(9_6)
Dilvent winced once again, continuing to poke idly at the small cut on his cheek.
“Stop poking at it before it gets infect,” Derpy chastised her friend, still highly annoyed by his actions from a few minutes ago.
“I say let it happen,” Carrot scowled from her position besides Dinky and the red wagon. “I’m stuck having to work at my uncle’s shop this weekend to pay for the window you broke!”
“I said I’d pay for it,” Dilvent groaned back as the group continued to travel down the street. “Besides, how did you expect me to act when you shove your butt in my face?!”
“Like a stallion,” Carrot smirked, giving Dilvent a small wink.
“Okay you two, stop flirting,” Derpy interrupted with a giggle. “We’re almost there.”
“We are not flirting!” Dilvent snapped with a light blush and wide eyes.
“Don’t worry, Derpy,” Carrot reassured with a look of confidence, pushing her way to the front of the group. “I got this!”
* * *
“I don’t got this…” Carrot mumbled as she looked around the amazingly packed room. But it wasn’t the other ponies that caused her to worry and become uncomfortable.
“Why aren’t there any carrots?” Carrot Top whined as she looked her eyes to one of the many veggie trays the other families had brought.
“Some of the parents thought they would be too hard for some of the foals to chew Miss Top,” Miss Lemon Way replied as she walked over to the group of younger ponies. “Thank you all for coming.”
“Thank you for having us,” Derpy replied as she moved aside from the doorway, allowing Dilvent to walk in with the wrapped tray’s of muffins.
“Oh, Miss Lemon Way!” Dilvent suddenly smiled, noticing the older mare.
“My, my, if it isn’t little Dilvent,” Lemon Way smiled, taking the trays from the stallion as he moved in for a large hug. “Look how much you’ve grown.”
“Uh… am I missing something here?” Carrot asked, a look of shock and confusion on her face.
“I was Dilvent’s caretaker when he was very young,” the mare replied before giving a final squeeze and releasing the stallion.
“Back when I was in the orphanage, she was one of the regular volunteers and was one of the only ponies that actually paid any attention to me,” Dilvent smiled warmly. “I’d hate to see where I would have been without her.”
“Oh stop, you’re making this old mare blush,” Lemon Way replied with a sheepish smile. “You should have seen him back then though. Such a little colt.”
“Awwww,” Both Carrot and Derpy sighed with little smiles.
“Excuse me!” a nasally voice suddenly huffed from the doorway, drawing the groups attention.
Moving to the side, Derpy and the others watched as a plump, well dressed unicorn mare and stallion walked into the room with a small brown unicorn colt trailing behind. All three had their noses held high as they walked through the room towards one of the empty spots.
“Who’s that?” Derpy asked, looking at the three.
“The mare is Lady Facemare and the stallion is Lord Kettle Pots,” another voice answered, drawing everyponies attention to a stallion closer to their age. “The colt is Snap shot. My mother, father and youngest brother respectively.”
“Oh, yes thank you all for coming,” Lemon Way smiled with a slight nod.
While the new stallion and the teacher began to trade pleasantries, Derpy found herself staring at the stallion.
His coat was a light blue and his mane was a almost chrome like silver, a horn just bearly being hidden by it. His large golden eyes were locked on the teacher but held a stock of confidence and inner power.
Even his build drew the mare’s eye as she could see well developed muscles just barely showing from under his coat. She was so entrapped that she didn’t notice Carrot Top staring almost as hard as her.
“Uh… Derpy, Carrot?” Dilvent asked waving a free hoof in front of the gray mare’s face. “You two okay?”
“W-what?” Derpy stuttered out, unable to look away from the stallion. Watching as he moved to join his family.
“Hot…” Carrot almost panted, her eyes locked on the stallion’s back side.
“Snap Shot is one of our newest additions,” Lemon Way replied, looking at the two mares with a slight smirk. “They just moved into town.”
“O-oh…” Derpy absentmindedly replied, finding it almost impossible to look away from the stallion. If she were being honest with herself, she found the colt very attractive.
