Arc and Derpy head back inside the building together. Dinky looks up at her father.
“So what do you want to do, dad?”
Arc shrugs. “I don’t really know what there is to do here.”
Derpy smiles up at him. “Since you helped solve the food crisis, the Abyssinians have seen fit to open a number of restaurants.”
“Mom and I have been meaning to try one since we got here.”
“If that’s what you two want to do I’ll take you to one.”
Derpy giggles. “That sounds nice.”
Dinky shifts on her hooves nervously. “Yeah! Um… can I tell you something though first, dad?”
“Sure, what’s on your mind?”
“The rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and I were talking a while back about something we all want.”
“What’s that?”
“Family time.”
Derpy appears confused. “But they all have families.”
“I know, mom. But we were talking about our future family.”
“Um…”
“If dad marries you and their sisters.”
“Oh! That does make sense.”
Derpy turns to Arc.
“What would you like to do?”
Arc puts a hand to his chin, thoughtfully. “I think they do raise a good point. Getting to know their sisters means getting to know them too, after all.”
Dinky points a hoof. “Should I go get them?”
Arc nods. “Sure. Have them meet us out front.”
Grinning, Dinky runs off. Arc and Derpy chuckle as they walk out the front door.
“This should be a day to remember.”
“I hope so.”
Sereb turns to them as they step outside. “Back again?”
Arc nods. “We’re going to get something to eat.”
“Would you like to come?”
Sereb shakes his head. “No, thank you. I shall remain here.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “You sure?”
“I am.”
Dinky runs out of the building with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed. They all hurry over to him. Apple Bloom is the first to speak.
“Dinky says we’re going out to eat!”
Sweetie Belle trots in place happily. “Are we?!”
Derpy giggles. “Sure we are.”
Babs Seed squeals. “This is going to be SO much fun!”
Arc chuckles. “So where does everyone want to go?”
Dinky points a hoof toward the city. “Cozy Glow was telling us about a place she and Stellar Eclipse went to on the last day of school.”
Apple Bloom puts a hoof to her chin. “What was it called again?”
Babs Seed grins. “It was ‘The Cat’s Meow’.”
Sweetie Belle shrugs. “Weird name, but okay.”
Derpy appears confused. “Does anypony know where it is?”
Dinky nods. “She pointed it out to me once. This way.”
Leading the group, Dinky heads toward a side road. Eventually they come to a small but well-kept building. Entering, the smells of cooking food greets their nostrils. Arc motions to a table.
“This looks like a good place.”
Derpy smiles. “Agreed. Let’s sit here.”
They do so as a waiter walks over with several menus in their paw.
“Welcome to ‘The Cat’s Meow’. Have you dined with us before?”
Dinky giggles. “Nope. First time.”
Sweetie Belle grins. “Our friend Cozy Glow said this place was good though.”
“Ah, the small pink Pegasi. She and her guardian come her often.”
Apple Bloom gasps happily. “Then we’re in for a treat!”
Setting the menus before them, the waiter pulls out an order pad and looks around the table.
“Can I start everyone off with something to drink?”
Arc raises a hand. “I’ll have a water.”
Derpy smiles. “Apple Juice, please.”
Dinky clops her hooves together. “Me too!”
Apple Bloom waves a hoof. “Me three!”
Sweetie Belle shrugs. “Water for me.”
Babs Seed looks nervous. “I… guess I’ll have a water too.”
The waiter nods as he writes.
“I’ll get those for you while you look over the menus.”
He heads to the kitchen as everyone looks over the pictures. Babs Seed appears confused.
“What… is all this again?”
Arc looks over. “A menu showing what the restaurant serves.”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “Haven’t you ever been out before?”
Babs Seed sighs and shakes her head. “Just to the Tasty Treat that one time.”
Apple Bloom shrugs. “We don’t go out to eat very often.”
Derpy smiles. “As good a cook as Granny Smith and Applejack are I can understand why not. But I’m a little lost myself.”
Arc clears his throat. “Dinky, would you switch places with me please?”
“Sure dad.”
Standing, the pair trade chairs. Arc sits down between Derpy and Babs Seed. Setting his menu down between them he goes over it.
“Restaurants all work about the same. First you order the drinks.”
Babs Seed looks toward the Kitchen door. “Like we just did?”
“Right. Then while the server is getting them you look over appetizers.”
Derpy gazes at the menu. “What are they?”
Arc points to a section of the menu. “Small plates of food to get you ready for the main course. Salads, soups, chips, that sort of thing. If everyone is ready to order the entrees at that point our waiter will take the order. If not, he’ll put in the appetizer’s order and check back in a few minutes.”
Babs Seed looks up to Arc. “Then what?”
