>>155308Amber lets loose a low moan as he pulls himself out of her fully and she sinks to her knees with heavy breaths. Her face has an expression best described as a mixture of rapture and bewilderment, and it takes a second for her to register his question.
"Huh? Do you think I need it?" she asks quizzically, staggering to her hooves and moving to face the shower. Her labia, which haven't yet pulled themselves shut but are hanging like tired drapes, are leaking secretions and semen.
>>155309The carpet has become the latest victim of Amber’s crush on her coworker.
“Yeah. You should get ready and get dressed. We’re going to need to leave soon.”
>>155310Though neither of them can see or feel it, deep inside Amber Mustard's motile sperm are making the epic trek up her fallopian tubes. It is a headlong race, as only the most of them will sire the next generation and establish a mark on the world. The lead cell finally makes it to its generation, only to be met by a makeshift sign:
"Eggs on vacation. Cum back in spring."
Amber realizes the urgency in getting ready and quickly washes herself with the shower's cold water. Her upper body has fortunately remained mostly clean, but it's a difficult exercise-particularly with her soreness- to clean the bodily secretions off her tail, rump, hind legs and outer vagina. But eventually she manages to make it so a casual observer couldn't easily tell what activity she has been up to, and steps out of the shower. She swiftly brushes her teeth and gets out, letting Mustard have his turn.
>>155311Perhaps Amber is fortunate that her body is not conspiring against her, sending her into an early cycle after after arrival in the city. Or perhaps she is unlucky, as such a circumstance would have been the easiest way to check "get a husband" off the list. The poor sperm have at least gotten further than so many that have come before out of Mustard Trim.
Mustard is only barely returning to the room when Amber comes out. "I had to go make a phone call" is his explanation as he walks past, into the bathroom. He spends some seconds checking his mane and tail for any unwanted spills, and gets in the shower. There is a startled "Ah!" at the cold water. Again, he spends much less time in the shower than Amber did, and seems to have only washed the parts of his coat that were dirtied.
>>155312Whatever one's interpretation, a pregnancy would be a ticking time bomb for her to lay to rest dreams of adventure. She can still place herself in situations without worrying about endangering anypony but herself. But it's only a matter of time before her nubile body will push her to create a foal, and will she be wiser by then?
When he comes out he can see Amber hurriedly brush her mane and tail as she leans against a less messy part of the bed. It's fortunate that she has such a plain style, as a few long strokes are enough to make them presentable. He can see her looking at him with a bit of uncertainty.
"Did you clean your...you know?"
>>155313"Yeah" he says, walking out of the bathroom. He takes his jacket, and puts it on.
>>155314She's glad she took the time to clean his jacket last night. At least it doesn't
look like he was romping around all night. Amber puts on her beloved winter dress, which fortunately doesn't appear to be stained or torn. Once she does, she tries to brush out Mustard's mane and tail a little bit.
"Here you go. We're not forgetting anything, are we?"
>>155315He scrunches at the brushing. Though he allows her to do it, he seems eager to leave.
"No? I don't know. We need to go to my house now. I think my mom will want me to dress up."
>>155316"Of course." She gives him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Let's make your family proud."She puts on her headscarf quickly, then gathers her money, canteen, and keys before leaving. She locks the door behind them.
>>155317He smiles, but proceeds along ahead of her. The two go down the stairs into the common area, then out the front door. Presumably, they hail a taxi, and ride to Summervale Street.
Mustard Trim explains
"She knows that I left with you yesterday, and that you will be here today. I told her you agreed to be my girlfriend. She doesn't know and cannot know that I stayed at your apartment. She thinks I stayed at a friend's house last night, and then went by to pick you up. My sister will be there as well."
They arrive in front of the red brick townhouse, with its two floors, tiny front yard, and the bay windows that protrude from the left side of both the first and second floors
>>155318"Our love must be kept a secret, just like in those stories. You can count on me!"Compared to Amber's tenement and her family's tiny cottage in the countryside, his townhouse looks almost luxurious in comparison.
>>155319He takes his hoof, an ruffles her mane, causing hairs to fall in front of her eyes.
"Not our love. Just uh... uh, the thing"
The townhouse kind of is nicer than is necessary, all things considered. No pony comes up to the door as Mustard and Amber approach. But he knocks on the door, and the door is opened by an orange coated filly a little older than Mustard Trim and Amber with a blood red mane that is tied back in a pony tail, and make up and mascara on her eyes.
