>>154998 →Mala says,
"Um, hi"
There's something unintuitive about speaking to Mala. Between his dog-like appearance, and silence, it doesn't seem like he should speak at all.
Nevertheless, White Orchid asks
"So, uh... what are you, exactly?" This is a totally normal question to ask someone and totally not offensive. This goes on.
>>154999 →"You don't" he answers
>>155003Silver lets the two interact as he finishes his portion of the meal.
>>155000Check'em.
This has to be a based bread.
>>155003Amber looks up at his face with a bumfuzzled expression, her cheeks still red as a radish.
"What do you mean I don't?">155001>Silver Sword going out of his way to corrupt a filly young enough to be his granddaughter and having a wide-eyed desire for a traditional marriage"lawful good" smh
>>155006Yes.
>>155005White Orchid asks some basic questions, and Mala answers. Some are questions about what the Kaftar are, which he seems to like to answer, but his knowledge is limited. Some are questions about his past, which he sometimes gives evasive answers about. And some are about Mala's interests, which it seems Mala has not had much opportunity to cultivate in his life. Mala does explain to White Orchid about his father not coming home one day, and about his mother dying. He says a few things about his period of homelessness. Mala admits he's been in jail at least once, though he starts to refuse to answer questions.
>>155007"I mean you can't" He says
Amber would do it
>>155007Sometimes morality is...subjective.>>155008Silver looks at Mala, checking that he's doing alright.
>>155008"But, er, you were able to tell just lookin' at my plot. Ain't there a similar way I could tell?" She swings her head around to look directly at his plot, as if the key lay there.
>>155009Mala varies between feeling like he contributes something, like in the general knowledge questions, to a sort of fear, like when he's finally asked about his criminal history and experiences.
>>155010His rump is rather thin
"I didn't see it, Amber" He says with a strong degree of displeasure
>>155011She blinks and pulls back, looking rather distraught.
"You didn't? Are you sure? Do you know what it's supposed to look like?"
>>155012"I didn't see it" He answers
>>155013"But...but that can't be. I never touched a colt before, I swear! What is it supposed to look like?" She raises her tail and trots in circles, trying futilely to get a look into herself.
>>155011Silver offers a little something to the conversation:
"Not everyone who has been in jail is bad. Sometimes thieves steal for their families. Sometimes pony kills in self defense and is still tried for murder. Sometimes people are in wrong place at wrong time."
He sidehugs Mala.
>>155015Mala is hugged, but his ears go down.
White Orchid looks unsure what to make of this.
>>155014“Uh…” he doesn’t answer
>>155016She looks at him with a hurt expression, tears once more in her eyes. However, she doesn't abandon reason.
"I don't know if you're tellin' the truth about being a virgin yourself. If you are, you wouldn't know what a mare's...privates should look like, and if you did know, you wouldn't be a virgin and would be lyin' to me. So why are you pushing this onto me?"
>>155016"But that is not point. Mala has proven character of his heart to me through his actions, and I am very happy to say he is good person."
>>155017“Uh….” He leans away
>>155018Mala smiles
White Orchid will listen to Silver, if nothing else
“Uh, okay”
>>155019"Now, are you going to finish your food, so...Orchid?"
>>155019Amber presses him with an offended tone of voice.
"So which is it, Mustard? Have you been with a mare before...a-and looked?"
>>155021“No?” He says, repositioning himself so that he lays on his belly.
>>155020“Uh, sure” White Orchid says
>>155022Silver very carefully pats the colt on the shoulder.
>>155024“Well, you know, it’s common knowledge. Ponies talk about it.”
>>155023colt is carefully patIt’s clear that White Orchid is still averse to the pats.
He does at least offer a few fries to Mala, who quickly eats them..
>>155025Silver is happy to have a nice, quiet moment with two of his friends.
>>155025"But you weren't told precisely how to tell, were you?" She folds her tail underneath her as she sits on her haunches, a pained look still in her eyes.
"It hurts when you accuse me like this, Mustard. I'm sorry for hurtin' you, but...but I never said that you yourself were a bad pony, or unfaithful. Yet here you are sayin' I'm a loose mare, because of 'common knowledge' you never learned firsthoof. You would take that over my honest-to-goodness word."
