1887 replies and 30 files omitted.
Heh, I saw this pic earlier today. It sure spread quickly.
>>151000Checked.
Who are those cute pones?
>>151002It's a pic someone did based on pic related
>>150957 →"Heh" She looks away, and pulls her lips back in a smile that shows off her teeth. Her pointy canines make another appearance. She looks down to the tea cup, which she picks up.
"Well... I don't know about that. But I am trying to get myself established in my own life in this city. And that is one part of it."
>>150999 →Spark observes the pony, tickets and IDs being handed over by other passengers.
>>151009The cards vary, but the following seem to be common elements:
A crest of crooked horn, ears and rings.
A headshot photograph of the individual (In black and white)
Name
Race
Eye color
Coat color
Sex
Date of birth
Address
Registered district
Description of cutie mark. This is sometimes replaced by an image
Marital status
“Love compliance.” This segment has letters next to it with no obvious meaning to the reader
“Internal Use” - this segment has letters next to it with no obvious meaning
The IDs are sometimes green, sometimes blue, sometimes Manila. If there is a pattern it isn’t immediate obvious.
The cards are laminated in plastic or coated in wax. They don’t seem very resilient, as most are slightly damaged on the edges, or browned by sunlight.
>>151010Looks like Spark is going to have to wing it.
>>151008"What else do you need to do? Is there anything I can help with?"
>>151032"Well..." She looks around
"There is installing the garden, that is a big thing. More laundry detergent would be helpful. And maybe more food. Also, do you have a place for that Unicorn to stay? Will he be staying here, or will he go to a hotel?"
>>151033"I can help with those. I do not know yet about Clip, but I will get that sorted very soon. Maybe on our date tonight we can ask taxi driver to show us around city, if you are still up for it."
>>151034She pulls her lips back in a smile that keeps her teeth mostly covered.
“I could…” she says
>>151035He smiles at her.
"You do not sound intensely excited. You know you do not have to agree to everything just because you live here, yes? If you have concerns or you do not wish to do something, I would want you to be honest with me."
>>151036Her smile retreats as her lips return to a more neutral position. She moves her head back slightly, and her ears lower.
“No. That’s not what I mean. That’s not what I mean at all…”
>>151037Silver tilts his head at her.
"I am sorry, I do not always understand others well. What did you mean?"
>>151038“I mean… In the time I’ve been here, I’ve seen, maybe two streets. One east and west along the north shore, and another north and south along the western shore. I’ve been in maybe two restaurants and two stores. I am not complaining. That is what I would do in my home village, and at Cua Song. But so far, this feels more like Cua Song than like Equestria. Where are the glistening castles, the sprawling meadows, the cities in the clouds? Where are all of the ponies living in Harmony? Cua Song had automobiles and a cinema. There is no war here. It wasn’t just that I could feel the explosions in Cua Song…” she winces.. “And there is more pay here. But to be so far from home, I kind of want something more…”
>>151039"Ohhhhh. You wish to see places like Canterlot, and Cloudsdale?"
>>151040“Well… I mean… well, maybe. But what I really mean is that…. In Ngua Nam, I had a village, and I had a family. I was a maiden there as here, but I had a village. There were great bays with mountains that had temples and monasteries on them, with sheer drops down cliffs to the ocean. There were rainforests and villages with rice paddies. There were modern brick cities with automobiles… not as modern as this one, no, but I think you know my meaning. The land had identity and I was a part of that. I left because I could not get over what I saw in the field hospital at Cua Song. I heard stories of Equestria, I met several Equestrians and I liked them. I wanted to be a part of that. And… I like what you have here. No really, I do. Even if I don’t trust the hyena, and even if your… your culture’s attitude is very different from mine… I can see the intention. I do appreciate it. But I am not where I want to be. I am away from Ngua Nam, and I feel as if I never entered Equestria. It’s like Equestria stops somewhere, and does not extend to the shore.”
She blinks
“But I am doing well for a few weeks. If anything I am further along than I should have expected. Thank you, again.”
>>151041"Ah, so this is what you mean. Yes, I understand this. Baltimare is modern city, still young with little yet story behind it. And it is one of farthest cities from core of Equestria. I can understand how you feel. It is much different here than it is in Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and other cities in Equestrian Heartland. Even if you were to just visit them, you would see that Equestria you wish so much to find."
