Galen was the first to wake up the morning after their little party. He felt a good deal warmer than he should have and noticed a faint weight draped across his chest. Opening his bleary eyes, he looked down at himself and found a wing draped across his torso. Following it up to its owner, he found Alexandria cuddled up to his side, purring gently in her sleep. He grinned at the situation and couldn't help himself as he brought a hand up and around to lightly tickle around her collar bone, where feathers gave way to fur. She let out a little gasp and squirmed under his onslaught, finally waking up with a squeak as he touched on a particularly sensitive nerve. She gave a squawk of alarm and jumped to her paws a couple feet from where she had been, her cheeks flushing with a light pink color. Galen was pretty sure feathers didn't work that way, but there was absolutely no way he could deny its cuteness.

“Sleep well?” he rumbled as a grin split his face. He levered himself up to a reclining position with his elbows so he could watch her easier.

“Wha?!” she spluttered in a high pitched squeak as she looked around in confusion. “What were you doing?! Why were you cuddled up to me like that!”

“Well, Ah was ticklin' yew if ya must know... an' Ah think yew 'ave tha situation reversed, 'ere, Alex,” he replied before his chuckles broke out. “Ah woke up with yer wing draped over me. Yew get cold las' night'? Ah'm pretty sure Pinks an' Jackie migh' be fine with a bit o' cuddlin', but if yew want any more 'n tha', yew'll 'ave ta ask 'em 'bout it...”

She couldn't find any reasonable way to respond as her flush turned into a full on red cheeked blush, so she opted for the next optimal method of expressing herself. Namely the flustered and embarrassed throwing of any handy objects around her. Galen's eyes widened and his laughter cut off as the first empty cider bottle almost clipped his head. He had to drop back to the ground a second later as the bucket he brought passed through where his head had been with a sloshing noise as it still held the melted remains of the ice from the night before. He quickly scrambled to his feet just in time to take a slightly crusty bowl to the face followed by a bottle thumping into his stomach with a hollow noise.

He pried the bowl from his face while sticky bits of stew clung to his face and beard and returned fire with a laugh and a grin. Alexandria was far too agile for his halfhearted throw and snatched it out of the air, throwing it back with much more velocity and nailing him in the forehead with a thwap before it went tumbling off over his head from its speed. Galen glowered at her and she glared right back since nothing else was in easy reach. “That was uncalled for,” she finally said with a huff.

“Oh, come on,” he replied with a sigh and half a smirk. “Yew can't tell me tha' Ah'd let yew get away without a bit o' teasin' after wakin' up like tha'.”

“That may be so, but going so far as to suggest I talk to the mares courting you to join your herd? The nerve!”

“Jus' fer a laugh!” he said with a bark of amusement. “Thought yew could take a joke 'r two!”

“Uggghhh...” came a pitiful moan from Lero. “What's with the fracas? Some people have hangovers to nurse you know...”

“Great, you woke Lero up,” Alex replied with a smug expression as she set him up for the fall.

“Me?! Bollocks ta tha', yew catty little shite! Yew were tha one tha' started throwin' anything yew could get yer mitts on!”

“Yes, you! If you hadn't said what you'd said, this never would have happened, you perverted slag pounder!”

“So says tha daft bird who Ah found cuddled up ta me this mornin'! Yew were purrin' away like a cat who jus' 'ad 'er bowl o' cream an' a cozy place on tha windowsill!”

Alex was just about to shoot back another retort as her blush once again blazed to a brilliant hue when Lero interrupted their little back and forth, “Would you guys give it a rest?! I don't care who started it, but I'm ending it! This headache is absolutely horrible and you two are only making it worse. If you're going to fight, make sure it's to determine who's going to go get me a bucket of water to drink...”

Alex looked abashedly over at Lero and lowered her head while Galen snorted in amusement. “Not much o' a drinker, are ya buddy?”

“Not as such, no,” he replied as he moved to a sitting position and scooted himself over to one of the logs, leaning back with a groan as he shaded his eyes. “I can hold my alcohol, but I get hangovers pretty easily unless I drink a lot of water.”

“Ah get ya,” Galen replied. “Well, there's nothin' fer it, Ah guess. Come on, Leera, up yew go. Let's get yew back ta tha farm an' a nice spot ta lay down.” To match his words to action, Galen walked over to the downed man, grabbed one of his arms, draped it over his shoulders and hefted the larger man to his feet with a groan of protest.

“Ugh... Not so fast, Galen,” Lero said as a slightly greenish tinge painted his cheeks. “Urp...”

“If yer gonna chuck, yew'll chuck,” he replied. “Ain't tha worse Ah've been covered in before.”

“I'd prefer not to, if it's all the same to you,” Lero replied in a faint voice.

“Much appreciated,” Galen said with a chortle before looking over to a still slightly sheepish Alex. “Hey, Alex, sorry if Ah rubbed ya tha wrong way... Didn't mean anythin' by it.”

“I suppose I can let it slide this once,” she replied in a slightly grudging tone. “Just... keep it light until I get used to it. I have to say that it was a lot of fun trading insults with you last night and I'd like to try it again sometime when you're not being a horrible ass. We griffons are normally a prickly bunch and we're raised to retaliate on any slight to our honor.”

“I didn't think mah can looked tha' bad,” he said as he looked over his shoulder to mock giving his rear a look.

Alex couldn't help but snort at that. He was just so flippant about everything, hiding that tempered core underneath an easygoing camouflage. If anything tried to take a bite out of him, she was sure they'd break their teeth on that hard core of his. “Your rear aside, I'll be around at some point if your invitation to hunt with you is still open. I need to get back to town soon and check in with Lyra, so I'll talk to you later, smith.”

“It is, an' Ah'll be ready when yew are,” he replied with a smile and a nod. “Ah need ta take this big baby back ta tha house so Granny can coddle 'im back ta health.”

Alex giggled at the thought of that. “I'll let his wives know about the coddling. I'm sure they'll come out to collect him at some point.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he replied with a chortle. At that, Alex turned around and took to the air after a couple bounding leaps, quickly rising above the canopy of the orchard and disappeared to sight.

“Hey, Galen...” Lero said weakly after a moment. “Think we can get going now? I don't think the world's supposed to spin this way...”

“Sure thing, Leera,” he replied with a half grin as he started out with Lero shambling beside him. “Yew sure are a delicate thing fer such a big bloke.”

“Less talky, more walky...”

Galen laughed at that and fell into an easy silence as he escorted his charge back to the farm. They made it in good time, all things considered. Riley even showed up for part of the way as if to let Galen know he was alright before scampering off when he heard a bark from Winona. Galen chuckled as he watched his dog run off to go spend time with his companion. After that, Lero got fairly nauseous a couple times as they got closer to the farm, having to stop for a few moments to recover, but didn't get so unsettled as to get sick. When they made it to the house, Lero let out a funny little warbling noise that combined happiness and a feeling of reaching sanctuary into one sound. Galen thought that was the funniest thing he'd ever heard out of the mans mouth and planned on saving that for later use. Likely when one of his wives made it out to bring him home if he wasn't already gone by then.

After walking inside and depositing Lero on the couch, Galen fetched him a large mug of cold water and brought it to him. He drank about a quarter of it immediately and then started nursing it. After Lero had been set up well enough, Galen checked the clock and found it to be a few minutes past eight. That left him with enough time to take a shower and grab a light snack before his date with Pinkie.

