. If you truly give everything to your family, you will get it back tenfold from them. You will have to grow a skin against other ponies, you don't really have a choice, and doing so you could even teach Feather how to grow one as well. She'll need it. Focus, and put every fucking ounce of energy into your loved ones, and you will prevail. It was Tecumseh who said 'A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong.'. He was right." he finished his thoughtful monolouge.
"And what's your opinion on what will happen?" I asked, still pondering the multi-faceted advice I was given.
"You don't want to know." he replied, his tone darkening, his hoof going back down to the floor.
"No, Night, I do. Tell me what I need to hear." I said bluntly, putting emphasis on the word need. He sighed, then looked at me, his eyes intensely boring into me. He pulled out a cigar from a pocket on his armor, balancing the center on an outstretched hoof.
"One end is Ditzy, the other is Feather, and my hoof is you. You wish to keep things as they are, balanced for lack of a better term, and that is possible for the near future. But you hold the power to steer it, "he said as he gently swayed the cigar back and forth, "any way you desire, but the results will have either Ditzy, or Feather. I have a feeling you won't have both. But at some point, a gust of wind will come that will tip the whole thing," he blew on the cigar, the cigar tipping over the right side of his hoof and falling to the floor, " to one extreme or the other. It's inevitable, and I hope you're ready to choose in the event that such a thing happens. I hope it doesn't, but hope only goes so far." His eyes locked onto mine. "In my experience, Luna is never that vehmently defensive about something she might not be right about. This whole situation is a time bomb, one where we can't be certain about anything except the one certain fact."
"And what's that?" I asked, eyes narrowing in thought. Night paused for a moment.
"You may think it is, but I have a feeling that this isn't over. Not yet."

****

Two weeks later

****

"These delights should be ready by the time we get back." Feather said as chirped, smiling as she slid a silver muffin tray into the oven. "I figure....half an hour." she said, flipping the timer on. I sauntered over to where Feather was standing in the kitchen, the bright light of midday streaming in through the windows and glistening off of the floor, bathing my hooves and lower legs in light. Feather smiled at me, one eyebrow cocked in an inquisitive expression.
"Sweet, Ditzy will be excited as hell when she sees these muffins." I remarked, quickly stealing a kiss. She paused for only a second, then embraced me in her forelegs, returning my kiss. I grinned, "Though I think she'll be more excited to see you."
"Mmm, well you're certainly happy to have me back." Feather said with a hint of seductivity in her voice, her embrace around me tightening slightly.
"Indeed I am, but I think we have to go and get our daughter at some point." I smiled, Feather leaning back a tiny bit from my face, confused, "As much as I'd love to stay here and peruse the meaning of happy..." Feather smiled devilishly.
"I know, honey." she said, releasing her hold, "And it's good to be back to normal again." I smiled contentedly.
Wow, the last two weeks have flown by like a blur. Ditzy made one hell of a recovery, Bronson's 'optimal result' reared it's head. Thank Celestia, my gut instincts continued to tell me that something was going to go wrong again, but nothing did. Her MRI came back normal, but then she had to go through hemofiltration another time because apparently not all of the drug was able to work it's way out of her system. Some side effect of Luna's purge spell, Bronson said. Afterward, she gradually regained her strength, it seemed every time I came to see her, she would visibly improve more and more. To put that into perspective, I went to her room about three times a day. Today is her release day, Bronson told me that her recovery was sufficient enough that she no longer had to be watched by medical staff and could be taken home.
Today is also another special day, it's the first day without Feather's in-home psychotherapist, Dr. Headcare, around. You see, Feather's rehabilitation program operates out of our own home, so as to help take any psychological variable out of the equation and to aid in finding the real source of Feather's psychological strife. Belive me, she had a lot of it, over the past week she utterly opened up to Dr. Headcare and I. I was right: she was simply super frusturated with the way things were, but had no idea how to express or vent it, so she attempted to bottle it up. Only problem was that bottling up her anger and frusturation brought back some old metaphorical ghosts she had unintentionally brought with her from Cloudsdale, so naturally the two things created what Headcare called a 'stress bubble' but what I call 'clusterfuck soup'. The first week of in-home care wasn't very fruitful, we simply tried to get Feather talking but she wouldn't crack before she was ready. However, she decided to spill out her emotions last week, and the headway we've made has been incredible. I personally think that she had to trust herself before she could trust anypony else to help her. Also, I think that this last week has eased up years of unspoken pain between us both, just yesterday we had a very deep conversation about our marriage and how we felt about each other. Myself, I'd say it went quite well, we found that we both loved each other unconditionally and completely, not to mention afterward we....umm.....put the spark back in our relationship, so to speak. Anyway, Feather's medication program is quite heavy, she takes at least four different antipsychotics and a antidepressant at every interval, which happens two times a day. She says she feels normal after taking them, and from looking at how she is I can tell she isn't lying. Her eyes are vibrant and full of life, and she now has this contented glow about her. Hell, I could cheer up just by standing by her. You have no idea how good it feels to have my wife back, it feels like a million kilos has been lifted off of my back.
As for me, as I said I've spent a shit-ton of time wth Ditzy, but my time is evened out with Feather as well. My boss is one awesome stallion, he heard through the grapevine what was going on and gave me two weeks off. Alas, I go back to work tomorrow, but at least I can spend the entire day with my family in one place. Today has even another happy moment in store yet to come: today will be the first time Ditzy and Feather have had any sort of contact at all in the last few weeks, the psychologists and police have been extremely insistent on keeping Feather away from Ditzy. Why they do that is a mystery to me, and truthfully it pisses me off. I mean, who are they to forcefully separate a mother and her child? Feather's melodious voice shook me from my train of thought.
"Are you ready to go?" Feather asked, already by the front door, the smile on her face wide and bright. I smiled.
"You bet your ass I am." I replied, the two of us beginning to walk out of the door. Feather suddenly stopped, a frown appearing on her face.

"What is it, babe?" I asked, quite concerned. She had been a happy tour-de-force up to this point.

