“I’ll never be able to show my face in front of Applejack ever again.” Sentinel, not wearing his glasses, pitched over sideways and fell over onto the floor of the library. “The end of the dream was heartless… why would you do that?”

“To be kind,” Luna replied.

“I don’t know if I even want to understand,” Sentinel said.

“One of Applejack’s worst fears is having to depend upon others. To be helpless and unable to do anything for herself. She fears this, she hates being in this position, yet every day, she does this to others. Treating them as if they were foals. She does this to her brother, her grandmother, to Apple Bloom, to Babs, to Cheerilee, and even her husband. If given the chance, she will do it to her friends as well.” Luna curled up and made herself comfortable in her chair. “If Applejack could have her fondest heartfelt wish, Apple Bloom would remain in a playpen in the living room and the family would never leave the house.”

Sentinel let out a long low groan and covered his face with his wings. “I don’t even like Babs in that way. I mean, I like her, but not in that way. Ugh.”

Controlling his breathing, Sentinel tried to think of happier thoughts. A part of him understood that this was necessary. Dream guardians scared ponies back into the light and let them know that the darkness wasn’t good for them. It was something that needed to be done. He understood that sometimes, a healer had to hurt just a little in order to make things better.

“Buckminster, your performance was admirable. Like you, Applejack understands pain. You gave her just enough pain to reach her, but not enough to do any real harm. That is much trickier to do in practice than it sounds. You did very well.” Luna looked over at Bucky, who was sitting in his chair and rubbing his head.

“Sentinel is better at this stuff than I am.” Bucky shook his head.

“You do better than you realise. Sentinel only played himself in our little drama. You played every other colt in the dream. There are few that could divide themselves so many times.” Luna stretched her neck, twisted her head around, and made her neck bones crackle. “Both of you have been studying. Very good.”

“I go into Cadance’s dreams sometimes. She likes it when I show up. We play. There is something odd though.” Sentinel uncovered his face and looked up at Luna.

“And that is?” Luna asked.

Sentinel lowered his voice. “She keeps dreaming about fire.”

Luna nodded. “I know. You scared away the imp, but the fear still lingers. She will always remember that she perished in flames.”

“I accidentally went into my mother Derpy’s dream while father was gone on his trip. I didn’t mean to do it, I was asleep and I sort of stumbled into her dream.” Sentinel, looking guilty, lifted himself into a sitting position upon the floor.

“And what did you see?” Luna asked.

“Mother… she opened the closet door…” Sentinel fell silent and began to shake his head.

“What happened?” Bucky asked.

“The closet door opened and a bunch of foals flooded out. It was like water. They came pouring out and she was swept away. She was giggling and she seemed happy about it.”

“Huh. I don’t like that dream. At. All.” Bucky, shaking his head, looked uncomfortable. “Sentinel, time for bed. You have school tomorrow and it is late.”

“Yes father,” Sentinel replied as he rose. He stood for a moment, stretched, trotted to Luna, kissed her on the cheek, then trotted to father, headbutted Bucky, and then left the library.

“Lucky you… you got a headbutt,” Luna said after Sentinel was gone.

“He loves me more,” Bucky replied.

“Buckminster…”

“Yes Luna?”

“Celestia is planning on another trip… another vacation. After the winter games. She wants to take Twilight and her friends on a nice trip to the Sea of Grass. To visit Tradewinds.”

“Okay.” Bucky was silent for a moment. “Wait… why are you telling me this? There is more to this, isn’t there?”

“She and Twilight will be gone. For a time, you will be one of the ruling heads of Equestria during her and Twilight’s absence.”

“Son of a—”

“Buckminster, there is no need to be sore about it.”

“Yes there is.” Bucky slumped down into his chair and sulked.

“Tannis and Agnetha will be doing most of the work. Shining Armor will head the Solar Court with them. I will head the Lunar Court as always. All you will need to do is keep an eye on Ponyville, which you do anyway. But Twilight will not be here so you may need to step in for some of the day to day stuff, should the need arise.”

“If I am summoned to city hall, I shall make them believe it is better to conjure up some fiend from Tartarus than to require my involvement.” Bucky’s lips pulled back from his teeth. “I’ll do it, see if I don’t.”

“Buckminster… I shall look the other way.”

Sliding into bed, Bucky tried to find a comfortable spot. As he started to lie down, he was grabbed and pulled towards a pile of warm bodies. A blanket was pulled over him.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Bon Bon said in a soft whisper.

“You’re coming to bed at a very reasonable hour.” Lyra scooted a little closer to Bucky.

Derpy giggled and snuggled against Bon Bon.

“Bucky, you missed it. There was a blow by blow recap of the super hot threesome that Bon Bon, Lyra, and Derpy had while we were gone,” Berry Punch said.

“What?” Bucky was silent for several long seconds and then let out a whimper.

Thistle cuddled up against Lyra. “Too bad you missed it.”

“You… you could just tell me about it,” Bucky said in a whimpering whisper.

Thistle giggled. “It was so hot that I had to rub one out.”

“We all had to rub one out… it was that hot.” Derpy giggled some more.

Sniffing, Bucky’s nostrils flared as he inhaled. “I don’t smell mare musk… somepony is lying to me.”

“Or playing a prank to get you worked up,” Bon Bon said, her lips inches from Bucky’s ear. “Just imagine how soaked the bed would be if we all rubbed one out.”

“Hmm… that is something to think about.” Bucky smiled in the dark.

“Now hold that thought and store it in your spank bank. We’re going to need you to think about it when we go back to the fertility specialist and I milk you,” Berry said.