So without any hesitation, he got to work sprucing himself up. He took a bit longer than usual to make sure he scrubbed himself well and even hunted down a pair of scissors and comb before his shower so he could trim up his beard and mustache which had grown rather bushy in his time here. He left it just thick enough to hide any trace of skin underneath, leaving him with a distinctly framed face. He turned his attention to his hair next and cropped it to as close to an even inch all around as he could. Looking at himself in the mirror, he gave himself a smile at seeing how well he cleaned up. He turned on the water in the sink and dunked his head underneath the running water to wash out any lose strands of hair with a brisk rubbing before pulling back with a splutter. He dried himself once again and got dressed in short order before cleaning up the bathroom of his grooming, finishing up around twenty to nine.

He practically bounded down the stairs with a barely contained enthusiasm and found Granny in the living room, giving Lero a taunting as she nursed him childishly. By childishly, he meant really childishly. Between taunts, she talked to him in a tone reserved for a foal who had done something stupid they knew they should have known better than to do, spoon fed him bites of lightly spiced applesauce that had a bit of milk added to it and generally tormented as much as she helped. Galen couldn't help but stand there silently and appreciate the scene before him. Granny shot him a grin when she noticed him and nodded appreciatively upon seeing his groomed appearance before shooing him off with a hoof to finish getting around. He just smiled, nodded and went off to do just that, only stopping as Lero called out to get his attention.

“Hey, Galen!” he said in a much stronger voice than earlier.

“Yeah?” he replied as he turned back to look at the couch ridden man.

“If Pinkie wants to pay for a meal or anything like that, just let her,” he said as he relaxed once again into the soft embrace of the couch. “Here in Equestria, we're the ones who get treated and pampered. Wait until next time to return the favor.”

“Thanks fer tha advice,” Galen replied with a thankful smile. “Ah'll keep it in mind.”

“One other thing...” he said with a little grin as he looked up from his position. “You have to tilt your head a bit more to the side when you kiss a mare.”

Galen held himself in check, only his reddening ears giving away any sign of potential embarrassment. “Got it...” he said in a tone of voice a bit fainter than normal. Totally nailed it.

Lero only gave him a chuckle for a response and obediently opened his mouth for the next spoonful of food. After finishing his brief talk with Lero, Galen opted to go to the kitchen for his snack. He kept it really light just in case Pinkie wanted to have a late breakfast and only ate a pair of apples with a couple glasses of milk to wash them down with. After tossing the cores in the compost bin and cleaning his glass, he left after letting Granny know he'd be out for a good part of the day with Pinkie. She just nodded and waved him off without turning from her charge. He didn't bother with his bag of bits due to the advice given to him by Lero, but he still pocketed a pair of ten bit coins just in case. When he stepped outside, he couldn't help but feel a surge of energy that seemed to fill him to the brim, making his nerve endings feel as if he were vibrating slightly. With a quick huff of breath, he took a bounding leap off the front porch and hit the ground running as a wild grin split his face.

His pace quickly ate the distance and he rounded the last bend in the road only a few minutes after he started out. He cut his pace back a little bit as he passed the first houses of Ponyville, opting for a loping jog as he made his way through town. The ponies out on the street spared him a glance as he went by, his good mood seemingly pulsing off him in waves and making them smile without knowing why. A few called out greetings as he went by and he returned a jaunty greeting in response that had them laughing. He spotted Sugar Cube Corner a couple blocks away and his grin couldn't get any bigger as he closed in on it. He only stopped his jog when he stepped in front of the establishment, opened the door and strode through with the jingling of bells to herald his arrival.

Mrs. Cake was behind the counter and she looked up from her current patron to see who it was and greeted him with a smile that turned very warm at seeing how excited he was to spend a good portion of the day with Pinkie. She finished helping her customer and waved him over.

“Mornin' Mrs. Cake,” he said cheerfully. “How're yew this mornin'?”

“I'm doing quite well, Galen,” she replied without letting her smile from earlier drop. “Pinkie and Applejack got back a while ago and are up in her room getting ready. You can take a seat if you'd like while I go let them know you're here.”

“Thanks fer tha offer, but Ah don' think Ah'd be able ta keep still at tha moment,” he replied with a rueful cast to his current smile.

“Well, you certainly seem eager,” she replied with a giggle.

“It's not every day a guy goes on 'is first date with a pony,” he replied with a bark of laughter. “Not ta mention it bein' tha very same pony who did so much jus' ta make me feel welcome here.”

“Well, I'm sure Pinkie's just as excited as you are,” she replied with a grin at his earnest statement. “Let me just go let her know you're here.”

Galen just nodded in thanks as she turned and went upstairs.

“Oh my gosh, I'm so nervous!” Pinkie whisper-shouted to Applejack as she watched the clock tick another minute forward. She was currently half hidden under her comforter with a pillow pulled over top of her head, letting her muzzle poke out adorably from underneath. “What if something weird happens and it totally ruins our date!”

“Pinkie,” Applejack said with a little sigh at her marefriends sudden loss of confidence from last night. She was just putting the brush she had just used to help Pinkie brush out the kinks in her coat back on her night stand and looked over to her. “Would you just cut it out? You're gonna jinx yourself if you say stuff like that. Nothing's going to go wrong. Just be yourself and show him that mare who showed me the best night of my life!” She got up on the bed and hugged her marefriends' covered form. “She's in there, Pinkie. She's there, ready to show the ponies in her life just how much she loves them. You just have to stop being afraid and be yourself.”

“Really?” she asked as she carefully lifted the pillow from her head so she wouldn't mess up her carefully brushed mane and looked over her shoulder at Applejack with a little smile.

“Really really,” Applejack replied as she leaned in and gave her a warm kiss. “Now, pony up and go show him a good time. Pinkie Pie style.” She paused for a second as a mischievous smile spread across her face. “We don't need Shy Pie 'round here when we can get Kinky Pie to come out to play...”

Pinkie blushed and gave a giggle as her smile turned much more confident. She was about to reply when the all too familiar voice of Mrs. Cake called out a few paces from her door. “Pinkie, dear, Galen just showed up a couple minutes ago. He looks as ready as he'll ever be, so I wouldn't keep him waiting for too long.”

“Okay, Mrs. Cake! I'll be down soon!” Pinkie answered in a half yell. The older mares retreating hoofsteps were their only answer as she made her way back down.

“You got this,” Applejack said with a competitive expression.

“I got this,” Pinkie copied firmly as her head nodded in affirmation.

“You got this!”

“I GOT THIS!”

“Too much, tone it back a tad.”

“I got this?!”

“Close enough...” Applejack couldn't help a chuckle from escaping. “Now git! Galen's waiting on you. Remember that he just wants to spend the day with you, so show him just how amazin' a day with Pinkie can be.”

“I'll remember, Applejack,” Pinkie said warmly as she crossed her chest and gently laid a hoof over an eye. “Pinkie Promise.”

“Good girl,” she said with a fierce grin. “Now quit stalling and go.”

“Aye, aye, ma'am!” Pinkie saluted with a giggle and hopped off her bed, landing with barely a clatter before cantering to her door and rushing out to the hallway after grabbing her purse from the other night. As she made her way down the stairs Galen looked up and she felt a little stutter in her heart when he locked eyes with her. He had spruced himself up quite a bit since the last time she'd seen him and she thought he looked quite good. Galen, on the other hand was quite stricken when he saw Pinkie as she came down the stairs. Her mane had regained some of its curliness after the night she'd had, but it was still styled enough that it cascaded down the left side of her face and neck in a bouncy waterfall of shimmering pink. Her coat still had its glossy sheen, but it all paled in comparison to her eyes. They shone with a crystal-like radiance that seemed to make the world just a tiny bit brighter. “Right on time!” she chirped with a bright smile.