>>155027He is silent for a while, before meekly offering,
“I didn’t jump on your back and bite your hair.”
>>155026Mala makes three biting motions to eat one French fry.
Before long, White Orchid is done with his food. Except fir the milkshake, which he continues sipping from.
>>155029“Yes.” White Orchid says
“I don’t get these often.”
>>155028"That would still sting less than what you're doing now." She closes her eyes, a tear running down her cheek.
"Then, I didn't think you were Mustard Trim. But you know it's me now, and you're telling me to my face that I'm lyin', that I've gone after other colts and wouldn't tell you. If I had, I'd tell you right out, because anything built on lies will fall apart." She starts to openly sob, her upper body heaving.
"I love you, Mustard, and that just makes this hurt all the more. I'm worried that, if this is what you think of me...it mightn't work out. I want, I really really want, to give my virginity to you, but if it doesn't and ponies judge me the way you are now, where does that put me? There are two things you can't get back, virginity and an honest reputation, and I can tell you right off I haven't gotten rid of either."
>>155032Mustard Trim lays his head down on the bedsheets, looking like a scolded dog.
>>155031White Orchid looks up at Silver, and wags his tail
>>155033Amber puts her fetlock across her eyes.
"I'm–I'm sorry fer hurting you, I wish I never did that. You can call me stupid, ignorant, crazy, senseless all you'd like, I deserve it," she whines.
"But I would never lie to you, 'specially not about something that affects you. Take me to somepony who knows what to look for, have me poked and prodded all you'd like...but never, ever say I'm lyin'. I couldn't lie to you and still love you, and I love you...." She continues to quietly wail, her body wracked with sobs.
>>155033"Maybe we can make this kind of tradition whenever we go out and do something. Like next time, when I will teach you how to shoot, we will go out for milkshakes too."
>>155034"I'm... sorry."
He says, raising his head, still laying on his belly, and looking over towards Amber.
>>155035White Orchid has a giant smile across his face, and begins to wag his tail.
"Really?! We can do that?"
>>155036The amber-colored filly takes her hoof off her eyes, looking toward him with a pleading expression. Her heaves calm down, but she is still shivering in the cold air.
>>155038"That sounds great! When can we do it?"
>>155037He raises his forelegs, letting her to move into a hug
>>155039"Whenever I come an see you next. Know when you would like to see me again?"
>>155039She shakily gets to her hooves and moves over to him, wrapping her forelegs around him and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Do you think I'm a bad pony? Tell me what you really feel," she asks.
>>155041He smiles at the colt, though a bit sadly.
"Today is busy day, and I have many things to do. Maybe some other day?"
>>155042Perhaps it pleases her that he is not soft to lay on, feeling instead rather firm.
A second of silence, then two seconds, three, four, five,
"No..."
>>155043"Aww...." He lowers his head slightly
"Okay..."
>>155044"But we will still spend more time together. You would like that, yes?"
>>155044Amber for her part feels softer, though he can still feel firm, lean muscle underneath.
"I promised you that I'd never belittle you or say hurtful things. I'll add to that, and swear that I never will lie to you, and never have. You can say whatever you want to me, but can you...can you promise you won't ever accuse me of lying, without cause?"
>>155046He is silent for a moment, and then says
"Kissing the stallion made me wonder."
>>155045"Yes." He says
>>155047"It will be fun camping trip we will have."
>>155048He wags his tail
"I'll have something to look forward to"
>>155049"So...do you think you are ready to go?"
>>155047Weird, this didn't update for seven minutes.She sighs.
"I didn't kiss him, he kissed me. I really didn't want to, but he wanted to fool others. I can tell you, it didn't go further than that, not like us. If I was a dishonest, bad filly, I would have lied about the kiss."She pulls back and stares into his blue eyes.
"Does losing virginity mean having a romantic-style kiss, or does it mean something else?"
>>155051"Just meants we have next time to look forward to...son."
>>155052"Something else" He says. Though he lets Amber close to him, he still looks as if he is cornered.
>>155053White Orchids eyes are bulging wide, with a great smile
>>155054Silver smiles warmly back to White Orchid, before poking Mala gently and asking him to move out of the seat so Silver can get out.