“I am a very sleepy griffoness,” Belisama said. She yawned. “No more peepin’, it’s time for sleepin’.”

Dragging his hooves, Bucky made his way to the kitchen. Morning. He had woken up foal-free. He passed by the nursery door, saw Thistle nursing two foals, one pale purple, the other striped, and waved.

Yawning, he continued down the hall.

Halfway down the hall, Bucky stepped on a ball and some jacks that somepony had thoughtfully left on the hallway floor.

Bucky no longer needed coffee to wake up. Now, he needed coffee to assuage his battered nerves. His lip quivering, one eyelid twitching, Bucky lifted up his hoof, but could not bring himself to look at the jacks now impaled into his frog. He refused to scream, he did not wish to interrupt Sukari’s breakfast. He bit down upon his lip and his breath whistled out of his nostrils. Using his telekinesis, he pulled out one jack, then another, and then the last.

He teleported them away to Dinky and Piña’s room.

Limping, Bucky continued down the hall. He could hear the washing machine running. Dirty sheets? Did something happen? Bucky did not know. Sniffing, Bucky could smell something delicious. Something like… waffles?

Favouring his right front hoof, Bucky made his way to the kitchen table. Dinky was feeding Harper. Sentinel was drinking coffee and looking somewhat out of sorts.

Piña seemed out of place but Bucky could not put his hoof on why. Bucky’s daddy-sense began to tingle. He blinked a few times, ignored the throbbing pain in his frog, and he studied Piña.

Red eyes, perhaps from crying ✓

Confused, hurt looking expression ✓

Embarrassed look and unable to meet her father’s gaze ✓

Washing machine running early in the morning ✓

One foal that appeared to be just out of the shower and smelled of soap ✓

“Piña, honey, are you okay?” Bucky asked.

Dinky froze and looked at Bucky, the spoon she was using to feed Harper yogurt now suspended in the air. A blob of yogurt trickled from the spoon and landed on Harper’s foreleg. Harper, happy for yogurt, lifted up her foreleg and licked it off.

Sentinel hunched over his coffee and grunted.

“You had a troubling dream, didn’t you?” Bucky felt his heart ache, enough so that the pain in his frog was forgotten.

“How did you know?” Piña asked.

“Never mind that… are you okay?” Bucky sat down beside Piña, leaned over, and placed his foreleg over her withers.

“No.” Piña’s voice was a pained squeak. She squirmed under Bucky’s foreleg. “Don’t touch me.”

Bucky lifted his leg, feeling hurt, and dropped it down upon the table.

“You’re supposed to keep comforting me and telling me it’s okay!” Piña snapped. Fresh tears welled in her eyes. “You're supposed to keep touching me, holding me, and letting me know that you love me!” She lept out of her chair, crying, and ran out of the kitchen.

“I’m six,” Dinky said in a low voice as she scooped up yogurt with her spoon. “It happened to me first… probably because of my magic.” Dinky guided the spoon into Harper’s mouth with practiced ease. “Piña turned eight after we got home. She was actually mad that I started first.”

Bucky rubbed his face with his talons.

“Happens to me as well,” Sentinel said, his head held low.

“Now it happens to all three of us.” Dinky kept her voice low. “Piña woke me up. She was moaning and rubbing herself. She was so embarrassed. She was in her own bed… we haven’t been sleeping together as much since I started having… well... the dreams.” Dinky scowled. “Piña kinda hated me for wanting to sleep alone.”

Semillon set a cup of coffee down in front of Bucky, paused for a moment, patted Dinky, then patted Sentinel, and then went about her work.

“All of this is perfectly normal and natural. There is nothing to be ashamed about.” Bucky paused and looked at his cook. “Thank you Semillon. You are a wonderful mare.”

“Flatterer.” Semillon tittered and shook her head.

“Berry tried to make Piña feel better. Piña went off on Berry too.”

“Well, that explains why Berry was in such a snit in the bathroom.” Bucky reflected upon the few brief moments spent with Berry earlier. He rubbed his face some more and snorted.

“Part of that was my fault.” Dinky hung her head.

“Your fault?” Bucky raised his eyebrow.

“I sorta told Berry whose name Piña was moaning in her sleep and Berry, well, you know how she is, Berry tried to make a joke to make Piña feel better but it didn’t make Piña feel better at all.” Dinky tapped the spoon on the edge of the now empty yogurt bowl.

A little milk, a little sugar, and a little stirring made Bucky’s coffee just right. He stared down into the creamy brown depths and tried to figure out something to say, something that would show he was a good father. His forehead wrinkled.

“It is pretty awkward.” Dinky set her spoon down and looked at Harper, then at Sentinel. “One night, while Diamond Tiara was staying over, early in the morning, we all woke up because we could hear Sentinel in the room next to us moaning Diamond Tiara’s name. We all laughed at it… we behaved like fillies do, I guess.”

Sentinel’s ears went limp as he groaned.

“But I wish I hadn’t laughed about it. We all made jokes and we thought it was funny and I called Sentinel a dweeb—”

“Hey!” Sentinel looked at his sister.

“—and I feel really bad about it now and I keep thinking that Piña is probably thinking about how we teased Sentinel and I called him a dweeb.” Dinky closed her eyes and hung her head.

Still looking annoyed, Sentinel reached out a wing and stroked Dinky’s cheek, wiping away a tear.

“Well, I made lots of waffles… I hope they make Piña feel a little better,” Semillon said.

Author's Notes:

I once cried out "typo" in my sleep.

Scared my beagle something fierce.