Creeeeeaaak...
"Sir?" A voice called softly, peering into the darkened room. Small ears atop a round head, with a white face framed by black hair. "He must not be here..." The young stallion mumbled to himself, stepping out of the room. Just as he turned to look for his boss elsewhere, he noticed the very stallion trotting down the hall towards him.
"Hey, Plaid! Where you lookin' fo' me?" He asked, stopping in front of him. Plaid nodded, levitating a small scroll in front of the pegasus.
"It's for you, dropped off at the front desk anonymously." He hastily explained as the scroll was snatched out of the air with a black wing. "Nobody saw who left it... It's almost six, though, shouldn't you be heading back to the hotel? You shouldn't worry about the note until tomorr-" It was too late. Ash was already winging down the staircase, his face paled -ironically- to the color of ash. The note fluttered to the floor, but Plaid ignored it as he ran to catch up with the regrettably more athletic pegasus.
Not long after, if a pony walking on the streets was paying much attention, a dark gray smudge flew away from a mansion on the end of the street.
Stumbling into the one-story house on Birch Street (Though the name had been scratched to imitate a less appropriate word at some point), the realism of what had happened impacted Ash Strongwind like a ton of Earth-grade bricks. He sucked in a long, shuddering breath, his black chest heaving, and walked into the living room. Another Pegasus, this time a mare, looked up in surprise. When she saw who it was, he face broke into a loving grin.
"Ash!" She exclaimed, running up to me and peppering kisses all over his snout. "I thought you weren't due back for a few days!" He just shrugged, letting his mare nuzzle him a few more times before she broke away. "Have you eaten anything? Oh! I'll go make some soup!" She darted off to the small, cozy kitchen and Ash sat down on the sofa. He was faintly aware of the creaking of a door and small hoof steps heading his way.
"Mommy? Why are you being so noisy?" Breeze, his daughter, asked as she walked in the living room. Rubbing an eye with her wing, Bree looked around blearily until her eyes landed on Ash. "Daddy! You're home!" She giggled, jumping onto his lap. Ash held her close, but didn't say anything. For once, a long day of work was too much for a loving filly to brighten up his stoic face. Rain walked back in, a few steaming bowls of soup balanced on her wings.
"I heard Breeze walk in," She explained as she set down the third bowl. Ash nodded and set the filly aside to pick up the bowl. Rain noticed the grim expression on his face and frowned a little. "Bree, why don't you go eat in your room? Daddy and I have to talk..." The little white foal nodded, and set the bowl on her back. Such small wings couldn't carry a bowl on their own, after all. As soon as she was gone, Rain looked at her
husband. "Now will you tell me what's going on?" She asked. "Don't... try to hide it." The cremello mare quickly added when Ash opened his mouth. He quickly shut it again and nodded, settling in his seat again.
"...Rain," Ash said slowly, trying to choose his words wisely as any married stallion should before uttering them. "I love you mo' than any star in the sky or bit in the bank, believe me. But I... have not been as faithful to you lately as I could be. I wish I could take my actions back, but I had one too many drinks, and..." A white hoof covered his lips.
"Stop." His mare said softly. "I forgive you. I love you too much to get over the fact that you got wasted and bucked another ma- Okay, maybe I'm a little upset, but it happens to the best of us. Anything else you'd like to confess?" Rain asked, lowering her hoof. Ash hesitated and nodded. "Oh? What now?"
"I slept with that mare on my last trip. She found me this time, and... She's pregnant with my foal."
You could hear a pin drop, if you listened closely enough like a young Pegasus filly definitely wasn't doing in the next room over.
Breeze was a smart filly. She did her best in school and was getting good grades, and her friend Jay and Blitz told her a lot of things that 'only cool, grown-up ponies know and do' so she was no stranger to their conversation, falling faintly onto her small fuzzy ears. It made her sad to think that Daddy cheated on Mommy, but if Mommy was okay with it then she didn't have to be sad, right?
Rain was quiet for a little while; she, too, was carefully considering her words. "Ash... You're sure? She's sure? It was only one time... Because it WAS only once, correct?" Ash nodded.
"What if she tries to make you take responsibility for the foal? Would you just pack up and leave us? A lawyer may be hard to get... Do ponies use lawyers in these sorts of cases? Oh Celestia they're going to take our house and you'll be in jail and Bree will have nothing but her good grades to call her own, she doesn't even know how to fly very much yet!" As Rain was the one to start panicking about this problem (oddly enough), Ash just patted her back and thought about it. About how one night with a unicorn noblemare had led to him comforting his wife- His beautiful wife, who was graceful in everything she did, with the soft voice of an angel and the sharp mind of a wyvern. There was no contest needed to know where his true loyalty lay. With luck, the new filly or colt would have another -or no- stallion to call father.
That night, laying next to his wife ("But no funny business for you tonight, you're lucky that you aren't on the couch!") Ash thought back to the moment when his evening came crashing down around him...
The racing heart beats of the dark stallion practically echoed off the walls of the open entry way.
"H-hello?" He choked out. "Dazzle Drop?"
A tall, slender unicorn came slowly trotting out to her name.
"Ash..." She began, searching for the right words to say.
"Dazzle, you do know whatever we have -had- was JUST a fling? I'm marri--"
"Yes, I know. I don't usually dabble with common-folk like you." Dazzle interrupted, talking in the soft teasing tone that she always had. Ash wrinkled his nose but didn't bother finding a retort, instead opting to cut to the chase.
"Why'd you call for me anyway?" He almost spat, having been looking forward to his hotel room's 'fine dining' of microwave meals and beer. The pretty mare seemed to wilt under his glaring blue gaze, but continued speaking.
"Please, Ashy, just listen to what I have to say..." Dazzle whimpered, turning on the charm just a little to get the pegasus to do what she commanded. He quieted down but kept his fierce blue glare trained on her. Taking a deep breath, the model mare let it all out in one big string of near-intelligible words.
"I'mpregnantandyou'rethefatherandIjustthoughtyoushouldknowthatIwanttokeepthebabybyebye!" Dazzle squeaked, running down the nearest hallway to the door that Ash remembered was her bedroom door.
He didn't follow.
