Mothers Shadow and Devil Bar

My dad is a hardworking pony, really. I remember in my earliest childhood memories that he was always sitting in front of the paper and had at least two pens with him around. Every time we were outside on the playground he would sketch trees and the scenery while watching out for me. He was not really stern or intimidating to me ever but in the end, that guy was my father. And being a disappointment to him strongly displeases me. When I told him what I was trying to do for a living he simply smiled and said that I should do whatever my talent entailed. And my talent was to sell hookers. (a glass with butterfly wings).

I also noted that Selenia had a similar Cutie Mark. A Bullet with butterfly wings. I told her why we couldn't go to my fathers' place right now. (2 A.M) Old People need their sleep uninterrupted. So what do two adult Mares do in the middle of the night, waiting for the sun to rise?

We went to sleep.

After waking up and finding Selenia on snoring on my couch I decided to contact Meesix quickly, telling him that I would take the day off. After that, I went to the shower. Meanwhile, Selenia woke up and pounded at the door.

"Brushtip? What do we'll have for breakfast?" I head her hungry muffled voice. Not even a good morning... I frowned at that.

"What kind of question is that?" I snapped back and told her then, "If you want anything. There is fresh garlic bread in the fridge."

"K," her muffled hoofsteps reduced. I heard her rummaging in the fridge... I snapped back as the water slowly became colder and I noticed my hoof at the wheels slowly reducing the temperature, why... wait.

I turned the water off and my body was left wet in the steamy room. I opened the watered shower doors and stepped out. My body wet, my Mane hanging low. Drying up with my inner warmth, the water vanished and the only thing left was to use a hair dryer and make myself presentable. Once done, I quickly brushed my teeth. Then I remembered that I had a guest actually... Fuck.

I left and ran into my kitchen to stare in shock how Selenia... relaxed with a book and an empty plate in front of herself. She noticed me and raised an eyebrow at me, her emerald eyes unamused. I noticed some bread crumbs around her mouth and it was like looking into the face of a pouting child.

"What?" she asked, "you thought I would break your stuff or something?"

I am not sure what I expected to be honest. She was a devil. I was a devil and devils were known for mischief of any kind. I personally never remembered misbehaving in public or otherwise. I stole candy once, yes. As a child. No wait, it was bubble gum. I forgot it was in my bag!

"I guess I did... " I mumbled and walked to the fridge and looked inside with suspicion. Bread in the middle, fruit on the bottom and milk products on the top shelf. And in the fridge the usual kind of spices. Ketchup and Eggs. The garlic bread was still there so she did not use that much.

"Anyway, if you need to use the Bathroom, you can now. We will go soon..." I told her and entered the bedroom to look for something nice to wear. Dad liked to see me in hoodies often times, calling me cute and stuff. At age twelve I switched to Vests, he did not mind at all. He was sweet about anything I would wear. Finding nothing at first I continued to search in my drawers. Wearing something to be liked by him was an odd feeling to me. Not that I had a crush on my own dad or something, that would be weird. I just want to make him proud. In the end, there was nothing in the closet that could satisfy me. I need to throw away it and rebuy new stuff to get daddy's approval.

We left the Apartment soon after.

we stood in front of the doorbells of the condo my Dad lived in. I flew over the many names before finding my fathers. When was I last here anyhow? I can't really remember. But the fact that I still lived in the same town as my father... I was a grown Mare. I think I should expand my clubs to other cities like Canterlot. Business might be rough there but maybe...

Selenia was behind me and looked on irritated at my lack of action. She would press the button if she knew which one to press I think.

"What are you waiting for? We got questions to ask, don't we?" i heard her asking and my head just filled with dread. Dealing with my dad was not pleasent at all. Not because he was mean or anything...

My hooves twitched and I got the urge to just leave. Leave Selenia behind and the reading mystery surrounding us. I swallowed, remembering the depressive Flair in that Living Room. Sometimes I want to die.

Then Selenia sighed and walked up beside me to the doorbells and put her hoof on a random one, to my horror she dragged her hoof around and pressed everyone but a few. Instantly, many voices called out with yesses and whats.

I turned to Selenia who raised her eyebrow at me, "What the hell was that for?" I whispered to her.

"Maybe you do not wanna but I am dead set on trying to find out what connection my dad has to yours. They seemed to be friends back then," she replied.

I furrowed my brows and turned back to the doorbells. There was it, the name tag of my dad. Somewhere in the middle, yes.

I raised my hoof and pressed the little button.

I held it for a few seconds, making sure he heard me right. After ten seconds I let go and we waited.

And waited.

I pressed again, no reaction. What day was today? Monday? I pressed the button again.