“Wouldn't do ta ta keep a pretty lady waiting, now would it?” he replied with a smile of his own.

Pinkie's cheeks took on a slightly pinker hue at the casual compliment. “So, what do you want to do today?”

“Whatever yew wanna do,” he replied as she finished coming down the stairs and around the counter. “Today's all 'bout yew, after all.”

Her blush deepened just a bit. “Hmmm...” she hummed as she pondered this. Rainbow had mentioned yesterday, somewhere in all her super embarrassing advice about being with Lero, that most human males tended to be a lot more mare focused than the stallions she was used to. “I have absolutely no idea!” she said with a laugh that had Galen chuckling along as well. “But I'm sure I can think of something we'll both enjoy!”

“Ah'm sure if anypony could, it'd be yew,” he replied with a grin.

Pinkie giggled at that before brushing past him with only a flick of her tail and a smile over her shoulder. “In that case, we should be on our way,” she said in a tone that gave off a confidence she only faintly felt. “Time waits for nopony, after all.”

Galen was about to follow her when he caught Mrs. Cake giving him an expression through her eyes that said, despite her cheery countenance, 'if you hurt her, you won't eat here safely again.' Galen just replied with a warm smile that said 'Ah'd never live with maself if Ah did.' They both nodded to each other simultaneously after their wordless exchange and Galen hurried out after his date. Pinkie was just outside and looking up and down the street with a ponderously distant expression on her face. Galen was about to say something when he noticed her suddenly shiver and trot off down the street leading back to the market. Galen opted to keep silent and let her take the lead. They entered the modest throng of ponies going about their daily routine, Pinkie drawing more than a few glances and prolonged stares due to her appearance while Galen only felt himself puff up proudly as he was her sole companion today.

For the most part, the market was only moderately busy, but even so it was as if their combined air of confidence and expectation of a fun day turned an imaginary spotlight on them. It also helped that they made a striking pair, the baker and the smith. They walked through the light crowd and spotted a game booth up ahead. Pinkie pointed it out with a gleeful shout and cantered over to it with Galen trotting to keep up. The game was a simple affair, a vertical wheel with dozens of metal spokes jutting forward and a wooden flapper to show what they would win when it came to a stop. Beside it was a simple rectangular table with a small suitcase in the middle of it.

“Good morning you two!” a golden orange mare with a two tone mane and tail of light and dark green called out in greeting. “Could I interest you two in giving the wheel a spin? It's a promotion of from the Grand Equestrian Travel Agency and free of charge.”

“Oh! Oh!' Pinkie hopped in place excitedly. “I wanna spin it! But I have a question first! Why's your travel agency 'Grand?'”

The mare's happy expression turned to light puzzlement at the question. “I'm... I, uh, I think it's only just part of the name.”

“That's silly,” Pinkie replied as she stuck her tongue out a little. “Why call it something if it's not really that?”

“Don't ask me,” the mare replied with a nonplussed expression. “I just work for them and ask ponies to spin the wheel once a year.”

Galen couldn't help but laugh at Pinkie's line of questioning. “Let the poor mare be, Pinkie,” he said as his laughter died down.

“Okay,” she replied with the most fake pout he'd ever seen, making him chuckle a bit more. “So, can I spin the wheel?”

“Sure,” the stall owner replied as she plastered her standard smile back on. “You two only get one spin and it has to go all the way around at least once. The prizes range from a collection of postcards from every town and city in Equestria that has one to the grand prize of luxurious trip around the world!” She pointed to the wheel to showcase the differing odds of each prize. When Galen spotted it, the trip around the world had slim odds indeed. “Of course, the more valuable prizes can be substituted in case you're not able to make use of them for anything else.”

“Okie dokie!” she chirped with a big grin. She moved to the side of the wheel and put her hoof up to one of the spokes as her face took on an expression of cute concentration. She eyebrows scrunched up slightly, eyes narrowed and just the barest hint of her tongue poked out as she bit it slightly. She widened her stance and took a deep breath as she prepared to spin. Then she sneezed. Her hoof shot out and started the wheel spinning as she staggered to the side a couple steps and an odd expression of discomfort and embarrassment washed over her face. “I bith mai thongue!” she squeaked as the injured appendage flopped out of her mouth.

Galen almost laughed. It was just so absurd and unexpected that he almost lost it completely. He held himself in check with some serious effort and moved over to her, knelt down and pulled her into a one armed hug. “Yew gonna make it?”

“Yeah,” she responded with a little sigh as she leaned into him. “Really embarrassing though...”

“U-um... Miss?” the mare behind the table interrupted in a slightly nervous tone. “Would you like your prize or a substitute?”

They both turned to look at the wheel and found the flapper resting on the grand prize. A trip around the world. Their jaws dropped and they traded looks of disbelief with one another and the mare running the stall. “I... Uh... I dunno? Maybe?” she replied in a daze. “What else do you offer?”

“Well...” the mare scrambled around to quickly pull out a small folder that held several sheets of paper referencing what prizes she had. “Let me see... Let me see...” she perused the list for a few seconds before answering. “We have dinner passes for Au-delà de doores fermés, one of Canterlot's up and coming restaurants...”

“I have a permanent reservation there and I'm friends with the owner,” Pinkie replied with a wave of her hoof.

“In... that case,” the mare continued cautiously as she wasn't entirely sure what to make of that, “How about a three day trip to the Crystal Empire's Shimmering Hot Springs Resort?”

“Oh! That sounds like fun!” Pinkie said with a giggle. “How many can go?”

“Up to four and it's all expenses paid, a value of one hundred bits per pony,” she explained with a hopeful smile.

“Are they redeemable at any time or do they have an expiration date?”

“They can be used any time before the end of next year,” she replied. “Either send a letter to our address on the voucher or call us if you can and we'll take care of all reservations and travel preparations.”

“That's perfect!” she said with a crystalline laugh that brought smiles to the faces of everyone around her. “I'll take 'em!”

“Wonderful!” the mare replied as she pulled out a form, quill and inkwell from her suitcase and put them on the table. “I just have a little paperwork for you to fill out for our records and you'll be all set!” Pinkie looked the form over, nodded to herself and went about filling in the blanks. She wrote surprisingly quickly and had it filled out in a couple minutes, blowing on the last bit of ink to help it dry faster. “Thank you very much, Miss... Pinkie,” she said as she looked it over. “We hope to hear from you soon!”

Pinkie just smiled brightly as she took the voucher envelope and gently slid it into her purse. “Thanks for everything, lady!” She turned to Galen. “Well, that was exciting! You ready to do something else?”

“Lead tha way,” he replied with a grin.

Pinkie did a little hop, rotating on her rear hooves and turned around with a stylish flaring of her mane and tail before leading the way at a casual walk. She unconsciously added a little sway to her hips that Galen couldn't help but be drawn to. It was so unlike her usual energetic step, this smooth little sway. Pinkie noticed it after a little bit and surreptitiously glanced over her shoulder to see if Galen noticed it too. She saw his eyes darting to her rump before flicking away, like he was embarrassed by himself for looking, only to have his eyes drawn back. Pinkie suppressed a titter and looked back ahead with a rosy tint to her cheeks and a self-satisfied smile on her face at knowing Galen was attracted to her body as much as he was to her personality.

Her stomach gave a little gurgle, letting her know that she should probably get something to eat soon since they hadn't had much time in getting back to Ponyville from Canterlot, Applejack and her only snacking on a couple bunches of grapes on the train. “How does a bite to eat sound?” she asked as she openly looked over her shoulder this time. She caught him breaking his eyes away from her rump again, the tips of his ears flushing a deep red.