"What if........what if she's scared of me?" she asked, a nervous look crossing her face. I rested my hoof on her shoulder reassuriingly.
"She won't be, trust me. All she's been talking about these past few days is how much she's looking forward to seeing you." I replied. She nodded, her frown dissapearing but hints of uncertainty on her face. We walked outside, Feather closing her eyes and breathing deeply as I locked the door behind us.
"Ah........it feels so good to be relaxed. Not worried, not pent up, not tense, just...." she sighed again, her breath deep and full as a smile began to emerge, ".....relaxed." I grinned as I began hooking myself up to the carriage.
"I'd imagine." I chirped, clicking a clip together.
"What, you aren't?" she asked, pulling the harness over her. I sighed.
"Not with having to go back to work tommorrow. I'd prefer to stay here with you and Ditzy." I said as Feather clicked her last restraint together.
"That's what the weekend's for." she smiled at me sympathetically. Don't get me wrong, I'm good at what I do, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. We both unfurled our wings and pulled the carriage into the air, the relatively light structure not requiring too much effort to pull off of the ground.
"So how're you feeling today, beautiful?" I asked, trying to be the ever-caring husband. Well, that and if I ask her how she feels I can gauge her reaction and identify any warning signs of a breakdown. She gazed at me, her gaze full of warmth and adoration.
"Happy, at last. A little nervous, but I get to have my little girl back today, so I think it's just not seeing her for this long. I think the longest she's been away from me before this was two days." she chirped conversationally.
"Me too, babe, me too." I agreed, enjoying her cheerful demeanour as well as the feeling of the wind in my mane. Non-Pegasi just don't understand how amazing that feels.
"So have you had a chance to talk to Princess Luna in the last little while?" Feather asked out of the blue, her question catching me off guard.
"No, not since I last ran into her at the hospital." I replied truthfully. Feather frowned.
"I don't know why she dislikes me so much. Well,...I know why, it's just that I never got a chance to explain or defend myself." she ruminated, her mood swinging to a darker note.
"She just doesn't know the real you, and it's not your fault she didn't give you a chance." I replied, attempting to bring her mood back up. Being the duitiful spouse that I am, I had told her everything about the interactions between myself and Luna.
"What about your dreams, does she appear or anything in those?" she asked, her tone slightly less mellow.
"None. It just doesn't make any sense that she would care so much, then abruptly dissappear like smoke and brush us off." I replied, thinking, "Then again, here's another idea: Luna has been alive for how many thousands of years, she probably has a few manipulative issues. A screw or two loose, some would say." I finished.
"Like I do?" Feather offered, sighing slightly. Ugh. Fuckin great line Hard Hat, she's sensitive about her issues and you had to poke fun of them.
"No, not at all, honey." I said quickly as we steered the carriage around a slower moving Pegasus, "Luna is probably completely fucked in the head. You are my diamond, your mind is a beautiful web."
"I'm a mess." she snorted.
"You're a beautiful mess, and most of all, you're my beautiful mess." I replied resolutely, the look I recieved from that one of pure love.
We alighted on the cement by the front doors of the hospital, the white stone pilliars and gray arched roof now extremely familiar to me. Feather and I quickly unhooked ourselves from the carriage, both very intent on seeing our daughter as soon as possible. Feather got loose first and proceeded to walk up to the door, but a "Hey!" from behind us made her pause. I clicked off the last strap clip and turned my head in the direction of the voice, the source of that voice being a gray Lunar Guard hurrying towards us, his jackboots clicking audibly on the pavement.
"For fuck's sake, what is it now?!?" I said, instantly pissed off. The Guard stopped right beside me, pointing his hoof at Feather, who had turned around with a quizzical expression on her face.
"Ma'am! Ma'am! You can't go in there!" he said authoritatively. Feather slowly began walking towards us, a confused look on her visage.
"And why the fuck can't she?" I snapped at the Guard, already visualizing what was happening and relazing that my actions and protests were futile.
"Calm down, sir. I'm just under orders to keep her out of the hospital." he said, attempting to pacify me.
"Who's orders? Luna's?!?" I shot.
"Canterlot Police Comissioner, sir. Please calm down." he said, still quite level.
"That's complete bullshit! So what, I'd assume given how your orders are, you can't let her see our daughter after she comes out of the hospital either? It's not a far jump, all things considered. Or am I just assuming too much?" I snapped. The Guard sighed, a tired look in his eye as he took off his helmet and ran his hoof through his deep red mane.
"Look buddy, I'm just here doing my job and following orders. Obviously your wife can see your daughter after she leaves the hospital, I don't think they would go that far. I don't agree with my orders either, I'm just the guy who gets them done." he said, his amber eyes meeting mine and conveying a tired exasperation possessed by one who had done his job for far too long. Feather silently stood beside me, a very calm and placid expression on her face.
"Honey," she said, her tone instantly pacifying me, "It's okay. I'll just wait out here, alright?". I looked into her eyes.
"No, Feather, it isn't o-" I began to protest, but Feather cut me off.
"Just go in and get her, okay? I'm fine, honey, I've been patient for this long, I can afford to wait for a few minutes longer." she said relaxingly. I took a deep breath.
"Okay." I replied, settling down, "Sorry Officer." I said to the Guard. He slightly smiled.
"It's alright, I've seen it all, and I sympathize." he replied. I sauntered on to the doors, Feather staying behind and waiting with the Guard. The doors swung open automatically, and beyond them I saw Bronson standing patiently in the all-too-familiar lobby, waiting for me in his jade green scrubs. He looked up from the newspaper he levitated in front of him.
"Ah, Mr. Hat!" he said pleasantly with a smile.
"Have any idea why Feather isn't allowed on the premises?" my slightly pissed off tone and question making his smile evaporate.
"What? Of course she is!" he said, a confused expression settling on to his face.
"Not according to the Guard out there." I stated. His eyebrows knit together in thought.
"Hmph. They were supposed to leave when Luna did last week. Had no idea they still had units out there." he replied.
"Probably for Feather. I detect Luna's hoof in this." I ruminated. Bronson's smile returned, him giving my shoulder a hearty shake.
"Well, it's only for a few minutes, then you won't have to worry about it!" he chirped optimistically, "Let's get Ditzy home!". He walked me toward a small office behind the main desk, opening the white door. He stuck his head inside, and I heard Ditzy's ummistakeable voice shout "Dawktor!".
"I have a suprise for you!" he said pleasantly, opening the door a bit wider. Ditzy's head poked around the corner for a nanosecond, then she practically tackled me, a gray and blonde blur of motion.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed, hugging me in a vice grip. She'd make a great python, the strength of her squeeze could kill a cow.
"Oh how's my little girl?" I said, grinning as I eagerly returned the hug. Ditzy smiled, her mismatched eyes making her angelic expression all the more adorable.
"Gooooooooooodddd! Where's Mommy?" she asked, a momentary cloud of confusion clouding her face.
"She's just outside, okay?" I replied, Ditzy's eyes immediately lighting up like a rocket. She immediately made a rapid dash for the door, but Bronson gently blocked her way, putting himself in the gap between the entrance to the front desk and the lobby.
"Your daddy just has to sign a few things, and then you can go, okay?" he said with a gentle and caring smile.
"Otay, Dawktor." she chirped cheerfully, sitting down in front of the gap, patiently waiting as she flipped her mane back and forth.
"What am I signing?" I asked, turning to Bronson. He levitated a clipboard and a pen in front of me.
"Release forms and the like." he said as he turned to rummage around in a file cabinet, "Legal stuff, essentially."
"Okay." I replied, taking the pen and scrawling my signature on the bottom of the sheet of attached paper. "Done and done."
"Sweet." he chirped, turning around as he handed me a bottle of pills.
"What are these for?" I asked quizzically.
"They're boosters, they will help her liver get going a bit better just in the odd case that her body doesn't efficiently process everything. I'm sure she does, and the tests have shown that there's no lasting damage on her liver or kidneys, but these won't hurt her. " he explained, "Take them twice a day until you run out of pills." I raised my eyebrows.
"I assume these come at extra?" I asked sardonically. He shrugged.
"Normally, yes, but Luna is still paying, so these are factored in." he replied, nonplussed.
"Oh," I chuckled, "I had completely forgotten. That, and I've had absolutely no contact at all since the last time her and I ran into each other here."
"Well, the cheques are still cashing through, so I'd assume she's still paying." Bronson said, rubbing his chin in thought, "Although it's a mystery to me why she always shows up to check on Ditzy after making sure you're not around."
"Beg your pardon?" I said, a touch mystified myself. I don't get that mare, was it something I said?
"Yeah, she must not be keen on you at all. Whatever happened the day you saw her, it must have really set her off something fierce." he mused, a slightly ponderous expression set upon his face. I shook my head.
"Well, whatever, it's my duty as a husband and father to worry about my family, not Luna's. She should probably be tending to some royal shit, and I'm done with factoring in what she says. As far as I'm concerned, Luna can say what she likes, I'll be damned if I'm losing sleep over it." I finished resolutely. Bronson clapped his hooves on the floor, a wide grin on his face.
"That's the best thing I've heard you say. Kudos to you for your outlook and having the balls to posess it." he grinned, checking his watch, "Anyway, I have patients to look after and a job to do, so I have to get stepping."
"Yeah, no problem." I replied, shaking his hoof, Bronson warmly acquiescing, "Quick question, though." I asked.
"Shoot." he responded.
"How did you know she was visiting Ditzy? It musn't have been during the day, more ponies would be talking about it." I questioned, intently curious.
"She would bounce in during the wee hours of the morning, well past the normal sleep time of anypony. Except me, of course." he chirped lightly, shurgging. I tilted my head.
"Man, what kind of hours do you pull?" I asked. He thought for a moment.
"My day begins at seven in the morning and doesn't end until three in the morning. Three weeks on, one week off." he replied. My jaw dropped.
"How, do you keep up such hours?" I queried, incredulous.
"Eh, I'm a bit of a work-induced imnsomniac. My wife says my name should be Nightowl or Sunrise or Crazy." he grinned, beginning to trot away, the ever-present clipboard floating in front of him. "Have a good day, Hard Hat!" he shouted over his shoulder before rounding a corner and dissappearing.
"You too, Bronson!" I called with a smile, turning to Ditzy who was still patiently waiting, rocking her head back and forth to her own internal soundtrack. "Okay, babygirl, you ready to go?" Her adorably mismatched eyes lit up.
"Yaaaahhhh!!!!" she exclaimed, as bubbly as a baking soda volcano. She started quick trotting through the lobby, which had began to fill up with ponies of all kinds. I had to slow her down a few times, Ditzy almost plowing into a pony in a wheelchair before deciding to slow down and wait for me.
"Slow down, I don't want you back in the hospital." I said, cheerily but with a firm undertone. The art of talking to kids lies in the undertone.
"Otay, Daddy." she chirped, the momentary pause in her mad dash towards the door leaving her sunny disposition unpreturbed. I smiled at her as I caught up, her cute gaze melting my heart as it always does. I'm a bit of a pushover dad, what can I say?
"So, what's the first thing you're going to do when you see Mommy?" I asked her.
"Give her tha biggest of big hugs!!" she giggled, pent up energy driving her forward. I stuck out my hoof as we walked into the doors, anticipating what would happen next. The moment Ditzy and I walked out into the fresh air of the outdoors, Ditzy laid eyes on Feather and took off like a gray and blonde heat-seeking missile, straight into Feather's outstretched arms. "Moooooommmmmmmmyyyyyyyy!!!!!" she yelled as she careened into Feather, locking her arms tight in a bear hug.
"My baby!" Feather cried, squeezing Ditzy tightly while burying her face in Ditzy's blonde mane, tears of joy already streaming from her eyes. "I love you so much! I missed you!" she cried. I looked over at the Guard who was standing by Feather. He was smiling broadly, evidently happy that his job had at least one pleasant point.
"I missed you too!" Derpy said, slightly muffled as she hugged Feather. She gazed up at Feather, nothing in her eyes but pure love and affection. "Why you cryin', Mommy?" she asked, ecstatic yet perplexed.
"I'm just so happy to have you back, and I missed you so much, you have no idea how bad I missed you, and I promise that I will never do anything that will put you in danger ever again! You are my baby, and I love you so much!" she cooed, meeting Ditzy's eyes with a gaze that only a mother could posess. I teared up a little at this reunion, this moment being the culmination of Feather's efforts as well as my own. Ditzy tilted her head, confused.
"Put me in danger?" Ditzy questioned, "But it's nawt your fault you gots sick." Feather glanced sideways at me, as I responded with a silently mouthed 'roll with it'. Feather nodded almost imperceptibly as she dodged the issue with a different tactic.
"Well, we're going to spend the entire day doing absolutely whatever you want to do!" she said, finally releasing Ditzy from her loving embrace. I walked up and stood beside Feather, managing to fight back the tears of joy in my eyes.
"We also have a suprise for you back at the house. A fresh-baked suprise, one might say." I grinned, giving Ditzy an easy hint. She inhaled loudly, her eyes as wide as roof mounted searchlights.
"Muffins?" she exclaimed. Feather and I both grinned broadly, both of us extremely easy reads. We'd make a terrible poker team. Ditzy, evidently picking up that her reflexive guess was accurate, jumped at both of us, Feather and I catching her in a hug as we enveloped each other in the embrace as well as our blonde rocket. "This is the bestest day evar!!!" she cheered, as happy as she could physically be. Feather and I both gazed at each other, the unspoken agreement in our shared gaze clearer than any words.

