The JeanDélicieux

by Cinnarowe

I Dream of You

I went to retrieve Luna after my 'talk' with Fluffy. Luna had missed all the drama, thankfully, and was still completely focused on the mold around the tiles in the bathroom when I went in to get her. While I did promise myself not to let her take on any serious tasks, I did get an idea that could turn out to be pretty fun. A risky idea for sure, but fun nonetheless.

I was still bothered by a lot of emotions going through my head. Some parts of me wanted to change while others were hanging on tightly to what I was used to. It was a fickle feeling, and it made me frustrated to think about how to solve any of it.

Walking across the hall toward the bathrooms, I grabbed the door handle and opened the door gently.

I was met with a blinding light.

It felt like I had just opened the door to heaven or something, because the room was positively shining. I squinted my eyes as I tried to focus on the blue blob hunched over in the corner, scrubbing away at something I couldn't see.

"What the shit..." I muttered as my eyes slowly adjusted. The room wasn't large, it was just a room with a sink and two bathroom stalls. At least, that's what it used to be. It looked like a house renovation crew had been by in the few hours I was gone and had shined it up to perfection.

Luna turned around to meet my gaze when she heard me speak, and I could see hairs standing out in her fur.

I scoffed. "Damn, Princess. When you set out to do something you go over and beyond. This is amazing." I said, gesturing around the room and running my fingers along the tiles. It was all polished and scrubbed clean. The odd smell that was probably a clogged pipe was gone, and every piece of wall mold was gone.

Luna didn't reply, she just grumpily continued to scrub away with her equipment on the floor-level tiles. I walked over to her and looked over her shoulder to see her using a brush to scrub away some remaining dirt.

"Hey, you already went way over expectations here, Princess. Come on, I want you to try your hand at the real deal." I gestured for her to follow me out of the bathroom. "Just leave all this stuff in here and I can take care of it later."

"But we are not finished! We must complete the task!"

"No. Come with me. That's an order."

She gave me an are-you-shitting-me look, and I just smiled and pointed at the little chef symbol on my uniform. She seemed to take the hint, and it just made me so incredibly satisfied knowing I could boss her around like this. Playing with fire here.

"Very well. Would you have us dispose of your garbage as well?" She added sarcastically. I think she may have taken personal offense to her mission.

Now, there's an idea.

"No, no. Nothing like that" I chuckled as I washed my hands in the sink. Had to constantly keep those babies clean on the job. "I just figured you might want a first-hand experience in the restaurant itself. You know, serving ponies their food. You up for that?"

I looked over my shoulder at her while I was explaining, and I saw her deflate a bit.

"What?" I asked her as I turned off the faucet.

She was thinking about something as she stared at her reflection in the tiles. It was hard to get a read on her, especially because of how ancient she is. She and Princess Celestia both have centuries of wisdom and mental challenges. I can't even imagine what that would be like.

After some time she looked at me. "The ponies fear us."

I snapped my fingers quickly to drag her out of it. "Don't go thinking about what other ponies think of you. You'll only be hurting yourself thinking like that."

"You think it so simple? To simply ignore the judgemental stares? We feel it, even from within our chambers. It is torture." She said to me with a frustrated sigh.

I knew she wasn't doing so hot with coming back to everything being different. It wasn't unexpected to hear her say something like this and I suppose I may be a bit hypocritical, given that most of my life I've been worried about if ponies consider me a freak or not. That all stopped once I met Willow, but things are different now.

What was sort of surprising to me and almost an alien feeling, was the fact that I was able to even think about Willow without feeling that extreme discomfort or urge to cry. That had only been in the past few days. I didn't feel better, not by a long shot, but I could at least bring my mind around it without choking.

An idea struck me, to take her mind of it all. "Say, Luna, you remember I have a daughter, right? She's working here today." I paused and smiled slyly. "The thing is, she is also a rookie for today, so why don't you two team up? I'm sure she would love the help."

It seemed to pique her interest. She was in a thousand-yard stare, seemingly measuring her options. On one hand, she could avoid the public eye by hiding away. On the other hand, she could partner up with a cute sidekick.

"Did I mention she's an adorable filly?" I said without really thinking.

She gulped. "Well... Lead the way and we shall consider."

And so, I left the bathroom with Luna not far behind. She was a bit of a mess after spending some hours in here by herself and fussing over details in every single nook and cranny. So she took a moment to clean herself before leaving, and she did so in the most magical princess style I have ever seen.