>>151043“Well, even in this city I have only seen small part of it. And this street is very different from the harbor side. But I mean, my part in it. I am not so established. I do not even know much or have seen much.”
She looks down, and taps her cup with her split hooves. Then she looks back up, and back to Silver.
“You have been to those places?”
>>151044Silver nods.
"I have seen ivory towers of Canterlot, with trim of purple and gold, and while I have not been inside I have also seen columns and white monuments of Cloudsdale, floating in sky."
>>151045Her eyes widen, and she pushes herself upright, and raises both ears.
“Tell me more…”
>>151046"Well, Canterlot is built into side of Canterhorn Mountain, which stretches into sky all on its own. Some of city is built onto mountainside, but it has grown large enough that much of it hangs out over nothingness, supported by some of greatest engineering this world has ever seen. It is opulent, richest city on entire continent, with shops selling finest goods from world over and restaurants serving fine dishes on platters of purest silver. Its roads are clean and wide, and many ponies you would pass on them are aristocracy wearing newest designs from clothing designers like Rarity. Biggest building in entire city is of course Canterlot Castle, where our two Princesses once ruled from before war. It towers above everything, its tallest spires being used for observing Luna's night skies or for housing castle's occupants."
>>151047Khoi sits back in her chair, both forelegs placed before her, her long, honey-gold leonine tail with brown, fluffy end wrapped around herself. She listens intently.
"Wow... sounds beautiful."
>>151048"It is. And it is not only beautiful. Up there, on that mountain, in that city...it is closest you can ever be to Celestia's light, and it fills you completely with warmth and comfort. I once thought as foal that nothing could make you feel closer to Celestia than being in Temple of Light in my motherland. I was very, very wrong."
>>151049She moves her hind legs up, as if she were attempting to stand up in the chair, and there is a sound of the chair moving. She must have realized that this wasn't wise, as she immediately moved to sit back down.
"... Celestia's light?" She asks
>>151050Silver nods again.
"It is like being hugged by your friends and family, it is comfort and peace, Harmony in its purest essence. Even now, I wonder if one can feel it in that city, with Celestia captured so far away."
He looks right into Khoi's eyes, and takes a hold of her hoof if it's available.
"I would bring you and everyone else there, if I could, just so everyone could understand why Celestia is special to us. Maybe soon I will bring you there if you wish, once I have things settled here."
>>151051Khoi's hoof is beneath her. No matter, when Silver reaches for it, she extends it. There's a tuft of fluff at the rear of her fetlock, and nails at the end of her not just one, but two toes, which has been trimmed to a nice, consistent feel.
She looks into his eyes with her own magenta eyes, with closed lips turned slightly down in somber expression.
"That's... heh. I would like that."
>>151052He gently rubs the top of her hoof, feeling both of her toes. It's a strange sensation compared to uniform pony hooves, but it's not bad. He smiles at her, his blue eyes glinting.
"Why are you so somber?"
>>151053On the upper side of the hoof is short, honey-gold fur. It's no different than a pony, really. Nor do the nails of her hooves feel particularly different. Where Silver does notice a difference, is when he applies more pressure to one side of the hoof, than to the other. The toes move separately, one side up and the other side down, each on their own bone structure. They don't move much, but they do move, and there are more bones there than in a pony. No, it's the strangest appendage Silver has felt. Griffin claws, and gnoll paws, have many more fingers and toes, and many more bones. They altogether feel and look different. But it's precisely because kirin hooves are so similar to those of ponies that the differences stand out. For a moment, Silver could almost be convinced that Kirin are really a long lost tribe of ponies from across the ocean. That moment ends when the toes move.
She pulls her lips back, showing off her teeth in a smile. The somber expression is fully gone now.
"Because it's a somber moment. To be spiritually connected. It is important."
>>151054He smiles back at his kirin, who is so similar to a pony and yet so different.
"I just wanted to make sure. Your smile is beautiful, and it is always something to worry about when I see it disappear."
>>151055She tilts her head down, pulls her lips all the way back, still showing teeth, and lowers her ears in what seems to be a blush.
“Ehheh…”
>>151056He chuckles, and continues on softly rubbing and stroking her hoof.