****

Evening

****
"Goonite, Mommy an Daddy." Ditzy cooed and smiled contentedly as she nuzzled into the crook of Feather's arms, her amber-gold eyes closing slowly as she softly lapsed into the gentle rhythm of sleep. Ditzy lay embraced in Feather's arms, who in turn was in my embrace. Thank Celestia I was born a lanky colt with a higher than normal body temperature, I swear I was custom manufactured for cuddling. We lay on Ditzy's bed, which was massive even by Equestrian standards, you could lose a pony on this thing. The bedspread lay tousled and wrinkled underneath us, the only blanket in the vicinity in use overtop of Ditzy and Feather, the light fluffy pink material pulled close around Ditzy's neck. Soft moonlight emanating from a crescent moon filtered in through the window, bathing us in its pale white light. Feather slowly turned her head to me, careful not to disturb Ditzy, the smile on her face gentle and uneraseable.
"How fast do you think she'll fall asleep?" she whispered, he quiet voice a veneer companion to the quiet overtone of the city noise outside. I smiled affectionately.
"Real quick. Spending the day rampaging through the park tuckered her out real good." I chuckled gently, "Good idea on that one." I whispered as Ditzy's breathing became a little louder.
"Thanks," Feather replied, slowly flipping her mane out of her eyes, "I wanted some quality time soooo bad, I know it was only two weeks that I didn't see her, but it felt like two decades."
"Yeah, it felt the same way for me, babe." I said. Feather raised an eyebrow, her expression translating her thought before her words could.
"You could go see her, though." she said, slightly perplexed.
"I wanted to see you and Ditzy together again, I hated having you so far apart. She feeds off your energy, you know. Every day in the hospital she would ask where you were, and every day I had to tell her that you were sick and couldn't see her yet. Ditzy lost a bit of her drive, I could cheer her up and make her happy, but you could still see it. Today when she saw you, it was like a sudden transformation, just in an instant. That and, having you two away from each other just felt odd and....wrong." I explained, eliciting a smile from Feather's demure face. Suddenly, a slightly nervous look clouded over her opaline green eyes. "What is it?" I asked, concerned.
"Well, this last little while has really made me think about a lot of things. Like our family. The other day I sat down and thought, 'How many families in this world are split apart?' and it hit me just how lucky I am to have what I have." she cooed as she laid her head on my chest, her touch warm and gentle, "Before I was only really focused on what I didn't have, and truthfully I didn't even know what it was that I was so set on getting. I was completely blind to what I didn't have and what still may lie in the future." I looked down at her, unsure of how to interpret that.
"What does that mean?" I asked gently. Feather gazed up at me lovingly, her blonde mane almost shining in the moonlight.
"I was thinking, maybe..........you know............that.....umm....." she attempted to explain, her tone quite tentative.
"It's okay, hun, you don't have to be scared of saying something." I murmured reassuringly.
"....umm....maybe we could try for another baby." she said, unsure of how to say her idea. My eyes widened, the suggestion quite honestly catching me way the hell off guard.
"I.....I......I.....uh..." I stuttered, trailing off in mild shock and suprise. Talk about coming straight out of left field.
"I was thinking that this whole thing is a turning point in our lives, where we've really taken stock of what we have , and that our family could be extended to one more...." she replied, her eyes gently searching mine, staring into my soul itself, "You have to admit, Ditzy would make an amazing big sister." I nodded my agreement.
"Well, I.....hm.." I stutttered. Her expression suddenly saddened, the little twinkle in her eye dissappearing like steam in an instant.
"You don't want to, do you?" she replied, hurt.
"No, I do, but I....uh....I'm still a bit suprised. I mean, we haven't talked about having another baby in years." I managed.
"I know, but we've talked about a lot of things we don't normally talk about in the last little while, and I was thinking this would come up sooner or later. I understand your trepidation, I kindof dropped this on you out of the blue." she explained, the idea clearly in the forefront of her mind, "But, you know, my biological clock is ticking away, and Ditzy's a little older than when we originally planned to have a second child, so time is moving by a bit faster than we originally thought." she finished, her calm and cool voice aptly conveying her logic. She has a point, I do admit. I thought for a moment.
"True. I mean, it is possible...." I trailed off, deep in my myriad of thoughts.
"What do you mean by possible?" Feather instantly perked up, raising her head from it's resting place upon my chest, her gaze twinkling once again.
"Well, I've worked with the same forepony ever since I got hired by the company. He's been saying for a long time that he's going to give me a promotion as soon as a higher level spot opens up. We do have a few construction jobs our company is going to be running around Fillydelphia, and at the rate this place is growing, they won't be the last. Maybe.....maybe I could get him to post me to one of those jobs so I could be closer to you, Ditzy, and..." I paused my explanation for a few seconds, "...the baby. Sweet Celestia, it's going to take a long time to get used to saying that again." I finished, the simplicity and high possibility of my plan making me smile. Feather gazed at me, her eyes never having left mine.
"You think we should try?" she asked tentatively.
"I think we should try." I answered, unfolding my wings from behind me with no small amount of difficulty and wrapping them around Feather's shoulders, careful to avoid smothering Ditzy in my feathers.
"I love you, Hat." Feather breathed, craning her neck and kissing me sweetly, her gentle caress bringing back memories of earlier days.
"I love you too." I replied, breathless. Feather laid her head back down on my chest, my feathers brushing her soft mane, her breath warm and gentle on my chest, her beautiful eyes closing.
"I don't think I've been this content since the day we were married." she murmured, her quiet jubilation evident in her voice. I nuzzled my head into the top of her mane, breathing in her scent.
"Me too, babe." I replied softly, glancing at the luminous glow of the moon as Feather drifted off to sleep, her breathing steadily slowing down, each deeper than the last. I felt a sudden peace wash over me. My family was here and safe again in my arms, with the shining promise of an amazing future. Princess Luna, your prayers were answered, and as you said, my convoluted dream that I looked for and held dearest in my heart became reality. Everything reverted to be as it should be, if not infinitely better. That pleasant thought brought me a smile as I drifted off into sleep's careful embrace, my life and legacy and future in my arms.

Chapter 5

****

Morning

****

"Eat your breakfast, sweetie." I said, glancing over at Ditzy, who was opting to play in her cereal as opposed to eating it, blueberry muffin in her left hoof and spoon in her right.
"Listen to Daddy, Ditzy." Feather chimed in, attempting to remain serious but cracking out into a wide smile as Ditzy plowed her muffin into her Honey Oats like a freight train, making the sounds to accompany it. I smiled, remembering that I used to do the same thing. Ditzy raised her head, a cheery expression on her ever-smiling face.
"Otay." she chirped bouncily, cramming the milk-soaked muffin into her mouth, attempting to wolf it down as fast as physically possible. Feather chuckled jovially and shook her head, turning to me.
"So, what are you doing at work today, honey?" she asked, not-so-subtly attempting to divert Ditzy's attention away from her now dessicated breakfast. I smiled.

