Amethyst Glow had gotten grounded for the first time in her life.

In all honesty, she wasn’t surprised. Her dad was a stickler for rules, and she’d broken some pretty big ones. She felt bad for going behind his back and she knew she had a lot to think about in that respect, but at the same time she felt this punishment was completely unfair. She was an adult with a career, not a little filly who could go to bed early and live by her daddy’s schedule forever. And she was especially too old to be grounded.

She fumed in equal parts shame and frustration for hours in her room until she heard a voice call to her.

“Amy? You can come down now.”

“Coming,” Amy heaved herself off of her bed and slowly, guiltily walked down the stairs to the living room. There, her father sat in one of the armchairs, his eyes sad and bloodshot. He’d been crying. Again.

“Sit down, Amy. I’d like to talk.”

She followed his directions and sat down, welcoming an awkward silence as both ponies waited for the other to start. The air between them was too heavy with tension and unspoken half-understandings to bear.

Roy cleared his throat. “Amy, I’m…sorry for embarrassing you in front of your friends. But what your Nana told me was so terrible that I just couldn’t wait. You could’ve been in danger. Do you know why you’re grounded?”

Amy sighed. “Because I work at a strip club and stay up late and that’s against your morals.”

“And?”

She hesitated. “And because I lied to you about it.”

Roy nodded. “I raised you better than this, Amy. Your mother and I both did. Everything I do is to protect you and keep you safe. Yet you go behind my back and do this. Not just mine, but Nana’s, your siblings’, even Auntie Feather’s. You have no idea what they could do to you at a strip club, Amy. You could’ve gotten hurt and I wouldn’t have known!”

“Dad, it’s fine, I promise,” Amy pleaded. “Bedbug’s there with me, and the girls wouldn’t hurt a fly! Filthy wouldn’t either! I just talk while the girls dance, that’s all. We’re not having sex or anything!”

“But it’s vulgar, obscene dancing,” Roy shuddered. “How did you even learn about such things?”

“Bedbug knows a lot of things, Dad. We have our ways of learning about the world.” Amy looked him in the eye. “I love you so much and I couldn’t ask for a better dad. But I’m not a little filly anymore. I can’t be protected forever. I need to start staying out later and experiencing new things if I want to grow.”

“But couldn’t you choose a…different career path? What would your mother have to say?”

“If there’s one thing I remember most about Mom, she wanted us to be happy,” Amy smiled. “She said it didn’t matter what we grew up to be, as long as it brought us joy. And working at the club, as weird as it sounds, brings me more joy than I could’ve imagined. Heck, It’s where I got my cutie mark. Isn’t that what Mom would’ve wanted, me following my passion?”

“I suppose,” Roy swallowed a lump in his throat. “I can’t stop you from doing what you love, nor would I. But I still want you to be safe, and I can’t keep worrying about you like this. So please, in the future, tell me where you’re going and what you’re doing. Even if I fret a lot.” His gaze shifted downwards. “I’d hate to think you don’t trust me.”

Amy frowned regretfully. “You’re right. I should’ve trusted you and I’m so, so sorry. I promise, I’ll never go behind your back again.”

With that, father and daughter wrapped themselves in a long, heartfelt embrace, as all feelings of mistrust, embarrassment, and fear washed away. They saw eye-to-eye more than ever now.

After a long moment of silence, Roy spoke up, “You’re no longer grounded.”

“Really?”

“You’re a grown mare. I can’t keep you from your job, can I?”

Amy tightened her embrace. “Oh, Dad, thank you!” She suddenly pulled away with an idea. “How about I take you out for the night, on me?”

Roy perked up. “Where? To Applebucks?”

“No, to the Saddle Shredder!” Amy laughed. “You can come see me and the girls at work!”

“What? Oh no, I couldn’t,” Roy shuddered. “You may like it, but I could never watch something so…risqué. Especially involving my daughter and her friends.”

“It doesn’t have to be risqué! Strip routines are just like putting on plays! Like on our first day, Bedbug re-enacted a caterpillar’s transformation into a butterfly! I can have the girls be less sexy so you can enjoy it! Please, just one night?”

“Alright…” Roy whimpered. “If you insist, I’ll go.”

Amy held him in her arms for a long pause, waiting to lead him out the door.

“Dad, you have to actually walk.”

“Oh, of course, sorry,” Roy reluctantly got up and followed his daughter out into the night. But there was one lingering question on his mind.

“Wait, you DIDN’T get your cutie mark in jewelry? How does a necklace relate to strip clubs?”

“Heh…I’ll explain later.”