"I suppose there is some somberness to Celestialism, but it is not focus of it. For us, focus is on friends, family, and loved ones. Those closest to us, and joy and happiness they bring to our lives."
>>151057She nods, and closes her lips.
“Harmony.” She says
>>151058"Harmony." He repeats
"It is what connects us all. It is what makes us whole."
>>151059She gives a weak smile
“Maybe we have something in common in our thinking after all.”
>>151060He smiles back once again.
"That we might."
>>151061Unless something was to happen or Khoi says something else, Silver doesn't follow this up with anything else.
>>151061>>151062Khoi pulls her hoof away, and starts to stand up next to the table, picking the cup up.
>>151063Silver stands up as well, taking his own empty cup to wash.
>>151064Khoi goes into the kitchen, and attempts to wash the cup. She also takes Silver’s cup, and starts to wash it.
>>151065"Heh. If we did get together, I would be one lucky stallion."
>>151066There is a sound of clanking of porcelin, and she suddenly turns her head to Silver, bending her copper-scaled back further away. Her eyes are wide
>>151067He continues.
"My late wife and I considered each other equals. We both did dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaner, and even chopping firewood. I was ready to wash my own tea cup, but you snatched it right out of my grasp."
He smiles at her.
>>151068Without quite a smile, she says
“You provided the house, and I believe, the tea. I will do the cleaning.”
>>151069"It is very much appreciated, Khoi. Thank you."
>>151070She smiles back, and sits down, slowly, placing both hooves together.
“What is it… exactly… you are offering to me?”
>>151071Silver gives her a confused look.
"'Offering'...?"
>>151072"You seem to want a closer partnership than being housemates" she says
>>151073"Oh, that."
The unicorn rubs the back of his neck with a forehoof.
"Well...perhaps..."
>>151075"You are kind, caring, generous. You have good heart and gentle soul. These are all harder-to-find qualities in this world, and on top of it you have astounding beauty. So...yes, there is interest from me."
>>151076She blushes, raising her hoof to partly cover her mouth. A line of scales the color of polished copper rubs from her about to her forehead, and her hooves share a copper-like color. Silver can see in the naked areas of her ears and her snout dark brown skin, similar in color to her mahogany mane. Her horn is red-brown, and her coat is honey-yellow.
“But what… what do you offer me?”
>>151077"Well, I can offer you love and companionship, security and protection, stable and excellent standard of living, care, affection, experience and knowledge that most bucks lack, and I have rather impressive record with bringing up healthy and successful foals. In addition, you will have no fear of me abandoning you or leaving you alone and destitute."
>>151078She pulls her lips far back, showing teeth. She is firmly sitting down, and curls her tail around herself.
"But I mean...
what kind of relationship?"
>>151080"I mean, what relationship are you looking for?"
>>151081"Oh. Well, I am looking for someone to love and to hold, for more than just casual sex even though it is great. Someone to call mine and to call me theirs. Someone to live my life with."
>>151082Her left ear falls and eyes narrow at the great casual sex remark.
"I mean..." She raises a hoof and waives it in the air
"Equestria has marriage too, does it not? Shouldn't your parents contact mine, and consult the augurs for whether there will be a successful relationship, then negotiate a price for the bride, then send gifts to the bride-to-be's family, and then consult the augurs again for a wedding date?" She taps her hooves together.
"Something like that?"
>>151083"Well, yes, though it is no longer quite like that. Generally, both prospective partners will meet each others parents who will then approve or disapprove. If they approve, then partners will go on dates and become more familiar with each other until male then ask female to marry him. If she accepts, he will present her with a ring she will carry until their wedding day."
>>151084She shakes her head
"Are the parents not the ones who select the mates? And what about the dowry?"
>>151085"They did in Equestria, once, but now it is individual ponies, or people, to choose their own mates, and parents can only approve or disapprove. They can still try to choose for their children, but it is sometimes seen as old-fashioned. And dowry has been replaced with gifts given to mare by stallion over course of their dating."
>>151086"Oh..." She says
"I suppose that makes sense for me. My parents are far away..."
>>151087"And mine are dead..."
He looks at Khoi considerately.
"Is there anything I can do for you? I know you value tradition, is there anything from your culture I can do?"
>>151088She looks up at him
"What about Jubilosa?" She asks
>>151089He looks confused at her.
