Maneston, Equestria. Just a small, quiet town with citizens who lead simple lives. Nearly everypony in town lives happily behind the common façade of normality. Even in this shining example of a near perfect Equestrian city, sometimes one can't help but hit the speed bumps on the road of life.
"Just past midnight, here's your nightly forecast. Cloud?"
"Thanks Bale. Well, after today's cooler weather that warm front we've been tracking is gonna be in soon and with it some much needed rain. Thunderstorms should be rolling in early this morning with gusts of about twelve miles per hour-"
"Pair of twos? Dammit!" A stallion yelled angrily from his poker hand. The round table was littered with assorted bottles and playing cards as the air was thick with the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke. The only sounds in the bar were the small television situated on the wall between old whiskey advertisements and the conversation of the three stallions playing poker. Besides the drunken stallions and the bartender, the establishment was empty.
"Could ya turn that up? I wanna hear the weather!" Called one of them to the bartender.
"Sure thing!" As the volume was turned up, a ringing echoed through the bar and the barkeep muted the television to answer. "Hello? Yeah, he's here. Gear! Phone's for ya!" The black coated pegasus turned as his green eyes flashed at hearing his name.
"Who the hell is it?!" He barked.
"Caroline, she says its important!"
"This better not take long!" He yelled as he trotted to the phone and grabbed it. "Hello?!"
A soft, calm voice came through the other side of the line. "Gear, is that you?"
"Yeah, what do ya want?!"
"Can you come home? Clay won't go to bed unless you tell him goodnight." She asked sweetly.
"Can't I just tell the little urchin over the phone?!"
"No Gear, he's your son. Can you please come home and tuck him in?"
He took another swig of his beer and pushed his black mane out of his eyes. "Why the hell does he need me to tuck him in?!"
"He's only two and you should have come home a while ago. Please?"
"Fine! I'll get there eventually!" He yelled angrily through the line as he threw the phone to the ground.
"Hey!" Yelled the barkeep. "You're payin for that!"
He stormed over to the table and grabbed the few bits he hadn't lost. "I'm goin home guys."
"Not until you pay for a new phone!"
"I'll pay tomorrow night!" he yelled as he walked out the door and into the cool summer air. He finished the rest of beer and threw it aside as he set of in the direction of his home.
Meanwhile, Caroline had hung up the phone and walked over to the small earth pony, Claybristle, at the table. Her auburn mane shone in the light as she wrapped a comforting, cream colored foreleg around Clay. "Its okay, daddy's on his way." She said as he stared into the steel blue pools of her eyes.
"Okay, momma." He said with a small smile as she instinctively fixed his brown mane and his recently washed tan colored coat.
After several minutes of waiting, the two were alerted to a fumbling at the door to the two story house. The door opened to reveal a furious Gearbreaker. "Damn door!"
"Honey?" Caroline started.
"No, I don't want to hear any of it! Night Clay!" He yelled as he started back out the door in the direction he had come from.
"Where are you going?!" She asked franticly as her voice began to break and she followed him onto the porch.
"Back to finish my game!" He yelled as he stormed off.
"What happened, Gear?! To you?! To us?!" She asked, near tears. Upon hearing her question, he turned around with pure anger in his eyes as he trotted back.
"Nothing happened dammit!" He yelled in her face as she slowly backed up into the house.
"Gear, please calm down?" She asked as her eyes welled with tears.
"Daddy?" Clay asked from where he was still sitting.
"You shut up!" Gear yelled as he pointed a hoof at Clay.
"Please Gear, you'll wake Skybreaker." She said as she gestured up the stairs.
"Do you think I care?!" He yelled as his hoof connected with her face, sending her to the ground.
As she began picking herself up, Clay noticed the small stream of crimson blood from her nose and burst into tears. "Momma?!"
"No, I've had enough of all of you!" He yelled as he wound back for another.
His hoof was stopped mid swing as a large stallion bucked him in the side. "What the hell are you doing Gear?!" The large red maned, orange coated earth pony yelled.
"U-uncle Jonathan?" Clay asked as he cowered beneath the table.
"Get your ass out of my house!" Gear yelled as he swung at the large stallion.
His hoof connected with his foreleg as Jonathon didn't even flinch. He, in turn, tackled the intoxicated Gear into the wall. "No, you get away from my sister and my nephews!" He threw the struggling pegasus onto his back and off the porch.
"I don't need this!" Gear yelled as he got up. "I don't need any of you bastards!"
Jonathan slammed the door shut and returned inside. He was about to speak but was interrupted as a rock flew through a nearby window. He looked out as he heard the sound of fading shouts in the distance. "Damn lunatic." He walked back to the small kitchen where a small pool of blood had accumulated on the tile floor. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Caroline said as she wiped a combination of blood and tears from her face.
Jonathan turned to the table and peeked under, being met by a Clay as he hugged his muscular foreleg in fear. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yes." Clay said between sobs. "When... when is daddy coming back?"
The stallion's steel blue eyes grew wide at the question. "I..." He couldn't find the words or the heart to tell the truth. "I don't know." He hugged Clay back as they all lay there silently, with only the sound of the three month old Skybreaker coming from upstairs. "I just don't know." He repeated as he allowed a few tears to fall.
Funusbrain1: Hey, hey, hey! So, chapter one! Its been a while in the making but its here! So review, I love feedback! I'm tired now though so I'm going to bed! :D Hasta luego mis amigos!
Falloutcaleb: A long time in the making indeed! I hope y'all enjoyed and like my friend Fungus just said please review! We love dat feed back! :D