"You're back" she says, opening the door for him
"Mom is inside." She looks over towards Amber
He walks through, looks back through the threshold at Amber, and says
"You can come in"
>>155320Amber still quite can't get over how similar Mustard and his sister are in coloration to herself. It's not quite identical, and their proportions are different, but a complete stranger would generally assume Amber to be Mustard's youngest sister. Fortunately that's not at all the case, considering what they did last night.
She is surprised to see the mare wearing makeup. It's not the first time seeing a pony wear makeup of course; she had seen highfalutin wealthy ponies prance around with it on, and her own mother wore it for special occasions like the Summer Sun Celebration, but to see an ordinary pony wear it on an ordinary Sunday strikes her as odd.
"Thank you!" She looks over to the young mare and asks,
"You must be Mustard's sister?"
>>155321Unless there is something Amber and Mustard don't know about. Mustard Trim walks right past, into the house.
The mare stands just behind the threshold, with her right hoof on the wall. She is indeed dressed up in make up and is wearing a green dress with floral patterned lace. She is and has been staring directly at Amber. The look on her face makes it abundantly obvious that she has heard of Amber before.
"Yes." She says
"
You must be Amber."
>>155322Amber gives a demure smile. His family doesn't have to like her, just not think she's a worthless hussy. Plus, she's on their ground now as a guest, so she must watch herself.
For her part, Amber is dressed in a very modest, dark blue dress and has a forest green headscarf tied underneath her chin, so it's quite difficult to look
less like a worthless hussy.
"That's right, my name is Amber Sunset," she replies politely.
"I met Mustard at the restaurant he works at and yesterday afternoon he invited me out. This morning he was kind enough to stop by and invite me to meet y'all and go to church together."
>>155323"Uh
Huh" She continues looking at Amber. Her mouth is partly open, and she presses her tongue into her teeth.
>>155324"It's a pleasure to meet you. Mustard must have a wonderful family for him to turn out so nice." She hopes her nervousness isn't too readable on her face.
>>155325“
Wonderful indeed.”
Behind the filly is wall on which several photographs hang of stallions, and presumably, the family.
She turns her head to her left, looking deeper into the house. Then she looks back to Amber.
“What made him want to stay?”
>>155326Uh oh, the gig is up. Well, when it comes to this filly anyway, and she was always most likely to know. But it still is painful to admit it, and Amber bows her head with a slight blush.
"I asked him," she admits in a whisper.
>>155327From a room deeper in the house, yelling makes its way through.
She turns and looks inside the house again, then looks back to Amber, with a smug smile.
>>155328Amber looks disheartened. She didn't think Mustard's manufactured version was particularly believable, but didn't expect it to be seen through right out of the gate.
"Don't tell me everypony knows?" she whispers to the filly, dismayed.
>>155332"Nothing bad or hurtful." She still doesn't elucidate on what exactly happened.
"I have only the highest respect for your brother. He's a true gentlepony."
>>155333"He says you called him names and bit his mane" She answers
>>155334"I know it sounds very foalish, and I was, but I thought he was a...a changeling. But he isn't, and I promised to make it up to him...." she says as she paws the ground and bites her lip in heavy awkwardness. Maybe it was a mistake to come with him here, but there's no backing out of it now.
>>155335The conversation is interrupted by a sound coming from deeper inside the house.
Behind the mare is a small bay with something like a couch, then against the far wall just a little to the right is a stand with candles, flowers, a framed letter, and a small photo of an evidently dark red filly under a large framed black and white photo of a light colored stallion, and a large framed photo of a mid-reddish colt. To the right of that is couch with a framed photo of a family of six, and to the right of that is a radio in a wooden box. Near the end of the house is a small table with a window behind it, and an entry to what must be the kitchen, which is behind the stairway.
Amber sees a maroon colored mare walk out of the kitchen, wearing a long black dress, and a black bonnet with a yellow flower in it. It's the same mare she saw the day before. Her eyes look very tired, and she wears a forced smile. Mustard Trim walks out behind her, with that kicked-dog expression and a low hanging head and tail.
The maroon mare approaches, and has a sort of jovial tone
"Hello! You must be Mustard's new girlfriend."
>>155336Amber forgets her own predicament momentarily as she instantly recognizes the shrine, and her heart aches for this poor family. Poor in that regard, though, because their standard of living is comfortably middle-class.