"Well, apparently the Weather Factory is a bit closer to the mountain ranges than normal, so we get to fortify the underlying girders and the weather vane cowlings, just in case an updraft kicks up." I replied. Ditzy's ears picked up, her curiousity locking on to my words.
"Daddy, wut's an updraft?" she asked quizzically, her eyes emitting her curious spirit.
"It's what happens when a reaaallllllyy big pocket of hot air meets a big pocket of cold air, "I said, gesturing with my arms, the actions making Ditzy giggle and Feather smile," The hot air wants to go up, and the cold air wants to go down. This makes a very strong wind that goes straight up from the ground, that's why it's called an updraft. Mountans like to pull cold air around them, so we have to be extra careful when a mountain is involved, otherwise stuff could get broken and somepony could be really badly hurt." I explained, hoping my explanantion was adequate yet understandable. Ditzy nodded, taking all of this in. Feather looked at the direction of my gaze.
"I see you eyeing up my cream cheese bagel, mister." she said coyly, pantomiming a stern tone. I sighed.
"But it looks soooooo goood!" I sighed wistfully.
"Cream cheese, remember?" she said, a half smile on her face.
"Ugh, curse my inherent lactose intolerance!" I groaned, reminiscing on the times I could eat cream cheese or cheese of any sort.
"What's......uh....lac-tose... in-tol-rance?" Ditzy asked, curious despite her difficulty with the terminology. I smiled, grateful to see that I had passed on my deep imbued sense of curiosity about everything.
"Daddy's allergic to milk products. I can't have milk, cheese, butter, sour cream, and..." I sighed, glancing once again at Feather's bagel, "...cream cheese. Which I used to absolutely love." I finished, breaking my eyes away from the delicious-looking delicacy to look at the clock.
"Is it time?" Feather asked, evidently sharing my lack of enthusiasm for my job today.
"Yeah, yeah it is." I replied, a bit depressed. Ditzy picked up on this.
"Whatsa matter, Daddy?" she asked, her mismatched eyes radiating concern.
"Daddy just has to go to work now, even though he doesn't want to." I replied gently, Feather getting up from her side of the table.
"They why you go to work?" Ditzy inquired, her face indicating that my reasoning made no sense to her. I glanced at Feather, who was just as caught off guard as I was.
"You'll understand when you're older." I replied, dodging the uber-complicated answer which would take a very long time to explain to Ditzy. I'm not super big on explanations unless I'm quite enthralled with them, and I fucking hate working as much as I do, so I'd probably skew Ditzy's understanding a bit with my opinions. Feather walked over to me, suprising me by embracing me and kissing me passionately.
"Don't you think that might scar the girl?" I said jokingly, a grin spreading across my face.
"She'd better get used to it." Feather smiled in reply, smooching me a little bit tamer this time. I was released from Feather's embrace and walked over to Ditzy, who was actually eating her cereal now, milk and oats everywhere. She looked up at me with a loving smile, already knowing what was coming. I gave her a warm hug, nuzzling her already-messy mane in my neck.
"Be good, Sweetie. Daddy loves you." I murmured, kissing the top of her head.
"I love you too, Daddy." she replied, the sweetest and most innocent smile possible on her face. You could rob a bank with that smile.
"I put your helmet by your saddlebags, they're at the door." Feather chirped, walking over through the door to the living room and the front entrance. I followed suit, dragging my hooves in a joking attempt to take my sweet ass time. Ditzy giggled, enjoying my antics. Feather stood by all of my gear, my big brown saddlebags somehow maintaining their shape as they sat on the floor. I wandered over, Feather attempting to lift my saddlebags onto my shoulders, but failing to even get them off of the ground. "Shit, Hat, what do you have in there?" she questioned increduously. I laughed.
"Power tools, a welding kit, and a bunch of steel melt filler. Those touch ups on the cowlings have to hold, so we aren't going to go cheap and use carbon fibre." I grunted, getting under the straps and lifting the bag onto my back, my body protesting against the strain, "If only I was so lucky."
"Have fun with that." Feather replied sympathetically, setting my helmet onto my head. I opened the door, walking out into the bright, but deceptively chilly morning.
"I'll try. Have fun, and I'll see you later!" I chirped, a warm smile on my face, "See you later, Sweetie!" I shouted into the house. I gave a jaunty wave as I began walking away, Feather returning the favor as she closed the door with a quiet clunk. I sighed, unhappy for the first time in years to be leaving my home as I picked up speed and launched myself into the air, beginning the long flight to Cloudsdale.

****

Afternoon

****

"Melt, you mother fucker, melt." I growled aggressively at the steel filler I was attempting to fuse to a long black crack in the otherwise immaculate fairing of the cowl of the weather vane. I was hovering by it, which wasn't exactly making it easier, my wing beats constantly knocking the rhythm of my weld bead off. When you have at least eighty pounds of gear hooked to you, your wings get either a workout or sore really quick. Most of the time, it's both. The low tempratures of the prevailing wind at this altitude were enough to frost up the metal before I could even get to it with the SMAW torch, much less melt the damn thing. Fortunately for me, my welding mask also shielded my face from the bitterly cold wind, as well as my lower field of view. Which was good, because I'm kindof afraid of heights, which seems like an irrational fear for a Pegasus, but it's somewhat subjective. A few thousand feet? No problem. Fifteen, sixteen thousand feet? Ehhh, no, my normal cruising altitude is three thousand and I'll keep it that way, thank you very much. I risked a glance downwards, and immediately wished I'd have kept my head angled forward. Below me, the towering pearl white bulk of the wind vane extended at least two hundred feet to its small cumulus base, the wind throwing smaller clouds instead of big ones at this height. Beyond that, the tether which jutted out of the bottom of the cloud extended thousands upon thousands of feet down to its moorings at the Weather Factory, the thick silver cable gently swaying in the air currents. Cloudsdale itself even looked tiny; I couldn't even make out the roads, much less carriages or ponies. Clusters of dark squares and rectangles marked out buildings and city blocks, the urban sprawl across the white cloud the only distinguishable sign of habitation. The only gaps in the myriad of dark colors were white patches from pavillions and parks, Cloudsdale being unique in the fact that all of the seasons looked quite similar. It had snowed in Cloudsdale the previous night, but from looking at the unmarred portions of the cloud city you would never know it. I looked back up, attempting to focus my gaze on the red hot weld bead in front of me. Suddenly, a streak of white blurred my vision. I blinked a few times, wondering if it was simply my imagination, but when a larger snowflake drifted lazily by, I realized what it was.
"Shit." I cursed as I smacked my radio on my helmet/face shield with my hoof. "Be advised, snow's starting to come in, let's get this shit done." I grunted into the microphone inside of my facemask.
"Copy." seven voices said in unison. Several minutes went by, the radio channels silent as I focused on my work. The radio beeped.
"Ground Control to Major Tom...." a voice tentatively sang through the radio. I chuckled.
"Chimney?" I questioned.
"Yeeeesssss???" he replied, his normally tinny voice accentuated by the reverb of my earpiece.

"Can you please keep Mr. Bowie off of the radio?" I said with a private grin.

"Alright," he chirped, feigning a pout, "Hey, is anypony else here getting light headed at all?"

"A little bit." one of the other workers replied, his voice grating my eardrum.

"Turn your mic down, Red." Chimney replied.

"Better?" Red answered, a fair amount quieter.

"Much." Chimney chirped.

"Chimney, the reason you're light headed is because of the altitude and you talk too much." I commented, eliciting chuckling through the airwaves, "That, and you're light headed already, you dumbass." More laughing. "Does anypony know how high up we are?"

"Ah, Cloudsdale's at.....fifteen thousand at the moment, and we have twenty-five hundred feet of tether." a thick Trottingham accent replied.

"Highest I've ever seen Cloudsdale." another worker chimed in noncommitally.

"I've seen it at seventeen grand, and that fuckin sucked." Red replied.

