Six Months Later...

Filthy Rich adjusted his tie, looking back in the mirror at himself. He grabbed the bottle of gel in front of him, dupping a big glob of it onto his hoof and rubbing it into his hair, slicking it back into his usual style. He leaned closer to the mirror, checking both sides of his face in it.

"Are you ready yet!?", his daughter called out from the next room.

Filthy almost jumped in alarm; if there was one thing for certain that she'd inherited from her mother, it was her lungs. He frowned at the comparison to his ex-wife, but shrugged it off and back away from the mirror. He stepped away, calling out as he left the bathroom, "For Celestia's sake, my diamond. We have more than one bathroom."

She was waiting for him by his bed, rolling her eyes as she saw him exit. She said, "Because I know for a fact mom left some perfume in your bathroom, and I've finally gotten around to recovering it. Besides, what kind of daughter would I be if I don't see my dad off on his first date since his divorce."

Filthy couldn't help but give a slight blush, that he hopped was mostly hidden by his coat. "I-it's not a date. We're just going to discuss some continuation of our business deal."

"Ok, daddy", she said. "Whatever you say."

"And why are you getting that perfume, anyway?", Filthy asked. "From what I know about you, you wouldn't let such a valuable item just languish."

"Yeah, I know. But, I'm going out on a date too, and I thought I'd be a good thing to just get", she said.

Again, Filthy said, "Again, it's not a date."

"Right", Diamond said. "So, can I get that perfume now?"

"Oh, yeah", Filthy said. "Go ahead, my diamond." As his daughter slipped past him into the bathroom, he headed out of his room and made his way down the staircase. As he made his way to the front door, a thought came to mind. Was it a date?

As soon as the thought occurred to him, a part of his mind almost instantly tried to push that idea aside. It was just a business transaction. He was just going to meet a business partner. At a restaurant. In the evening. Just the two of them. He stopped dead in his tracks, just outside the front door, at the realization.

Buck.

++++~++++

"Remind me why we're here again?", Pipsqueak asked. "I mean, I got a feeling that this place is a bit outta my paygrade."

"Relax, I'll make a big share of the difference. Now, let's go", Diamond said, walking a bit brisker towards the front door of the Gilded Horseshoe, the highest scale restaurant in Ponyville. "I imagine Silver Spoon is already here."

"Alright, I'm comin'", he said, scrambling to catch up.

At the entrance, a stallion in a dress suit and tie said, "Ah, Miss Tiara. Welcome. Your father arrived not ten minutes ago."

Pipsqueak stole a confused look to his date, asking, "Why are we goin' to the same place as your dad?"

"Shoosh", she said before turning back to the host. "Thank you. And, is Silver Spoon here yet?"

The stallion considered it for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, nopony by that name's come in here yet."

"Alright, thank you. Can we get a booth near my father? Not too close, but still within looking distance?", Diamond asked.

"I'll get you the one that best fits that description", the stallion said. "We're a bit packed tonight, but I'm sure that I could get you something like what you want."

"Thank you", Diamond said.

"Alright then, follow me", the stallion said, grabbing a pair of menus and leading them into the restaurant.

As they followed the host, Pipsqueak whispered in her ear, "Ok. What's goin' on?"

Diamond Tiara sighed. "I may have had an alternate motive for setting up our date here. Like you pointed out, my dad's here as well. He's on a 'business deal', but it's basically a date."

They were interrupted by the host, who stopped and said, "Here you are." He gestured to a booth in the wall, both of the menus he had taken resting on the table. "Your server will be along shortly."

He slipped past them to head back outside as the two of them slid into the booth. Pipsqueak resumed their conversation, asking, "So, about your dad..."

"What about him?", Diamond asked, looking over the items on the drink list.

He said, "Why do we have to be in the same place as him?"

Diamond remembered what they were fully talking about, and set the menu down. "I just want to keep an eye on him."

"Isn't he your dad?", Pipsqueak asked.

"Yeah, I know", she said somberly. "I just don't want him to get into something like what he had with my ex-mom again. I just want to see her, and... I don't know. Make sure she's a nice mare."

"You don't even know if it is a proper date", Pipsqueak said. "It's just them meeting for dinner. Just the two of... them. Ok, I see your point. But still, I don't think it's necessarily the best idea to stalk your dad."

"It's not stalking", she hissed. "It's just-"

"Following and watching your dad without him knowing", Pipsqueak deadpanned. "That sounds a bit like stalking to me."