Very, very attractive.
(o^o)
Dinky continued to eat from the muffin Dilvent was offering to her. For some reason, her mother kept getting distracted by one of the other ponies in the room and a part of her didn’t like it.
It wasn’t like the pony had done anything to her, but she couldn’t help but notice that every time either her mother or Carrot looked at him, Dilvent would look mad.
“More!” Dinky opened and closed her mouth, waiting for more food to be given.
“Such a greedy little filly,” Dilvent chuckled as he hid the muffin behind his hoof. “No more for the tubby filly.”
“More!” reaching out, Dinky tried to climb up the stallion to get the sugary treat.
“Everypony freeze!” a pony suddenly shouted, causing Dinky to jump slightly in fright as well as causing her to reach her treat.
“I got the carrots!” Carrot Top continued to shout as she dropped a large collection of carrots onto the table besides the filly and the others. “Everypony can stop panicking!”
“No pony’s panicking, Carrot,” Dilvent grumbled as he tried to retrieve the treat from Dinky.
“Mine!” Dinky pulled the muffin away from the large stallion, giggling as he tried to tickle it out of her.
“Good, good,” Carrot replied absentmindedly, taking one of the carrots and staring over at the same pony Derpy was.
“Oh for the love of Celestia,” Dilvent grumbled as he looked down at the confused filly. “At least you pay attention to me.”
“Muffin?” Dinky simply held up her half eaten, drool covered treat, hoping to cheer the stallion up.
“Aww, that’s cute,” the same pony her mother and Carrot Top had been staring at commented as he walked over to the group. “She yours?”
“M-mine actually,” Dinky’s mother stuttered back, her face glowing slightly as Carrot Top stared in slight shock, her uneaten carrot sitting in her mouth. “I-I mean, she’s mine, but I didn’t have her… I mean, I-I adopted her… and, uh…”
“Can I help you?” Dilvent interrupted, scowling at the stallion.
“I’m sorry, and you are?” the stallion asked, looking at Dilvent with a raised brow. The confusing thing to the filly though was that the response just seemed to anger Dilvent.
“I-I’m Derpy, Derpy Hooves,” Dinky’s mother stuttered out, reaching a hoof out to the stallion.
“I don’t like him!” Dinky was beginning to dislike this new pony. He made her mommy and Carrot act strange and he made Dilvent angry and sad.
(9_6)
“I’m Golden Harvest,” Carrot added, taking her carrot in hoof and holding the slightly wet veggie out to the stallion. “But everypony calls me Carrot Top… would you like a carrot?”
“Thank you, I quiet like carrots,” the stallion replied, taking the carrot from the mare. The two mares were still so engrossed in the stallion that neither of them noticed him fling the carrot into a nearby trash can with his magic.
“My name is Nair Light,” the stallion offered, taking hold of Derpy’s hoof and giving it a kiss.
“N-nice to meet y-you,” Derpy replied with a growing blush. She couldn’t help but feel her heart trying to explode out of her chest as the stallion talked to her.
“You still haven’t told us why you came over here,” Dilvent seemed to growl out as he glared daggers at the stallion.
“Well, if you must know, I wanted to meet some of the other foals that my young brother will be spending his days with,” Nair Light replied, giving the stallion a smile. “Is there something wrong with being friendly.”
“Yeah Dilvent, he’s just being friendly,” Carrot Top smirked, pressing herself against Nair Light. “Why don’t Derpy and I show you around?”
“Y-yeah, I know a few of the foals and parents,” Derpy stuttered out moving to the stallions other side.
“That sounds wonderful,” Nair smiled as he began to walk off, both mares in tow.
(^.=.^)
“What the bu…” Dilvent began staring as his two best friends wondered off with the strange new stallion. A large part of him wanted to yell and complain, but he was not in the position to allow those feelings out.
“I did not see that coming,” Miss Dian said as she walked up beside Dilvent and Dinky.
