The afternoon had passed and five o'clock had arrived. When Rivet noticed this he felt Sunny's head to check and see if she had cooled down enough and she had. He gave her a smile, "Well good news Sunny, you've cooled down enough I think you should be alright."
Sunny quickly asked, "So we can go out for supper now?"
Rivet extended his hoof out to pull her up and replied, "Yes, we can. I want us to get there before the supper rush so your friend can have her own table and we can have some privacy."
Rivet led the two out of the public works building and led them to a restaurant that was not too far away from where he was working. Luckily the three arrived before the supper rush and given that it is a place where the construction crew eats on a regular basis, the host immediately greeted him, "Rivet, it is good to see you." He then saw he had two guests with him and asked, "Table for three I take it?"
Rivet pointed his wing towards Izzy and replied, "Well she will need a table for one and then" he turned to Sunny and blushed, "we will need a table for two, preferably one with some privacy."
The host gave him a smile and replied, "Alright, follow me."
The three followed the host and he got Izzy sat at a small table, one that is normally designed for two. As she got seated, Rivet said, "And make sure the waiter knows that anything she orders is to be put on my bill."
The host replied, "Very well." He then led the two to a table that was in a more enclosed area in the back, one that was behind a curtain of beads. He gave Rivet a smile and added, "Your waiter will be here shortly to take your drink order."
The table was a circular one with a semi-circle seat on the back side of it. Rivet initially sat along the front edge of it but Sunny got in the back and motioned for Rivet to join her. He blushed and joined her in the back, where she would soon put her leg under his and grabbed his hoof. He blushed deeply and asked, "You really like me, don't you?"
Sunny was kind of unnerved by the question but knew that honesty was the best policy, "I do Rivet, I do. You are so sweet, so kind, so caring," she then leaned up to his ear and whispered, "and so sexy!"
Rivet blushed deeply and his wings spread wide out of shock. He put one wing around her and gasped, "Really, you think I'm sexy?"
Sunny gave him a smile, "Mhmm, I think...."
She would be interrupted when the waiter arrived to take their drink orders. He saw that the two were holding hooves and that Rivet had his wing around her. He gave them a smile and asked, "So Rivet, you're finally off the market I see."
The waiter was one that had waited on him and his co-workers plenty of times before so he felt more comfortable talking to him about things like this, "Well I don't know if I'd say that exactly." He then turned to Sunny and smiled before continuing, "Although I do think I'm on that path."
"Well I'm happy for both of you. So what do you want to drink?"
Sunny replied, "I'd like a raspberry wine."
The waiter asked, "A what?"
Rivet said, "Sunny, unicorns don't drink alcoholic beverages and since it is pretty much all unicorns out here, nopony serves it."
Sunny sighed, "Well I guess I'll have a large cider."
Rivet added, "I'll have a large cider as well."
The waiter nodded and Sunny seemed to be surprised over what Rivet had said. She asked, "Really Rivet, unicorns don't drink alcoholic beverages?"
Rivet replied, "Nope. They didn't exactly consume them that much in Imperial Equestria and I've never touched the stuff."
While Sunny would have the occasional drink, she had seen what excessive alcohol consumption would do to ponies, something that seemed to be a major problem in Maretime Bay. She then became curious about something, "I have a question, did ponies have problems with alcohol consumption back in Imperial Equestria?"
Rivet replied, "Outside of an occasional glass of wine, ponies back in the day simply didn't consume much alcohol. Many of us believed that it could fracture friendships and out here we still believe that and when we see the problems you guys out there have, we simply went away from it entirely."
Sunny gave him a smile and commented, "Well I'd much rather be with a stallion who doesn't drink at all," she then smiled and added, "a stallion such as you!"
Rivet blushed, "You're really dropping hints aren't you?"
Sunny was beet red by this point, "Mhmm!"
Before Rivet could respond the waiter arrived with their drinks. He then took their orders, "So what would you two like?"
Sunny replied, "Well I'd like a daffodil and daisy sandwich and a bowl of grapes."