Her horn lit up with her magic, and very soon her body was completely engulfed in her aura. The best way I can explain what happened next was that Luna became a blender. Water covered her from top to bottom and it was spinning around her body impossibly fast, so fast that there didn't look to be any motion.

Soon, the magic popped like a bubble and a perfectly clean and trimmed blue princess stood before me.

Magic is awesome.

We left soon after she had put all the tools in a little pile in the corner of the bathroom. The idea of working together with a filly appeared to affect Luna, so she reluctantly went along with the idea, despite the discomfort she was feeling.

I wasn't totally heartless. I could tell she wasn't feeling comfortable about being pushed into a social setting like this. I've been in that same spot when I was a kid, and it took the help of friends to make me feel like it wasn't as bad as I feared it was.

I hadn't been inside the kitchen since my little incident, which was a good half hour ago, so everybody acted a little awkward when I got back in. Conversations stopped, spatulas froze, and eyes were pointing my way.

Naturally, I had been so focused on the fact that everyone probably didn't like me right now that I almost forgot I was standing next to one of the only alicorns in Equestria.

Oh, right.

No matter how often she's around, it was hard for these guys to adjust to Luna. I didn't think it was fear, it was more... respect. At least that's what I'd like to believe in this scenario. Luna was awkwardly waving at everybody, she didn't really get to meet with anyone at all since I dragged her off as soon as she mentioned free labor.

Everybody went back to work after showing their respect for Luna. As if on cue, Chatter came into the kitchen with some plates on her back with Fluffy close behind. I noticed that Fluffy now had a pretty flower tucked behind her ear.

Her eyes fell on me, and we looked at each other for a moment. Now that I knew what was going on earlier, I wanted to make sure I was better this time. I noticed her watching me all day, but I didn't know it was because she wanted me to see her. I am just too out of touch with reality sometimes.

She went to put plates in the dishwasher with Chatter. Chatter barked some orders to Giddy and Violet across the kitchen, in that very special kitchen voice. It's just different when you're yelling orders; it's like your vocal cords align to being as clear and vocal as possible without reaching out to the customers. Not that it would, the doors were magically sealed so the noise from the kitchen couldn't reach outside.

Although that is probably what is making my waiters crash into each other half the time, a place of our quality must provide the best comfort for our patrons as well. People pay to eat here, after all.

It's not exactly a highly expensive restaurant for elites only. It's a fairly priced place where ponies from all walks of life can enjoy a night out. Although all Canterlot citizens are usually pretty well off, so we don't often see lower-class customers.

Luna brought me out of my train of thought when she whispered up to me. "Jean, is this her? Your daughter?"

I nodded to her while still looking at Fluffy. She was grabbing more orders that were ready, balancing them in her wings. She was actually moving faster than Chatter, which seemed to frustrate her. Chatter was frantically trying to keep up with the elegant movements of Fluffy, and just seeing her do it so well made me feel something very odd inside me.

Pride? I had no idea. Maybe?

I smiled nonetheless, and so did the rest of my staff. They were amused seeing this child suddenly take command of my staff like this after only doing it for a few hours. It was pretty clear everyone in the kitchen loved Fluffy.

From the looks of it, so did the ponies eating in the restaurant. When she opened the door, I saw the ponies I could see from my position smiling and waving at her when she walked out into the restaurant.

I felt left out. And I felt jealous.

I looked down at Luna who was studying Fluffy with a smile on her face. "Do you want to go talk to her? I'm sure she'd be glad to talk to you."

"We would like to. She is a most precious filly, but we are surprised you did not tell us of her existence until now. Why is that?" She asked me while we started walking further inside the kitchen.

I shrugged as I checked out one of my cooks' progress on some sweet potato fries. "Eh, let's save that wonderful story for another time, yeah?"

She frowned at me and held her look for a few moments before letting it go. I appreciated it. The princess had excellent patience, as one would probably expect her to have. As awesome as it was to have Luna in my circle of friends, I still didn't know if I should just open up myself to somebody I was still getting to know. That being said, Luna felt like a safe pony to talk to. She didn't seem to hold any grudges for what had been done against her by her sister, so I think It'd be pretty hard to get on her bad side anyway.

So, Luna reluctantly joined Fluffy and Chatter, but not before I had made sure she looked the part. I got her a uniform, but unfortunately, it was too small for her large size. I didn't tell her that, because I know what happens when you call a girl too big for something.

It never ends well.

So Luna ended up wearing an apron and some hoof ornaments that our servers use for decoration. Every restaurant has its theme, so we stuck to our guns as closely as we could. She didn't complain; she was too nervous about scaring away our customers than worrying about her appearance.

