The palace was silent. I have no idea what it’s like in the daytime, but it’s creepy at night. The cheeriness of the purple marble and crimson decorations only make it seem more desolate when it’s empty. I followed the night guard through the corridors, our hoofsteps echoing on the marble. We approached a pair of massive golden doors — the entrance to the throne room — but we turned aside from them and headed off down a side corridor.

“Her Highness does not receive supplicants in the throne room. She remains displeased that her throne was removed,” the armored thestral said without being asked. From the tone of his voice he didn’t approve either. We climbed a narrow spiral staircase that went up about twelve miles. Okay, probably not really twelve miles, but that was what it felt like when I got to the top. The guard gave me a moment to catch my breath.

It had been three weeks since the orgy. Rarity had gone back to Ponyville, and we hadn't seen her much during that time, but I was taking a train to see her this weekend. I felt like there were some things I needed to take care of before we met again.

“Ready?” asked the guard.

I adjusted my bow tie and nodded. We were in a windowless room made of dark marble, lit by blue light from an uncertain source. The guard unbuckled his spear and rapped its butt on the floor. The doors opened inward, apparently of their own accord. He nodded me inside.

Luna’s audience chamber was surprisingly cozy. It was small, hung with star chart tapestries, and lit by strange blue rocks in braziers along the walls. Luna sat on a dark blue cushion in front of the room’s one window. There was a delftware tea set on a low table in front of her.

I bowed, extending one leg in front of me. “Your Highneth.”

“Sit, please.” She levitated the teapot. “Would you care for a drink? It is chamomile. We find that if we have caffeine at this time of night, we are up until all hours of the day.”

“Yes pleathe.” I took a seat on the cushion on the far side of the table. I’d never been this close to her or her sister before. She was massive — half again my size. Her face was serenely beautiful. Sitting this close I could see that her magnificent cloud of mane was a mass of curling, twisting tendrils of hair. I was tempted to ask what her secret was, but I suspected the answer was ‘being an immortal alicorn princess’.

“Honey?” asked Luna.

“Thank you.”

Luna floated my cup over and set it on the table in front of me. I leaned forward to politely lap up a couple of mouthfuls.

“It is rare to find a pony who knows the Old Ways,” she said.

“My mother used to tell me about the Princeth of Dreamth, and how if you wrote her a letter and read it to yourthelf before you fell athleep, she’d grant your wish. I thuspected the thtory might be about you,” I said.

She nodded. “Earth ponies have long memories.” I assume she meant collectively; personally I could barely remember what I’d had for lunch yesterday. “As for your wish…” said Luna.

I glanced downward. “Yeth, well, I…”

She held up a hoof. “We have examined your dreams. We know your desires better than you do yourself. It must have been hard for you to see your father again after so long,” said Luna.

I looked up. I realized my cheeks were wet. I nodded.

“We must tell you a hard truth. You cannot bring him back, even with the scrying crystals. I know you wish to try again, but it would only do you harm. Death is jealous. It is one of the things that magic cannot alter, even with time travel.”

I picked up a napkin and dabbed at my eyes. I didn’t want to cry in front of the princess, but it seemed to be happening anyway. She made no move to comfort me, but she seemed content to wait until I was done.

When my sobs grew quiet, Luna spoke again. “We can show him to you again, if you like. But we must warn you that we can only do this once, and we cannot promise it will bring you any comfort.”

“But it would it be real, or only a dream?” I said.

Luna gave me a wry smile. “Are you really asking us that, little one? The realm of dream and the realm of death are very closely linked. It would be a dream, but it would be a true one.”

I raised my head. “I want to thee.”

Luna nodded. “Very well. Come with us.”

We were standing outside a bar. I didn’t remember traveling there. It was a low place. It had stone walls and barred windows, like a prison. The noises from inside were loud and happy, but it was a brittle happiness that could easily break into anger or despair.

“This is the last chance to change your mind, little one.”

“No,” I said firmly.

“Very well.” Luna spread her wings, and was gone. I showed the bouncer outside the door my ID, and went inside. The bar was smoky, and full of light and noise. Wood rafters ran across the bare stone ceiling. It was crowded with mares and stallions, smoking, drinking, and talking. It wasn’t so different from Buckowski’s, but it made me feel funny to think that my daddy might be in a place like this. But there he was, over by the pool table, talking loudly with his foreleg draped around the shoulders of a mare who wasn’t my mother. I looked away from him and wriggled my way through the ponies blocking the bar.

“What can I get you, sugarcube?” said the bartender.

“Rum and… you know what? Just rum. Better give me the bottle.”

The next thing I knew, I was in a corner booth staring at my father. Did I really expect he’d be so different from me? And he was dead, so I could hardly expect him to be faithful to Mom. He sure did drink a lot though. I never drank like that.

I looked at the three shots in my three hooves. I tried to get one of them to my mouth, but wound up spilling most of it on my sweater vest. How was I this drunk already? It was my second drink! It wasn’t fair.

