After a few hours to cool down from the rather...entertaining sight of Bon-bon and Lyra, a knock at the door brings us out of our cool down. I open the door and my face flushes as I begin to remember an earlier sight. Lyra, Bon-bon, Vinyl, Neon, and little foal in a bundle are at the doorstep.

"Heard about the sight the two of you saw," Vinyl says with her trademark smile already in place. At the words Bon-Bon and Lyra flush before Neon comes to the rescue.

"Come on Vinyl, now is not the time. We have friends to show around the town who also finally gave us a way to calm this little one down." Neon emphasizes this by shifting the colt in his arms slightly.

"Yeah yeah, but I got to tease them about it. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't tease him about it?" At this Neon and I sigh. It seems she may never grow out of this. After a moment, Vinyl seems to remember what they had come here for. "Anyway, how about we go around town, treat you to some food, and then we can hang out for a bit and forget you saw Bon-"

"Anyway!" Lyra interrupts. "That is the center of town, so we will head there after we take a tour over this way. Come on, let's go!" At this Lyra practically drags Bon-Bon away with Vinyl barely managing to hold back her laughter. Lyra shows us the east side of town, the one Tavi and I live in, before we reach the center of town, a great tree. From what Vinyl told us, it's actually a library.

A library in a tree, I wonder if it was originally intended to be as such for the irony. I think as we approach our establishment for dinner, a human themed restaurant called 'Gilded Iron'. I notice upon entering that not too many customers are present. Apparently they may be going out of business. It is then that we meet the only waitress on hand, a short, red-headed woman who was apparently named Gertrude.

"Hello there everypony, welcome to the Glided Iron. Just the seven of you today?" She has certainly mastered the art of false smiles, you almost can't tell she hates it here.

"Yes, just the seven of us today." Tavi says. I grab her hand, giving it a light squeeze as the waitress replies.

"Wonderful, right this way, we have a large booth ready for just such groups, is that okay with you?" As she says this, she reaches down for a chair for Vinyl's foal to sit in.

"That is fine with us Gertrude, and do bring along a 'human' menu for Sam here." Tavi says, giving me a squeeze back. This is an absolute shock to me. Why would Tavi ask for that?

"Alright then, please come this way." Gertrude says as she walks off towards the back of the restaurant. After we all take our seats and order our drinks, I ask Tavi the now obvious question.

"So why do you want me to have a 'human' menu?" I ask Tavi, curiosity being the more tangible emotion in my voice.

"Well Sam, I have done a little research into humans, and humans are, apparently, omnivore. You have tried to use cow milk and eggs to supplement your diet with protein, but lately you haven't been having quite as much, add to that your state of physical distress, and I am worried that you might slip into protein deficiency. So today, regardless of what we want, you are having...meat." If I said you could cut the tension in the air with a knife, I would imply it was not as bad as it was. Every eye that doesn't belong to Vinyl's foal is quickly darting between the two of us, then Lyra says what I was expecting.

"So we are going to sit around talking while Sam eats meat!? What is wrong with you! I am fine with Sam eating meat, that is what he is, but think about it: do you think I want to watch him eat it? Can we please think this through a little more?" Tavi, takes a deep breath, lets it out, and then responds to Lyra's outburst.

"I believe we should try and push ourselves. There is no way to get around the fact that Sam is an omnivore unlike the rest of us, so we should learn to try and get used to it. If you cannot, we will move to another table, out of the light, but regardless of what happens, the two of us need to get used to everything, even the things we once found appalling."

Tavi then points to Lyra before continuing on. "The two of you were planning on taking a trip into gryphon territory once. If you want to be fine there you should try and get used to being around those whose normal behavior is to eat meat." At this, Lyra looks around, trying to find a rebuttal which she does not have. It is then that Bon-Bon adds her two cents on it.

"Lyra, Octavia has a point. And besides, he sees us as who we are and is perfectly fine with us in every way, we should be more open to what he is as well." Lyra looks to Bon-Bon and responds with a slight irritation to her voice.

"Bonnie, any guy against two good looking mares having sex is crazy. But I see your point: I will try, but please don't expect any miracles." After conceding the point, I finally decide to crack open the menu and take a look. The first thing I notice is how they say they are a 'human' themed restaurant that brings the feel and food of a normal human restaurant. The next is that there are three choices on the menu for meals involving meat. A 12 oz. sirloin steak, a chicken breast, and a burger, each emphasized as having been of the 'Earth' variety.

If it wasn't for the fact that I have seen the cows of this world that are very similar to the ponies of this world, being bipedal and with a coat of fur with the intelligence to match, I might have questioned it. However, no human restaurant would catch itself dead with three meat filled choices and thirty-eight vegetarian options. I decide to go with the steak, and after a moment of looking a little further, I realize why there are so few options.