Diamond opened her mouth to respond, before clamping it shut. "Yeah, I guess it does", she said. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's still a nice place", Pipsqueak said. "And the food looks good. Just, tell me we're not going to be doing something like this again."

"'Like this'? What does that mean?", Diamond asked.

Pipsqueak said, "Stalking your dad."

"Right. Don't worry. If all goes well, then that won't be happening", Diamond said.

"Good", Pipsqueak said, returning his gaze to his menu. "Oh, and your dad's over there."

++++~++++

"So, I'll have to make up the cost?", Filthy asked.

Jubilee shook her head. "Well, not all of it. A decent portion of the product is a bit on the lower cost side of things. In all honesty, the ponies who mostly put in orders order some of our higher quality products, so that saves a bit of bits on shipping."

"So, I just have to pay less than a typical rate?", Filthy asked.

"Just a little less", Jubilee said. "Like, say... maybe a hundred bits off of my usual order."

"I'm in a better position than I was when we first made this deal, but I appreciate the lower cost. So, is that it?", Filthy asked.

"Well, not really", Jubilee said.

"Oh?", Filthy asked. "I thought we'd hammered out all the details."

"Well, I don't see any hammers", Jubilee joked.

Filthy said, "Figure of speech."

"I know. But, still. We haven't even finished our food", Jubilee said.

Filthy looked down at the haysteak in front of him, then at the pasta in front of Jubilee. Both, while showing signs of partial consumption, they were, for the most part, untouched. "So, just finish up then leave?"

"Well, no need to rush", Jubilee said. "Let's just talk personal stuff."

"Personal?", Filthy asked, a faint blush once again greeting his cheeks. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's good form to become familiar with the ponies who work under you", Jubilee said. "I imagine that the same is true for those you work with. So, why not, eh?"

"I-I s-suppose that's fair", Filthy said. "So, tell me a bit about yourself."

"Well, I already told you about my family all those months ago. I enjoy myself a good cobbler. I like my drinks with no ice. Yes, even in the stinkin' desert. And I am VERY particular about my mane. Now", she said, setting down her fork and resting her head on a pyramid of her hooves. "Tell me about yourself."

Filthy took a deep breath, sighing. "Well, my family was one of the ones that helped found Ponyville. A few generations ago, there was no town here; just fields. A few other families moved here in addition to mine, and we founded the town. Got the land grant from Princess Celestia herself."

"My, that is impressive", Jubilee said, taking another bite. After she swallowed, she gestured for him to continue. "I heard you had a daughter. Tell me about her."

"Well...", Filthy said. "She's from my ex-wife. The less said about her, the better. Anyway, she's..."

He trailed off as he looked past Jubilee, spotting four younger ponies in a booth by the wall. He recognized all of them immediately. One was his daughter's friend, Silver Spoon. Next to her, with a hoof draped over her shoulder, was one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders; Sweetie Belle, if he recalled correctly. The only colt in the group he recognized as Pipsqueak, the Trottingham colt who worked at the Sofa and Quill store. And of course, his daughter.

"She's..." He said absentmindedly, still looking at her. She seemed to notice him looking at her, and rolled her hoof in the air. The signal was obvious; carry on. You got this. "She's not necessarily the kindest pony you'll meet. She had her issues, many due to her mother. She's controlling, stubborn, a bit manipulative, and she has a knack for getting what she wants. But, she's not a brat. She's trying to do her best, she's intelligent, she's a leader... She's my little girl. You'd like her."

"Well, maybe you could introduce me before out next date", Jubilee said.

"Date!?", Filthy exclaimed in alarm.

Jubilee chuckled, "I mean, this isn't fully business, obviously. It doesn't have to be, but if you want it to, we could go out for another one. No business, just pleasure. How does that sound?"

Filthy looked at his daughter over Jubilee's shoulder. She shot him another look, silently urging him to take her up on her offer. Filthy looked back to the mare in front of him. This was almost the opposite of his ex-wife, and he needed something like this in his life to help keep him balanced.

He nodded. "I'd be happy to, Miss Jubilee. In fact, it would be my honor."

Author's Note

They do end up married, and have a kid. He'll appear in the sequel to The Broken and the Damned. It's coming along; one of the benefits of the quarantine, I guess. Speaking of which, stay healthy and have a nice day, everyone!