//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: The Way I See You 
// Story: New Beginnings 
// by PassionQuill 
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Their little cave had become quite warm from their own body-heat, further accumulated from the fact that the snow had closed the exit, giving them a rather dark morning as well. Though, the thing Allington noticed first was the sensation of warm, soft fur brushing against his body. He could feel Passion's legs draping in over his body, her breath against his neck, and the memories of the night before still fresh in his mind. It was first then he noticed that all this brushing against each other had caused an unwanted side effect on his body. Most inappropriately, A part of him had awoken and was being firmly pushed into his lower stomach by Passion's body. It was something Passion hadn't noticed yet, as she was still sound asleep, dreaming of something wonderful by the look of her happy facial expression. It would have been an extremely pleasant morning to Allington, if not for the unexpected surprise. His eyes blinked open quickly, and it took but a moment to realize what was happening. His eyes widened in shock at his body's uncontrollable actions while he slept. 

“Great. How am I going to extract myself from this embrace without her waking and seeing me - or feeling me - in this present state?” mumbled Allington quietly under his breath.

Allington's horn lit up as he slowly lifted Passion's leg that was draped over him, and with all the stealth he could muster, began shimmying out of the too-friendly embrace he was giving her. Still, he could not stealth away the cold air that would replace the space his body once occupied, so he needed to make haste and leave the tent until he could ‘calmed down’ a bit. 

“Blasted thing...” cursed Allington under his breath.

"Mmm..." Passion groaned tiredly as her body was shifted some when Allington moved. "Allington?..." she mumbled while her eyes flickered halfway open. Passion raised her head ever so slightly to look at her friend pushing snow away from the tent door. "What are you.... are you leaving me?" The sadness in her voice was almost heart-breaking when she thought he was going to abandon her. Before he could correct her, she blurted out. "I'm sorry for being so... weak. I'll be stronger, l-look." She groaned weakly as she got up on her hooves, smiling tiredly at him. "I'm ready to cross the mountain and head on down, no problem at all..." Although she had slept, she hadn't gotten any better from yesterday, and wouldn't for as long as she was up this high. Exerting herself would only lead to another collapse for sure, but she seemed very determined in proving her strength now.

A tightening sensation crept over of Allington’s heart as could hear her voice tremble from the thought of him abandoning her. Although wrong, in a way, she would only be half-correct in that assumption. In truth, he didn't want to be near her currently, but that was for a completely different reason than what she was thinking.

"No, Passion!" He called out from outside the tent. "Do not exert yourself! I-I'm not abandoning you: I just, er..." He paused as he tried to think of a cover for his leaving. "I mean, I... Nevermind. Stay put, milady. I do not plan on leaving without you." So much for thinking of anything, Allington thought to himself. He merely hoped she wouldn't press the issue further.

He could hear her fumble about inside the tent as she approached the entrance. Though, she did stop before peaking her head outside. There was a quiet pause for a few moments before she answered, "Okay... I'll do as you say, Allington." Her voice didn't sound much happier, nor reassured. But, Allington could hear a little thud as she sat down in the snow, staring at the entrance of the tent with her ears lowered, hoping he'd actually appear soon.

He grimaced. There was only a few options left right now. Wait it out, which would take a few minutes, given his state; go ahead and show himself, which was NOT going to happen, or his last option, which was going to be cold. As Passion sat at the entrance to the tent, she heard a rather high-pitched yelp and some mumbling in Allington's voice coming from nearby: from the sound of it, off to the right a little and close enough so she didn't have to pace far to get to him.

Passion was rather surprised by the sudden yelp of her friend. Much to Allington's mutual surprise, it was enough to lure her over. Passion blinked a few times as she stared at Allington's squated form. "What are you doing?" she asked with a very sincere confusion in her voice. Her face didn't show any signs of being weirded out by his current stance over a heap of snow. She was merely perplexed. "I'm sorry for coming over... I know you told me to stay put, but I heard you make a weird sound and got worried." She looked a bit nervous, fearing she'd done something terribly wrong. Friendships were still something unfamiliar to her, and she did fear doing something that could ruin it. Her fear would have been visible if it wasn't for her already slightly wobbly stance and slight panting.

"Oh, um... hello there, Passion..." He said rather sheepishly. "I didn't expect you to come over. ...I-i see that you are managing to stand and walk, which is an improvement... Though, i-it might be beneficial if you rested again." A increment of relief rushed his being as she appeared clueless to the situation, one which Allington prayed to the stars that he hopefully didn't have to explain anything further than what she already asked.