He turned to Rivet and asked, "The usual?"
"Yep, the usual."
After the waiter left Sunny couldn't help but be curious what his usual was, "So what is your usual anyway?"
Rivet replied, "A bowl of corn and pork chops, medium rare."
Sunny gasped in shock. Never before had she heard of ponies eating meat. She asked, "Really, you eat meat?"
Rivet gave her a smile, "Most unicorns do. That used to not be the case but when the tribes fractured not long after the end of Imperial Equestria, each tribe did something to set themselves apart from the others. With us, that happened to be eating meat, well that along with working out more. We didn't want to be seen as physically weak, especially once the paranoia set in along with the distrust of the physically stronger earth ponies and the militant pegasi."
Sunny began to scowl upon hearing the comment until he continued, "Well most of us did. I don't see any of the other tribes as a threat and I remember admiring the earth ponies for their work ethic back in the day. Before unicorns learned agricultural magic, we would have starved without the earth ponies."
Sunny smiled again, "You know, I wish there were more ponies like you out there, ponies who didn't distrust others because of the tribe they come from. Outside of you, I feel like Izzy and I are the only ones who embrace the values of Imperial Equestria, values centered around friendship and trust."
Rivet could tell that Sunny wasn't like every mare he had met since the fracturing of the tribes, she had values that match his more than that of other ponies. He replied, "Well maybe a day will come when the tribes will come together again although it won't be through any kind of necessity since we all know agricultural magic and weather magic. Our part of the country can pretty much make it on its own."
Sunny sighed, "I know, I wish the earth ponies could say the same thing." She then became more cheerful, "Now about me dropping all those hints!"
Rivet knew what she was thinking and during the time they had spent together that day, he had begun to feel a true attraction and connection to the mare. He turned beet red and out of the blue without even really thinking about it he asked, "Sunny, would you be my marefriend?"
Sunny's eyes grew wide when she heard the question. This was something that she didn't expect, especially so soon from the ancient Alicorn but was really hoping for it. She embraced him and exclaimed, "Yes Rivet yes! Yes I'll be your marefriend!"
The two gazed into one another's eyes and moved in for a kiss. Unfortunately for them, the waiter arrived with their meals. As he sat their food down he chuckled, "Oh yeah Rivet, you're definitely off the market!"
Both Rivet and Sunny blushed before turning to their meals. Rivet suggested, "Maybe the restaurant isn't the best place for you to give me my first kiss."
Sunny's eyes grew wide over the statement. She gasped, "You've over 2,000 years old and you've never been kissed before?"
"Nope and had we not been interrupted," he then blushed deeply "you would have been my first."
Sunny could hardly believe it but she could tell that Rivet was an honest pony, he did not remind her of the type that would lie about anything so she decided she would fix that. Before he could say anything further, she pulled him into a deep passionate kiss. As he experienced his first kiss he was in a state of shock and would be even more so when he felt Sunny's tongue make contact with his. He parted his lips and immediately she slid her tongue in. For Rivet, that was like fireworks going off and he pulled her close. At that moment, for the first time in his life, Rivet felt love.
After a couple of minutes of kissing, Rivet broke the kiss and gasped, "Sunny, that was amazing! I never felt anything like it before." He paused for a minute and asked, "I take it you have a lot of experience kissing?"
Sunny blushed deeply, "Well the only other kissing I've ever done is when Izzy and I practiced kissing each other so we'd be able to be good kissers when we finally met that special somepony" she blushed deeply, "and now I have that special somepony!"
Rivet laughed, "Well it looks like she taught you quite well." He looked down at their food and suggested, "Think we should eat before our food goes cold?"
Sunny nodded and the two began to eat their meals. The two had spent so much time focusing one one another that their food had gone cold. Sunny let out a sigh, "Well it looks like we'll have to eat this cold."
Rivet flared up his horn, grasped their food in his aura and cast a spell to heat it back up. He gave her a smile, "There we go, we won't have to eat it cold now."