“Hi Dinky, Hi Mr. Dilvent,” Lily chirped from beside her mother and a large dark coated thestral.
“H-hello,” Dilvent replied, pulling his gaze away from his retreating friends and turning to the others.
“Hello there, I’m Sgt. Night Eyes,” the thestral immediately replied, holding a hoof out for Dilvent to shake.
“This is my husband,” Mrs. Dian introduced before turning to her husband. “Dear, this is Dilvent and Dinky, two of the ponies I was telling you about.”
“Pleasure to meet you, sir,” Dilvent replied, shacking the stallions hoof while Dinky stared at the pony in fascination.
“Likewise,” Night Eye replied with a nod before looking down at the little filly. “Hello there little one.”
(o^o)
Dinky couldn’t help but stare at the strange stallion that stood next to her friend. He didn’t look like any pony she’s seen before with his weird ear tuffs, slit pupils and strange looking wings.
She could even see little fangs sticking out of his mouth, like Dilvent.
“Daddy, this is my friend Dinky,” Lily told the large stallion. “Her mommy is the one who makes the really yummy muffins.”
“Muffin?” Dinky perked up at the mention of her favorite snack, suddenly remembering that she had been eating it originally.
“Here you go Dinky,” Dilvent chuckled as he produced her snack as if by magic.
“Yay, muffin!” Dinky giggle joyfully as she snatched her snack out of the stallions hooves and began to nibble on it.
(^.=.^)
“Mommy, can I have one?” Lily asked as she saw her friend eat.
“Of course sweetie,” Mrs. Dian smiled before looking at Dilvent. “Want me to watch Dinky? Derpy seems a little… preoccupied?”
“No, that’s alright, I got her,” Dilvent shrugged before looking back at his friends. The two mares were still with Nair, currently talking to a family of earth ponies. Rather, Nair was talking and Derpy and Carrot were staring at him again.
“Don’t let it get to you colt,” Night Eyes told the young stallion with a supportive pat. “We all get jealous sometimes.”
“I’m not jealous,” Dilvent instantly replied, slightly startled. “I’m just worried about my friends. I mean, we don’t even know who that pony is and suddenly, their giving him these gaga eyes.”
“While its nice that you’re looking after them, don’t let this little thing get to you,” Dian giggled. “For all you know, this will be the only time any of you see him.”
“I hope so,” Dilvent mumbled to himself, shooting another glare at the stallion. For a split second, he could have sworn Nair was smirking towards him.
(9_6)
“While it was lovely spending time with the two of you,” Nair told his two escorts. “I need to meet back up with my parents and brother. Have a good evening, ladies.”
“B-bye,” both Derpy and Carrot Top stuttered as they watched the stallion trot away.
“W-wow,” Carrot Top giggled as she leaned towards Derpy’s ear. “Did you see him?”
“Y-yeah,” Derpy replied with a mild blush.
“Are you two done drooling yet?” Dilvent asked, shocking the two mares. “Because we’re here for Dinky, not to swoon.”
“Oh hush you,” Carrot snapped, sending a glare to the stallion. “Your just jealous that he’s cuter than you.”
“S-sorry,” Derpy sheepishly replied. “I-I don’t know what came over me. I just kinda got caught up with… that.”
“Right,” Dilvent replied, staring at the two of them blankly. Dinky sat on the stallions back, a half finished muffin in her hooves already covered in drool.
“He’s so jealous,” Carrot Top stage whispered to Derpy.
“Not funny Carrot,” Dilvent groaned as he looked at his two friends. “Is there anything else to this thing besides just standing around and talking?”
“A couple of games actually,” Miss Lemon Way chuckled as she joined the small group. “The first is actually a scavenger hunt in the back yard of the daycare.”
“What do we get if we win?” Carrot suddenly asked with a critical eye, her competitive spirit emerging. “Bits? Toys? Awards?... Carrots!?”
“Uh… I was gonna give out some participation ribbons to the foals…” Lemon Way replied uncomfortably, staring at the mare. “B-but I can get you a piece of candy if-“
“Done!” Carrot Top shouted, causing the entire room to jump in shock as she looked around the room. “You are all going down!”