Selenia put a hoof to my side, "You are shivering. Are you okay?"

Did I shiver? Was I that worried about my father? I took a deep breath, staring at the bells, "He is probably grocery shopping. He can still do that on his own. He is not that old, jeez."

"What is wrong?" Selenia asked me when I turned away.

"Can't we just go inside?" she asked me. Her tail changing into a key shape, waving it around.

"huh?" I wanted to know and she opened the front door with ease. A bit amazed by that feat I looked back to my tail. Could I do that?

We entered the building and I led us to the floor of my fathers' apartment. There was not much going on besides me calming down. The sense of dread still lingering like a loud Dooming noise. I and Dad moved at least two times between Apartments until we ended up in this one. A year before I was ready to move out. Leaving him alone.

Do not become so depressed now. We are just getting started.

Standing in front of my old Home, me and Selenia stared at the door.

"Do you not have something like a spare key for this," Selenia wanted to know. My face darkened and I shook my head.

She sighed and her tail changed again. I then had a question I needed to be answered.

"Say, how come you know exactly what the shape of the keyhole is gonna be like?" I wanted to know.

She shrugged and told me something about her daddy's friends... nevermind that. The door opened and we entered the hallway. I remember saying goodbye here... with my suitcase and outside a carriage about to pull me out. When was I last here? I can't remember...

Next was the Living Room a big room with a Radio and a corner couch. Including a low table for tea. There was another hallway, at the end of it was the Bathroom a door to the right was my fathers' Bedroom. A door further down was my old room.

Selenia started to walk to one of the doors. First, my fathers... we looked inside, nobody there. The bed was made and the Desk clean. Clean...

Next up was my old one. I, of course, have taken anything of value from the room, excluding the furniture that was too big to move around. We opened the room, the stench of old paint and canvases filled my snout. Knowing the smell all to well. Selenia flinched away from the room but I moved on and looked inside. Just as I feared. It was used as a storage room for dads Art stuff. The walls a bit messy with paint.

I could see my old room in my mind. Porn Magazines were hidden inside my couch-bed hybrid. A Table on the one side with my school books. Open Notes and Textbooks for cross-reference. For some reason, my Father could afford a private school. One, just downtown. Big Building, nice teachers. Bad Students. Stupid Students. I beat them all up.

"There is something we are missing," I told Selenia while looking around the Flat once more. She quickly checked the Bathroom.

"Bathroom is clear... Are you noticing this?" I heard her.

"Notice what?" I asked back and she pointed at the ground. There was Dust. A lot of dust.

Dad was not the most organized Pony I knew but even he knew when the room became too dirty. Every weekend I would have helped him wash the floor with a mop.

"It is dirty..." I agreed, noticing the dust everywhere else.

"And it is quite... stuffy in here," she continued with a tap to her chin.

I held a comment in that it was always stuffy in this flat. My dad never opened the windows, really. But it would make him look bad. And in turn, me.

Was she implying something, anyway? What could that be? The stuffy room... a lot of dust. What was I missing? Was there something... Then I smelled it, from the kitchen. Rotten food.

Selenia was already on her way to the Kitchen, finding bad bananas and brown apples in a tray. The only organic thing beside us in this Apartment. No Father anywhere.

"This might not confirm it," she said and continued anyway, "Your father seems to be missing."

I blinked and I started to worry for the old man. If that Devil was right then... But where could my Father have gone to?

"But where did he gone off to?" I asked her. She turned to some of the closets on the wall.

"Maybe we can find a hint," she said and opened some doors. Yeah, maybe... "C'mon, Brushtip. This was your old room. You gotta help me," Selenia said and got me out of my stupor.

"Yeah, yeah sure. I go look in his bedroom, okay?"

"Okay. I look through here," she said as I left the Living Room to go to my Fathers Room.

Around an hour later I came across something rather unique. something new in Fathers Room. Something I never expected from him.

The envelope was rosy pink and the backside had only my Fathers address on it. It was a love letter. Sent to my Father. There was no letter inside of course but it strangely smelled nice. Familiar even. I can't place the smell but the more I sniffed the Envelope the safer I felt. There were a lot of Letters lying around. I wondered from whom they came from. Who would send love letters to my Dad?

"Brushtip?" I heard Selenia call out from the Living Room and I replied with, "What?"

"There is absolutely nothing in the Living Room, any luck on your end?"

"Yeah, check this out," I yelled back and heard her hooves moving her closer to me.

"What is it?" she asked and I showed her the Love letters.

"my Dad might be an Artist but there was never an instance of somebody writing a Love letter to him," I explained to her.

"And what changed then?" Selenia wanted to know.

I smiled proudly, "Dad found a girlfriend!"

I hope.