“S-sounds good ta me,” he replied with a minor stutter in his voice. “Anywhere yew got in mind?”

Pinkie had to bite back a giggle at his reaction as she bit her bottom lip cutely, her face turning ponderous as she looked back ahead. “How about Diner Dash's Dive?”

“Never heard o' tha' place,” he replied. “Any good?”

“It's this nice little place on the south side of town,” she replied as she picked up her pace a little. “Most of the hard working ponies go there to eat, but I absolutely love their flapjacks! I still can't recreate them and they won't let me back there to see how they make them, so I'm stuck going there whenever I get the itch.”

Galen chuckled at that. “I take it yew normally don' 'ave any trouble with tha' sorta thing?”

She gave a high pitched little growl that forced Galen to choke back a laugh. “No! And it drives me nuts!”

“Maybe one day,” he said with a little smirk at seeing how much a silly little thing like this got to her. “But until then, Ah don' think Ah mind goin' out ta eat 'em with tha company Ah'm currently in.”

Pinkie made a funny little noise between a harrumph and a hum, a smile gracing her face. “Smooth talker,” she said with a low giggle. “I guess I can let it go this time as long as you promise to help me on my next attempt at making these again...”

“Ah gladly look forward ta it,” he replied with a smile. “Besides, Ah don' think Ah've 'ad any o' yer cookin', yet.”

She gave a little gasp when she realized the truth of his statement and stopped to turn around to stare him down. “In that case, mister, I'm going to treat you to a lunch to end all lunches before the end of the day.”

“Please don't,” he replied with a laugh as he raised his hands up defensively. “Ah like eatin' an' cuttin' a meal out o' mah day would be horrible...”

Pinkie snorted and giggled at that. “Okay,” she said after a moment, “But it's still going to be delicious.”

“Ah don' doubt it,” he said with a laugh of his own as Pinkie grinned just a little. After their exchange, Pinkie turned back around and led them to the little diner in short order. From the outside, it looked like any other house, but a small collapsible sign beside the steps out front proclaimed that it was indeed a small diner. Without any fanfare, the couple walked up to the door and entered the restaurant. Inside, it was dim but the golden light from the windows pierced the gloom and radiated outward on sparkling motes of dust. There were cozy little booths along the walls with a little walkway between them and the counter. As their eyes adjusted, they spotted a few ponies sitting around, eating a late breakfast or drinking a cup of coffee to go with the mornings newspaper. The scents of the air inside was mouthwatering and it had Galen idly rubbing the roof of his mouth in anticipation of their meal.

“Mornin' you two,” said a cream coated pegasus mare from behind the counter. She had a dark blue mane styled in a no nonsense bun while her tail was simply tied at the end with a ribbon. “Take a seat and I'll be right over.”

Galen and Pinkie both smiled their thanks and moved to an area with a buffer of booths between them and their closest neighbors and took a seat on the firmly padded seats across from one another. “This is cozy,” Galen mused as he looked around.

“Yep!” Pinkie replied with a little smile. “It's super hard to get a spot in the early morning since all the regulars usually make it here before I can get away from the morning baking. I'm just glad they serve breakfast later than usual.”

“Sounds like a hot ticket fer a early mornin' date,” he said with half smile and a wink. “Ah'll 'ave ta keep tha' in mind an' ask Mrs. Cake if Ah can't kidnap 'er number two sometime.”

“You don't have to do that,” she replied with a faint flush.

“Yew gotta take tha chance when yew can,” he answered warmly. “Sometimes yew jus' gotta steal a li'l happiness; like a kid snatchin' a cookie from tha jar.” Pinkie blushed furiously at his analogy and Galen couldn't help it as he burst into laughter at her expression. “Yew did jus' tha', didn't yew?” he said after a short moment with a grin that pulled his face tight.

Pinkie made a few noncommittal squeaks that could have been either acceptance of the act or flat out denial. She was saved by the waitress showing up and sliding a pair of menus on the table. She looked between the pair and gave a long suffering smirk at them that had Galen and Pinkie snickering to their states. With a look passing between the pair, they offered a temporary ceasefire as they perused the menu. To Galen, it all sounded wonderful except for the hearty hay hashed browns, but he followed Pinkie's lead and ordered a matching tall stack of flapjacks due to her stellar review earlier accompanied by a tall glass of milk for each (strawberry flavored for Pinkie). After the waitress took their order and left to place it, they talked about this and that. After she had brought their drinks to the table, Galen asked about her Pinkie sense.

This was probably one of her biggest worries, that he would find her odd little quirks and subsequent actions a major turn off. She started out timidly at first as she tried to gauge his reaction. Galen, for his part, didn't bat an eye at her explanation of her quirks. Instead, he seemed to really enjoy getting to know more about her and each little thing she explained about herself. To him, it was like looking at a beautifully cut gem with its multitude of facets, never ever seeing all of them but getting just the tiniest little spark of elation when he discovered yet another. The only thing that made that particular analogy better was the fact that it applied to this bright young mare sitting across the table with a smile on her face. When she told him that when they left Sugar Cube Corner and she had an itchy back, which meant that it was going to be her lucky day he couldn't help but chuckle at that and reply with a very warm smile; “It wasn't jus' yer lucky day, Pinkie. Ah'd say it was mine too since Ah get ta spend part of it with yew.”

Oh, how she blushed. Her mane even curled a bit as she felt her chest fill up with a warm breezy sensation that made her feel as if she were floating on helium filled clouds made out of cotton candy. Then the waitress showed up with a gentle clank and clatter as she set their meal on the table which made Pinkie let out an absolutely adorable squeak. The waitress gave Pinkie an odd stare at the noise before smiling back with a throaty chuckle. “You two love birds better keep it p.g.,” she said quietly with a smirk that refreshed Pinkie's blush. “I don't want to have to break out the upholstery disinfectant before the heat season rolls around...”

Pinkie was too mortified to make a sound as her face turned the darkest shade of red that either of them had seen and sunk until her muzzle was below the tables edge. The other two could only laugh good naturedly at her plight. When they'd had their share, the waitress apologized with a sincere expression as she hadn't expected Pinkie to get so embarrassed from her lighthearted ribbing. Pinkie perked up immensely as she tried to displace her apology with one of her own for being overly sensitive. The waitress wasn't having any of it and just gave her a smirk as she took the blame. She left them to their meals a moment later. Galen smirked and chuckled at Pinkie who blew a raspberry in his direction. “Yew know, it ain't like yew gotta take tha blame jus' ta make 'er feel better,” he replied with a consoling tone. “She said it, she takes tha blame. Tha's 'ow it works, bhean óg.”

Pinkie's blush reduced dramatically to a simple fetching flush as she giggled. “You know, some of the words you use sound so silly. Did you make them up or are they real, like Prench or Germane? What do they mean?”

“They're real, tha's fer sure,” he replied with a smile as she returned to her usual self. “Ah'll explain a few o' 'em while we eat.” Their meal was simply delicious. A tall stack of buckwheat flapjacks that had dried pieces of various berries and spices mixed into the batter to give it a medley of flavors that made these a real treat. After buttering and glazing them with more syrup to their liking, they didn't last long. They were sliced up into pieces that were almost too big to fit in their mouths, leaving smears of syrup and butter on the corners of their mouths. Galen would pause every now and again in his eating to explain a bit about his native language to Pinkie who would take it in with an eager nod of her head.