“Do you know that mare?” Dilvent asked as he gave Dinky back to her mother.
“Nope,” Derpy replied with a giggle.
(o^o)
“Okay little ones, here’s what you need to do,” Miss Lemon Way began as she gave each foal a piece of paper with several pictures on it. “All you need to do is find everything you see on the paper and you win.”
“What do they win?” one of the other parents asked.
“One of these,” Lemon Way replied, holding out a shiny blue ribbon that sparkled in the sunlight. It was a little thick and made a small crinkling noise as it was moved around.
“Shiny!” Like most of the other foals there, Dinky reached out for the new object, wanting it sooner rather than later.
“Don’t worry, Dinky,” Carrot whispered into the small foal’s ear while holding her close. “We’ll win you that ribbon and I’ll get my candy.”
Dinky simply giggled in return as she looked at the pictures she had.
“Remember everypony, this isn’t a competition,” Lemon Way began.
“Yes it is,” Carrot whispered with a slight smirk.
“Just have fun!” Lemon Way finished with a smile, moving aside to let foals and their parents enter the surprisingly large yard the daycare had.
“Okay, lets go!” Carrot Top just about shouted as she rushed off on her own.
“Think she realizes she doesn’t have a list?” Dilvent asked Derpy as the filly looked up at the two.
“Nope,” Derpy giggled back before looking down at Dinky. “What do you want to look for first, muffin?”
Dinky looked at her mother for a moment before looking back down at the paper she had. There were plenty of pretty pictures.
“Flower!” Dinky pointed at a small yellow flower at the side of the paper, gurgling slightly at it.
“Let’s go find it then,” Derpy smiled as Dinky took the paper in her mouth and began to rush off in a random direction.
(^.=.^)
Dilvent stood back and watched as Dinky and Derpy wondered off into the large yard of the daycare, heading towards a sandbox instead of the small garden that was in a different direction.
“Aren’t you going to join your friends?” a slightly familiar voice asked from behind the stallion, causing him to jump slightly.
Adapting a slight scowl, Dilvent sighed as he turned to look back at Nair Light.
“Because I’d rather let the two of them have their time together,” Dilvent replied curtly, before turning away from the pony.
“Cool, cool,” Nair nodded, stepping up beside Dilvent and taking a seat. “So… what are you anyways? Cause you have fangs but you don’t look like a thestral.”
“Pony,” Dilvent replied, unable to hold back a chuckle as he noticed Dinky begin to dig in the sandbox instead of looking for a flower.
“That’s surprising,” Nair chuckled. “So… she yours?”
“What?” Dilvent asked, looking back with a raised brow.
“The foal?” Nair replied, pointing to the pair in the sand. “I just wanna make sure you know.”
“Why?” Dilvent asked.
“So she’s not yours, I take it?” Nair asked. “So, are you two together or what?”
“What… n-no!” Dilvent stuttered out looking at the stallion angrily. “Why the hay are you asking that?!”
“Just wanted to ask,” Nair smirked as he stared towards Derpy. “She is cute though.”
(9_6)
“Okay sweetie, I think that’s enough playing in the sand,” Derpy chuckled as she picked up her daughter and placed her on her back. “Lets go find that flower.”
As the filly giggled in reply, Derpy took a chance to look towards her friends to see how they were doing.
Carrot was still on the search for random items. At one point, she had acquired Derpy’s wagon and now had a pile of random items filling it. Including a small giggling foal, the parents standing nearby with amused, worried and slightly confused looks on their faces.
But when she looked over at Dilvent, a sudden chill went down her spine.
Nair was looking towards her and Dinky with a slight smile. But the scowl and look her friend was giving the stallion caused her to worry.
His eyes were no longer the rounded ones usually found on a pony, but a thin slit, showing his heritage. She had only seen these eyes once before, back when she and Carrot Top first met the stallion and he had saved them from some pushy seniors.