“Then we order what are called ‘entrees’, which are the bulk of the meal. Think of it like the main course.”
Derpy appears suddenly nervous. “Does it take long to make? I’d hate to be responsible for making them work harder.”
“The chefs in a place like this make the same things every day. So I would assume they have it down to a science at this point. That frees us up to do other things.”
Dinky grins. “So we can sit around and talk like we did at the Tasty Treat, dad?!”
“Exactly.”
The waiter returns with their drinks and sets them before the group.
“Now then, are you all ready to order?”
Arc nods. “Yes, I’ll have the Fish Bites.”
Derpy points a hoof. “Can I have the Beetroot Humus?”
Dinky giggles. “Give me an order of Beans and Toast please.”
Apple Bloom licks her lips. “I’d like a Caramel Apple Cheeseball.”
Sweetie Belle smiles. “Just give me a Fruit Salad.”
Babs Seed grimaces. “I… don’t really know what to get.”
Arc looks to her. “How about the same as your cousin?”
“That sounds okay.”
Arc looks to the waiter. “Give her a Caramel Apple Cheeseball too.”
“Very good. Now then, would you like to order the main courses now or later?”
“We’ll take some time to think about what we wait over the appetizers.”
Nodding, the waiter heads to the Kitchen. Dinky turns to her father.
“So how long do you think you’ll be here, dad?”
“Either until the leaders of a few towns finish negotiating with Twilight, or something goes wrong.”
Derpy gasps. “Do you think it will?”
“I hope not. But I know Twilight and the others will call if they need me.”
Babs Seed shrinks back nervously. “So what’s going on in Equestria?”
“A cold war.”
Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
Dinky raises a hoof. “It’s where two sides want to fight, but either can’t or won’t.”
Arc nods. “Right.”
Apple Bloom frowns. “I don’t get it. Who are we supposed to be fighting?”
“Princess Celestia and Decimus’ forces.”
Derpy gasps. “But that would mean ponies would have to fight other ponies!”
“It will most likely come to that, yes.”
Babs Seed sighs. “Why though?”
“Because she and Decimus went against me, betrayed the public, and attacked Ponyville. They have to be stopped.”
Sweetie Belle appears hopeful. “Can’t you talk her out of it, or something.”
Arc sighs. “The time for talk is most likely over.”
“But you have to try, dad!”
“I will, sweetheart. She only gets one chance though.”
Clenching a fist, Arc grits his teeth.
“After that it… is… ON!”
Sometime later their food arrives. They all eat happily before ordering the main courses which are then brought to them post-haste. Derpy looks to Dinky.
“This is great!”
“I’ll say!”
Apple Bloom swallows and looks to Sweetie Belle. “It’s really flavorful!”
Sweetie Belle looks at Arc’s plate nervously. “Yes, well… other than your breakfast, Arc.”
Babs Seed shrugs. “But he needs to keep his strength up if he’s going to have to fight Princess Celestia, right?”
“Exactly. And this fish is quite tasty too.”
Derpy looks over to the plate. “I must admit, it does smell… interesting.”
“Want a bite?”
“Kinda. But I’m not sure my pony stomach could handle it.”
“I talked to Doctor Whooves back in Canterlot Castle about that very thing. He says that as long as it’s properly cooked a pony can eat a small amount of meat.”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “Really?!”
Arc nods. “Yup. The down side is that they’ll find it hard to chew. That and they won’t get much nutrition from it.”
He turns to Derpy again.
“So do you want to try it?”
“Okay. But just a small bite, please.”
Nodding, Arc cuts a small chunk and puts it in Derpy’s open mouth. She carefully chews it and puts a hoof to her chin.
“It’s very… interesting.”
Babs Seed grimaces. “Miss Derpy?”
“The texture is nothing like a cheeseburger.”
Dinky looks to her father. “Because it’s a different kind of meat?”
Arc nods. “That and because it’s not ground up like hamburger is.”
Apple Bloom appears concerned. “How’s the flavor, Miss Derpy?”
“It’s very nice. But swallowing it felt kinda funny.”
Sweetie Belle frowns. “Are you going to be okay?!”
“I believe so, yes.”
Dinky looks to her father. “Can I try some?”
“If it’s okay with your mother.”
Derpy nods. “That’s fine. Just a small piece though.”
Arc cuts another small chunk and carefully forks it into his daughter’s mouth. Chewing slowly she grins.
“That’s really good!”
Sweetie Belle gasps. “Dinky?”
“It’s so flavorful! Can I order that next time?!”
Derpy smiles nervously. “That might not be a good idea, sweetie.”
Arc nods. “Right. Doctor Whooves was very insistent that only small portions of meat should be eaten by equines.”