Eventually, like all good things, their meal ended and they found their selves slumping back in their seats as they sipped their glasses of milk and planned their next move for the day. They paused in their conversation when the waitress dropped by with the check to thank her. When Pinkie went to take the bill, Galen held it in place with his fingertips and said he was willing to let her pay this time if she let him treat her the next time. She gave a little smile that spoke volumes about just how happy that made her and agreed to let him do just that. She fished out a five bit coin from her purse and dropped them on the table to cover the bill and the tip.

They slid out from their seats and made for the door when Pinkie suddenly stopped just short of the door when her tail began twitching uncontrollably. “Twitchy tail!” she warned everyone within her vicinity. Galen looked back in confusion as he continued out the door as everypony else ducked for cover underneath their tables.

“Huh?” he said as he looked behind him when he should have been looking up and to his side. As soon as he made eye contact with Pinkie, a body suddenly careened into his torso which sent him slamming into the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Pinkie watched in shock as a brown and white form tumbled end over end for a good distance down the street, finally ending with them precariously balanced upon the front of their chest with a distinctly feline rump and legs twitching in the air as they tried to maintain their balance subconsciously. It was not to be as their rear slowly tilted and fell to the ground, her hind legs splaying out behind her. It suddenly clicked that it was Alexandria that had crashed into Galen. The eagless groaned and writhed pitifully on the spot, but Pinkie was too busy freaking out, wondering if Galen was okay.

Galen, for the most part was fine aside from the moderate bruise that was going to be on the side of his ribs if the pain was anything to go by. Pinkie rushed up to him and rolled him onto his back with gentle hooves and was chattering so quickly in such a high pitched voice that Galen had absolutely no idea what she was saying. He took a few gasps to try and refill his lungs as he brought a hand up to cup the side of Pinkie's face as he gave her a comforting look before she lost it completely. After a few more gasps, breathing became easier and he chuckled with a wince at the pain in his side.

“Ah-” he coughed weakly, but took another breath and continued, “Ah'm fine, Pinkie. Jus' 'ad tha wind knocked out o' me. Go check on whoever crashed inta me.”

She nodded and cast one more worried look at Galen before slowly pulling back and trotted over to where Alexandria had stopped. She was still whimpering slightly, one of her wings bent at a bad angle at the base and a few tears matting the feathers around her eyes. Pinkie wasn't a doctor, but it looked pretty bad to her. She heard Galen groan a bit and looked back to see him moving up to a sitting position as he looked over his shoulder. He scrambled up to his feet drunkenly and shambled over to them and leaned down to see what had happened to her as well. He took in the sight with a stoic expression before he moved his arms to gently pick her up and cradle her tense form. She gripped his right forearm with one of her hands as he hefted her, her talons sinking into the flesh a bit but he weathered it with a hiss of breath.

“Come on, Pinkie,” he rumbled, oblivious to the stares he was garnering. “Le's get 'er ta tha doc's.” She nodded and put on a brave face as she suddenly noticed a scarlet rivulet flow down from where Alexandria gripped his arm. He didn't pay it any mind so she tried her best to ignore it as well, but she still felt the fur on the base of her neck rise up as long ingrained lessons to protect your stallion came to the forefront. The only thing that stopped her from saying or doing anything was the stoic look of determination to see this through on Galen's face as he walked. They were quite the spectacle as they walked through town; Galen bleeding from the punctures that had turned into gashes due to the walking and his charges unintentional writhing, Alexandria whimpering pitifully due to her battered and bruised body and Pinkie obviously upset about everything but putting on a brave face just to match her stallion. If he could be so casually strong about this sort of thing, then by Celestia, she'd try her best to weather it as well.

When they'd made it about half way, Rainbow Dash showed up in a blustery rush to see if the rumors were true. Galen greeted her without stopping and a flippant comment about how he had promised Alex a combination roost and scratching post, only he never thought that it would turn out to be himself. Dash had to choke back a scandalized laugh as he walked around her. She flitted around him to inspect Alex and she made a hissing noise as she took in a slow breath and grimaced as she surveyed the damage Alex had taken. With a practiced eye, she gave a rough diagnosis that she had suffered a dislocated wing and possibly some hyper extended muscles if she was lucky, minor muscular tearing if she wasn't. With Galen, she was sure would need several stitches from the various sizes of the gashes.

After she had given them her two bits she flew off in a flash, saying that she'd bring word to the clinic and see if they couldn't meet them part way. Well, she was true to her word as a couple blocks later, she returned saying that a couple nurses would be coming with a gurney for Alex. They made the last turn toward the clinic and saw a pair of uniformed nurses just rushing out a pair of wide doors with a gurney. They broke into a gallop when they saw them and closed the distance quickly.

“You can put her here,” said a white mare with a light pink mane and tail. “Be careful so she doesn't tear your arm up any more than it already is. We'll rush her right back, but you had better be right behind us. You need to be attended to as well.”

“Got ya,” he replied as he set Alex down as gently as he could. She shivered and tensed slightly when he set her down. She gripped him slightly harder, but not enough to do much more than make him shiver as silver lightning lanced up his arm. He gently pried her talons from his arm and extracted himself from her grip gently and stood back up. The nurses took the gurney and gently made their way back up, increasing their pace slowly as they went.

“I'm gonna go wait with Alexandria so I can find out what caused her accident,” Dash said after a moment to the approving mumbles of the pair.

Once Dash had flown back off to the hospital, Galen looked over to Pinkie and gave her a chagrined smile. “Sorry 'bout ruining yer day with me,” he said in a slightly dreary tone. “Should've been payin' more attention.”

She shook her head as her eyes watered up. “It's not your fault,” she replied. “Let's just get you patched up and back to the farm so you can recover.”

“We'll see,” he replied with a little smirk. “Yew did promise me a homemade lunch an' Ah won' say tha date's over 'til yew make good on it.” Pinkie gave a choked up laugh at that and smiled. “There we go... There's a smile. Bein' sad really doesn't suit ya, Pinkie.”

“That's what everypony always tells me when I get down,” she replied with a little sigh.

“Well, it's tha truth,” he replied with a grin. “It's kinda like when yew smile, tha world gets a tiny bit brighter when Ah'm near.”

Pinkie flushed at that and ducked behind him, pushing his rear with the top of her head. “Okay, mister,” she said with a bit of mirth in her voice. “The blood loss might be starting to get to you, so let's get your arm taken care of before you lose any more.”

“Psh,” he hissed disdainfully. “Ah've 'ad worse. Almost died from a pack o' wolves once upon a time. Got me some souvenirs Ah bring with me everywhere Ah go. If Ah gotta take mah shirt off, yew'll get ta see some o' them.”

Even though he couldn't see her, Pinkie still blushed a deep red as she giggled. “Okay, mister macho. Come on now, quite your yammering and put your rear in gear, mister.”

“Okay, okay,” he said with a chuckle as he picked up the pace on his own volition. “Somepony's impatient to see me without a shirt on.”

“Maybe~” she replied as she bounced and bounded ahead quickly so he couldn't see her blush. Galen just chuckled and continued on his way. When they entered the clinic, Galen and Pinkie were ushered into a sterile office that was reminiscent of any modern clinic on earth. Galen hopped up on the paper padded bench with a crinkling sound and promptly began twiddling his thumbs. Pinkie took a seat near the door on a minimally padded chair and waited patiently for the doctor to show up. Galen noticed her trying not to look at his wounded forearm and would turn slightly green whenever she did.

“Maybe yew should go wait outside,” he said after her most recent gaze at his wound.

