My Dear Shy - Life in Equestria

by Keeper-of-Harmony

Father's Day Special

Two weeks.

It's been officially two weeks since my arrival here in Equestria. Well, technically two weeks and three days, and each of those days wasn't that exciting. But my very first day... Boy, that was one heck of a party Pinkie Pie held. Granted, she can be extremely annoying when she blabbers anything nonstop, and I mean anything whether it's about parties or whatever topic springs to her mind, but that 'Welcome to Ponyville' party was something. I practically stuffed myself up with sweets and fruit punch until I felt like I was gonna burst like a thoroughly-packed pinata.

Besides that, nothing new or interesting had happened in those two weeks. Which is saying something given the genre of the show.

Well, that was until the sixteenth day...

Father's Day.

Ah, yes. A particular day when we praise our fathers with gifts as a token of paternal appreciation. My daughter was overwhelmingly eager for this. She already had plans sorted for a whole day of father and daughter bonding. I was looking forward to it, knowing my dear Shy knew me well than any other person or pony could, so she endeavor to make this memorable.

But this Father's Day is unlike any other Father's Day.

It all starts on a fine day at noon. The sky devoid of clouds, the heat comfortable to walk in with just an orange t-shirt and blue jeans, the sweet aroma of flowers pervades the air. It still fills me with felicity to breathe in the clean air instead of exhaust. Everything else is bliss.

Fluttershy and I take a promenade to Ponyville, pondering on which outdoor cafe would be ideal for my first gift. Like I said, my daughter made plans for Father's Day and the first thing that crossed her mind was to have lunch at a cafe. Of course, it wouldn't go without saying that while we've been ambling through the town I've been given curious and skeptical glances by the pony folk.

The majority of the citizens around us are stallions, being this is Father's Day 'n' all. The colts and fillies accompanying them are pointing tiny hooves at me, asking their fathers questions aloud like "What is that, Daddy?" or "Where did it come from?"

I even see a colt that has a teal coat with an ocean-blue mane blurting out incoherent profanities, which earned the little shit a smack upside the head by a mare (presumably his mother). I couldn't help but snicker at that. Both the colt swearing and his mother whapping him upside the head.

As we wander around searching, we inadvertently run into Twilight Sparkle who is accompanied by a young, blue stallion who I presume is her father.

Twilight is the one to see us straight away amongst the crowd. "Fancy meeting you two here!" She says cheerfully in mild surprise. "I take it you two are out here for Father's Day too?"

I open my mouth, but my daughter speaks up before I could. "Of course," Fluttershy answers, beaming a friendly smile.

Upon the mention of my name, the stallion points his attention to me. "Oh, so you must be this 'human' my daughter talked about. You know she's spoken kindly of you."

I place the knuckle of my index finger just below my bottom lip. "Oh has she?" I ask.

"Most certainly," he replies with a chipper tone. "You know I would too if somepony saved my best friend's life. At least that's what my daughter here said." The stallion raises a hoof and gently scratches Twilight's noggin. "Isn't that right my little Twilight?"

Twilight's cheeks burn bright red as she softly elbows her father's side. "Dad!" she whines, swatting the hoof away. "Don't say it like that, I'm not a filly anymore!"

I laugh, albeit softly and quietly. "Daughters, am I right?"

"Indeed so," Twilight's father concurs with small chuckles. "It's amazing how they grow up so fast. By the way, the name's Night Light."

"The name's Rick Gärtners," I say, returning the pleasantry.

"That's a rather... unique name," Night Light says.

"Yeah. It's the name my foster parents gave me," I sneer, my right lip and nose curling up with anger at the thought of them. "But, I digress. To further answer Twilight's question, yes; my dear Shy here is taking me to a cafe and is footing the bill as part of her Father's Day present."

"What a coincidence, we're going to a cafe ourselves," Night Light says. Twilight still has the blush on her face, looking away. "My daughter here had everything planned days before Father's Day. After the cafe, we'll be going to a museum of Equestria's history BC."

"BC?" I ask.

"Before Celestia," Night Light clarifies.

I mouth a soundless oh and say, "Well, anyway, I suppose we'll be getting along now—"

"Oh, wait!" Fluttershy interjects. "Why not we let Twilight and her father join us at the cafe too?"

Twilight's blush fades quickly as her demeanor perks. "That's a wonderful idea!" Twilight chimes eagerly. She looks to Night Light, who nods, and looks to Fluttershy whose smile is also stretching from ear to ear. All three of the ponies are now looking to me, Twilight and Fluttershy both having anticipating looks on their faces.