>>155054"Then I am a virgin, or at least was one as of tonight," she asserts.
She posits a question of her own.
"You want to take my virginity away, which I guess is a big step. Do you want that because it'll make you feel good or accomplished, or because you really do see something special in me?" She scrutinizes his features.
>>155055Mala jumps out of the seat
>>155056His ears are folded down, and is expression is best understood as "Just make it stop"
He answers,
"I uh just uh that's what you do when you marry and I thought that's what we were doing"
>>155057If he was worried about saying the wrong thing, he need worry no more.
Amber's eyes light up and her pensive expression forms into a grin. He feels nearly crushed as she hugs him with all her strength.
"Oh, Mustard! Yes yes yes! I love you so much, mwah!" she exclaims, kissing his cheek.
>>155058And pony is crushedsqueakyHis fur doesn't taste great, but the taste is distinctly his.
>>155060"Why should I have to prove it" This statement sounds almost absentminded, proposed reactively and without real emotion.
>>155065"I don't ever, ever want to hurt you, Mustard, I love and trust you. Won't you return this love and trust, for my sake?" Her tone is especially pleading.
>>155066"Okay..." He turns his eyes away
"I just didn't know..."
>>155068"Okay..." There is a weak smile
>>155069She gazes at him with a hopeful smile.
"Promise?"
>>155071She exhales, the tension in the air being released, and hugs him tenderly.
"Thank you. I'm sorry to put you through this, but I'm glad we were able to talk things through. We can take this...to the next step, without having anything against each other. How are you feeling?"Do you want to continue this now, or resume tomorrow? Either is okay for me, it's entirely up to you.
>>155072"I'm okay" he says. He lays on his belly on the bed, keeping his legs close to himself.
>>155073That familiar blush returns to Amber's face.
"Let's take this further...if you want...after I use the bathroom real quick." She practically canters into the adjoining room and closes the door.
>>155074And she is alone in the bathroom
>>155075She spends an almost frustratingly long time in there. Taking care of business is a relatively short affair, but she spends much more time obsessing over how this night has 180'd over the past hour. Not only did she clear up the seemingly last of their misunderstandings, but he (informally) proposed to her! She also wonders about the passion about to ensue and whether it will hurt. She is tired for sure, but her sheer excitement easily overpowers fatigue.
She tidies up her appearance and shuffles out, grinning bashfully at Mustard.
>>155076Mustard Trim lays on his left side, his right leg extended out in front of him, and his left leg tucked under his body. He lays his head on a pillow with no grin nor smile. His eyes move up to meet Amber, and they have a sad expression.
>>155077Amber looks crestfallen when she sees him, expecting youthful energy and romance instead.
"What's wrong?"
>>155078“I don’t want to” he says from his position laying down on his side.
>>155079She sits down by his bedside rather than climb up, mainly because there isn't enough room up there without disturbing him.
"It's okay, we don't have to. Any particular reason why not?"
>>155063"Is there anything quick that you want us to do?"
>>155080Mustard Trim is laying down on the edge of the bed, looking the opposite direction. It is technically possible to lay down beside him and make eye contact from this position, though that would give absolutely no space at all. Rather, Amber is a few feet away, looking over.
“The mood is gone” is all he says
>>155081“Uh…. I can’t think of anything” he says
>>155082"I know, this night hasn't actually been kind to us," she says slowly.
"Except for us the hill, that spontaneity was magical and I hope we can relive that. But…we came to a pretty serious crevasse, and we took the time to build a bridge over that. I'm proud of you–of us–for doing that, because now we understand each other better. The wounds still ache, but they're healing," she says, with a small smile and tears in her eyes.
>>155083He has a frowning expression.
“Why don’t we talk about something else?” He asks
>>155085"Um uh, well I've done a few things with a knife. I've been learning how to use a lathe. Back in Blackwater I would go by the mill sometimes with a friend of my father, and I had a carving tool. I don't much like the high school in Baltimare, but there is a wood shop that has a lathe. I made a duck."
>>155087"Well, it's this machine that holds an object and lets you rotate it, while you can apply a drill, or a make a cut, or sand it, or do a lot of things, really."
