841 replies and 16 files omitted.
>>158043She looks around, pondering the question
“I’ll have to think about that.” She smiles. “But it is something to think about.”
I should be free tomorrow.
>>157619Spark thinks for a moment.
"Perhaps the locals might know something."
>>158072She looks over to him
“I do know where there is another cell. Maybe if is safe to go there. Maybe it isn’t. But if locals can help… I would appreciate that.”
>>158073"We will ask around then."
>>158079She nods
"Okay..." She continues looking at him, then looks down, then back up, and adds
"Thank you...."
>>158044Silver fishes through his bags for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, then offers a cigarette to his current travelling companion.
>>158127A wide smile comes across her face, and she raises up her hoof, evidently declining.
"You know, they say it's not good for you."
>>158128Silver smiles back at her.
"No, but so is lot of other good things in life.
It is also good to have smoke after being shot. You do not mind if I smoke, yes?"
>>158129She keeps her wide smile, and her eyes move down, focusing on the cigarette.
"No... I suppose so many good things
aren't really good for you." There is a pause, and she says "I can't say I expect to live to old age anyways"
>>158130"You are better at avoiding deadly situations than me, and I have lived this long."
>>158131She gives a brief, lips-closed smile
"Oh I assure you, I've had my share of close calls" She looks away. "Besides, can you image me being old? I can't."
>>158132"I know Dark Star imagines growing old with you."
>>158133One ear goes down, and the other is off to the side.
“Did he say anything to you?” She asks
>>158134"Nothing specific, but I remember how he talked about you one night. You are only thing that really matters to him."
>>157759The yellow mare freezes, looking around.
"Who's there?" she squeaks out.
>>158142Amber sees behind her a line of three stallions, all of whom wear greenish khaki uniforms. One is a rather young looking light grey bat pony with golden eyes that reflect the street light in front of Amber. He moves directly for Amber. A second is a dark blue Pegasus stallion, mid twenties or older, with green eyes. He stands still, and with his right leg and a sling holds level a carbine rifle with a short sword affixed pointed directly at Amber. He orders Amber:
“Stay still.”
A third pony, an almost middle-aged green unicorn stallion, stands even further back, and with glowing orange magic, aims around a carbine at buildings. All three west steel helmets, in contrast to the cattlemare’s hats Amber has seen more commonly on soldiers.
>>158143They say a gun's barrel always looks uncomfortably large when looking down it. Amber once again experiences this. Her lips draw back in fear, but she doesn't move as she looks behind her.
"What do you want?" she asks, her voice cracking.
>>158179It's a bit hard to see the barrel over the 12 inch steel blade.
"Turn around. Face us. Slowly." He says
>>158180She complies and slowly turns her body to face them, gulping. Her mind races. Do they know she was in the police station and have been looking for her since? How would they know she would be here then? Whatever it is, she doesn't have much choice but to comply.
>>158181By the time Amber is turned around, the bat pony is immediately in front of her. He turns to her side. He doesn't look much older than Amber at all; he may even be the same age as Mustard Trim, though with a shorter, and somehow even skinnier body. His golden eyes look up and down Amber.
Then he starts to place his hooves on Amber. First one hoof, then both hooves, pressing against her fur, her mane, and most especially, her jacket. He feels along every inch of her barrel.
He stops to go through the contents of Amber's pockets.
>>158182"Eep!" She tries her best to stay still, but can't help but shudder as she is frisked. There's not much on her, except for a bayonet-style knife, considerably shorter than the pegasus's bayonet.
"That's my pa's knife," she hisses.
"He used it to fight the Changelings." >>158183The colt doesn't seem to be actively trying to grope or molest her, but neither does he seem concerned with propriety. He even feels around and between her hind legs.
"Knife!" He yells. Accent is... actually she hasn't heard that one. The pegasus moves closer placing the bayonet almost in her face, as the bat pony grabs the knife. He inspects it carefully, and moves it closer to the pegasus, who takes his eye off of Amber for a moment to inspect it. Only for a moment, then his eyes are back on Amber.
"For what purpose do you have a knife?" He asks
Does Amber still have the letter, or is that in a different jacket?
>>158184She can't help but jitter and shift uncomfortably as her mostly bare body is touched and searched. Her tender areas feel…crusty. Both of her eyes are focused on the point of that bayonet, such that she's staring cross-eyed.
"To protect myself!" she insists.