I roll my eyes, then huff a relinquished sigh. "Very well," I say, shrugging. "If my daughter wishes it, I won't argue."

Fluttershy nuzzles the side of my leg, while Twilight keeps her joyful grin. Something about Twilight being overly joyful of Fluttershy's suggestion has me a tad suspicious, yet I think of it that they're friends who greatly enjoy each other's company. Nothing else.

Twilight and Night Light begin their move as Fluttershy and I pursuit as they usher the way. After several minutes of searching, we find a quaint cafe. There are a plethora of round, white, outdoor wooden tables scattered around with chairs to match. Each table has a pink vase with a single rose in every one of them. As for the building, it looks to be your typical, small establishment like a Starbucks, only the roof of hay being the difference. But what catches me is the name plastered on the sign.

'Penny's?' I question in thought. 'Rather interesting name...'

The place is abuzz with a myriad of stallions having the time of their lives with their sons and/or daughters, whether they're young or old or in one case I swear I see four generations sitting at one table. A lot of the tables are occupied but thank heavens there are a couple of vacant ones available. We manage to find a table with only two chairs, though we have to borrow from another two tables that weren't using the extra chairs to make up the four we need.

Twilight uses her magic to pull her father's seat. Fluttershy, using her wings, pulls mine. While I wasn't too keen to let my daughter treat me to lunch, she insisted without taking no for an answer. I would've been able to treat myself, it's just that the last time I tried I got kicked out. How was I supposed to know dollar bills were useless in Equestria? Well, with a wallet full of Washingtons, Lincolns, and a Jefferson, I guess they could provide as emergency toilet paper.

Ahaha... No.

Once we were all seated, a mare wearing a red and white striped cap on her head saunters up to us. The mare's coat is light-tan, her brown mane tied up into a ponytail, her flank bearing a heart with a baby bottle overlaying the right of it as a cutie mark.

She has a content smile, the green saddlebags strapped both to her sides bop as she approaches. "Hello there, and welcome to Penny's," the mare says happily, "I will be your waitress today." She dives her muzzle into the left saddlebag, withdrawing four menus and places them on the table. "What can I get you, fine folks?"

Twilight's horn glows as she levitates one of the menus in front of her, scanning it for a few seconds before deciding, "I'll have your daisy sandwich with a glass of water, please."

Night Light also levitates one of the menus and pores through whatever's on there. "Since my daughter's treating me, I think I'll order a daisy sandwich too, without the crust. Oh, and a glass of your famous 'Moon Juice'."

Twilight gives him a peculiar look. "What's that?" She asks, raising a brow.

"It's a combination of two things, Twilight. Coffee, and a cocktail called 'Moonshake'. Just mix an espresso with the shaken cocktail and serve."

I also raise a curious eyebrow. "I didn't know you had liqueur here."

"Well," Night Light begins. "I don't know what ones you had, but they're not well known. It's a case of knowing somepony who knows somepony kind of situations if you want some. It's not illegal, just hard to come by," he adds. Night Light and Twilight hover their menus back to the waitress.

"Alrighty," our waitress mutters after jotting down the orders on a small notebook with a pen in her mouth. How ponies can do that skillfully is beyond my comprehension. Another thing that puzzles me is how this mare acts so content and relaxed around me even when some of the other ponies surrounding us have been eyeing me a bit strangely as if I'm some freaky science project let loose. She turns to me and Fluttershy, ready to write our order. "And what can I get you two?"

Out of curiosity, I lean forward and ask softly, "Uh, I don't mean to come out... blunt, but, aren't you afraid of me, or nervous at all?"

The mare's eyes remain glued to her notebook as she replies, "We welcome all customers here at Penny's, alien or not. We're not like any other cafe or establishment; long as the customer pays the bill, we are unbiased," she answers casually.

"I see," I respond blandly, sitting back in my chair. "I'm liking this place already." I reach for one of the two remaining menus and examine the selections.

At the very top is a big, bolded 'Beverages' and below there are various names for the said drinks. First, we have the 'Moon Juice' that even had #1 Selling beside it (I suppose that's why Night Light announced it as "famous"), but with 'For Adults Only' texted on it's right.
Second is 'Fresh 'n' Fruity'. It had a list of the contents which include: pineapple, strawberry, blueberry and lastly banana. And there's 'Iced Tea' and 'Root Beer Float'. Are... are they serious? No witty name, or anything? Oh well, at least they have floats. And since I'm in the mood for something sweet, I decide to go with the root beer float, but I closely check the price beforehand.

'Two bits? That seems about fair. Not too expensive, not too cheap,' I say in thought. I momentarily lower the menu and raise a single finger. "I think I'll quench myself with your guys' root beer float," I declare.