She doesn't have long to reflect either on the War or on their economic status as she must focus on a crucial first impression.
Amber responds with a less-forced smile, though it becomes just that as she notices Mustard's condition. The poor colt must be harangued pretty constantly.
"Good morning, ma'am!" she replies, as it occurs to her she either never asked his mother's name, or had forgotten.
"My name is Amber Sunset, and it's a pleasure to meet you this fine day," she continues with some natural cheer.
>>155337The mare's eyes are slightly blackened and she may have been crying some hours before, but there is something genuine in her happiness in seeing Amber
"We met yesterday when you came by to pick up my son"
"D'awww. Look at you! You look so sweet!"
She looks over to Mustard Trim, who has caught up to her, and is standing next to her. She places her hoof on his cheek
"My little mustard seed finally has his first girlfriend"
Mustard Trim gives a smile (an improvement from his previous state), even if it's of embarrassment.
>>155339>>155339She takes a moment, and has a slow, but wide smile with happier eyes
"Thank you..."
>>155340Amber relaxes a little but remains polite.
"Mustard wanted me to go to church with y'all. I would be honored."
>>155341"Yes! Do you want to go to the local church or the parish cathedral?" She asks. This question, despite its nature, is clearly directed at Amber
>>155343"Yes we can!" She says. She starts to walk outside, followed by Mustard Trim. As she walks by the sister, she says to her in a lower voice and with focused eyes
"He'll be married before you. Why are
you having such difficulty?"
Her tone is the opposite of how she speaks to Amber, like there is something spiteful in it. The sister stands there in exactly the same pose as when she was speaking to Amber. The mother says as she walks out in that happy tone,
"The cathedral is lovely, really"
>>155344Amber is taken aback by her tone to her own daughter. There's encouragement to have grandkids, and then there's being that spiteful. Just what did Amber rope herself into?
"Uh huh, it sure is..." she answers uncomfortably.
>>155345Maybe not spiteful. More like, disappointed. Angrily disappointed.
Mustard Trim walks out, snd Amber remains there in the threshold across from the sister.
>>155346How do you get a pony envious of you not because of moral character, but because of external pressure to not hate you? Amber gives his sister a look of sympathy, as if to say, "I'm sorry you're being treated this way, but I have nothing to do with it." Amber starts to follow Mustard outside.
>>155347Mustard walks up close to his mother. He looks back to Amber, but then looks forward, like he doesn’t expect her to walk next to him. Amber loses line of sight with the sister, who does not reply.
It’s Mustard Trim’s mother who speaks. She turns to look back
“I’m Daylight Dahlia, by the way. It’s so nice of you to join us.”
>>155348"Oh, it's MY pleasure, Mrs. Dahlia," she replies back.
"Mustard is such a nice col-I mean stallion, that I just had to meet his family. Your home is very beautiful, too." Amber makes a mental note to use "stallion" whenever to refer to Mustard around his mother, as if to counter her attempt to infantilize him.
>>155349"Why thank you. I'm so glad you think so. He's grown so well"
She is happy to hear her statements about her son.
"Oh. Thank you..." For some reason, the compliment about the house is met less warmly
>>155350Amber is feeling a little more comfortable now.
"I arrived in Baltimare just this last week. I've been a farmpony my whole life, but I had to come here because, well, bad harvests...." She pauses and frowns for a moment.
"I met your son because we work at the same restaurant. He does the most work of any employee there and really well. And on top of school to boot, that's impressive!"
>>155351"Oh, that's really nice! Not the harvests I mean. I'm sorry to hear that. But we come from a small town too. A forestry town. We're pretty new to this town too."
And to the second remark
"D'awww, that's so sweet. I'm proud of my little mustard seed."
>>155352"Well, from what I've seen, Baltimare ain't-isn't-too bad. Definitely not what I'm used to, but you can find just about anything here." She reminds herself to use proper ponish.
>>155353“It’s…. Different, yes… How do you like it?”
>>155355“
Adventure?!” she twists her head, evidently offended by this remark. But she recovers quickly, abs pretends like she didn’t just react that way.
“Oh yes, there’s definitely a lot more going on here. A lot more to do, yes. It’s very different from back home.
Very different. How do you like your job?” She asks
>>155357"D'aww. That sounds
lovely. Do you like interacting with many ponies in your job?"