Luna had been in our restaurant previously, don't get me wrong. She was here when we first met, although that was with two of her guards. Circumstances were different then because she was going crazy with cabin fever. That might not be the case now, because she is currently a lot more aware of how ponies perceive her.

Fluffy saw Luna earlier when she had come into the restaurant, and Chatter told me that they had talked about her while they were in between orders. She told Fluffy about Luna's first time at the restaurant, and when she came to the Hearth's Warming party. It helped calm her, knowing that Luna wasn't this crazy demon of the night that she had previously been. Schools didn't teach us that, but legends and stories did.

Regardless, Fluffy warmed up to Luna fairly quickly. She approached Fluffy and Chatter when they were on a run into the kitchen, and joined them after I explained to them that I wanted Luna to dip her hooves into serving. If Fluffy could do it, how hard could it be for the princess? "You guys can handle the princess, can't you?" I asked the pair.

Fluffy was still a bit strained from earlier, I could tell. Chatter was hard to read since she had been in an interesting mood when she had told me to join Fluffy, but I just had to assume she had put it behind us. I couldn't go on letting my mental state influence my job, so I would do my best to let it go. And give Fluffy attention.

They nodded, Fluffy looked a mix of nervous and excited as she grabbed some orders with her wings and tried to give them to Luna. "H-here you go, Your Majesty." She stuttered nervously.

Luna looked curiously at the food on the plates. Please don't eat it. I thought.

"Princess, would you want to take these orders to their tables?" Chatter took over for Fluffy when the princess had been staring at the food on the plates for about five seconds. Luna's eyes widened and she gave her a cheesy grin.

"Oh, of course. How silly of us." She said as she reached out her wings and took the plates from Fluffy. How ponies can even carry stuff on those things is beyond me, especially when the things they are carrying are at least a few kilograms.

It took Chatter and Fluffy to lead Luna out of the kitchen and enter the public eye. I followed through the door to observe, and I heard a collective gasp from the ponies sitting closest to us as they saw the princess enter the restaurant. Whispers started to break out. Some were saying 'Nightmare Moon' and others were whispering about how the princess could lower herself to minimum wage. Minimum wage my fucking ass.

I had to deal with a lot of rude shitheads in here, so I swallowed the anger as best as I could and ignored it. I was more occupied with whether or not Luna could handle her objective.

It was hilarious to watch, and also worrying in a way. As I mentioned before, I was taking a bit of a risk letting someone inexperienced work here, because we were stationed in Canterlot of all places. A place where rumor is everything and quality is guaranteed.

I watched as Chatter and Fluffy followed Luna closely as she approached whatever table Chatter pointed her to. The guests were staring at them, and so was I. Until she got to the table where two mares were sitting. I didn't recognize them particularly, but I could tell they weren't elite. They just seemed like regular unicorns, and that might be a blessing for Luna's first try at this. I was crossing my fingers as I stood by the double doors to my kitchen as Luna shakily brought the plates down on the table.

"PLEASE, ENJOY THE MEAL!" She blasted into the faces of the poor mares. Damn it!

Chatter and Fluffy practically threw themselves over Luna and covered her mouth. Luna's eyes went wide once she realized what she'd done wrong, and she looked in my direction as she had her mouth full of Chatter and Fluffy's hooves. I had a hand in front of my mouth and had to take a moment to breathe in order not to lose my cool.

Maybe I should have seen that coming.

I sped over to the table while Chatter was trying to pull Luna away from the table. The two mares who had been on the receiving end of the loudest sound in fucking history had probably looked better. Their eyes were wide and their manes were now a mess. I stood in the spot where Luna had been standing, put my hands behind my back, and gave them my best service smile.

"Sorry about that ladies, sometimes my staff gets rowdy. Please, enjoy your food." I said with as much charm as I could. That got them out of their shock, and then they looked at each other.

"P-p-p-p-p-" The one to my left started to stutter to the other.

"P-p-p-p-p-" The left one followed.

Okay?

I watched as they stared at each other and kept trying to say something that started with the letter 'P'. Luna did a number on them for sure. Chatter had dragged Luna back into the kitchen, and I followed after quickly doing a round of attending guests.

"All right, work on the volume, maybe?" I commented as I walked through the doors, almost crashing into Minuette heading out with a tray of steaming hot pasta.

Luna was sitting on her rump and she was chastising herself. "Argh! We have no idea what happened. It was like we couldn't control our voice. What... what was that?" She asked, panting and huffing.