“Sounds like a good idea,” she said quickly in a mild tone as she hopped off her seat and scampered off to wait outside somewhere. Not even a couple moments later, a unicorn doctor showed up with a practiced smile and made his introduction. He puttered around for a few moments as he pulled together all the things he'd need. Sutures, needle, disinfectant, salve, gauze and a roll of bandages. He asked if Galen wanted the area numbed but was told not to go out of his way. It wasn't the worst injury he'd suffered and to just get it over with. The doctor just chuckled and went to work.

All in all, it only took about ten minutes to clean, disinfect, stitch, salve and bandage his arm. The least of his gashes took five while the largest one took thirteen, with almost thirty in total. He flexed and rotated his hand and only felt a slight pulling sensation at the furthest range of motion and gave his approval to the quality of treatment. He was ushered out with a small jar of salve to reapply daily and instructions that the bandages could come off tomorrow so long as he kept the area relatively clean. He could come back in a week to get the stitches removed and was checked out. When he asked about payment, the doctor told him that the crown paid all expenses and that treatment was free of charge. Pinkie was waiting in the foyer when he got there and perked up with a smile when she saw him walking her way.

“Feeling any better?” she asked.

“No worse fer wear,” he replied with a grin. “So, what else do yew wanna do? Got some more time 'til lunch rolls 'round.”

“I'm okay,” she said with a wave of her hoof. “I just want to make sure you're not going to get hurt anymore today.”

“Ah'm fine, Pinkie,” he replied with half a grin. “Long as Ah'm not wrestlin' with a bear, yew got nothin' ta worry 'bout. 'Sides, this is yer day an' Ah'll be damned if it's gonna be cut short just 'cause o' some scratches.”

She couldn't help but give a half scandalized laugh. He was just so different from any stallion she'd ever taken out before. But his brand of different made her feel so special that she couldn't help feeling a little guilty. “How about we just take it easy and go for a walk through the park?”

“Sounds nice,” he answered with a smile. Pinkie smiled in return before turning around to lead the way. They took a left once they returned to the outskirts of town, taking the orbital road that one could use to bypass walking through the town in exchange for a slightly longer but much more scenic way. They made their way almost a third of the way around Ponyville before Pinkie led them down a little side road that led them to a tiny little out of the way park within the town, roughly the size of three housing plots. As they passed between the gateposts, it seemed as though it got a bit quieter as the foliage absorbed some of the towns ambient noise. There were a few decently sized trees that were just big enough that a group could easily sit underneath in case they wanted to have a picnic, several flowerbeds tended and shaped to provide both barriers and walkways between four different areas. As he looked around a bit more, he spotted a few benches for those who wanted a seat where they could take in the view and a small water fountain sculpted in a stylized tree shape, where the water that would rise out of the top would fall and patter onto a series of stone leaves which would let the water fall onto more leaves below them and so on.

Pinkie looked up and saw Galen smiling softly at the sights around him and she knew she'd picked a winner here. She giggled and cantered ahead a little, stopping and turning around with a bright smile when she was under the shade of a tree that had a spectacular view of everything around it. Galen smiled and picked up his pace to get there just a little bit sooner. They moved to the base of the tree and sat down together on the soft grass with only a little bit of space separating them. Galen noticed and blew out a little puff of air when he saw Pinkie stealing quick little glances at him as though she were trying to work up the courage to just lean into him. Opting to simply show that it was okay, he reached up and over her shoulders, grabbed her gently and pulled her to his side with a laugh as she let out a little squeak of surprise. He let her calm down for a few moments as he slowly rubbed his hand through the incredibly soft fur on the upper part of her foreleg and simply enjoyed the silence that passed between the two.

After Galen had pulled her to his side, Pinkie was just about certain she would be the first pony to know if their heart could literally leap out of their throat with how quickly it sped up. She froze up and was worried about doing something wrong, but then she noticed his hand running through her fur gently. She focused on the sensation and soon found herself quickly calming down. She couldn't help it as she let out a tiny little purr of delight as she felt his body heat seep into her fur through his clothes. His hand was just an added bonus as he would gently scratch her with his nails on occasion. She wasn't sure how long she was like this, but as all the tension that had been building up within her left, so did her hold on consciousness.

Galen noticed Pinkie's snuggling up to him, seemingly bonelessly as she tried to get the most contact out of what she was next to. Her breathing slowed more and more until he was surprised to realize that she had fallen asleep. Well, she clearly had the right idea as he felt that familiar nagging in the back of his mind to take a nap as well. He pondered about how he would rearrange their bodies without both waking her up and making it uncomfortable for the pair. Well, the area around them seemed to be just fine as long as he didn't find an exposed tree root to sleep on, so that should be fine. The trickiest part would be what came next. Opting for the simplest way to rearrange their seating, he moved the arm that had been around Pinkie and moved it underneath her flank while his other hooked itself under her forelegs. He gently shifted her weight off himself and scooted himself around so that he could lay down easily and brought Pinkie back to his chest.

He gently lay back as he kept her close, letting out a little sigh as he came to rest on the ground and looked up at their leafy canopy. The emerald green of the leaves and the gentle hissing of the wind as it blew through them seemed to lull him closer to the nap he craved so much now. The heat and warmth of the mare on his chest was better than any blanket on a chill night, and when she scooted herself up a bit more with her head coming to rest just under his jaw with a little coo and slight nuzzle in her sleep, he felt at peace and happy just like that. He closed his eyes and was asleep in seconds.

When he woke up an hour later, Galen couldn't help the incredulous expression on his face as it sounded like somepony was trying to saw through a knot of wood on his chest. Looking down slightly, he saw that Pinkie had crawled and sprawled herself on top of him in her sleep and her lower was half on its side while her upper half was on its back. Turns out, there was no woodworking going on when he saw Pinkie's mouth open almost comically wide and another massive snore ripped its way out. It was so absurd that he couldn't help a few quiet chuckles as a grin formed on his face. That grin widened as he brought both hands up and to the sides of her barrel, fingers forming claws as he bit back a snort of amusement for what was to come.

He gently set his fingertips to her ribs and began to lightly flick and flit them through her fur. Her response was immediate as she cut off mid snore and let out a little whine. She suddenly snorted and began wriggling slightly as she let out a few giggles in her sleep. He sped up his teasing digits and Pinkie finally let out full volume squeals of laughter and delight. Galen couldn't help it as he began laughing himself and finally let off after a little bit more. He raised his upper body up a bit as he rested on his elbows and looked down with a grin at the pink pony that was panting slightly on his torso.

Once she had recovered her breath a bit, she cracked an eye open and found Galen looking right back at her. She took another moment to take stock of the situation and felt a furious flush rising on her face. Galen almost would have missed catching her if he hadn't been looking for that shy side of hers to suddenly come out in this situation and moved to nip it off in the bud. Before she could even think about abashedly moving away, he moved an arm up and around to hold her gently around her barrel. She let out a little mewl, as though she were frightened about what was to come, letting out a squeak instead as Galen let himself flop back to the ground so that his other hand could come up and caress a cheek. She couldn't help it as all her self doubt and worry left as she nuzzled into his comforting hand.

Galen and Pinkie lay like that for an easy five minutes before Pinkie finally began shifting around, prompting him to let her get up. “What'd I do to get even a chance to date somepony as special as you?” she asked with a guilty expression as she turned herself around so that she was resting on her forelegs and looking down at him. “I mean, after so long, why now and why me of all ponies?”

“Do yew really 'ave ta ask tha'?” he rumbled with a little smile. “It's 'cause yer yew an' yew chose me. As fer all tha rest, Ah'd say us livin' in different worlds 'til a few months ago would be answer enough.”

