The life and times of Lafayette Ryder

This week’s been stressful as hell and tomorrow’s only going to make it worse. Everything’s in place for the Dragons arrival but I can’t shake the nagging fear that something will fail catastrophically. Half of the townsfolk still fear the large lizards and are expecting to be eaten, the other half have taken conveniently timed vacations to other, less threatening, cities in Equestria, and I have to deal with all their shit.

I’ve spent the last five days in a simple and somewhat pathetic routine; sleep for hours on end, mourn for my lost friend, and then blame myself for his death. I go over every possible outcome of that day, every, and any, conceivable way I could have spared his life; I couldn’t have. I told the entire town what I’d do to anyone else who broke the laws in such an extreme manner; had I let Fish go unpunished I would have most likely been deemed a hypocrite and unfit to govern, had I hung or even just banished him I would have still lost him. No matter what I did I would end up fucked in the end.

My pitiful train of thought crashes when a soft, angelic voice speaks to me from across the room.

“Daddy?” my daughter half knocks on the open door, walks over to the bed, and sits down next to me.

“Yes Dulcie?” I ask from underneath the covers.

“I know why you’re feeling down.” She states simply.

“No you don’t, “I argue without even looking at her, “I erased your memory of what upset me.”

“Men,” she groans, “you think you know women so well but you don’t know us at all.”

“What don’t I know?”

“I’m an angel daddy, little mind tricks don’t work on me.”

“What were the events that lead to the cause of my sorrow?”

“Um…”

“Exactly.”

“Well I remember the thing with Austin anyway.”

“Goody goody, just what I want you to know about. If you’re done bothering your old man I’d like to get some sleep now.” I roll over and curl up again.

“Okay daddy,” she reaches over to hug me and whisper to me, “Luna and I will be over for supper, will you please get up by then and join us? It would mean the world to me.”

I fight back the urge to tell her to fuck off and leave me be. “Of course I’ll be there baby, I’m just not feeling up to snuff at the moment.”

“So you’ll be there?”

“I promise.”

“Pinkie promise?”

“Cross my heart and close my eyes-” I start to say.

“Hope to die but pray to live-” Dulcie continues.

“So long as I’m here on earth, to you all my love I’ll give.” I finish the last two lines and roll over to face Dulcie. I wipe a stray tear from my eye and hold her soft hands in mine.

“Do you remember me signing that to you?” I ask quietly.

“Yes, I think. I remember the words anyway.”

“Every night from right after you were born and up until the day I shipped out again I sang that to you at bedtime. I held you in my arms and I rocked you to sleep. I even sang it to you right before I boarded the plane; you fell asleep in my arms and made me cry in front of a hundred other marines.” I chuckle softly at the memory from such a long time ago, Dulcie laughs as well.

“Why did you even sing that to me? It’s such an odd song and it’s kinda sad too.”

“I sang that to you because someone I cared for deeply taught it to me when I was young; years later she had forgotten about the song and about teaching it to me, I didn’t.”

“Who’d you learn it from?”

“Lizzie did. She and I were friends in kindergarten.”

“Really?”

“Really. When we started dating in high school I asked her about it but she didn’t even recognize the song.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

We sit there for a moment; Dulcie twiddling her thumbs and absentmindedly fluffing her wings, me smiling at bittersweet memories.

“I guess I’ll see you at supper.” Dulcie finally says.

“I’ll be there.” I promise again.

Dulcie hugs me again and leaves the room. Once she’s gone and the door’s shut behind her I cover myself with blankets again and drift off to sleep. Tears stain my pillow as I dream of Lizzie and the wonderful times we shared together. I wake up hours later with just a depressing thought in my head.

‘She’s dead now too. It’s all your fault; everyone you love dies because of you. Everyone.’

I shake off the morbid thought and look at the time; 8:30, almost time for supper and I promised I’d be up for it.

I take a quick shower and relish the scalding water as it pours over my body, I dress in an old style of mine, one which I’ve long neglected, and I walk to the dining room.

The whole family and then some are waiting for me; Twi, the boys and Leeroy, mom and dad, Shining and Cadance, Dulcie and Luna, and even Celly and Discord are present. I nod respectfully at them all and take my place at the head of the table.