"Good choice," the waitress says, "and what dish would you like to order with your float?"

I peek at the menu once more, and there are three categories: Breakfast, Lunch, and, last but not the least, Dinner. Being noon, I peruse the choices under Lunch.

First, we have Buttered Biscuits. Riveting... The second we have... Cinnamon Swirl?

'Okay, that's more of a dessert than lunch, but I'll dismiss that for now.'

Third, we have Daisy Sandwich, which is definitely out of the question. I'm not a vegetarian if that's been obvious from the get-go. And fourth we have... Quesadilla? I guess there's no escaping Mexican food, no matter what universe I'm in.

I opt for the buttered biscuits without glancing at the other options. "And to go with that float I'd like an order of buttered biscuits." Fluttershy softly nudges my arm. "Please," I add, handing the menu over to the waitress who just finished scribbling.

She stashes the menu in her saddlebags and looks to Fluttershy. "And what about you, miss?" the mare queries.

"Just iced tea, please," Fluttershy kindly requests, not having to look through the menu. She probably has been here plenty of times to know their selections.

I turn to my daughter quizzically. "Not going to eat?" I ask.

"Not really hungry right now," Fluttershy replies. "I kinda had a big breakfast."

"Alright, if you're sure," I say, shrugging. I take the last menu and hand it to the waitress.

"So we have two daisy sandwiches, one without the crust. One buttered biscuit. One Moon Juice, light on the ice. One iced tea. A glass of water and a root beer float," our waitress proclaims. "Will that be all for now, folks?"

"Yes," Twilight confirmed.

"Yup," Night Light seconded.

"Mhmm," Fluttershy hums loudly.

"Mhmm," I hum with an affirming nod.

"Great! I'll be back with your drinks shortly," the mare chirps before she ambles toward another table.

I groan inwardly. 'Yeah, great, except now we gotta wait for our food for who knows how long.' My fingers softly drum on the wooden table's surface as I watch Twilight and her father sitting around quietly and patiently for our beverages to arrive. Meanwhile, Fluttershy is sky gazing, admiring the cloudless yonder as she hums a harmonious tune to herself.

I couldn't help but take notice of the rhythm. It sounds vaguely familiar to something I used to listen to years ago.

I cross my arms and smirk. "Humming your old man's favorite song, huh?"

Fluttershy rips her gaze from the sky and smiles at me brightly. "Yes," she replies before she starts humming again.

I stretch a warm smile and rest an elbow on the table with my chin on my palm, listening to my daughter's most beautiful hums. The times I've heard her sing, I'd get so lost in her angelic melodies; I would melt just from hearing her silky voice. So soothing, so... enchanting. I close my eyes, letting tranquility wash over me.

Sure I can exaggerate when it comes to praising my daughter. But take my word for it.

It feels like time has gone fast forward, for by the time my dear Shy stops her humming, I open my eyes to find our drinks on the table. The mare that was our waitress is already gone. Have I... dozed off for a bit? Well, it doesn't matter. The beverages are here, and I am parched.

I sit upright and observe my float, awestruck as it is not a wee glass but a remarkably-large mug full of fizzy root beer that could quench the thirstiest of the thirsty. I watch as a stream of foam trails down the side of the mug, the sight causing me to lick my lips. For two bits I did not expect this, but I wasn't complaining either. Pleased with my choice, I firmly grab the thick handle and start chugging it down in vigor. I've gotten about four mouthfuls before stopping to catch my breath.

As it is notoriously root beer, the stuff works its carbonated magic as my stomach gurgles loudly, and I feel something crawling up to my throat and eventually to my mouth. My cheeks bulge before I release a mighty, resonating burp. I gently slam my mug down on the table, wiped away the foam mustache under my nose, and smiled in pure satisfaction.

"Now that there is a float!" I exclaim satisfyingly.

But the hushed-slash-loud conversations that once surrounded us are gone. I look around the area and see that the ponies are staring at me even more strangely, excluding my daughter who continues drinking her iced tea through a straw. Few of the colts and fillies giggle while the adult ponies speechlessly gawk for possibly about a minute until they return to their babbling.

I face forward where Twilight and Night Light are exchanging me similar looks the ponies gave me. Well, not really in regards to that. They seem a bit... astonished? The word's there, I just can't think of an accurate term. Regardless, Night Light is the first to speak up after the brief silence.

"Well, didn't know you had that in you, Rick," Night Light comments with a chuckle.

"Heh, yeah, my bad," I respond with a slight grin. "How often do you drink coffee, anyway?"