Pinkie couldn't help but give a little snort of amusement at his remark. “I guess, but why?”

“Ah think it's cause it'd be a cryin' shame fer a mare like yew ta only smile fer others,” he replied. Pinkie took on a confused expression as she tilted her head. He returned his arms to the positions they had been, one over her shoulders this time and another cupping a blushing cheek. “Yew need ta learn ta smile fer yerself, Pinkie. Be happy fer yerself. Be a little greedy, guard what yew want an' make it yers. Yew can't make every pony, griffon, mule 'r zebra happy all tha time. So, tha' bein' said, yew need ta stop from time ta time an' live yer own life instead o' livin' it fer tha sake o' others. Find a happiness tha's only fer yew.”

She closed her eyes and let a shiver run through her body. “Itchy back,” she said in a slightly husky voice with a little smirk on her lips when she opened her eyes again. This time, they were half lidded and seemed to have a shine unlike Galen's ever seen in them before. She leaned forward and Galen couldn't help but smirk himself as he leaned up as well, their faces inching closer and closer together. Their warm breath mingled as they closed the final gap, Galen remembering to tilt his head further to the side at Lero's insistence, and their lips met. It was tame as far as kisses went, but the feeling Pinkie put behind it made it feel many times more intense than it was.

Galen couldn't help it as he pressed back into her with a warmth he felt rising in his chest while he brought his other hand to her other cheek, both gently holding her face as his thumbs gently caressed the ridges of her cheekbones. She cooed and moaned subtly as she felt his eagerness to reciprocate. She felt as though she was going to explode from the inside out as that fiery warmth nestled in her heart seemed to swell and swell beyond her comprehension, only to swell some more. She wasn't sure what that sensation was at first, but she soon realized that it was happiness. Her own happiness, found with his and Applejack's help. It had been brewing in her heart for weeks now, only to finally be released after not only one, not two, but so many successful dates in these past few months that the total eclipsed all of her failed ones.

So, it came as a surprise to her when Galen broke away with a look of slight worry. She felt his thumb push around a hot warmth just under her eye and she pulled back when she noticed how bright and distorted her vision was. She was crying from how happy she was and she couldn't help but give an incredulous little laugh. Galen was about to ask what was wrong, but Pinkie cut him off as she lunged back with a giggle and proceeded to kiss him again, her puckering lips doing nothing to hide the smile she had.

Galen couldn't help but feel a great sense of contentment wash over himself as he kissed Pinkie back the second time. That look of joy she had was just too much for him and he hoped that he could see her like that all the time if he could help it. Of course that would be impossible, but the times like this, these little slices of heaven that they carved out of everyday life just for themselves would live on in their hearts and minds as the most treasured of memories. Eventually, they had to breathe and broke off with a few shared laughs between the two.

“Feels good ta be a li'l greedy, huh?” he asked a bit breathlessly as Pinkie brought the top of her head underneath his jaw. He moved his arms around her shoulders and wrapped her up in a firm hug that she snuggled into eagerly.

“I think I can get used to it, croí milis,” she replied with a grin he couldn't see. Galen couldn't help the smile he felt come upon his face as Pinkie used some of the words he'd taught her to call him a sweet heart.

“Croí milis, huh?” he half rumbled in reply. “Ah think croí sona migh' be better ta describe me righ' now.”

She paused for a moment to sort through what he had taught her and giggled when she connected sona to happy. “Well, you may be coming a bit late to the game compared to Applejack, but you seem to be making up for lost time, huh?”

“Who's keepin' score?” he replied with a chuckle as he squeezed a little tighter, getting a little coo out of her. “Ah think we're all winners in this game.”

“I think I can agree with that,” she replied with a nuzzle.

“Awww, such a darling sight you two make!” called a sophisticated voice from nearby.

Pinkie jolted a little in Galen's embrace as she moved to see the owner of that familiar voice. Galen lifted his head as well and found Rarity a dozen or so paces away with a basket floating in her magic and a beaming Sweetie Belle by her side. Galen blew a raspberry that set Sweetie to giggling and made Rarity smirk as he set his head back on the grass, gently pulling a slightly embarrassed Pinkie back down with him to nestle her head back under his jaw.

“Don' mind us,” he said with a casual air. “Feel free ta join us in tha shade if yew 'ave a mind ta.” Even though he couldn't see her face, he could certainly feel Pinkie's blush warm his skin more than it already was.

“Oh, we couldn't possibly intrude on your date,” she demurred.

“Nonsense,” he replied with a grin. “Already had one o' our friends 'drop' in on us already.”

Pinkie couldn't help but give the most awkward combination of a snort, a laugh and a gasp all at once at his horrible word play. “Galen!” she chastised with her laughter barely held in check as she batted his chest with a lazy hoof. “That's absolutely horrible!”

“Oh my, did something happen?” Rarity inquired, eager for a few juicy details.

“Well, Alex crashed inta me if tha' counts,” he replied with a snort.

“Oh my, I do hope you two came out alright.”

“She came out a lot worse than Galen did,” Pinkie chipped in somberly. “She's over at the clinic with Rainbow waiting for her to wake up.”

“I'll have to send some fresh flowers and wish her a speedy recovery, then,” she replied earnestly.

“Ah'm sure she'll appreciate 'em,” Galen said with a smile.

“In any case, if you really don't mind, I do believe we might just take you up on your offer of joining you,” she said changing gears. “It's quite rare to see Pinkie groomed in such a stunning fashion. I always thought she would be quite the gorgeous mare if she ever would let the twins work their magic, since she's so cute anyway... I can see that I was quite right in my assessment...”

“Yew can say tha' again,” he replied with a chuckle as Pinkie nuzzled into the crook between his neck and shoulder in an attempt to escape their teasing. He ran a hand through her mane soothingly and said quietly enough for Rarity to not hear, “Yew know tha best part? Every word we've said is true, Pinkie. Yer as pretty on tha outside as yew are on tha inside.”

Pinkie couldn't help but squirm slightly in his arms, a smile hidden from the teasing pair. After that last bit of teasing, they left off on Pinkie and opted to hold a regular conversation about how their day has gone so far after the two other mares had their picnic set up a pace or two away. As they chatted, Pinkie actually fell asleep again to a delighted coo from Rarity and Sweetie at seeing the usually hyper mare napping so contentedly. As they talked, he gave them all the details involving his accident, both Rarity and Sweetie Belle taking on mildly queasy expressions when he told them the extent of Alex's injuries and showed off his own treated wounds. As for the rest, the two donned happy expressions and laughed at the appropriate parts just from hearing about it, Rarity even doing a spit take due to Galen timing a certain part just right. Everyone got a laugh out of that except for Rarity who grumbled lightheartedly about stains on her good picnic blanket which elicited a few more for good measure.

After a time, the two sisters finished their light lunch and drinks, taking their leave after a small pause. Galen bid them a farewell and a promise to Sweetie that he'd be more than well enough by Tuesday to do whatever she and her friends had in mind. She giggled and told him not to worry about it too much and that she was looking forward to it. Rarity just smiled between the two while her eyes promised her little sister a thorough interrogation when they got home. Galen chortled at Sweetie's expression as they left and finally he settled back down on the ground with a sigh, more than ready enough for another short nap.

One would think that one would get tired of napping all the time, but when one had a warm, fuzzy pink mare napping contentedly on top of oneself, there is no such thing as too many naps. Especially when there's a warm companion to share them with...