"Plus two hundred feet of pole." I spoke, sticking with my same thought process. Chimney snickered. "By my math, that's seventeen thousand seven hundred feet right here."
"Fuckin' A, three hundred more feet and we'd need oxygen gear." Chimney chirped.
"Nah, we're Pegasi, we can handle the shit." another worker replied.
"Oh my, you'd have to shut your mouth for a change." the Trottingham pony shot, making everypony save Chimney laugh.
"Asshole." Chimney grumbled, with a little chuckle.
"Chimney, the only reason we take potshots at you is because you make yourself an easy target." I commented, "Speaking of, is it easier to fly?"
"Is what?" he replied, confused.
"With all that hot air, that ego in your head, does it give you any added buoyancy?" I shot, laughing, the other workers laughing with me.
"Mother fucker I was born at seventeen thousand, there ain't no hot air in me." Chimney replied, failing to defend himself. The snow in front of my smoked visor began picking up in speed and intensity as I finished the last tail of my weld bead.
"Fuck, my torch just quit on me." the Trottingham pony intoned, frusturation creeping into his voice.
"Oxy acetelyne?" I questioned, trying to think about the equipment's specific specs.
"Yeah." he responded, "I drew the short straw today, I'm replacing carbon fibre struts on the blades of the vane." I shook my head.
"You lucky bastard, the rest of us are hauling steel and shit. Check the feed valve on the top of the tanks, it might have frozen up." I recommended. At this altitude the wind will mess with everything, even steel valves.
"Okay.......anndd.......FUCK!" he yelled, a snapping noise echoing through his headset. In the distance, a little black dot caught my eye, plummeting out of sight through the clouds below.
"Did you just do what I think you did?" I asked, fairly certain about what I had just witnessed.
"You know how our gear is only supposed to move certain ways? I guess leaning backwards was too much. The fucking strap broke. Fuck. Shit. Ass." he calmly swore, the anger in his voice evident. Chimney cackled through the radio, his laughter annoying to everypony but himself.
"Oh, wow this is rich! Good job old chap, you just gave the jerries down there a lovely little scare with your one pony bombing campaign!" he laughed, mimicking a Trottingham accent, "You are going to have a grand old time finding that thing on the side of a mountain!"
"It probably buried itself on impact, there's no way I can find it." he retorted, as the radio buzzed, indicating a new airwave presence.
"That's a five hundred bit piece of equipment, plus whatever carbon fibre ya hadn't fuckin' attached yet, which I'll remind you comes at twenty bits a sqaure foot, that ya just dropped on a mountain. I don't care if you're searching with a metal detector, you're finding it." the forepony barked over the radio, his voice hard and stern.
"Yes, sir." the Trottingham pony replied, his voice quite a bit quieter.
"Oh, right, Hard Hat." the forepony continued, seeming to remember his original purpose, "There's a visitor here for ya. He says it's urgent, and by the looks of him I wouldn't keep him waiting for too long if I was you." he said, his gruff voice focusing on me.
"Sure. I'm done here anyway." I said, looking over my weld seam with my hoof, satisfied with my work, "What's he look like?" I questioned, curious more than anything.
"Big bastard. Blue, tons of tattoos, tactical gear, looks military." the forepony commented. At that very moment, something twinged in my gut, my built in feeling of dread and foreboding went off, setting off klaxons in my mind. Something is up. I don't know what, I don't know how, but I feel it.
"Alright, I'm on my way right now." I said quickly, "Red, look after these assholes for a bit."
"Gotcha." Red grunted.
"I'll relay that you're on your way right now." the forepony chirped as I tried to fight the rising feeling of dread in the back of my throat. As I clicked off the radio with my hoof, which was essentially smacking my helmet, I turned towards the general location of the Weather Factory.
"I hate this part." I said to myself as I folded my wings to my sides, allowing the added weight of my equipment to send me hurtling down in free fall like an asteroid. The wind rushed by me in an ear-splitting roar as I shot down towards the ground, dropping altitude like crazy. My welding mask was pressed firmly against my face, the wind pushing it and my helmet hard to my head, the cold forming bits of frost as I plummeted. I gritted my teeth against the cold, my body rapidly cooling from the onslaught, chunks of ice that were before lightly resting on my gear now solidified and rock hard, the straps on my chest tight with the buildup. I aimed as close to the cable as I dared, the thick silver cable swaying in the winds, dangerous for anypony who ventured too close. My visor was filled with rapidly growing buildings and roads as I extended and angled my wings, sending myself shooting out on a bit of an angle towards the roof of the Weather Factory. I flared my wings as I sped towards the complex, trying to bleed off as much speed as I could, my target a giant concrete pad on the northwest corner of the factory, the gray surface clear of snow and ice. The wind rushed at me as I flared one last time, my wings aching under the strain of fighting against physics. My extra gear had carried a bit more momentum than I had anticipated, causing me to hit the pad in a sprint/slide, my bulk skidding to a stop.
"Glad nopony else saw that." I muttered to myself, brushing the thin coat of frost off of myself. A set of stairs on the side of the pad beckoned me downwards, and I wandered down them, passing through a small door into the immediately warmer building. I removed my welding mask as I passed into the equipment room, its metal confines much darker than outside. Tools of all kinds lined the walls, from welding kits to saws to drills, each having its own unique use, shelves nearly bending under all of the weight. But what caught my attention was what was standing in the middle of the oil-stained concrete floor.
Night stood there, idly looking about the room, his stone jaw set grimly against his face. He was wearing what looked to be a black combat harness, complete with vest and belt loaded down with pockets, small interlaced straps covering his gear. His pants were a dark forest green sort of camoflauge with spatters of lighter green and streaks of grey, and a gun-metal grey pistol sat tucked in a holster on his right rear leg.
"What are you doing here? We have a lobby for a reason." I asked, walking over to an orderly rack of welding kits identical to mine.
"I guessed it would be faster to meet you here instead of the lobby. Besides, your security needs work. Walked right past them." he replied, the usual cockamanie smile curiously absent from his face. I looked at him, reading the expression in his eyes.
"What is it?" I asked, unhooking the straps and sliding the SMAW off of my sore back, my body immediately grateful for the sudden lack of weight and exertion. "You don't seem like you're in a peachy mood." I commented. His face remained placid, his eyes still.
"Not really." he grunted. I stared at him, sliding my saddlebags off, my body now free of excess weight.
"So.....why are you here?" I asked, my internal klazons continuing to go off.
"I came to get you, actually." he stated, his voice hard but with a distinct undertone of urgency.
"Okay, that didn't answer my question, why?" I asked slowly, that bad feeling in my gut returning in rapid waves.
"Something's wrong with Feather. She didn't call in for her afternoon appointment, and we can't contact her. The carriage is still there, but the house is locked up tight. We've set up a perimeter just for safety purposes. I was told to fly here and get you home." he said quickly, the urgency in his voice growing. My stomach dropped.
"By who?" I asked, now quite worried by this turn of events.
"Who do you think? We're wasting time, we have to go. Now." he replied, clearly concerned. I nodded.
"Point taken." I said quickly, "How long did the flight take you? This morning was an hour, but I have no idea how far Cloudsdale has shifted."
"About forty-five minutes, but I really hauled ass." he replied, his stone faced veneer marred by concern. I nodded.
"Let's go." I said, stepping away from my heavy work belt.
"Your boss?" Night asked.
"He'll understand." I stated shortly. I gestured for him to follow me as I tossed away my hard hat and microphone, the two rolling away on the concrete floor.
"Where's the closest exterior roof acess to this point?" Night asked, his usually suave demeanour gone, replaced with a new swift and decisive frame of mind. I don't like this, something just feels wrong.
"Door I came in." I replied, leading him out onto the metal stairs. The light snow had morphed into a freezing drizzle, the rapidly darkening sky now chock-full of grey storm clouds, beginning their fusillade of moisture. The two of us trotted up onto the pad, Night looking up at the rain.
"Fuck sakes." he grunted, half to himself. We looked at each other for a few short moments, than ran and jumped off of the landing pad, flinging ourselves into the night sky and the rain as we took off into the stormy, black skies.

****

Forty seven minutes later

****

Red and blue lights flashed and gyrated off of all of the houses on the block, the darkened fronts of the low set buildings a sharp contrast with the scene on the street. The monsoon-like conditions refracted the police lights, the eerie glow translating through the raindrops in the air. Police carriages were set in a rough half circle around my house, most of them staffed with local police, some with ponies in the darker armored uniforms of the Lunar Guard. A small team sat in front of my front door, the only ones shielded from the torrential downpour, the other officers in black raincoats emblazoned with FPD in bright luminescent yellow. Night and I landed on the outer edge of the line of police vehicles, our lift impeded by the wetness of our wings and the overall soaked quality of our bodies. Several officers took notice of our arrival, a few even placing their hooves on their sidearms, evidently trusting nopony. An officer in a raincoat and a peaked hat walked up to us, but before he could utter a word, Night pulled out his ID card from his belt.
"Captain Night Feather, Lunar Guards, what's the sit rep here?" he said quite briskly. The officer straightened up, ignoring the rain for a few moments.
"House is locked up tight, Captain. Attempts to contact anypony inside of the house haven't bourne fruit, and we have reason to belive that there is a child in imminent danger in there." the officer replied, a husky Western lilt to his voice.
"Have you been briefed on this particular situation?" Night said as he nodded.
"Yeah, that's why we've sat tight for a bit. We don't want to provoke her with that filly in there." the officer stated, "Plus the team by the door is takin' their sweet ass time setting up a breach, so we're landlocked by that too." Night's expression turned into a deep scowl.
"You mean nopony has done anything yet?" he growled, a fierce anger rapidly metastasizing in his voice.
"Nope. Annoys the hooves off of me too." the officer grunted semi-symathetically, visibly bracing himself. Night turned to me.
"Come." he barked, walking through the collection of vehicles, my hooves propelling me behind him, myself much too worried to think about the rain. That feeling in my gut had grown exponentially, gnawing at me from the inside.
"Night." I said urgenly, "Something's wrong, I don't have a good feeling." We walked by my carriage, Night pausing by one of the wheels.
"Neither do I." he said, his concern showing through his brisk facade as he stooped down and looked at the wheel. He ran his hoof along it and held it up to the light. It was slicked with mud and crushed grass, the rain causing the soil to run off into mud. He looked at me, his jaw set in a grim expression. "We have to get in there. Now. This just doesn't feel right." he said darkly.
"I know. Feather wouldn't hole up like that." I intoned as we turned and walked toward the front door, the three pony team turning to acknowledge Night's arrival with a swift salute. One of them was fumbling around with a short black pipe, attempting to attach handles but failing due to the rain slicking up the matte black finish.
"LT, is there a reason that this residence wasn't breached when you were ordered to?" Night growled at a similarily dressed pony, this one a gray Pegasus with a flowing black and red mane, a radio unit on his back and a headset on his head. The pony straightened up, obviously suprised.
"Sir, we didn't breach the residence because we were not certain of the validity of the order." he stated, his voice an incredibly veneer tone.
"Did the order have the black label?" Night questioned, staring daggers at him.
"We thought so, but we couldn't be certain, there was a lot of radio traffic sir, we-" he started, Night cutting him off.
"You thought!? Nopony can fake that, and the black label is a fairly distinct sound! Dammit, Shadows, you're meant to seize the initiative, not be a fucking useless drone!" Night snapped, Shadows cowed instantly, his posture less straight than before. Night turned to me, tone still hard but not angry. "I need you at the front. If there is a situation, we stand a better chance of disarming it if she sees you first." he said, his mind making the same assumption as I. He turned to the unicorn who was still having difficulty assembling the black tube, which I assumed was a short battering ram. "How long will that be, Sergeant?" he barked.
"Sir, I'm....ugh!" the unicorn said, exasperated as the tube slipped out of his hooves yet again.
"Fuck it. I'm going to have to break your door." Night said to me, frusturated.
"Doors can be replaced." I replied quickly, anxious to find out what was happening inside of my home. Night turned to Shadows.
"Move. Now." he hissed. Shadows wasted no time, sidestepping out of Night's way.
"Sir, what about the batter-" Shadows began but was cut off as Night rapidly spun around and mule kicked the door with all of his might, the solid oak door cracking down the middle and swinging open inwards, the mangled lock torn straight out of the wall. He gestured with his head to me, and I walked up the the gaping black void which used to be my front door. All of the lights had been turned off inside of the house, creating the feeling that I was walking into a tomb.
"Feather?" I called, slowly and warily walking in, my gut feeling now in my throat, the tension almost causing me to vomit.
Nothing.
The house remained quiet, the only sound being the rain against the windows.
I slowly wandered into the dark cavernous bowels of my home, which before had seemed so comfortable and welcoming but was now foreboding and silent. "Feather? Ditzy?" I called, the only reply to my call the quiet creaks of my home and the nearly silent hoofsteps of Night and his team as they followed me in. I felt my way along the wall, trying to find the lightswitch. My wandering hoof discovered it, and I switched it on. What appeared before my eyes froze me into place.