“Dilvent?” Derpy called, hoping to catch his attention and find out what was wrong. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to hear her as he continued to stare at the pony next to him.
“Hold on muffin,” Derpy said as she scooped the filly up and placed her on her back. She really worried that something was wrong with her friend especially since his glare was at the pony next to him.
“Hello, Derpy,” Nair greeted as she trotted up to the two.
“H-hello,” Derpy stuttered with a sheepish smile before forcing her gaze towards Dilvent. “D-Dilvent, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Dilvent mumbled as he got up. “I’m going to go make sure Carrot Top doesn’t get arrested for foalnapping.”
“Are you sure?” Derpy asked, still concerned.
“Yeah… yeah, just something somepony said,” Dilvent replied, shooting another glare at the stallion beside him.
“Someponies can be very rude and inconsiderate,” Nair replied with a shrug. “Its best to just ignore them since all their looking for is attention.”
“Whatever,” Dilvent groaned, leaving the group.
“Sorry about him,” Derpy couldn’t help but tell the stallion, feeling a little embarrassed now.
“Its no problem,” Nair replied with a calming smile. “But you should get back to the game before your friend ends up getting it canceled.”
“Right…” Derpy replied, looking back towards Carrot. The mare was now being pulled away from a buried plastic post by Dilvent, screaming something about it being needed.
“I could join the two of you if you want,” Nair offered. “I’d be with my brother but my mom said something about cats and sand, so now he doesn’t want to join in.”
“Uh…” Derpy replied in shock. “S-sure… I-I mean…”
“NO!” a voice suddenly shouted.
Turning to look towards her friends to reprimand them, she was slightly shocked to see both Carrot Top and Dilvent staring at her in shock. The mare still gripping the post with the stallion holding a hind leg in the air in a failed attempt to pull her away.
“NO!” Was shrieked again, this time clearly coming from Derpy’s back.
“Nonononononono!” Dinky began to continually shriek, bouncing up and down on her mothers back.
(o^o)
“NO!” Dinky huffed, pouting as she stopped her hopping. She didn’t like the pony her mom was talking to. She made her mom and Aunt Carrot act weird and made Uncle Dilvent sad.
“Dinky, you said your first word!” Derpy all but shouted as she scooped the filly off her back and brought her into a hug.
“No!” Dinky replied, finding it easy to say and enjoying the sudden attention from her mom.
“Uh… congradula-“ “NO!” Dinky interrupted when the stallion she didn’t like tried to speak. Several times he tried to speak again, only for the filly to interrupt with a firm “No”.
“No,” Dinky said once again, now giggling at how much she enjoyed saying it.
“I’m just gonna head inside,” the stallion sighed before finally leaving Dinky and her mother alone.
“No!” Dinky cheered as the stallion disappeared inside as Carrot Top and Dilvent rushed over with smiles. “Yay, more hugs!”
“No!” Dinky giggled as Carrot took her into her own hug.
(9_6)
“Oh my Celestia! Dinky, you spoke!” Carrot Top cheered as she hugged the giggling filly. “You spoke, you spoke, you spoke!”
“No!” Dinky chirped back.
“Congratulations,” Mrs. Dian said as she and Lily walked up to the group, Night Eye trailing behind carrying a few different objects.
“Mommy says my first word was “More”,” Lily chirped happily.
“Mine was “carrot”,” Carrot added, drawing blank looks from everpony but Night Eye for obvious reasons.
“I’m surprised it was “no” though,” Lemon way stated as she also joined the group. “I would have thought it would be “mamma” or “muffin”.”
“”Muffin”, “mamma” or “no”, I’m still proud of her,” Derpy replied taking the filly back and giving her a nuzzle.
“Just be sure to help her learn some other words,” Lemon Way replied with a smile. “If you don’t, I’ll have to hold Dilvent accountable.”
“Uh… what?” the stallion replied looking at everypony as the mares shared a giggle.