Once they woke up from their latest naps, Pinkie gave Galen a mock grumpy treatment for his teasing earlier, but she was so pleased with the open praises he gave her about her looks and personality that she kept it light enough to let him know she was teasing him. Galen played along and agreed to sit through however many courses she wanted to served him for lunch. To be honest, he was eagerly looking forward to this 'punishment' of hers, but he put on an expression of mock dread which made her laugh at him.

They made it back to Sugar Cube Corner just a bit after noon and the shop was bustling with patrons. A few of them called out to Pinkie and gave their complements on her new look while others made the obvious connection that she and Galen had been out on a date together and gave her little winks and whispered comments on what she should plan for their next time out. Galen, on the other hand was drawn to the side by a few giggling mares who kept glancing back at the obviously glowing Pinkie and interrogated him about the details of the date.

Of course, he knew how small towns worked and humored them. With the differences in culture, he was sure that they were simultaneously looking out for Pinkie as much as scoping out how high quality of a stallion he was likely to be if they ever approached Pinkie or Applejack about joining their circle. He didn't embellish their day together, nor did he downplay any of the events when asked about his little run in with Alex. He told them about their nap time together and they all cooed with comically dopey expressions that he simply couldn't help the snickers that rose up. Eventually, he found himself escorted to a booth and was left to his lonesome by Mrs. Cake who showed up and broke up the gaggle of mares so he could have some breathing room.

Of course, she asked him if he was alright since she had heard the rumors, only to be reassured that he was fine. She let him know that Pinkie had gone off to the kitchen and was busy whipping up something for them to eat. Of course, she couldn't give him much more than that as she was called away by another customer who needed something and left him with a glass of cherry soda from the tray balanced on her withers before moving off. After roughly thirty minutes, Pinkie reappeared suddenly from the crowd with a spectacular spread on a platter that she slid with practiced ease onto the table. She quickly hopped up to join him on the same bench with a smile and a faint flush as she so openly displayed her closeness with him in such a public setting.

He couldn't stop himself as he draped an arm across her shoulders, pulling her up against his side. “Looks like quite a spread,” he said with an eager smile.

“It's just what I could whip up on short notice,” she replied modestly as she leaned into him a bit more.

“Well, it looks delicious,” he said as a grin split his face. “Ah'd like ta see what yew can do when ya really put yer mind ta it.”

“Well, you'll have plenty of chances to see just what I can do when I pull out all the stops,” she replied with a slightly smoldering smile. “Anyway, you have a platter of tasty treats to eat.”

“Ah would comment on tha', but we're in public,” he replied with a shit eating grin that had Pinkie blushing and Galen chuckling.

Letting the conversation drop for now, he reached out and decided to start off with a bright pink cupcake that had a strawberry nestled in a fluffy bed of whipped icing. When he bit into it, an explosion of flavor flooded across his tongue. It was clearly a strawberry cupcake, its bouncy and energetic flavor dancing on his taste buds; but as he concentrated on the flavor, an undercurrent of sultry cherry came to light. That first bite was more than he ever imagined a simple cupcake would have had and it was just sweet enough that it left him wanting another bite just to keep the flavor fresh in both his body and his mind.

Pinkie couldn't help but giggle as Galen promptly destroyed that first cupcake, that first modest bite devolving into a voracious demolition of baked goods. Nothing before him stood a chance as his hands fell upon them, not the mighty muffins, nor the courageous cinnamon rolls... they all fell in time and he groaned and moaned over their crumbly remains that was left scattered upon the tabletop. There were plenty of valiant pastries willing to throw their bodies into danger to protect the lives of those they held dear and held the lines without flinching.

Suddenly, she snapped out of her silly little daydream when Galen turned partway toward her and held a cupcake in his hand for her to eat, freshly peeled from its wrapping. She gave a toothy smile as she opened her mouth wide and let him feed her. She hummed in delight as she bit into her own delectable confection, smiling as she pulled away while licking a little smear of icing from the corner of her mouth. Galen couldn't help but reflexively gulp as she tossed him a saucy little wink before she ate the rest of the cupcake in his hand since she took the tips of his index and middle fingers in her mouth and languidly swirled her tongue across the to get any crumbs off them.

This time it was Pinkie's turn to chuckle at him with the immensely conflicted expression she left him with. To be honest, her heart was beating furiously with the surge of adrenaline she got from her bold actions. She had never tried to be this flirtatious before, but if she was having this much of an effect on him, she must have been doing it right. Deciding to turn the tables, she took a cinnamon roll and offered it to him. He didn't waste much time as he leaned in and ate the whole thing in a few healthy bites, licking the smears of slightly warm icing from her hoof and frog in heavy licks that reached every nook and cranny it ran over. Eventually they finished the platter off, feeding each other while trading flirtatious gestures and looks, ignoring every other patron in the restaurant aside from each other.

“Tha' was an amazin' meal, Pinkie,” he said with a sigh as he settled into his seat a little more.

Pinkie scooched a little closer and hummed her agreement as she leaned up and nuzzled his jaw. “The company was what definitely made it memorable, though,” she murmured dreamily.

“Ah couldn't agree more,” he replied as his hand began running through her coat absentmindedly, getting a happy little hum out of Pinkie. “An' Ah can't wait ta do this again with ya...”

“Same here,” she said with a smile. “Although, Applejack's probably going to be with us as well.”

“All tha better then,” he said with a grin. “Yew two really do make a cute couple... Yew just... Compliment each other in a way tha's hard ta explain.”

“I kinda get what you're saying,” she replied with a little smile. “But at the same time I don't.”

“Well, yew always seem to bring out Jackie's playful side whenever yer around,” he supplied. “When she 'as a good day, yew jus' make it amazin' when yew come out an' jus' spend some time with 'er. Ta put it simply, yew make 'er happy jus' by bein' there.”

Pinkie couldn't help the little blush that came up on her at his words. To be honest, it was the same way for her whenever she went out to spend time with Applejack. Being around her marefriend always seemed to calm her down, like a post that a particularly energetic dog would find itself inexorably drawn back to when it ran around too much, only to repeat the same thing when it was untangled. Everything just seemed so calm and peaceful around her and Pinkie loved that feeling her marefriend brought by her simple presence as much as the mare herself.

“And she makes me happy too,” she said warmly after a brief moment. Then she gave a little sigh and a sad little smile. “Anyway, we should end our date soon... We've both had long nights and an exceptionally eventfully morning. Especially you, mister.”

“Already?” he asked as he looked up at the clock that showed it was about twenty to one. “As they say, time flies when yer 'avin' fun...”

Pinkie giggled at that. “Truer words have never been spoken, but seriously... You need to make sure you don't get an infection...”

“Okay...” he said as he stuck his tongue out playfully. “Ah'll take it easy...”

They spent a little bit more time just sitting there, enjoying each others company. When one o'clock finally rolled around, they gave a little sigh and smiled just a little sadly that their time together was over for now and looked forward to the next time they saw each other again. With his smile widening into half a grin, Galen leaned in close as he brought a hand up to cup one of her cheeks and tilted her head up. Their lips pursed at the last second and they shared a tender kiss that promised things to come and an eagerness for said things. They broke the kiss after only a few seconds and Pinkie hopped off the bench with a beaming smile, uncaring for the looks of others that they had drawn. Galen took the platter and returned it to the counter, giving Mrs. Cake a wide smile that was returned readily and crouched down to give Pinkie one last hug before making his farewells.

When he left Sugar Cube Corner, he had a liveliness to his step that nopony could miss and a subdued smile on his lips that seemed to infect any who saw it.