Feather was in the middle of the room, one end of a noose around her neck, the other end tied around one of the exposed rafters in the celing. She hung completely still as she hung a few feet off of the ground, a knocked over stool on the ground beside her. Her head hung slightly down, and tearstains had washed the eyeshadow partially down her face. A note lay on the floor by her rear hooves, the small parchment wrinkled and covered in dried tearstains.
I just stood there, willing myself to wake up or look away or just do anything, praying against all reason and sight that this was some sort of horrifying nightmare, some masochistic vision conjured by the darkest corners of my mind. But no matter how long I stared, no matter how much I blinked and willed and stared, the image simply would not leave my vision. I began shaking as the shock struck me, quickly followed by the realization of what my eyes were presenting me. I realized my breathing had halted as a choked sob escaped my mouth, forcing it's way through the emotional barrage. Memories shot into my mind, first in bits and pieces, than in waves. Memories of happy moments; now ruined forever by the terrible reality that there would be no more happy memories.

"Oh.......oh no.....please no...." Night breathed, his stunned voice barely a whisper as his eyes refused to remove themselves from Feather. I slowly forced myself to walk towards Feather's still form, not even feeling the motion of my hooves anymore. I stared up at her tearstained face, my own tears blurring my vision. Her face was placid and still, as coldly beautiful as the broken stone statues of angels from cathedrals long gone. My hoof reached up to touch hers, but I found I............I just couldn't extend my hoof to hers, the sheer agony of grief preventing me that last touch of farewell. Tears streamed down my face as I looked down at Feather's note. I picked it up, and finding the strength had left my body, I slumped on the floor, my other hoof propping me up as I shakily attempted to read the note through my agony:

Hat,
I killed our baby.I don't know exactly what happened, but I feel it in my bones that Ditzy is dead. I was making dinner when suddenly it became way later in the evening. I looked everywhere, I can't find her.
What have I done?
I don't remember anything, I just know she's gone, scared and alone, or worse. I can't take it, Hat, I just can't. I'm sorry, I'm a monster. I can't handle living with this pain, and I fear that if I keep living I'll hurt you too. I know she's gone, I found her doll, she never goes anywhere without it.
I deserve my fate.
I deserve to die.
My heart is heavy as I write these words, because I know they are my last. I love you, I always have, but I cannot live with what I've done, and I must destroy the monster I've become before I hurt anypony else.
I'm sorry.

Tears poured from my eyes anew in a cavalcade of emotion as I attempted to digest this unthinkable truth.

My world ended in an instant.

Night silently walked up to Feather, and through my cold and harsh pain I heard him speak slowly and gently, "I'm just going to get her down, okay Hat?". I felt my self nodding, so distant I was from reality that it felt like my entire body was disconnected from me. All I could see was Feather's unmoving body, and all I could think about was the prospect of never seeing my daughter again. Night stood up on his hind legs and ever-so-gently cradled her in his forelegs, her small form easily held by Night's thick limbs. He nodded at Shadows, who in turn stood on his hind legs and softly slipped the rope from around Feather's neck, his hooves visibly shaking. Night gently lowered her to the couch, slowly and carefully setting her down so that no part of her hung off of the couch. I sat there, watching but not really watching, my mind utterly overloaded.
"Go, let them know, get everypony going." Night said quietly to Shadows, any trace of his earlier irritation gone, his tone one of subdued shock. Shadows stood there, a haunted look in his eyes. "Shadows." Night said, slightly more forcefully. Shadows nooded and slowly walked outside, his head down. Night crouched down beside me, as silent as the grave, his hoof on my shoulder as a gesture of silent condolence. Well-meant, but nothing could console me as I stared at Feather's still form, my heart physically hurting as it struggled to find the will and the motivation to beat. A few quiet hoof clicks disrupted the sound of the rain on the windows. Night looked up as three police officers almost silently walked in, one of them pushing a stretcher in front of her. Night motioned with his hoof for them to wait, then turned to me.
"Let's get you outside for a little bit, okay?" he gently suggested, as gently as his voice would allow. I heard him but gave no reaction. "Hat?" he said, garnering what little attention I had left to focus. I nodded slightly, knowing deep down that if I stared at Feather much longer I would lose my mind. We slowly stood up, Night gently guiding me to my hooves as I struggled to hold back fresh sobs. Slowly, we moved towards the front door, my hooves numbly finding their way, one in front of the other in a repeating pattern. Night sat me down on my covered patio, the rain pouring on the neighboorhood in a monsoon fit for a rainforest. A few police officers were loitering about on the step, but when Night and I walked outside, all but one scattered into the night, respectfully giving me my distance. The lone police mare slowly walked up to me, her red mane soaking wet and plastered to her head, her deep blue eyes radiating concern. She quietly took off her raincoat.
"It's cold outside." she said, her quiet voice gentle as she offered me her coat, my built in sense of propriety and chivalry taking over, automatically shaking my head. "I insist." she said quietly, lightly wrapping it around me. I nodded my thanks, my muscles barely obeying me, my movement almost undetectable. She walked inside of the house, her head lowered, a lone tear in her eye. Night stood up, giving me one last gentle tap on the shoulder before walking off to the middle of the street. Shadows and the rest of Night's team had assembled there, along with several police officers. I wasn't paying any attention to anything in particular, my eyes locked onto a patch of ground in front of me, but their spoken words drifted over to my ears.
"Gather round, everypony." Night said, his gruff voice commanding authority, "I assume you all know what happened, and who it is we are searching for. I want her found ASAP. All Pegasi here will begin searching in a ring pattern. For those who don't know what that is, think circular. By my calculations, this little foal could be anywhere in a 210 klick radius. Start at 250, just to be certain. Work your way inwards."
"How did you get that number?" a one of the officers asked.
"Max speed possible with a single Pegasi pulling a carriage, factoring in three and a half hours there and three and a half back." he replied shortly.
"How do you know the times?" the officer questioned.
"Look, if you have a better idea, I'm all fuckin' ears. That mud was dry right close to the wheel of the carriage, and the bottom has caked on mud. At that thickness, it would take that long to dry." Night growled, his patience short. "Shadows, get on the horn to Bluehook Lake and the Wonderbolt Air Base, get as many Pegasi as you can. Go as far up the chain as you need to." he went on, Shadows silently nodding, a grim set to his face as he pulled out his headset, "Nopony comes back until Ditzy is located, one way or another. Updates will be sent through the radio every twenty minutes." he finished.
"What if she's injured, or...." one of the officers asked, unable to finish his question.
"Get on the horn, call in the medical team, and sit tight. And that goes for all possibilities." Night said, his gaze hardened, "And somepony contact Princess Luna and appraise her of the situation."
"She's already sent her signal sir. She's on her way." Shadows stated, looking up from his touch-screen mounted on his wrist.
"Good. Let's get to it." he said, several teams immediately taking off after he finished speaking. Night turned around and slowly walked over to me, a sad yet determined expression on his face as he walked up the few steps and looked me dead in the eye. "We'll find her, Hat. We'll find her." he said resolutely, his piercing gaze meeting mine. He gestured over to the red maned officer, who had since walked back outside. She walked over, a sad yet curious expression on her face. "Watch him." he said briskly before launching himself into the air, heading west through the dark skies. The officer sat down on the patio beside me, clearly unsure of what to say.
Hours went by, althought it only seemed that way to me. In actuality only several minutes had gone by, so deep was my grief and worry that in encompassed my sense of the passage of time. Truthfully, I didn't eve care to put any of my mind on keeping track of the time. The only thing in my mind was my wedding day, my tortured mind recalling the happiest memory I had as a knee-jerk reaction to quell the pain, the tactic backfiring horribly as more sobs escaped me. A wingbeat echoed through the air around me, the officer peering at the source while I simply stared at the wood porch in front of my hooves. The source of said wingbeat landed on the sidewalk in front of my patio, myself having heard rather than witnessed.
"Officer." Luna's voice quietly intoned.
"Ma'am." the officer replied gently, unmoving other than her head. I managed to lift my head to glance at Luna, who stood on the sidewalk under the rain, the drops beading off of her chin. She met my gaze, her eyes gentle, such expressions clearly unfamiliar. Luna said nothing for a few minutes, then she spoke.
"I am sorry." she intoned, her voice a quiet, dissonant sadness, "No words I can ever speak will ever console you of your loss." she paused, "And I know you will hate me because of my part in all of this. I simply wished to let you know that.......I am sorry." she finished, her voice incredibly quiet and gentle. My grief suddenly found a voice as I heard myself speak up, bitter and pained.
"It was not what you did. It was what you didn't do." I hissed bitterly, seething with biting anger, "You could have told me. You knew. and yet you did nothing! WHY?!" I yelled, my grief blinding me in utterly unconsoleable rage, "YOU STOOD BY AND LET THIS HAPPEN! WHY?! YOU PUT ALL YOUR EFFORT INTO HELPING OTHERS, AND YET YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT TRUSTING THEM!! I HATE YOU!!!! WE WERE ALL BETTER OFF WHEN YOU WERE ON THE FUCKING MOON!!" I screamed, my voice cracking into deep sobs as my anger gave way to despair. The officer beside me tentatively rubbed my back, silently attempting to console me as I cried deeply. Luna stood there for a moment, morose and saddened, not really looking at anything.
"I deserve that." she replied quietly and complacently, before turning away silently. She walked towards Shadows, Shadows glancing up and immediately straightening.
"Ma'am." he barked, still working with the radio.
"Tell everypony that I am looking for her as well, and if I am needed, contact my radio wave device." she said levelly.
"Yes ma'am." Shadows responded.
"If she falls asleep, I will be able to locate her. Pray she falls asleep." she mused sadly, more to herself than to Shadows.
"Understood, ma'am." Shadows replied, rasing the microphone to his mouth to pass along the message. Luna outstretched her massive wings and silently took off, her form dissappearing out of view instantly as she flew into the storm.
Hours passed, actual hours, I gauged by the watch on the officer's wrist. The officer remained by my side the entire time, soaked and freezing as I alternated beetween crying and staring off into the distance, my emotions a recurring roller coaster. One little flicker of hope remained inside of me, however. The tiny hope that somewhere, somehow, Ditzy was still alive. No matter how much my logical mind told me to think otherwise, I held on to the internal hope for a miracle.
Night landed in the middle of the street, his grey and black mane soaking wet and slicked back, droplets falling off of him in droves. I looked up at him, a glimmer of hope rasing in my chest as he began walking toward the house.
Until he walked past me and the officer into the house, and we made eye contact for a nanosecond. The look in his glacier blue eyes told me everything I needed to know, and crushed the last spark of hope in me.