“I like your shirt daddy!” Teddy compliments my nostalgic outfit as I sit down.

“Thanks,” I tell him, “It’s my favorite.”

“Well let’s get started with dinner,” Orion says, “who would like to say grace?”

“Might we hold on grace for a moment?” Luna asks suddenly.

“Oh, sure.” Orion agrees.

“I do believe that it is just about time for this so-” Luna turns to Dulcie and smiles. “Dulcie Ryder; we have been together for a while now and I love you very much,” Luna levitates a small blue box up and opens it, revealing a solid gold bracelet with Dulcie’s name engraved in precious jewels, “would you be my bride?”

Dulcie gasps at the proposal and looks to me.

‘Daddy?’ she mouths.

I nod my head and smile at her.

“YES!” Dulcie screams and wraps Luna in a tight hug, kissing her and repeating her acceptance again and again. All seated at the table applaud and a few give congratulations to the newly engaged couple. I conjure a large bottle of champagne and enough glasses for everyone. I send the bottle around, starting with my daughter and her fiancé, and then stand, raising my own glass and holding back tears of both joy and grief.

“A toast! To my daughter and to Luna, may you two be happy together and…” my voice cracks but I recover before anyone notices. “And have a wonderful life!”

“CHEERS!” Everypony raises their glasses and we all drink. I sit back down and force myself to look happy throughout the remainder of the meal.

Dinner’s over and ponies start to leave for home. The astral sisters and my daughter are the last to leave.

“Daddy?” Dulcie asks, pulling me aside as her fiancé and soon-to-be sister-in-law chat with her adoptive mother.

“Yes honey?” I follow her into a hall well away from the others.

“Thank you.”

I embrace my baby girl and smile.

“Anything for you sweetheart.”

“You know I’ll be moving out for good now.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Will you be Okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” I lie, “just don’t forget to visit often.”

“I will. I pinkie promise.” She tells me.

I walk Dulcie, Luna outside, Celly and Discord already left, and I wave as they fly off.

“I expect plenty of grandbabies from you two now!” I shout as they ascend into the night sky.

“I think I can arrange that!” Luna shouts back causing Dulcie to playfully hit her as the soar away from me.

Twilight stands with me for a moment and the leaves to tuck the boys in. I stand outside for another twenty minutes, just watching the stars and sobbing silently, until Twi calls me to bed.

I follow my wife to our room and snuggle with her for a bit before we both drift off to sleep.

Morning comes far too soon and I’m forced to rise and get ready for the long day ahead of me. I shower and dress in my usual work clothes. I briefly contemplate wearing the same tan slacks and maroon button up shirt from last night but I decide against doing so; those are just for special occasions.

I walk over to Rarity’s new home to ask her to foalsit but find that she’s a bit preoccupied with giving birth at the moment. I rush into the house to assist Toby and end up doing most of the work myself. Twenty minutes later I leave the happy couple to care for their new foal. As I depart I say a silent prayer thanking God for giving that baby his mother’s looks rather than his father’s.

I teleport out to Sweet Apple Acres to ask Fluttershy if she could watch the boys for me, soon afterwards Twi and I hug Teddy, Starry, and Leeroy as we drive off from the farm and towards Haven.

I already miss Dulcie and the knowledge that I’ll be seeing her even less gnaws away at me as we travel down the dirt roads and pull into the human city just in time to witness a marvel.

Before my very eyes I see thousands of dragons, no two the same size, shape, or shade, circle and land with massive thuds. One particularly large, silverfish reptile coasts down next to the truck and nods at me respectfully.

“Master Sergeant Ryder.” He says.

“King Sujenymos.” I reply.

“Could you, by any chance, grow a few more of those delectable sheep? My children seem to have devoured them all already.”

I sigh and roll my eyes. “No problem Sujey old buddy.” I clench my fists and a hundred new Borometz appear in the fields.

Sujey takes off and we follow him to a clearing filled with the youngest dragons.

“This is so exciting!” Twilight exclaims.

“Sure it is.” I agree in exasperation.

Something’s going to go awfully wrong; I just know it.