New Moon (My Little Pony)

37 After Party(2/2)

Wind Rider took no delight in the cold night. If not for his hot coffee to warm his body, he would have no choice but to take shelter with the others at the cafe.

A part of him, though he may have overstayed his welcome. He only came here for a reason, after all.

And yet, within the cold, he could not help but think of better times.

He recalled a night at a restaurant he shared with his wife, Summer Lapis. It was on the day he set the Mustang record that would forever etch him into Wonderbolt history. Lapis was a reporter whom he consented to an interview.

However, what was supposed to be a review of his success as a wonderbolt shifted to talk of the most irrelevant things.

Lapis baffled Wind Rider. He was supposed to be the fastest pony there was, but Lapis would always have him eat her dust in their conversation. It was a wound in his pride that Wind aimed to correct in their next interview.

Wind snapped from his thoughts when he heard a ring from the cafe entrance. Rushing out of the cafe came Bud with her foals clutched onto her.

He took note of the frown plastered on Bud's face. "Running away isn't going to solve your problem," Wind said as Bud stopped a few feet away from him.

Her eyes looked back at him with a coldness he never imagined this mare to have. "You're the last pony I want to hear that from," she responded in a cold voice and then left.

Wind simply watched her leave and took a swig of his coffee. The gall of the mare to call him a coward left him grumbling.

"Running away?" Wind Rider said. "Why else am I here in the first place?"

Next came Hope, who gave Wind a brief glance before rushing through the streets to find her daughter. Hopefully, she could talk some sense into Bud.

But then came somepony that worried him. Wind had made the poor decision to look into the window of the cafe. There he locked his eyes with a shocked Lazuli. And then her surprise arched into a rage.

As soon as Lazuli began her march out of the cafe, Wind could expect one thing to happen.

Wind Rider sighed, "How typical."

He knew his daughter to be quick-tempered with him. That seemed to be her default emotion toward him. Wind's disappointment by her waste of talent and Lazuli's anger at Wind providing her guidance.

It wasn't always this way. He could still remember the days when she looked at him with a smile. She was a brash filly who strived to exceed his expectations.

Those were simpler times.

Lazuli slammed the door open and gave an intense glare. The contempt in her eyes was all Wind needed to remember that those times were long gone.

"Tell me right now what you did!" Lazuli demanded as she stomped before her father. "I swear, if you did anything to Bud, I'm gonna-"

"I didn't touch her, if that's what you are insinuating," Wind said. He then took another drink of his coffee.

"I know you did something. You've never approved of my relationship with Bud. So now you're finally trying to sabotage, right?"

"Is that how you speak to your father?" Wind quirked a brow at Lazuli, only to be met with the same intense glare from his daughter.

"You haven't been a good one in a long time," Lazuli retorted. "Now talk. What did you do?"

Wind stared at his daughter for a moment before he continued. "I told her something I had expected you to have already told her. It is the reason you've fallen so far."

"...you...what?" Lazuli muttered. And then her eyes stunned open. "You told her that?"

Wind averted his gaze from Lazuli. He didn't like this reaction. A part of him hated that weakness on her face. He raised her to be strong and never waver from her ideal. And another part of him couldn't help but pity her.

"I figured you would have told her by now," Wind explained. "You've chosen to go against guidance and flee all the way here with her just so you could have her. I would have at least expected my daughter to have the courage to confront your feelings."

In an instant, Lazuli swung her hoof toward her father. Despite how swift her movement was, Wind reacted fast and caught her hoof. Pain surged through his limb from the impact. Though not as much as the cup of coffee he dropped on the sidewalk.

Honestly, Wind felt prideful of the strength in her hoof. Her muscles were smooth, yet dense. A perfect composition for an ace flier."

"Why?" Lazuli asked. "Why do you always want to hurt me?"

Wind sighed. "What I want is for you to inherit my place in the wonderbolt. You have the talent and skill to be recognized as among the best and yet you waste it here with young foals at that academy. Obviously, I don't like where you have ended up, but the last thing I would do is play petty games to manipulate you."

"Petty, you say," Lazuli snickered. "Aren't you the one who disowned your own family just so you could be the best? You don't seem to have a problem hurting those of your own blood."

"I did what was best for me," he retorted. "To become the ace, I am now, I had to remove all the distractions that held me back."

"And is my future as a wonderbolt best for you, too? Did you bring me into this world just so you can inflate your ego to the world?"

Wind twitched an eye. "I don't need you to prove that I'm one of the best. I've already done that myself. I wanted to show the world that you were better."

"So that's it? You want me to become a better version than you? So, what, do I have to throw away everything precious as well. My friends, my job, my hobbies, my family. The benefit here is that I wouldn't have to deal with you anymore."

Wind paused at her response. He then looked at the night sky. "I wonder what Lapis would do if she was here. You know, though I hate to admit it, she had a way of reigning us both. It's no secret that I like to take control, but whenever it came to the three of us, something about it felt comforting. Strangely, those times were more memorable than my record, if you can believe it. I can picture all those little moments so vividly."

Wind looked at his daughter, who glanced confused at him. "I'm just rambling at this point, aren't I?... Well, let me at least tell you this. I gave her my blessings."

"Huh?" Lazuli crooked her head.

"I know nothing I tell you will take you off this path you're going," Wind Rider said. "You've shown me today how passionate you are as a coach to these foals. Despite how irrelevant I think it is, this is clearly important to you. And so is Bud. So..."

Lazuli backed away from Wind. Her eyes swiveled about, trying to piece everything together. But the only thing she could do was sigh.

And then she left, leaving her father alone on a starry night.

As Lazuli walked through the streets, she passed by an alleyway that hid a white stallion. It was Hawk Inkwell.

Hawk had taken his daughter, Raven Inkwell, back home before he would dine with Beryl and Wind Rider. To his horror, he came upon a heated argument between Wind and Lazuli that prompted him to hide.

Their argument left him disturbed. To think the star wonderbolt would have such a toxic relationship with his daughter shocked him.

But what scared him more were the similarities he shared with Wind Rider. Just as Wind set a path for Lazuli, Hawk had done the same for Raven.

Was this what Hawk would expect in his future with Raven?