My little girl wasn't coming home.

I buried my face in the officer's shoulder as my sobs began anew, tears flowing freely from my tortured soul as I wept into the night, utterly alone.

FIN

Author's Note

More info at DjSteelFox at DeviantArt.com

Alternate Epilogue 1

A Father's Love: Alternate Epilogue 1

****
Canterlot, Evening, Iggy Rock's Bar

****

The bar was quiet, the mahogany tables vacant of any patrons, the quiet music in the background the only thing preventing the bar from adopting a tomb-like atmosphere. Soft yellow light filtered in through shaded lamps, situated at strategic locations throughout the bar to evenly shed light. Dark oak paneling lined the walls, the varnished tone giving off an almost glossy sheen to the otherwise dark and mellow colors of the bar. Red velvet booths lined the coners of the room, and an old pool table sat under a slightly brighter light than the rest of the bar, its red top scuffed and faded. The bar itself was unremarkable: the black glossy counter catching any light and absorbing it, the shelves behind lined with bottles of all different shapes and sizes. The overall feel of the bar was of a recalcitrant moroseness, the lingering feeling of quiet and calm class one gets when in a very old mansion or a museum. The only noise that stood out from the music was the rustling of cloths and glasses as the bartender quietly and methodically washed a few dishes in a sink behind the bar, his stone-grey color and black dress shirt matching the bar perfectly. The only other occupant of the establishment sat not at the tables, but at the bar, his dark blue self somewhat hunched over, years of injuries taking their toll on his posture. He sat propped up on a stool, an almost finished drink in one hoof, the ice in it swishing and clinking as he idly shifted his heavily tattooed foreleg back and forth. The pony sighed as he rustled his folded wings, his icy blue gaze seeming to pierce the wall in front of him. In reality, he wasn't actually staring at anything at all, his eyes were simply open as he swam in the depths of his mind.
"Can I get you anything, Night?" the bartender asked, wandering away from his draining sink to the lone Pegasus.
"Perhaps a double of bourbon, if you don't mind, Iggy." he replied quietly, his voice a deep baritone, yet pensive and calm.
"Not at all. Rocks?" the bartender replied with a slight smile. Night nodded, quietly reaching down and pulling a few bits out of a matte-black saddlebag on the floor beside him. He set the coins on the counter as the bartender returned with a fresh, refilled glass, the ice cubes clinking audibly in the light brown liquor.
"Thanks." Night spoke, the bartender nodding as he returned to clean his sink at the far end of the bar. Moments later, the door swished open with barely any noise, a cold breeze drifting in from the outdoors. Night did not spare so much as a glance, already expecting the arrival but carefully engineering his face to show absolutely no connection with the world.
Princess Luna silently walked over to where Night was sitting, her hoofsteps by nature stealthy and quiet on the hardwood floor. "Is this seat occupied?" she asked quietly, Night shaking his head in reply. Luna sat on her haunches on the stool beside him, sighing minutely. The bartender wandered over, nonplussed. A whole lot weirder shit has found its way walking through my doors, he thought to himself.
"Can I get you anything. Princess?" he asked cordially.
"Yes, a glass of Trottingham Rouge cognac, if you posess it." she replied, her voice level and placid. Night finally shifted his eyes to look at her.
"I didn't know you drank." he stated simply as the bartender wandered away in search of Luna's particular choice.
"I do not drink regularily, though it is pleasant once in a while." she replied, glancing at Night, "Alcohol does not affect me, so I will admit there is a lack of purpose for my consumption of it. Nevertheless, I enjoy the myriad of flavours." Night nodded as the bartender brought out a crystal glass filled with an amber liquid and set it on the counter in front of Luna, Luna levitating a few bits into the bartender's pocket.
"I'll be in the back room taking inventory if either of you need me." Iggy said, both ponies nodding in response. He walked into a door situated behind the bar, closing it gently behind him. A few minutes of silence ensued, both patrons sipping their drinks and staring at the bottles behind the bar, both waiting for the conversation to begin.
"Why do you drink?" Luna said, her dark voice barely breaking the auditory stillness.
"Helps me sleep." Night grunted. His eyes gravitated to her again, his ice blue gaze unreadable, "Especially after days and nights like the last few." Luna nodded, sipping her cognac silently, "That kind of shit turns you old." he reminisced.
"Oh, I could write an encyclopedia about that topic." Luna mused.
"I'd imagine so." he returned, the conversation tapering off. He sipped his drink, then glanced at the ice in it. "You know, I originally became a soldier because I was told that I could make a difference. Do the right thing. Yeah, I also did it for home and country and all that patriotic bullshit, but you forget about that after awhile. All you think of is making a difference, and after that all you think about is getting home." he returned his gaze to Luna as he spoke, "Of course all the officers shove down your throat is doing your duty to do the right thing, all the time. But who decides what that is?" he laughed bitterly, "I tried to do the right thing, you know? And when somepony else did what they thought was the right thing, it killed many and almost killed me. Then I was tossed in that hole and left to rot. Ten years I sat in the penitentiary, a decade of shit. Would've been a lifetime if you hadn't come along. But then you did, and you told me that I could make a difference, do the right thing. Yeah, it made me a traitor to my country by default, but I accepted that. The important thing was that I was always doing the right thing." he continued, his voice somber, "Tell me Luna, what in the last few days indicates that we are doing the right thing at all?" he asked, his tone almost accusational.
"These last few days......I do think we did the right thing, but at a cost." she replied. Night huffed, Luna's eyes meeting his, "As far as your involvement stands, anything farther than Feather's initial capture and Ditzy's search effort was of your own accord." she commented.
"I would ask what cost, but I already know the answer. And how did we do the right thing? Everypony we tried to help, save Hard Hat, is dead. Not the initial optimal result." he said, a deep undertone of anger in his voice. Luna gazed at him, reading him.
"What was the 'optimal result', pray tell? Your interpretation, rather." she asked. Night paused for a few seconds.
"You should have stopped fucking with Hard Hat and Feather the moment Ditzy was stable in hospital. We wouldn't be down this road." Night shot, changing gears to cover his lack of an answer.
"That period of time has already passed. We must focus all of our efforts into finding Ditzy." she replied, very calmly.
"You know as well as I do that Ditzy never made it more than a day in those forests. We're looking for a body now, one that I'm not particularily pumped to find. Hard Hat knows it too, he's way beyond gone. No, I'm not going to give up the search, but I know what I'm looking for." he growled, "Unless the timberwolves get to her first, or whatever horrible shit lives in that forest."
"We will search until results are found." Luna calmly intoned.
"How can you say that? Results? This is a little, innocent filly we're talking about, one who you actually cared for! These aren't fucking numbers! How can you quantify it so coldly? We knew these ponies, and cared for them!" Night said angrily, gesturing at Luna with his drink, "And you can't tell me that you never cared for Feather. I know you did. I could see it. You just purposefully distanced yourself. Why? I know why." he continued, quieting down in volume but not in tone, "Because you knew what would happen. You fucking knew. Yet you stood by and did nothing. Why?" Luna calmly sipped her drink, silently setting it down on the bar.
"I did know. I knew that Feather would harm Ditzy. I knew that this would result in Feather's death. I knew that it would be by her own hoof. I knew that this would become a tragedy. A simple logical progression." she began, icily staring at Night, "However, I did not know exactly what Feather would do to Ditzy, nor where she would transport Ditzy. In the event I had known, I would have been waiting to spirit Ditzy away. I did not know the timing of the course of events. Most of all, I did not know how Hard Hat would react. After all it was his reactions that set things in motion." she finished.