I frowned and shrugged. "Stagefright?"

She shrugged back at me with a pout. Poor girl.

I understood where Luna was coming from. She's trying to break out of her comfort zone, doing something totally out of the ordinary for her. I see it through her expressions, she wants to fit in. She wants ponies to like her. She desperately desires it, any old fool could see that. Even me, the most ignorant bastard in this country. I felt bad for her, and I wanted to help her out.

I looked at Fluffy and Chatter. "Alright guys, get her back in there and keep an eye on her. Try not to let her interact with too many ponies on her own. Just try to help her out as much as you can, okay?" I said, and Chatter nodded.

"Yes, chef."

Fluffy firmly nodded too, and I smirked at seeing her taking my command seriously.

"But-" Luna started, but Fluffy cut her off.

"Don't worry, we'll teach you!" She said, and took Luna by the hoof and led her back out into the restaurant. The rate Fluffy had learned our routines was surpassing all my expectations. I couldn't believe how well she was taking up everything.

The sound of my daughter's voice sparked something in me, especially when I saw the look she was giving the princess. She was enthusiastic about this. She wanted to help her just as much as I did, but the difference was, she had the heart to do what I couldn't. I couldn't be the sweet and caring voice in her ear, and that didn't only go for Luna.

I saw her and Chatter lead the princess out the doors again, and I felt myself once again wanting to berate myself for not trying hard enough. I was making small steps toward some real progress, but I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere near my daughter, not really.

But these past few days, sometimes, I get this feeling. This very warm and lovely feeling I haven't felt in a long time. It only ever shows up a few times, and I don't know how to put it into words.

Pride, maybe?

As I thought that, I felt the corners of my mouth twist a bit, feeling it coming back to me once more. I went back to make some more food and looked over to the doors opening every once in a while. Sometimes, I would catch glimpses of Fluffy, and I would get distracted.

I was making some of my signature dishes when I felt someone brush up against me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Giddy smiling at me as he pushed me away from my work. I had almost burned the food.

"Hey boss, you're gonna burn the place down if you don't pay attention. What's got you so distracted?" He asked as he took over my station.

I rolled my eyes. "What?" I asked, trying not to smile.

"Nothing." He laughed and followed my gaze. "She's a cute filly."

I frowned at him.

"You know what else is cute?" He asked.

"No"

"You."

"Fuck off."

---

"So Jean, how are you really doing?"

I sighed. This was the part I hated the most about coming to this thing. He would always ask me that question after a very pleasant conversation about what nice things I'd done in the past weeks, just to warm me up. I always knew it was coming, yet it always sucked when we got to it.

"I'm... alright," I replied, which wasn't entirely a lie. I was doing pretty well since the last time we spoke, although I've had better weeks.

I didn't want to look him in the eyes, because I knew what I would find. Pity. I hated pity, but I've learned that I can't stop it from happening. He's seen me at my worst, and he knows that I'm only as good as I can get. But I've never been perfect, not even in my prime.

"You told me you've been reconnecting with your daughter? How's that going for you?" He asked, shifting in his seat. "Have you talked at all?"

"Well..." I started and rubbed my hands together. "Ah... I don't know. So-so, I guess."

Dr. Hopper's shoulders sank. "Jean, I know there has been a lot for you to handle over the years. However, do you view this as one of your challenges, or do you think it might be a gift?"

I pondered on that for a moment. My eyes drifted to the ground, and I felt my heart sting again. Of course, I thought this was a good chance for me to rebuild some parts of my broken life, to have some sort of chance to make things right. More than anything, I wanted to reach out to Fluffy and tell her... and tell her... something.

But I had no idea what.

"Idunno doc... I don't feel ready. I don't even think she likes me." I lied to myself.

"And where is your evidence of that?" Hopper asked me.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling. "It's just a hunch,"

I heard Hopper move in his chair and lean forward. "Do you want to know what I think?"

I shrugged, still staring at the popcorn ceiling. "Sure."

"I think you're afraid." He said calmly. I didn't like it when he talked like that. It was always so fucking condescending. Yet, once again, he was right. Big Daddy is scared of a filly. Yee-haw. One hundred points for the doctor.

"Really?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes."

"So what?"

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

I frowned at him and looked him dead in the eyes. "I don't know, doc. You tell me." I said, getting more frustrated.

I felt like we were going around in circles. He would ask me something, I'd give him my answer and he'd go on to say the exact opposite, as if he knew better. He probably did, but I'm stubborn. I'm always going to take the road less traveled. I always had to have the last word, because it's me who has to live with the decisions I make.