Babs Seed appears confused. “Equines?”
Apple Bloom giggles. “Ponies.”
Dinky pats her belly. “What if I was a human?!”
Arc puts a hand to his chin, thoughtfully. “That would probably work. But not this time though, sweetheart.”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “Why not?”
Babs Seed grins. “Yeah! I wanna see Dinky as a human filly!”
“Well for starters, I don’t actually know that spell.”
Derpy motions to the door. “And Sereb isn’t here to cast it.”
Dinky shrugs. “That and we don’t have any clothes.”
Babs Seed frowns. “What do you need clothes for?”
Sweetie Belle groans. “Humans can’t be walking around without them. Rarity told me that when she was making Arc something a while back.”
Apple Bloom puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “Applejack said something like that too. But I still don’t understand why.”
Arc chuckles. “If you became humans you’d figure it out pretty quick.”
Babs Seed looks hopeful. “Could we?”
Sweetie Belle grins. “Rarity could make up something.”
Arc chuckles. “Another time.”
Derpy giggles. “I think they’d all make very cute little girls.”
“If Dinky was any indication, you’re right.”
Dinky smiles at her friends. “And walking on my back legs was wild!”
Apple Bloom clops her front hooves together. “That sounds like fun!”
Babs Seed stands and taps her back hooves on the floor. “Yeah! I can’t wait until we can try it!”
Derpy giggles. “You’ll have to practice walking on your hind legs first.”
Sweetie Belle giggles. “It can’t be THAT hard. After all, Pinkie Pie does it all the time.”
Arc nods. “And she probably had to practice a lot to get to that point.”
Dinky looks at her friends. “You three could do it.”
Derpy puts a hoof on Arc’s hand. “Yes. After all I was able to figure it out with Arc’s help.”
They finish their food as the waiter walks over.
“Can I get you anything else?”
Arc looks around the table. “Anyone want dessert?”
“For breakfast, dad?”
Arc shrugs. “I’m having some.”
Derpy giggles. “That sounds lovely!”
Arc looks to the waiter. “We’ll each have a slice of chocolate cake and a scoop of ice cream please.”
“Very well. I’ll be right back.”
He leaves as Apple Bloom turns to Arc.
“This has been one hay of a strange breakfast, Arc.”
Babs Seed giggles. “Agreed. But it’s been a lot of fun!”
“Glad you’re happy. Tell me, how are you getting along with the Apple family, Babs?”
“It’s great! Way better than being at the orphanage in Vanhoover ever was!”
Apple Bloom puts a hoof around her cousin’s shoulder. “And we’re happy you’re here too!”
Sweetie Belle giggles. “Right!”
“That and I still get to see most of my old friends from the orphanage at school too.”
Arc smiles. “So you’re happy then?”
Babs Seed nods. “Very!”
“Good.”
“Dad?”
“Yes Dinky?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Are you?”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Am I what?”
“Happy.”
“Of course, sweetheart. But what brought this up?”
Dinky sighs. “I’m just worried about your future.”
“Oh?”
“Maybe that wasn’t the best way to put it. What I mean is your relationship future.”
Derpy looks to her daughter. “You mean him getting married?”
Dinky nods. “Yeah. How are things going with your friends?”
Apple Bloom frowns. “That’s kinda personal isn’t it?”
Sweetie Belle nods. “Right. At least that’s what Rarity said when I asked her the same thing.”
“I suppose to most people it would be, yes. However all of you have a stake in this too, since your family members are my, uh… marefriends, I suppose. So to answer Dinky’s question, I haven’t actually had much time to get to know all of them yet.”
Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “No dates or anything?”
“Well… I did have dinner with Rarity. Not really sure that counts as an official date though.”
Sweetie Belle grins. “I think it did. After all, you spent the night with her.”
Babs Seed gasps. “He did?”
“Yes. Rarity accidently burned my back with some very hot tea. After helping me shower she helped me to the bedroom and put salve on my back.”
Arc chuckles as he continues.
“Best night I’ve had yet.”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “But I thought you said Rarity hurt you.”
“She did, yes. But it gave us an opportunity to talk.”
Apple Bloom grins. “What about?”
“About our feelings mostly. And what we wanted.”
Arc turns to Sweetie Belle.
“That was when I realized that I was in love with your sister.”
Sweetie Belle looks around and lowers her voice. “So did you two… um… you know…?”
Arc shakes his head. “No, I didn’t have sex with Rarity.”
Dinky looks to her father. “Would that have been bad?”
“At the time, yes. You see, Rarity was still really upset about what had happened and not in her right mind because of it. Had I done anything more with her, it would have been taking advantage of her fragile state of mind. In my opinion anyways.”