* * *
“Once again, I’d like to thank everypony for coming today,” Lemon Way said, giving the ponies a warm smile. “Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to spend it with your foals.”
“Thank you Miss Lemon Way!” The foals and some parents replied loudly.
“No!” Dinky called out with a smile.
“Please don’t be afraid to join us all again any day of the week,” Lemon Way continued with a smile. “Have a good day everypony.”
With that, everypony began to leave with only a few holding back to talk to others.
“Thanks for letting us attend this Miss Lemon Way,” Derpy told the daycare teacher as her group gave her their final farewells.
“And thank you all for coming,” the mare smiled back. The smile faltering slightly as she noticed carrot top shoving several pieces of candy into her mouth as well as half a carrot.
“It was really nice to see you again Miss Lemon Way,” Dilvent added as he gave the older mare a slip of paper. “This is my address, so please don’t be afraid to visit. Mom and Dad would love to see you again and I’d like to catch up.”
“I will, thank you,” Lemon Way replied as she gave the stallion another hug before looking to the little filly with the group. “And don’t be giving your mommy any trouble.”
“No!” Dinky yelled back loudly, giggling soon after.
“Goodbye,” Derpy finished as she led her group out of the room and building.
They were all surprised to find Nair waiting outside, standing beside Dinky’s red wagon.
“Found this still sitting in the back,” the stallion smiled. “Thought you would want it back.”
“Oh, I forgot about that,” Carrot Top replied around her mouth full of sweets and carrots. “Thanks hot stuff.”
Before the stallion could react, Carrot proceeded to shove a full carrot into his mouth, giving him a wink as she took the wagon.
“T-thanks,” Derpy added as she set Dinky in her spot. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Nice meeting you too,” Nair replied after removing the carrot from his mouth and turning to the other older ponies. “You as well, Dilvent.”
“Whatever,” Dilvent muttered under his breath as Carrot giggled and blushed softly.
“I hope our paths cross again,” Nair smiled as the group began to leave.
“So do I,” Carrot whispered to Derpy with a smirk as the group continued forward.
* * *
“Say “grandpa”,” Derpy’s father cooed to the small filly, having scooped her up when he heard her speak.
“No!” the filly giggled, pushing against the large stallion.
“She said it! She said “Grandpa”!” Derpy’s father proclaimed holding the filly up.
“He’s showing the signs of mental instability, Derpy,” Carrot chuckled. “We better notify the hospital to get a padded room ready.”
“Carrot?!” Derpy exclaimed looking at her friend with shocked eyes. “What kind of pony do you take me for?”
“I always knew you loved me swee-“ the older stallion began.
“I had a room set up years ago,” Derpy continued, cutting off her father’s statement.
“You still love grandpa, right Dinky?” the old stallion asked the filly in a mock hurt tone.
“No!” Dinky replied instantly, wiggling her way out of the stallions grasp and making for her mother.
“Betrayed by the cute one,” Derpy father lamented sadly before looking at the only quiet one of the group.
Ever since the group had returned to the house, Dilvent had remained silent. His facial features continually shifting from annoyed, to worried and back again.
“What’s got you all winded up, colt?” the older stallion asked looking to the others for guidance.
“He’s just jealous,” Carrot replied.
“N-no, I’m not!” Dilvent snapped back refusing to meet anypony in the eye.
“There was this cute colt who showed up with his family and he’s jealous that we spent more time with the colt then him,” Carrot smirked.
“Really now?” the stallion replied with a raised brow and concerned look. “Both you and Derpy?”
“Yeah,” Carrot sighed with a look of blissful remembrance. Dilvent groaned at the comment and Derpy blushed slightly.
“Dilvent, my office!” Derpy’s father suddenly proclaimed, rushing away with a slight scowl.
“You don’t have an office,” Dilvent grumbled as he followed after the stallion.
“Should we be worried?” Carrot asked as she watched the two disappear.
“No,” Derpy giggled back.
“Should we tell them that Nair is gay?” Carrot giggled.
“No,” Derpy replied with a devious smirk.