"So you're blaming this on Hard Hat?" Night asked, unsuprised.
"Have I vocalized as such? I think not. I have merely stated that he set this in motion. His actions could easily have prevented this." she replied cooly.
"Yours could've as well, had you done anything." Night retorted.
"And what did you do? You merely warned him, I witnessed no affirmative action on your part." she replied crossly.
"Yes, I didn't do as much as I should, and I regret my inaction." he growled, leaning towards Luna, "But at least I'll admit it." he quietly intoned as he leaned away, sipping his drink. Luna sighed.
"We have differing definitions of the word inaction." she growled as she addressed the barb. Night sighed, changing directions, no energy to fight left in him.
"Look, we both didn't do as much as we should have, okay?" he said bluntly. Luna nodded, her mood resuming its prior placidity.
"Are you familiar with Nightmare Moon?" she asked.
"Would we be having this conversation if I wasn't?" he replied, sipping his bourbon.
"Valid observation." she replied.
"In other words, the blood-crazy variant of yourself?" Night commented, his tone disarming but his words seeking out Luna's reaction.
"No. Not me." Luna replied, shaking her head, "I allowed my greed and zealotry for power to take possesion of my being. I became uncontrollable, even by my own mind. At some point in time, my greed acquired a voice. Her voice. She pushed me back into the dark recesses of my mind, relinquishing me of everything that made me who I am." she explained, "For that is what occurs when an alicorn is corrupted. Evil reigns free."
"I'm not seeing a point." Night replied honestly.
"Before that event, as myself and my sister ruled over the land in that difficult time of recovery after Discord's reign of terror, Celestia and I created what is known as the Equestrian Writ of Rights. One of the lesser-known points was the Right to Will. That right binds us to never, under any circumstances, control the will of our subjects. This was created to ensure every single ponies' freedom, to preserve their free will to choose for themselves. Nightmare Moon committed thousands of atrocities, all of which I witnessed, but was powerless to stop. Stallions, mares, fillies, colts, many have been murdered by my hoof." she intoned, her voice regretful, "Innocents all. That event occured because I had fallen to a force which did not respect free will. Self-imposed, perhaps, but a force nonetheless." she paused as she took a sip of her cognac, "We must respect free will, regardless of if it leads to great evil or tragedy. To respect free will is to respect potential and the sanctity of life itself; to ignore it will surely bring tragedy and death. Sometimes free will leads to sadness and death as well, this is true, but life has a chance this way." she continued. Night nodded. "Choice breeds change, and change is the flow of life; the law of all metaphysical and physical beings in this life and beyond it." she finished quietly, her thoughtful monolouge absorbed by the Pegasus beside her.
"So you're saying that you couldn't have saved Ditzy's life." Night replied, more of a statement than a question.
"Not by puppeteering Hard Hat's choices, by my influence. Had I known of Feather's choice, and of Hard Hat's, I would have been waiting to take Ditzy home. Alas, I did not," she replied darkly. Night's ears perked.
"Hard Hat's choice. Not plural. Does that mean anything?" he asked suspiciously.
"Is your radio device charged with energy?" she asked.
"No, it died a few hours ago." he replied slowly. Luna slowly nodded.
"Then you have not yet been informed of the recent tragic news. Hard Hat has committed suicide." she said, her voice saddened. Night gritted his teeth, internally hurt but unsuprised.
"Well.......can you blame him?" he asked quietly.
"No." she answered simply. The two sat for a few minutes in silence, listening to the gentle tones of a piano filter through the air. "Alas that these evil days shall be mine, that unto which the innocent die young, the undeserving die in sadness, and the damaged die alone." she lamented quietly, "And now I must guide two souls, one to salvation, one to damnation." Night tilted his head, his eyes meeting Luna's in slight confusion.
"Guide two souls?" he asked, knowing Luna's method of speaking always had more value than what was immediately obvious.
"Our souls, metaphorically speaking. Your salvation will be through the knowledge of the truth. Damnation shall be mine, for the guilt I carry will last an eon." she replied cryptically. Night visibly stiffened.
"No. Don't you fuck with me about this. Don't you dare." he growled, a eureka moment lighting up his eyes with hope. Luna sighed deeply.
"Ditzy is alive." she quietly spoke. Night shook his head, incredulity in check.
"How? Why doesn't everypony know this? Or do they already?" he asked, bombarding her with questions.
"I have kept this discovery in secret." she responded.
"What? Why the fuck would you? Hard Hat might be alive had you let everypony know!" he said, regarding Luna in a different light. Luna stared directly at Night, her eyes filled with the extremely rare emotion of pain.
"Not five minutes after my radio bereaved me of all of my hope, I found her as she fell asleep. She was tucked into a fallen tree, the hollowed out log a natural barrier against the rain and the cold. Not five minutes." she said, hollow, "Truthfully, the timing of this rattles me. She awoke, and immediately began asking for her father and mother. What do you say to that?" she asked rhetorically.
"What did you say?" Night asked, gently.
"I had told her that her mother and father had left for a little while and I would take her somewhere safe. I am certain, however, that she had correctly guessed what was going on, as she began crying halfway into the flight." she replied, her voice cool but depressed.
"Flight?" Night asked.
"I have her somewhere safe, there is no need to worry." she replied, the sadness dissappearing.
"Please elaborate." he stated. Luna glared at him.
"If the news ever escapes secrecy that Ditzy is not dead, she will be put in an orphanage. Are you familiar with those?" she asked, a strange cloud of anger crossing her face.
"Yeah, Mom used to talk about the one she ran once in a while when I was born, she'd always say hers was the only good one and how the other homes were neglectful." Night replied, placidly keeping his tone in check to avoid provoking Luna.
"As long as I am alive, she will never be subjected to such a thing." she said resolutely, "You are hereby sworn to secrecy under pain of death."
"What do I know that I can say without pain of death? My name." he grunted, nodding.
"She is in a small town named Ponyville. The mayor of said town owes me a favor, I prevented her early death at one point, and she was all too happy to reciprocate to Ditzy." she stated, voice level.
"Good." Night grunted simply. After a few minutes of silence he spoke again, "A very good thing too, if she went to an orphanage, well......we know where most of those children end up." he mused darkly.
"Indeed we do." Luna replied.
"Straight to the Rainbow Factory." he finished his thoughts.
"This way, Ditzy has an opportunity, however slight, for a normal life. That is why. I am trying to make the best of a bad situation, as they say." Luna intoned.
"The coin in the shitpile?" Night asked.
"More or less." she replied.
"Yeah, at least you have that going for you." Night said as he slammed down the rest of his bourbon, "I must say, I hate how all of this went down, and how I lost a friend because of it, but.....at least Ditzy's alive." he said resolutely, getting up and reaching for his saddlebag.
"Where will you go?" Luna inquired, unmoving.
"My hotel. Why?" he asked, confused.
"Truthfully,.....I had thought that my navigation of this debacle would have you giving me a resignation." she said slowly, her voice calm and level. Night paused on his way by her, saddlebags atop his back, thinking.
"No. You had the guts to give me the truth and ease my road a bit. I respect that. You also know that I know too much, and would have to die because of it." he replied, continuing before Luna could speak, "Some things a memory wipe spell can't remove." He walked up to the door, a determined look on his face with a hint of a half-smile edging in, "Besides, there is a war to fight and a revolution to begin, remember?" he said as he exited the bar into the night air, the door closing silently behind him. Luna remained at the bar, quietly staring at her cognac thoughtfully before shifting her gaze to an etching of Princess Celestia mounted on the wall, an icy glare creeping it's way into her eyes.
"Yes," she said to herself darkly, finishing the last of her drink, "There will be."

FIN