That's why I hated how these guys did their job. Their job was to challenge your mental state and drag you out of it. You couldn't get out of your slog if you weren't prepared to step out of your comfort zone, and mine was being stepped on at this very moment.

Dr. Hopper leaned back in his chair again and looked at me over his glasses. He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "Jean, I'm not here to force you into making a decision. But I want you to consider the consequences of your actions. From what you've told me, it's clear to me that your daughter wants to talk to you. Are you prepared to let her go again, or are you willing to take a risk?"

The answer was yes, I would like to talk to my daughter again. I'd love to talk to her again. But the thought of that just made my insides twist and my brain freeze. What if I can't handle it? What if I'm not ready for the responsibility? What if I fail as a father? What if...

"So what should I do?" I asked him, suddenly feeling heavy and desperate, and I leaned forward in my seat. My voice cracked slightly as I felt pressure building up behind my eyes.

Hopper looked at me with a calm face. His eyes were unreadable. "You know what I do with my kids when we want to have some fun? We go somewhere together. We do everything and nothing together. Maybe you could take her with you somewhere? Somewhere you two can go to have some fun?" He suggested.

I thought about that for a moment. Where could we go? What could we do? What would Fluffy like to do? I took her with me to work, but that was forced upon me. How would it be if I actually invited her of my own will somewhere?

I took a while to think, staring at the tissue box on Dr. Hopper's table. "I guess... I can try."

I went home that day, thinking only about what I could do to have fun with Fluffy. What did she even like to do? I never traveled anywhere anymore, I didn't have a reason to. I had a fully committed job and I never really had anyone to travel with, so the thought never crossed my mind.

I kicked up some snow as I walked along the pavement in my coat, heading home from seeing my therapist. I didn't often see him, but we did a semi-monthly check-up. What that means is that some months I don't feel the need, and some months I do.

This time, I went to him on short notice to clear some things up. I felt myself going insane for the past week. A lot of stuff has happened in a very short time, and I needed to vent about it to someone. Dr. Hopper never has a judgemental bone in his body, so I feel safe to vomit out all my worries to him.

We spent the first half of the session mostly talking about nice things. However, I was able to tell him about the crazy holiday break I had, and he would take my side a lot, telling me how he understood it could be stressful. It was nice, and I felt a refreshing wave over me.

However, I now had a new dilemma. Take Fluffy out somewhere to have fun.

I thought about it the whole walk home. Maybe I could take her with me to the Castle and see Luna? Maybe even Celestia? That would be a crazy memory for her to tell her friends about.

It was only earlier today that Princess Luna had joined my crew and almost brought my whole business down due to leveling the building to the ground with her voice. She got the hang of it after being followed around by Chatter and Fluffy as if they were puppeteering her, she respectfully agreed that this was not the job suited for her.

I was inclined to agree.

It had been a strange day with Fluffy. We had attempted a conversation, though not much progress was made. Was I supposed to take the first step? Couldn't I just wait for her to do it? When these thoughts entered my mind, I suddenly realized that maybe she has been trying a lot of different ways, but I've just been coldly rejecting them, or ignoring them.

It sucked to realize that.

When I got home, Fluffy had already gone to bed in her room. My asshole parents were still nowhere to be seen.

When we closed up shop, Sugar and I walked home together with her, and she stayed with us until I left to go see Dr. Hopper. Fluffy enjoyed Sugar's company, and Sugar couldn't be happier to hang around my daughter.

The two had bonded a bit when helping Luna out today, and they had hit it off on the way home from work. It's like they had been friends all along. Additionally, they both shared interests in birds of all things, something I didn't have the slightest interest in.

But seriously, out of all things, I wouldn't guess my daughter was a bird watcher.

A part of me thought; A-ha! Now I can also get into birds and finally have something to talk to her about!, but that would be demented. Not only would it feel forced, but we're supposed to find things we both like already. How in the world could I know what she liked to do? It's not like I could just ask her, that was off the table.

I went to check on Fluffy as she slept peacefully in her bed. Her back was facing me, and I could see that she was hugging the dragon plushie I got her for Hearth's Warming. Her tiny frame moved quietly with her light snores, and I felt my heart stir at the fact that I had to once again send her to bed with just a simple 'goodnight'.

I closed her door quietly and went into my bedroom. I spent a great deal of time thinking of how to do something nice for Fluffy while I was getting into bed. I wasn't able to think for very long. The day had me exhausted, and I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

---

I awoke rudely. One moment I was comfortably lying in my bed, the next I was hanging upside-down and suspended in mid-air. I panicked the moment I was conscious enough to grasp what was happening, but even then I was confused.