The price is ridiculous. A steak like this with these sides would normally cost about $19.00 before tax. Here a steak is, changing over from bits, almost $60.00. They must have to import the meat from Earth and thus make it an expensive commodity. Either that, or this is going to be the last time I get protein from meat. Then again, I have to wonder if anypony at this table will be able to stomach it besides Vinyl. She has played plenty of gigs for gryphon parties and is more used to it, but nopony else at the table has been exposed to it before to my knowledge. As the waitress comes around and gives us our drinks, she asks for our orders. Tavi gets a large caesar salad, Vinyl and Neon each get a hayburger, Lyra gets an alfredo pasta dish, and Bonbon gets a vegetarian taco with jalapenos. As she looks to me, I ask one last question.

"Okay, I have learned not to go against Tavi too much, but are you sure-"

"Order your meat and get it over with, please. I will have to deal with it in worse circumstances, so just do it." Lyra blurts out, clearly not happy with the idea.

"Alright then, I will have the 12 oz. Sirloin cooked medium with a side of fries. Do you have any sauces?"

"Well sir, we have A1 Steaksauce, Heinz 47, and our house sauce, which is a tangier sauce." She says with a smile.

"Bring a bottle of A1 then please."

"As you wish, I will be right back with everypony's meals, yours will take a moment. By the way, what is the little tyke's name?"

"Tyke?" Neon asks, just as confused as most of the table but just slightly quicker on the draw.

"It is a slang word for child, so what is the name of your bundle of love? Which, now that I think about it, I didn't stay long enough at the hospital to find out." I add in, now curious as to why I didn't simply ask her before.

"Oh, right. Well our little colt's name is Bass Beats." I almost feel like pointing out that she named her son after the centre point of her profession, but then I remember that apparently everypony has a name that reflects themselves almost perfectly.

"Alright then, do you want me to get anything for little Beats?"

"Nah, I breast feed him, and I took care of his hunger on the way here." The waitress seems to be shocked for a moment before calming down, smiling, and taking our menus. I decide to keep mine in case anypony can't handle it so I can cover the food up until they calm down. She then heads off to the kitchen to order our meals. It is then that we all decide to talk about the rest of the tour. After ten minutes we believe we have finished making our plans, when Vinyl decides to make up her own.

"Alright, after we are done here we will show you guys where the park and mayor's office is, then we will get you set up with a library card since we hear you occasionally like to read, Sam. After that, most of the town is residences and clearly labelled shops, since that is the older side of town. Also, a ways down main street, is Sweet Apple Acres, a farm mostly centered around apple products. I would say we could go and show you the place, but there is no point in making you guys walk all that way. Sounds good everypony, and Sam?" Vinyl asks, apparently not caring about the rest of the table's discussion.

"Vinyl, how in Equestria do you not listen to a single thing about a conversation and still make perhaps the best suggestion in the conversation?" Tavi says, clearly giving up on trying to understand Vinyl.

"Yeah, I got talent alright, and it seems our food is here!" As if on cue the door to the kitchen opens and reveals our waitress coming out with a cart filled with food. One item in particular catches my attention, the sirloin steak with fries and a cup of ketchup. As the dishes all go around I pick up my steak knife and notice a look of fear momentarily go through Lyra's eyes, clearly she was not ready for this. I decide to give Lyra one last chance to back out.

"Okay, last chance Lyra-"

"I-I'm fine, j-just eat your s-st-stea-food and get it over with." At her urging I cut the steak in half to see if it's cooked properly, and I can practically hear Lyra screeching in her head over the sight. I notice they did cook it well, a nice brown throughout with a warm, pink center. Satisfied that they got my order right, I begin the task that Lyra can barely stand. Looking over I can tell Vinyl is fine with this, she simply eats her meal as if nothing odd is happening. Neon has his moments, but manages to eat just fine. Tavi seems transfixed for the first few bites, then she slowly starts her own meal. Bonbon attempts to block it out of her mind and manages to eat in fits, but Lyra simply stares on and can barely manage to register there are others around. Clearly, something is wrong.

"Lyra, you are the only one unable to eat, do you want me to leave the table?" I ask, putting down my utensils and placing my menu back in front of my food.

"I-I'm-" This time, I was not letting Lyra turn away my question.

"Lyra, you are the only one in so much stress as to be visibly shaking, you can't eat, and you are stuttering more then I thought possible from you. Now please, tell us, what's wrong?" I try my best to put on a friendly smile, and to some degree it works as Lyra says something that I certainly wasn't expecting.

"Look, i-it's got stuff to do with my family, and-and I don't want to r-re-relive it right now, do you guys mind if I just-" I am not letting her do this. I have a much better idea.