"What about Jubee?"
>>151090"I can hear you two at night." She says
>>151091Silver does actually blush a little, which shows up well under his white coat.
"Oh. I did not know we were that loud."
>>151092"
Yes. That, and the hyena are why I close my door at night. But she tells me... everything. I know you two behave as if you were married, though you are not married."
>>151094She narrows her eyes
"So what is going on? Are you looking to try out different mates, and then offer to marry one?"
>>151095Silver returns to rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well, not exactly. Jubee and I act like married couple because we love and care for each other. Jubee says she is not yet ready for marriage, but she still wishes to have companionship."
>>151096Khoi twists her lips.
"A mare may only ever have one husband. A stallion may only have one primary wife. Jubilosa may be content to be a concubine. But I will accept nothing less than to be head female of the household. I do not care what the Equestrian laws say. I will not accept less."
>>151097"Well, in every other way, it looks like you have already."
>>151099"Way you have taken charge, put your muzzle to ground, and worked hard to keep this household in top shape, like matriarch of household. Only thing you lack is patriarch."
>>151101"I can think of no one more capable, nor that I respect more."
>>151102She blushes, and lowers her ears.
“I’ll… I’ll consider it… and I look forward fo tonight.”
>>151103Silver smiles wider now than he has previously, and his eyes seemingly sparkle.
"As am I, Khoi. I will make certain you enjoy it!"
>>151104She smiles at him with a toothy smile, but gradually lowers her lips
"Why don't you show me something... special. Show me your best. Show me... what being your wife could be." She says, and stands up, turning towards the door.
>>151106She nods to him, smiling, and walks out the kitchen door into the hallway
>>151107Silver heads out of the kitchen to check on Clip, to see if he's still asleep.
>>151108Paper Clipping is laying on his back on the couch, his head propped up by a pillow, and a woven blanket covering most of his lower body, with his hind hooves sticking out. His mouth is partly open, and he breathes in somewhat noisily.
>>151110"Heheh. He is kind of cute, sleeping like that."
Silver pats the colt's head.
>>151111Paper Clipping’s straight red-brown mane moves under the hoof.
But the ecru colt moves his head side to side, and opens his eyes
“Huh? Is it time to go?”
He tries to raise himself up with his forehooves to look around
>>151112Silver quickly withdraws his hoof.
"Oh, I am sorry Clip, I did not mean to wake you."
>>151113The stallion moves his head up, effectively moving his field of view further down, so that he views Silver upside down.
“Oh, right. I’m here.”
He moves his back down (and right-side up), and looks across the living room, and at his surroundings. He tries to twist his barrel to turn his head towards Silver, but quickly abandons this effort.
“Is there something I gotta do?” He asks
>>151114"No, there is not. I do not think they have those meetings this early in morning. How are you feeling, by way?"
>>151115“Uh, a little pain. A bit, actually. Guess it’s hurt more before.”
>>151116"How bad? Like on 1 to 10 scale?"
>>151117“Like… maybe a three. Well, if it were a three I couldn’t sleep. Actually I probably couldn’t go back to sleep. Do we have any more of those pills? A three may not sound so bad, but the problem is the pain doesn’t go away. It’s there all the time.”
>>151118"I have had pain like that. Let me go look for them, or something else for pain."
And thus, Silver goes a-searching.
>>151119Silver finds a small brown glass container labeled as containing medical codeine-based tablets on the kitchen bar top.
>>151120Silver brings it back to Clip.
"Remember to follow directions on bottle, we do not need you overdosing."
>>151121There is a strong tug on the glass, and for a moment at least, Silver's grasp on the container is in serious jeopardy. Paper Clipping tries - and fails - to light his magic to take the container.
"Like Tartarus! I was cut right open, and it hasn't exactly been just a mild pain since.."
>>151122Silver assists by using his magic to open the lid with ease.
"Trust me, I know, I have acquired large number of battlescars over course of my life. Admittedly, nothing
quite like what you had, but still, this world needs good young ponies like you."
>>151123He raises a hoof, and tries to look inside. From this angle, and with hooves wider than the lid of the container, only pouring out pills will have effect.
“Just give me a few of them.” He says
>>151124Silver reads what is recommended on the bottle's label, and gives Clip that amount.