I started flailing my arms wildly around me, and slowly but surely I started flipping over to not being upside down anymore. I was still in mid-air, the strange feeling of hovering weightlessly taking me for a complete trip. I looked around at my surroundings, but all I could see was the dreamscape I had once visited all around me.

"Luna?" I shouted into the void.

The alicorn in question popped into existence with a small 'pop', directly in front of me. She had a goofy grin on her face. "Sorry about that, dear Jean. We simply couldn't resist pranking you."

"If this is your idea of a prank, you need to seriously up your game." I chuckled at her as I felt my body make its way back to the 'ground'. I landed on what looked like nothing, yet I felt my legs meet solidness and my body regained its sense of weight.

"Was I having another nightmare? I can't recall it." I asked as I moved my hand around, and the air it wisped through danced around it.

"No, we simply wished to thank you for letting us work with you today. It felt good to feel like a regular working pony for once. It was... invigorating. We were not able to properly display our gratitude earlier today." She said, looking away from me.

I smirked. "Yeah, no problem," I replied. "Thanks for not destroying the place. Seriously, you have no idea how hard it is to get insurance for a restaurant like mine. You might have been a bit rough around the edges, but you did well."

She looked back at me with a small smile and a twinkle in her eyes. "You really think so?"

I frowned. "Don't make me say it more than once."

She laughed into her hoof. "Oh, no need to try so hard for our sake."

She looked at me playing around with the air around me again, and commented. "We very much enjoyed the company of your filly, friend. Why has she not been with you to visit us?"

Oh boy. "We don't live together usually." I shrugged as I stopped playing around. "We don't really know each other too well, either." I sighed and scratched my short beard.

Luna's eyebrows rose. "Is that so? Why not?"

"It's..." I started, but I didn't know how to even start dipping my toes in the subject. I was able to kind of surpass my emotional block in this place since thinking of the subject didn't make my head throb, but I was still unable to take the plunge, especially with a friend I'm still warming up to.

"It's complicated." I said. Trying to stop my train of thought so Luna couldn't just read my mind.

She tilted her head slightly and frowned. "Jean, it seems you are having trouble connecting with your daughter. Is there anything we can do to help?"

I shook my head. "I don't even think there's anything you could do, no offense."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

I raised mine all the same and copied her speech. "That is so."

Luna lifted her head slightly and lit her horn. Behind her, a magical portal appeared out of nowhere, and Luna turned and leaped inside it. I stood there completely alone now, feeling kind of confused.

Did she just fuck off?

For a moment I worried about having hurt her feelings, but shortly after she left, the same portal appeared in the same place it had been prior, and Luna walked back through. On her back, however, was my daughter Fluffy.

She looked at me surprised, and I did the same. "Uh, hello." I waved awkwardly at her, and she returned it with an attempt at a smile.

"Um... hi?" She said, looking around at the dreamscape. She then looked at the princess and jumped down from her back. "Why am I here?"

Something that I suddenly started thinking about was that my daughter seemed to have forgotten she was talking to one of the two rulers of the country. I was a bit more used to it now, but I guess all it took for her was to see Luna fail in a subject she excelled at. Funny how that works.

Luna smiled at the filly looking curiously up at her. "Why, you are here because your father here wanted to spend some time with you!"

"What?" Both me and my daughter said in unison.

Luna chuckled and stepped between us. "It is so! He thought it would be amusing to show you around in this magical place. Isn't it nice here?" She asked my daughter as her horn lit up. Millions of stars twinkled brightly all around us, and my daughter gasped at the display.

"It's amazing! It looks like we're above the clouds in the sky!" She looked around at the vastness of the galactic nothingness around us.

Luna nodded. "Quite." She said. "Now, Jean, we have some work to do for our subjects tonight. We'll leave her in your care. Don't forget to enjoy!" She said and winked at me before turning around and walking through the portal again. It closed behind her and left me standing awkwardly in front of my daughter.

I cleared my throat and scratched my beard. "So..." I started.

"So..." She replied.

We stood there in silence for a while, neither of us sure what to say to each other. I was starting to feel increasingly awkward and unsure of what to do. Here we go again... Every time, even in a stupid dream world.

As these thoughts entered my mind, I couldn't help looking at her. She was so different from how I remember her. So much older now, and her tiny body had become so much bigger than the small one I remember holding on to so tightly many years ago. Her wings were so beautiful. I looked at how graceful they were, and some thoughts of jealousy entered my head. I wish I could've had wings too...