He starts to sit up.
>>155088She thinks about it for a moment.
"That sounds real useful, though I suppose you got to be careful not to get your mane caught in it. Could you show me how to carve wood like that sometime?"
>>155089He blinks
"Uh, yeah. I tie my mane back while doing it. Most of what I use them for doesn't have
that much rotation... but then again I only have a few hours of using them." He gives a weak smile
"Maybe"
>>155090"It ain't a bad skill to have, I'm sure you'll get really good at it." Amber returns his smile, but it's more reassuring.
"There's only one type of wood I know how to handle, and it's this…" she says, picking up her mandolin.
"In the mood for a tune?"
>>155092Amber takes a few practice strums and settles into a simple, calmly paced tune. There are no lyrics to this song.
https://youtu.be/pv1UkRXo84UIt's surprisingly difficult to find romantic country-style music from the 40's and back. If you have any recommendations go right ahead.
>>155093He smiles, and sits up on the bed, moving towards where Amber was previously on the floor, and letting his hindlegs fall off.
"That's neat" he says
Well, something like this is the first thing that came to my mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X137NEqGpRI
>>155094Good pick, but it's heavy on the cello and as I'm not a music nerd I'm not sure if it translates well to other instruments. Guitar/banjo is similar to mandolin so those are easier.She settles into an older tune, one so old its origins are unknown to all but the most astute of scholars, yet the song itself is quite well-known across Equestria.
https://youtu.be/8gcL-nweh68
>>155095He sits there, completely still, eyes fixed on her instrument. By all appearances, he listens intently to every note, as he has every time Amber has played for him. He has something of a smile, but with sad, almost teary eyes.
>>155096Amber moves onto yet another traditional tune, but after a little bit of playing and settling into the rhythm she starts singing.
https://youtu.be/XwrKhiuJlNM"Alas, my love, you do me wrong,
To cast me off discourteously.
For I have loved you well and long,
Delighting in your company.
"Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.
"Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Now I remain in a world apart
But my heart remains in captivity.
"Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.
"I have been ready at your hand,
To grant whatever you would crave,
I have both wagered life and land,
Your love and good-will for to have.
"Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.
"If you intend thus to disdain,
It does the more enrapture me,
And even so, I still remain
A lover in captivity.
"Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.
"Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
but still thou hadst it readily.
Thy music still to play and sing;
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
"Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.
"Well, I will pray to Celestia on high,
that thou my constancy mayst see,
And that yet once before I die,
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.
"Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.
"Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
To Celestia I pray to prosper thee,
For I am still thy lover true,
Come once again and love me.
"Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves."When she finishes, she is sniffling and tears are running down her cheeks.
>>155097Didn't Amber play Greensleeves to him before?He expresses a number of emotions over this rather long ballad. By the end, he is smiling, evidently impressed
"You memorized all of that?"
>>155098No, she was humming it during brushies."My ma likes to sing it a lot. She's the reason I got into music, and why I got my cutie mark." She smiles, first at him, then glancing down at her flank.
>>155099He looks down to her flank
"Why don't you tell me about that?" He looks up to her eyes, then down to her flank again
"I told you mine."
>>155100She nestles comfortably next to him, her warm flank pressing up against his, and leans her head against his shoulder.
"Well, it ain't anything special. My ma had this mandolin passed down to her from generations ago, even though her family always lived on the farm. She's a really talented singer, far better than I could ever be, and although our church is miles away we would always go there every week and she would sing there. Well, years ago, when I was just a little filly, there was something of a local talent show there. I had practiced for weeks and weeks on this mandolin, learning everything I know from my ma. My spot was in the late afternoon, and I had such terrible stagefright, especially after a bunch of other foals messed up!" she says, with a giggle at the end.
"But my ma encouraged me on, and I imagined all the folk there to be her. I focused and focused on my performance just as the sun was setting, and at the end everypony was stomping their hooves! My parents hugged me so hard I thought I would burst, because just then I earned my cutie mark!"
>>155101Mustard Trim moves his legs around her, holding her next to his fur in his embrace.
"Well that sounds pretty special to me" He says, looking down into her eyes
"Got the whole church moving with you, your very first time."