"I've got it on good authority that Princess Luna, while she can hold her liquor, coffee has a more... pronounced effect on her. Princess Celestia made her this concoction to see what would happen."

"And... What exactly did transpire?" I query.

"Have you ever seen an all but immortal Princess off her plot; drunk and buzzed out of her mind on coffee? Word of mouth found its way to me, and dozens of coffee pots and bottles of liquor later, she kept comically proclaiming she could fly. You should have seen the state of her!"

Twilight's horn sparks to life as a purplish aura envelopes her glass of water. The edge of the cup floats up to her lips as she took a small, silent sip. Setting it back down, the unicorn leans her torso forward, placing both elbows on the table and rests her chin between her crossed forelegs, her eyes fixated on me.

"So, Rick, how has living in Equestria been faring you?" Twilight inquires.

"Aside from the stares, somewhat fairly," I reply, somewhat enthusiastic.

Twilight perked a small smile. "That sounds good. So what else have you been doing for the past week or two?"

I lean backward, teetering on the chair's rear legs back and forth, with my feet rooted on the ground to stay balanced, as I contemplate. I then stand the chair back on to its fours. "Well, I'm still trying to finish up that book I borrowed from you. I've only gotten up to the creepy bit where the filly finds a sketchy town filled with sketchy ponies in the middle of a forest."

"Ah, yes, that book. I've read it myself and it is true to its genre," Twilight nods before taking another sip of her water.

"Yeah," I wholly agree, "the ambiance the book builds is bone-chillingly descriptive. Props to the writer. I really am curious as to what happens next."

"You'll have to read more to find out," Twilight teases with a wink.

"Hmm. Fair enough," I say, smiling wryly.

"Long as we're asking questions," Night Light butts in, "my daughter told me you lived in a different world." He gingerly rubbed the bottom of his chin. "Memory's sort of faint, but you used to live on a planet called Earth, right?"

"Correctomundo," I reply.

"Ah, so what is Earth like, if you don't mind explaining?"

"Well," I begin, scratching the bristly facial hair underneath my chin, "Earth isn't much "different" than your world in comparison. The major difference between yours and ours is we have advanced technology. I mean, in our world we have these things called cell phones that enable us to communicate with people around the world without having to go speak to them face to face."

"Very much like sending letters," Night Light remarks.

"A much more advanced and immediate way of sending letters," I quickly add. "With a few presses of a button, you can verbally communicate with anybody in an instant, whether they're on the opposite end of the world, there's no limit to how far cell phones can reach."

"I see," Night Light mutters. "Sounds like your kind is quite more advanced than us."

"To some degree. Even though your world is a bit primitive, you guys have magic whereas we don't. I certainly can't levitate things with my mind."

Twilight covers her mouth with a hoof and gasps. "You mean to tell me you don't have magic in your world?!"

"Allow me to reiterate," I say, "that we DO have so-called "magic". But it's not quite the same as your world's. Y'see, our way of magic is smoke and mirrors. To simply put it in layman's terms, our magic is fake and is a scam to rob people's money. Plain and simple."

Appalled, Twilight utters, "That... That's just..."

"Awful, I know," I finish for her. I grab my mug for a quick swig and set it back down. "We humans have to make a living, whether it's an honest job or not."

"Speaking of which, I-"

Twilight is suddenly cut off when our waitress finally arrives, carrying a platter with our food atop of it on her head. Carefully, the mare sets the platter down on the table.

"Here are your orders and the bill, folks! Remain seated once you've finished, and place the payment on the platter and I'll mosey on by to retrieve it. Thank you for choosing Penny's!"

And with that she quickly trots off, leaving us to our food. I stare deprecatingly down at my petite dish, but the luxurious scent of melted butter in the biscuits almost has made me drool, and I hadn't eaten much of breakfast earlier today. I rub my palms together with the tip of my tongue sticking out the corner of my lips and grab the warm, fluffy biscuit, mouth opening wide as I am about to take the first bite. That is until Twilight continues.

"As I was saying... What was your occupation on Earth?"

Irritated, though not visibly shown, I lower the biscuit and rolled my right wrist. "Journalism. Just your average kind of job, and I've worked as a journalist for more than five years." I ready for the bite once more, only to be stopped by another question.

"That's very fascinating," Twilight says in slight interest. "What were the best events you ever recorded or written into the newspaper? Surely you've written some engrossing topics."

I rest the biscuit onto its miniature plate, my face contorting a little. "Eehhh... Not exactly," I say in an unassured, cracked voice. "They weren't, uh, "engrossing" as you might think."