Babs Seed puts a hoof to her chin. “So a mare and a stallion having sex is a bad thing?”
Apple Bloom shrugs. “That’s not how it was explained to me, no.”
Arc clears his throat. “Yes and no. Yes it’s bad if the timing is wrong or the mare doesn’t want that level of intimacy. No it’s not bad inasmuch as that’s how foals are made. Look around you. Everyone around this table… around this room… in this country and all of them really, they were all created by a male and female having sex.”
Babs Seed sighs. “I guess I just never thought about it that way before.”
Apple Bloom blushes slightly as she speaks. “My parents… I’ve seen the pictures of them in granny’s photo albums. They always looked to happy together. While I’ve always known that they must’ve had sex to make me, Big Mac, and Applejack… it just wasn’t something that I could picture them doing.”
Babs Seed shrugs. “But like he said, we all got started that way.”
Sweetie Belle sighs and bows her head. “Well… not all of us.”
Dinky puts a hoof on her friend’s fetlock. “We all know what happened to Rarity, Sweetie Belle. But none of that was your fault.”
“I know that. But everypony else at least had parents who wanted them. I was… a mistake.
Derpy smiles as she pats Sweetie Belle’s head. “As a mare whom was taken advantage of, I can honestly say that isn’t true.”
“How?”
“Unlike Rarity, I remember everything from that night. The sound of the crickets… the smell of woodsmoke from the campfire… the look of happiness on his face… and the feeling of warmth as the deed was done. Even though I was used by that stallion and tossed away when I got pregnant, I never once viewed Dinky as ‘a mistake’.”
“You don’t, mom?”
Derpy shakes her head. “No dear. You’re a very special little filly to me, and I’m very happy that you’re here.”
Dinky hugs her mother.
“I love you mom.”
“And I love you too, dear.”
A few moments later the waiter returns with a tray. Setting it in the center of the table he turns to Arc with the bill.
“Will there be anything else, sir?”
Arc shakes his head. “That should do it, thanks.”
Removing a bag of bits from his ring, he gives them to the waiter.
“Keep the change.”
“Thank you, sir.”
As they eat, Dinky turns to her father.
“We got a little sidetracked there.”
“Oh?”
“On our conversation.”
“I suppose we did. Where were we?”
“We were just asking questions.”
“Do you have any more?”
Apple Bloom raises a hoof. “I have one.”
Arc turns to her. “Yes?”
“Have you gone out on a date with Applejack yet?”
Arc shakes his head. “No. The only ones I’ve dated already are Rarity and Fluttershy.”
Dinky raises an eyebrow. “What about Miss Hammer, dad?”
“Those were fact finding missions. Not real dates.”
Babs Seed giggles. “Anypony else?”
“Well, I’ve had dinner with Rainbow Dash and her parent’s several time now. It wasn’t what I would call a ‘date’ though.”
Sweetie Belle appears expectant. “Who are you going to date next then?”
“I haven’t actually given it much thought. Things have been crazy lately.”
Dinky points to her mother. “How about mom then?”
Derpy blushes deeply. “M-me?!”
Babs Seed giggles. “Yeah! I think they’d have a nice time together!”
Apple Bloom nods approvingly. “Right!”
Derpy wrings her hooves. “But… but I don’t have anything fancy to wear!”
Arc smiles at her. “It’s okay, Derpy. We can go casual if you want.”
Sweetie Belle shakes her head. “That won’t do! We can find you something special for this!”
Babs Seed nods. “Right. Somepony has to have something.”
Derpy blushes slightly. “Well… I suppose I’d like to get out and do something. That is… if you’d like to, Arc.”
“Sure. But I guess that means there’s just one thing left to do.”
“What’s that, dad?”
“This.”
Arc turns to Derpy and takes her hoof in his hand.
“Derpy… would you like to go out with me?”
“Y-yes! Yes, I would! When would you like to go?!”
“Tonight work for you?”
“That it does!”
“Good. Now all we have to do is find someone to watch Dinky while we’re out.”
Dinky grins. “I’ll stay at the orphanage with the others like I normally do.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Usually do?”
Babs Seed shrugs. “Foals stay at the new orphanage while the adults sleep in the bunkhouse.”
Sweetie Belle giggles. “It’s really nice being with all our friends.”
Apple Bloom clops her front hooves together happily. “You’ll see it when you come by to pick Miss Derpy up for your date.”
Babs Seed smiles. “So where are you two going?”
Arc puts a hand to his chin. “I’m not actually sure.”
“Want some help planning something, dad?”
“Sure, sweetheart.”
The group finishes their dessert and leave the restaurant together.