"I…I was visiting my coltfriend, a-and this isn't a safe neighborhood. My Pa gave me this knife so I would
be safe in the city."She does indeed still have her letter in the envelope, perhaps because she forgot to leave it at her apartment.
>>158185At least he doesn't place his hoof near the crust, though he does briefly pat her inner thighs.
"A letter" The bat pony says, pulling the letter out. At this point, the bat pony steps back, takes his own rifle off of his back, and gives the letter and the knife to the unicorn, who picks it up in a glow of orange magic, The bat pony and the unicorn essentially switch places, the bat pony staring off into darkness while pointing his rifle menacingly at it, and the unicorn standing near Amber, holding the letter. The unicorn must be at least past 35.
Now, it is his turn to ask questions
"And what is this you have here?" He asks, holding up the letter
>>158186"That's for my parents," she says, irritated that he grabbed something so personal.
"I'm mailing it tomorrow." >>158187The unicorn stallion looks over to the bat pony
"Were their any weapons besides the knife?"
"No." He answers. "She's clear."
"Alright." He says. "Clear." The pegasus stallion moves a step back, and stops leveling the rifle directly at Amber, instead pointing it up, though he keeps his vision on Amber. The unicorn stallion lights up his horn, and reads the address on the envelope.
"So you were visiting your coltfriend, and you were just going to mail this letter in the morning to your parents?" He asks, looking up at Amber.
"What is your name, little filly?" he asks
>>158189"And how am I to know you're not meeting with a cell to deliver instructions in a sealed envelope about how to sabotage a factory, or ambush soldiers?" He asks, holding the letter firmly. "It's awfully late for a little filly to be out all on her lonesome." He looks up, and towards the rows of buildings on either side of the street. "At least, seemingly all on her lonesome."
>>158190"I'd never do that!" she insists.
"Please, you have to believe me." The filly is shaking from the accusation and is starting to tear up.
>>158191Roll diplomacy, little filly
>>158193"Alright." He says, lowering the letter, though he looks down at it again with suspicion.
"Where are you headed? And where is you identification card?"
>>158195"Where is your apartment?" He asks
And does it match the return address on the letter? >>158197Maybe another roll for good measure
>>158199>>158197"Where is your apartment?" He asks again
>>158200She recites her address, and her apartment number to be thorough.
>>158201"Very well." He tenders the letter back to Amber, placing it near her face.
"You need to get an Identification Card. And be careful walking around this city so late at night, it is very dangerous. There is no curfew, but there is a policy of random searches in the later hours of the night. Oh" He holds up the knife. "And it's for the better it wasn't a local police officer who found you carrying this." He likewise tenders the knife back to Amber.
>>158202She smiles in relief, but also nervousness, taking her possessions back and carefully putting them away.
"Thank you, Mister. Um, you didn't need to point your gun at me." >>158203"When even a little filly like you has a knife, you cannot be too careful." He answers. "There are misguided ponies with guns on them who could draw it on us. There are unicorns with magic... even some with explosives on them. And changelings. This is besides the risk of traps, ambushes, or if you had friends in the second floor window of the house across the street. We do nothing more than what is necessary for our own safety, and the safety of the city." He answers
"Take care."
>>158204"Eek, there are?" she asks, as if totally unaware that ponies who would start violence like that out of nowhere even existed. She stands where she is.
>>158205"Sadly, yes." He answers. The pegasus stallion moves away, and even breaks his eyes off of Amber, instead looking around the street.
>>158206"Okay, you take care too," she says hesitantly. She realizes that if they wanted to take advantage of her, as Mustard claimed stallions tend to do, she'd be in a very rough spot. It very nearly could have been that. She turns and proceeds along her way.
>>158208Amber exits the encounter un-raped, un-beaten, un-kidnapped, un-arrested, and un-shot, though maybe not necessarily the loosest definition of "un-molested." More to the point, the letter was not ripped out of its envelope, and her father's knife was not confiscated.
The trio of stallions eventually turn around, and walk off. Amber makes the remainder of her trip back without being harassed, save by an angry drunk griffin who yells at her (and everything else) from across the street.
>>158209She hurries away from the griffon and returns to her apartment. She locks the door and cleans up what needs to be cleaned.
>>158210Mustard Trim left a bit of a mess on Amber, with his love inside of her, on her, around her dock and the like, as well as on the sheets of the bed.
While Amber is surely tired and likely cold in her room, at least she can feel safe, alone and behind locked doors.