Given that the only other unicorn she had ever been around was Izzy Sunny found this amazing, "Wow, I didn't know you could do that!"
Rivet gave her a smile, "Well it is pretty much something every unicorn, and in my case Alicorn, knows how to do." He looked out towards the main dining area and added, "I'm surprised you haven't seen Izzy do it."
"I'm sure she does it but I haven't seen her do it." She paused for a moment before continuing, "But then again I haven't seen her eat hot foods that much to start with."
They gave one another a smile before digging into their meals. While Sunny was casually eating her sandwich, Rivet seemed to be devouring his pork chops. Sunny looked over to see a bit of blood dripping down his lips given how he had his chops cooked. One part of her found it kind of gross but another part of her couldn't help but find it a bit attractive. So many stallions back in her hometown would never be caught dead with blood running down their face. She figured that perhaps it was part of how ponies were in the past.
As they were eating the meal, the waiter brought them the check for their meal. Rivet grabbed it in his aura and took a look at it. Like he wanted, Izzy's meal was on there as well. Sunny too took a look at it and couldn't help but feel bad over how high it was. She apologized, "I'm so sorry Rivet, I didn't mean for it to be so much and I'm sure Izzy didn't either."
Rivet gave her a smile, "No need to apologize, I offered to take you two out to supper and I'm glad both of you got what you...."
Before he could finish his sentence Izzy joined them at their table and saw how they were holding hooves and how he had his wing around her. She immediately became excited, "Sunny, are you two a couple now?"
Both smiled at one another a smile before Rivet replied, "We are, I asked her to be my marefriend and she said yes."
Sunny exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, I'm like so happy for you two!" Her mood changed as she sighed, "Rivet, you wouldn't happen to like know any mares that are looking for a special somepony would you?"
Rivet shook his head, "I really don't. We do have a mare on our crew who will be working tomorrow so if you want, you could come over and meet her. I don't know if she's single or not but I suppose it is worth a shot. The worst she could do is say no."
Izzy replied, "Alright, but if she says no but I could like always try to meet some other mare."
Sunny chuckled, "Izzy, don't go feeling like you have to find a special somepony just because I have Rivet."
Izzy replied, "I know, I know."
Before we all knew it was approaching eight o'clock and Sunny was getting tired. She let out a loud yawn, "I don't know about you two but I'm getting tired."
Izzy too yawned, "I'm tired as well."
Sunny then turned to me and apologized, "Rivet, I just want to let you know that I've enjoyed today so much and that I love you but I think all that heat really did a number on me. I'm wondering if it would be ok if Izzy and I went back to our room?"
Rivet replied, "Sunny, you don't need to ask something like that! If you need to go and rest, go for it. We can spend more time together tomorrow since I have the whole day off."
Sunny clung to Rivet and exclaimed, "Oh I'd love that Rivet! Would you want to wait for me in the lobby of the Flim and Flam resort tomorrow morning?"
Rivet asked, "Would eight be good?"
Sunny replied, "That would be perfect!"
The three got up and headed towards the exit. After paying, Rivet commented, "Well I will see you tomorrow morning."
Sunny pulled Rivet in for a passionate kiss before replying, "I'll see you tomorrow Rivet. I hope we can spend some more time together." She saw that Izzy had a smile on her face before adding, "I'm sorry Izzy but I really want it to be just Rivet and I tomorrow."
Izzy sighed, "I understand Sunny, you two like want to be alone tomorrow."
Rivet said, "That would be for the best." He then turned to Sunny and added, "I love you Sunny, see you tomorrow!"
Sunny exclaimed, "Oh I love you to Rivet! I can't wait until tomorrow!"
The three then parted ways. As Rivet was heading home, he never once imagined that he would find love, especially in an earth pony from back east. With the way Equestria had become and how other mares just seemed to fawn over him, he never thought he'd find true love. One thing he was sure of though was that the future was looking bright, a future filled full of love with Sunny.