POP

My daughter's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth opened. I turned my head slightly and choked on my spit as I took in what was behind me.

Massive wings had sprouted from my back. They were fluffy and feathered, just like Fluffy's. My jaw dropped and I looked back at Fluffy, who was still staring at my wings.

"Woah! They're so beautiful..." She whispered. "How did you do that?"

I stammered. "I-I've got no idea...!" I tried getting a good look behind me, to review the size and fluffiness of my wings. I reached my hands back to touch them and they felt like silk, but even smoother. It was awesome.

"Holy shit, I have wings!" I exclaimed happily. I looked back at my daughter and saw her smiling at me in excitement. The tension from earlier was gone. I grinned back at her.

"Check this out!" I said and flapped my wings hard. I started lifting into the air and I began to hover. For some reason, I had no issues controlling my flight, it was almost like second nature that my wings just moved on their own to what my mind was commanding them to do. Fluffy laughed and clapped her hooves together.

"You're flying!" She cheered. I grinned even wider, and then an idea hit me. Seeing her laugh and smile did something to me, especially since that smile and laugh were only meant for me. I wanted more of that.

I wanted to make her smile like that for me every day.

I looked around me, and slowly, the scenery had started to shift. The empty cosmic landscape only littered with stars had now become one with hundreds of celestial bodies in every direction. Some large, some small. We both took note of it and gasped in awe.

"Hey, come on! Let's fly to that one!" I said as I pointed to one of the planets nearest us. It was an orange one that seemed surrounded by orange clouds. It was huge.

Fluffy nodded her head excitedly as she took off from the 'ground' to join me in the air. She did a loop around me to check out my wings, and she stopped in front of me to hover with me. I felt so excited, just like a kid.

My pride as an adult melted away under me, and I honestly didn't give a shit.

I let her fly first, and I followed after her. On the way over, we didn't stay far away from each other. Fluffy would constantly look over at me and laugh, thinking it was hilarious that I was flying with a pair of massive wings on my back. I would laugh back at her, feeling stupid, but happy.

I felt like I looked like a badass. I felt epic. I might look back at this moment and wonder what the hell I was thinking, but who cares?

I did a loop around her, flipping so that our backs were facing each other when I was above her, and ended up on the other side of her. She did the same after I had finished, and we both laughed again.

We had forgotten where we were going. We were having so much fun just playing around with this new feeling, that our sense of direction had abandoned us. Not that we cared, we were having too much fun to give it any thought.

We found a strip of stars, and it acted like a slide when we both jumped onto it and it sent us sailing down an endless direction. It went fast, and we loved it.

Deep inside my mind, my subconscious was screaming at me to stop. To not let myself get too close with her. It was telling me that I didn't deserve to feel happiness like this and that I should stop allowing myself these feelings. Normally, I would probably give in to this feeling. However, at the moment, my daughter was happy because of something I was doing, and how could I possibly take that away from her?

So, I respectfully told my subconsciousness to get bent.

I don't know how much time passed while we were having fun. We didn't say much to each other except a small comment here and there, but this experience felt like a massive icebreaker. I felt like it mattered to her, seeing me like this. I've wanted to show her that I also have a silly side, but it feels near impossible sometimes.

This meant a lot to me, and I like to think it did for her too.

We finally landed on a tiny planet. We had no idea where we initially came from, but I didn't think it really mattered. I just assumed Luna would know where we were. We sat on top of the planet as if it were made of glass or plastic, trying not to slide off.

Fluffy sat down next to me, looking around at the galaxy around us. "This place is amazing." She whispered.

I nodded, not looking at her. "It really is. I wish this was real."

She looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." I said. "I wish we could really fly around like this. That we could just leave everything behind and just fly out into the great big universe. I think that would be great."

She smiled slightly and looked up into the vastness of the universe before us. "That'd be neat. I bet we could explore all kinds of planets and stuff. Maybe we'd find other life out there, too." She giggled at looked back up at me.

I chuckled at that. "Heh, yeah. Maybe."

I propped my arms behind me and leaned back on them. "Hey, Fluffy." I said as I stared into the sky above me.

She looked at me. "Yeah?"

"Do you remember when you were younger and I was reading you a story?" I asked. "It was one about a little filly who was lost in a forest. She got rescued by a dragon."

She nodded instantly. "Oh yeah! That was one of my favorite stories!" She said excitedly.