"No, I will be the one to leave. Everypony is uncomfortable to some degree with my meal, and it would be better if you remain among friends. I will go and finish eating over there on the other side of the room so you won't have to see me." As I finish talking I grab my plate and menu and begin to walk off to the booth I had pointed out. Vinyl levitates my drink and the sauce bottle behind me so that I don't have to make a return trip. As I get out of sight I can hear Lyra begin to take deep breaths and lightly cries. It is then that my suspicion is confirmed: something happened, and I made the right call by moving instead of letting her do it.

I finish my meal in silence, and after a while I see Lyra and Bon-Bon leaving through the front door with Vinyl and Beats following slightly behind. Neon and Tavi are still sitting at the table moving the plates around and waiting for the return of our waitress. As I approach Tavi looks up to me with some sadness in her eyes. She tells me what Lyra said, how her mother had been killed and eaten by a chimera when she was young. She had been paralyzed by it's poison and had it not been for her father, she might have died as well. She became scared and began researching ways to protect others from the same fate since her mother was an earth pony. She eventually dropped it, but the incident stuck with her for the rest of her life.

I begin to wonder why she wants to go to the Gryphon Kingdom if she won't be able to handle them eating meat, but that question will have to wait, she needs time to get back on her feet from today. After another eight or so minutes pass the three of us head out to finish the tour of the city. The park is large and filled with woodland creatures, We even run into to Fluttershy, a dear friend of Luna's I have not talked much with. She has a long pink mane, her fur is a bright yellow, her eyes are blue, and to say she is anything but beautiful would be a lie. Her bust is somewhat on the larger size, around a D, if not double DD. She wears a long pink dress that runs down just past her knees. She's very shy, but says that the animals around the park are very friendly.

After meeting Fluttershy, I'm shown the way to the mayor's office. Tavi and I will have to go there soon to go over the last of the paperwork and get papers to prove our ownership. Finally, we head to the library to pick up a library card. As we approach I finally see the name of the place on a sign. It reads 'Golden Oaks Library', the name seems interesting as I have never heard of a golden oak. But regardless, Neon knocks on the door and is quickly greeted by a young drake. He appears to be about ten or eleven years old and, unlike ponies and humans, is absent of any clothing. It's probably due to the fact that he doesn't sport his genitals out in the open, and so he has the choice, but he's the first drake I have ever met in person. He's mostly purple with green spines and eyes, as well as green belly scales. He has a tail that extends about a foot behind him. The young drake introduces himself as Spike, and odd name for anything intelligent, but I roll with it.

He takes us in and starts filling out the paperwork to give me a library card, Neon however takes his leave there as he is worried about Vinyl and Beats. As he leaves, I hear a very familiar voice, one I certainly didn't expect to hear so soon.

"Hello, and welcome to the 'Golden Oaks Library'. Hello Sam, Octavia," came the cheery voice of Twilight Sparkle, "How are you doing today?" Her smile practically threatens to devour her face as she approaches. "So, what can I do for you two today?" Twilight looks at the paperwork Spike is filling out before coming to the obvious conclusion. "Getting a library card huh? Alright then, I'll go get the card started, come over here so we can get a picture. I only see one set of paperwork so, which one of you is getting the card?" She asks, clearly taking every possible moment to look me over. If I didn't know any better, I would be a bit creeped out. Since I do know better, I am terrified that I won't have the time to think things through.

"Sam is, and as for 'that', we need to talk, so I guess this is convenient." Tavi says, giving a serious expression to Twilight. Twilight in turn gives a smile, as if predicting a 'yes' from us.

"Alright, Spike, you can go head and close the library. We have things to discuss after we get the card done." At this Spike seems to instantly relax, heading off to close the library for the day with practiced speed. As Twilight ushers us into a nearby room, something tells me I'm about to say something stupid.

Author's Notes:

Protein deficiency can lead to energy loss, loss of sex drive, skin discoloration, slower physical regeneration, and eventually the skin FALLING OFF YOUR BODY. This was once an epidemic in Southern America and it could have been solved earlier, but no southerner at the time wanted to trust a literal New York Jew telling them their diet was wrong. Even when he proved that the 'disease' was not contagious by him and several others doing everything you do to get an infection (using 'infected' peoples' urine, excrement, skin, blood, hair and saliva) he was still promptly ignored and ridiculed even when he proved protein cured it. He died twenty years before he was proven right. Isn't human history grand? This reminds me of Genghis Kahn...

Also, who wants to guess at Bass Beats future profession? (and if in music, which instrument/s)

Finally, the next chapter will be the teaser for the VinylxSam arc, this chapter also reaches a landmark: this is the first time I do not already have the next chapter fully written out yet. Also, yay for my quickest update since I first published this stuff!