"Come now, Rick, surely there's some attainment you had to have done if you've rolled journalism for several years. There's no need to be reticent or cryptic about it."

"Well," I begin, scratching the side of my face, "I guess it wouldn't-"

Across a couple tables, I could hear some crying. Craning my neck to try and locate its source, I see a lighter lavender unicorn filly with blonde hair crying, hugging an older, grey pegasus mare who also has blonde hair.

So where's the stallion of a father? While I'm not that close-minded on the matter of a mother taking the role of a father, I'm the kind of man who was raised by a traditional family who has been taught traditional values. I personally believe that a family should consist of a mother and father. But there's probably more to this than what I'm assuming.

"Excuse me," I say to Twilight, keeping my gaze fixed on the duo.

Rising from my seat, I saunter to the pegasus who is desperately trying to calm the wailing unicorn filly.

"Rick, where you going?" Twilight hollers.

"Just give me a second," I reply loudly. Once I reach the table with the pegasus mare and unicorn filly, I look down at the two with a stern gaze. "What's going on around here?" I demand.

"I'm s-sorry, mister," the gray pegasus shakily apologizes, "I-I'm really trying to..."

The mother holds her breath when I crouch down next to her wailing daughter. "Hey," I say to the filly softly, whose wailing ceases momentarily, "what's the matter, little one?"

"I don't have a daddy," squeaks the sniffling filly. I could tell from the mother's expression that her heart has cracked from the middle, both halves falling away from each other. I'm going to assume two things: either the father has passed away or the filly could be adopted. Either way, it's saddening to listen to a child's cry.

"Oh..." I murmur, feeling sympathetic. "That's, well, unfortunate to hear. It really is. But you want to hear a secret?" I whisper, one hand cupped at the side of my mouth.

"What is it?" the filly asks curiously, no longer sniffling or tearing.

"When I was— Actually, beforehand, what's your name, and how exactly old are you?"

"My name? Dinky, and I'm turning five in three weeks," Dinky answers.

"Alright, Dinky," I say, tittering at the name. "As I was saying, when I was maybe two years old, I was raised by foster parents. I... didn't really have a real mother and/or father."

"Really?" Dinky asks.

"Yes, really," I admit. "Foster parents just aren't the same, let me tell you that. Even if you don't have a father, I'd say you are most lucky to have your real mother who'll love you unconditionally. No. Matter. What." I quickly look at the pegasus who is also listening. "If I were you, I'd be extremely happy to be with her every second because nothing is greater than a mother's love. If you look over there," I point at my daughter sitting at our table waving at me happily, "that's my daughter, and I raised her as a single father."

Dinky shifts her gaze between me and Fluttershy. She tilts her head in confusion. "Is she your real daughter?"

"A-haha..." I titter. "Well... no. Not biologically, anyway. But that's not the point. What matters is that you have a mother who'll always be there for you, care for you, and will always love you. Keep that to heart." I ruffle her mane a little, and the filly lets out a jovial giggle.

The filly stands on her hind legs and wraps her forehooves around my neck. "Thank you, mister," Dinky says gratefully.

I was a bit surprised at this but return the hug in kind. "You're welcome."

Dinky sits back down on her seat, no longer frowning. "Will... Will you be my daddy? Just for today?" She implores with puppy-dog eyes.

My eyes widen in disbelief. Why on Ea-I mean Equestria-would someone, let alone a filly, ask a complete stranger to be her father for a day? Furthermore, I didn't even introduce myself, so I'm rather shocked at the sudden trust the filly has for me. In brief silence, I look at my daughter, who overheard the entire speech, and she nods indulgently.

I then look up, as I am still crouched, at the smiling pegasus mare. "And you're okay with this, miss...?" I ask.

"Ditzy. Ditzy Doo," the blonde pegasus replies, "and if it means a lot to her, I won't oppose."

'Heh. That sounds just like what I said moments ago.' I then look back at the filly with a soft smile. "Then of course," I finally answer.

What entailed after those three words? Well, let's just say I made a filly's day, made an actual new friend, and considered renaming diabeetus to Dinkybeetus.

Comments

[Kwality Stuff]

Loving it!

[Keeper-of-Harmony]

4624041 May have been overdue, but I'm glad this got to see the light of day.

[akarock]

Awwwwwwwwwwwww

[Brother Roga]

*dies of Dinkybeetus*

[dargondarkfire]

DDDDDDDAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW..... HURK!
*dies from dinkybeetus*

[Matdat]

Readin on a bus through my phone, so, to keep it short: d'aaw

Cute slice-of-life chapter

[NightDancer]