I laughed as I recalled her face every time I said I would read it. "Yeah, it was. We used to read it together all the time before you went to bed." I smiled at her. "We would always try to make the different voices for the characters, and it always made you laugh. Do you remember that?"

She nodded again with a wholesome smile. "Yeah, I do."

I felt my throat clog up when I saw her smiling at me again. This almost felt unreal. If this was a dream, which I knew it was, I didn't want to wake up. Fluffy hadn't even been that surprised by this place, she had just kind of gone along with it from the start.

She appeared to sense my feelings shifting. "Can I ask why you thought of that all of a sudden?"

I looked into her eyes and my mind felt a bit fuzzy. It was like she was fading in and out of my vision, as my eyes felt like they were darkening. I felt some pressure building up behind my eyes and I instinctively covered my face with my hand and pretended I was itching my eyes.

Why the fuck am I thinking of all these random thoughts?

"Are you okay?" She asked me, and I felt her hoof touch my shoulder.

I nodded and rubbed my eyes, not meeting her gaze. I looked in the other direction for a moment to regain myself. "Yeah, yeah," I started and turned back to her. "I don't know; It's pretty weird, I know. Sorry."

She looked at me worriedly, before I again said with a broken voice. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, please." She said, her expression changing and she shifted to face me with her whole body. "I know we haven't talked much lately, but... I like talking to you. I know it's been hard for you, but I just want you to know that... I really miss you."

That did it for me. I didn't have time to catch myself before I felt tears running down my cheeks, and I grabbed my face with my hands. My body shook as I silently cried, and I felt my daughter's hoof on my shoulder as I shook and sobbed. She didn't say anything. She didn't tell me to stop crying, she didn't tell me to say anything to her.

After a few minutes had passed, I removed my hands and wiped my face before looking at her. She was smiling at me sweetly, waiting for me to make a move, her hoof still on my shoulder.

"Fluffy... I don't even know what to say. I... I've missed having you around, too." I pushed the words out of me before they wouldn't, trying not to meet her eyes. Her hoof would rub my shoulder gently, and I never made a move to stop her. I didn't want to.

This little pony was so patient, so caring. She would give me just the thing I needed, which was her support. Why couldn't I be the one doing this part? That's what I always wished I could do.

I envy her, I wish I had her courage. Where did she even get it from?

She didn't respond to me. I just heard some sniffing next to me. I looked over at her and saw that her eyes were welling up with tears, too. Her cheeks were flushed, and her mouth was in a pout. But it wasn't a bad pout.

She smiled at me through her tears. For some reason, my vision was truly starting to fade this time. Everything around me dissolved, and I slowly felt myself become weightless as my vision darkened.

The last thing I saw before I left the dreamscape was my daughter's face, smiling with her teeth at me, and that image would be burned into my memory forever.

Comments

[respone]

Its back!

[BirdsBooksBrownies]

Yay you're back!

Random thought: a backplate at the end of this story showing the restaurant menu a/o Jean & co.

[Moonlight_Mist]

"I think you're afraid." He said calmly. I didn't like it when he talked like that. It was always so fucking condescending. Yet, once again, he was right. Big Daddy is scared of a filly. Yee-haw. One hundred points for the doctor.

Condescending? Is it? I really don't think it is.

I took a while to think, staring at the tissue box on Dr. Hopper's table. "I guess... I can try."

Someone needs to stop him when he says this and force the issue. They need to not let him leave until he commits to an 'I will'. It'd be taking a sledgehammer to a delicate situation, but letting him get away with 'trying' is just prolonging the issue. Once again, I understand his struggle, but that's exactly why I don't think he's ever going to take the plunge if he can back out and then say not only to his friends and family but also to himself in the mirror, 'I did as I said I would, I tried'.

Edit: Okay, so not quite in the way I said, but hey look, someone forced the issue! That's what I get for commenting before finishing the chapter. One would think I'd learn after the first couple times. Turns out, nope!

[Jmunoz13]

It was a long wait but it was worth it. Made me happy to see the father and daughter moments.

[Elmoz]

Luna's eyes widened and her eyebrows shot into the air. "W-what? You have a daughter?"

Didn't she know that already? The nightmare he had initially she interrupted. She commented on his wife and daughter.

[Danger Noodle]

What if I fail as a father?

You already failed as a father. You plan on doing something about that or wallowing in your self pity?

That said, good to see this story return. I do hope they all manage to move forward in a positive direction.

[Cinnarowe]

11873965
You're totally right, and it's been taken care of. The result of absence :/ Thanks for letting me know, though.

[Elitrino]

YEEEESSS, that was sweet. Luna FTW