I looked towards the pool table again. Daddy was gone. Where was he?

“Hey, sweet little thing. What’re you doing drinking alone in a place like this?”

“Getting liquor on mythelf,” I said. Shit, he didn’t recognize me.

“Can I buy you another drink?” said Daddy.

“I’m good,” I said, pointing at my bottle of rum, “but if you want to thit and help me finish it, you can.”

He settled his massive body in next to me. He had to push the table over to get his chest in. I slid against his side and inhaled the smell of sweat, deodorant, cologne, and beer. It stirred memories, and made my hooves curl. Don’t judge me.

“You have a funny accent. Where you from?” he said, taking a shot straight from the bottle, and holding the bottle out for me. I held my shot glasses out in my hooves, trying to keep all three of them steady, and he frowned. “Maybe you’ve had enough.”

“I had one thot!” I set my glass down on what I thought was its bottom and it rolled off the table.

Daddy moved the bottle away. “Seriously, though, where are you from?”

“It not an acthent. It’th a thpeach impediment,” I said, avoiding the question. I looked up at his big, dumb, blocky face and squeezed my thighs together. Don’t judge me. Don’t! I know you’re doing it! Stop judging me.

“Oh. I’m awful sorry, I didn’t mean to…” he looked away, blushing.

“It’th fine. Don’t I look a little familiar to you, though?” I fluttered my eyelashes at him. He looked down at me, confused. I watched his eyes go from narrow to wide open. He whipped his foreleg out from around me and put it in his lap with his other one, like he was trying to hide something.

“Oh, sweet Faust,” he murmured.

“I’m thorry,” I said with a smile on my face. “I wath just having fun with you. I turned out gay.” Sure, I was straight for Daddy, but there are some things your parents never need to know about you, and I’m pretty sure that was one.

“That’s… that’s fine. Oh… oh my Faust little sprout, I missed you so damned much.” He grabbed me and squeezed so hard my ribs creaked. The table tilted up a little away from us when he took his legs out of his lap. I giggled, even though my cheeks were getting wet again.

Suddenly he pushed me back with his hooves on my shoulders. The table fell down with a slam. The rum bottle wobbled. “Oh, little sprout, you’re dead!”

“No. I’m fine. Luna came back, Daddy! She sent me here to see you.”

“Wow. Who knew.” He rubbed at his orange forelock. “I’m sorry I missed that. You know the Princess?”

“Not really. I pulled thome thtrings. I work for the CGS! I know ponieth.”

“Damn. I’m proud of you, little sprout.”

“Ith it bad, being dead?” I pushed my hoof against his.

“It ain’t good, it ain’t bad. It’s just… dead, you know?” He shook his head. “Nothing ever changes when you’re dead.”

“I miss you,” I said.

“I miss you, too. That never changes, either. I’m sorry I died.”

“Nothing we can do about it. Trutht me. I tried.”

He raised an eyebrow, but it was too much to explain so I didn’t say anything. “So now what?”

“I don’t know. Who are your friendth?” I smiled up at him.

“No idea,” he grinned. “You wanna play some pool?”

“Do I! I’ll wipe the floor with your ath, Daddy.”

———

It was later. I didn’t know how long we’d been talking and playing pool. Daddy had kept drinking, and somehow I’d gotten ahold of a joint at some point, but now we were walking in silence on a stone road past a gray and sullen reservoir, both dead sober.

“So is there anypony special? Lesbian or not, your mom’s gonna want some grandkids,” he said.

“She knowth where foalth come from, right?”

“There are options. You could get a friend to fill up one of those baster things,” he said with a smirk.

“Ewww!” I laughed and wrinkled up my nose.

“I’m just having fun with you. Seriously, though, you got a marefriend?”

I nodded. “Yeah… she’s… amazing. But difficult. And I really hate some of her friendth.”

He shook his head. “Don’t settle, little sprout.”

“Is it really settling if they’re way out of your league?”

“It can be. Anyway, there ain’t nopony who’s out of your league, little sprout. I don’t care if she’s Princess Luna, she’s damn lucky to have you.”

“Daddy,” I whispered, standing on my hind hooves and wrapping my forelegs around his neck. “I love you.”

He squeezed me. “I love you too, little sprout. But I think you gotta go now.”

I frowned. “Yeah, it feels like time to go. I wish I could see you again.”

“I miss you sprout, but I don’t wanna see you around here for a long time, you understand? We can play some more pool when you get back, but you’d better be a little old mare, okay?”

I laughed and kissed him on the mouth. Mouth closed, I swear. Then I sat up in bed. My letter to Luna fell off my chest. The light of dawn was just beginning to creep through the dirty glass of my bedroom window, but my roommates were already up and arguing. My pillow was wet and my throat was dry, but I felt pretty good — like I’d been scrubbed clean inside.

I threw off the sheets and got out of bed. I needed to talk to Maud.