"Oh, and my noise? Well, um, I assure you, I am quite alright. I-i just had a slight problem I needed to, erm, address. Nothing major, though." He smiled reassuringly, though it revealed slight nervousness as well as a faint blush, despite the cold. At least the cold snow was doing the trick.

Fortunately for Allington, Passion didn't seem to press him any further for what he was actually doing. "Okay, Allington. Just wanted to be sure." Her body swayed a little bit before she continued with, "I'm... I'm fine. I promise. We should really pack up our stuff and head downwards again. I'll get started on it." Passion had already turned around and steered towards their tent before Allington could make any interjections to it. She was moving slowly to not exert herself. Brushing down snow, undoing parts of the tent and putting them aside were all things she did at half her normal speed. It didn't seem like the slightly absent-minded Passion was fully aware of Allington's nervousness, and it didn't seem like she really remembered anything of last night. Or, it could be that the low oxygen was just keeping her very contained. She did look a lot more lifeless up here than down there.

After wiggling slightly in the snow, he deemed that his purpose had been completed, much to his anatomy's discomfort, he added silently. “Oh well. That's what it received for misbehaving.”

He slowly stood up once she had her back turned to him. "Passion, wait a second! Please, do not exert yourself needlessly." He quickly caught up to her, now that he was back to his normal composure. Gently stopping her from working, he guided her to the tent and sat her down before setting the blanket over her. "I know you want to work, milady, but I cannot run the risk of your collapsing again. Stay here and I will provide breakfast and pack up camp." He sighed. This was an interesting dilemma: Passion needed to rest to recover, but at the same time, traveling off of the mountains would cause her to get better. He could only do what he was able to, though, and currently getting food in her stomach was a concern. He went to his bag and pulled out some dry rations and passed them to her via magic. "Eat. Your body needs this."

Passion followed his instructions, although reluctantly. She felt bad about not being able to help, just watching him as he did all the work. "Okay," she mumbled to herself. Getting her off the mountain was the only real way to get her back in good shape, breathing was her biggest problem and what kept her in a constant state of dizziness. The food was a good start though, and tell-tale sign of a smile gave away enjoyment as she nibbled at it. "Mmmm, thank you, Allington. I feel so useless right now." Her ears remained very low, along with her voice being weak and slightly depressed. "I hope I can make it up to you some other time..." she added now with her head resting against the snow.

"You are most welcome, Passion. However, don’t think about trying to repay me, as I am simply looking out for your health." He smiled reassuringly while the back of his mind lingered on the problem before them. He really needed to get her off of these mountains. The air up there was certainly doing her no favors, and she could potentially get weaker if she remained for an extended time. "Now, you eat and rest for a while. I am going to pack up camp so we can try to leave these mountains with haste." He leaned forward and nuzzled her forehead before standing back up to begin the process of cleaning camp.

Passion found herself having trouble looking away from Allington. The way he talked to her, the way he treated her. It was all so new, foreign, and beyond wonderful. She couldn't help herself from blushing as she felt him nuzzling her forehead, and she nuzzled back in return. Her warm breath crossed Allington's lips, sparking the memory of last night's kiss. Passion would have felt her heart beating faster if it wasn't for it already being elevated to pump around enough oxygen to keep her conscious.

"O-okay... Pack it all up. I'll be right here," she mumbled with quiet restrain, even compared to her weakened voice.

Packing up the rest of the camp and securing it to Allington’s body went on without any problems. They quickly went on their way a bit further up to actually cross the mountains and then back down again. Passion walked along his side, wobbling every few seconds as they went on their way. Though, she improved gradually the further down they went.

He really hoped she would get better. He had packed up camp as quickly as he could while still being thorough just so they could get down from there. Allington placed further importance in keeping himself close to Passion as they traveled, leaning against her for support whenever necessary- not that he minded, of course. He wanted to be near her, and while he would rather have her be in full health again, he loved being able to care for her. It was still relief which he felt when they had finally started the descent down the mountainside, as she would get better from here on out. The trip had been slowed considerably due to Passion's health, causing it to be already midday as they trekked down the slope. Maybe they could reach the foot of the mountain before sundown, he thought to himself. 

"Are you faring alright, Passion?" He asked after a long pause in which there was no conversation. He was anxious to see if the descent was doing her any favors.

Passion's eyes had opened considerably more over the hours of walking down the mountain. Her smile had also been restored to its old bright and warm ways. "I feel... A lot better now!" she almost chirped while bumping into him. She inhaled deeply, letting the oxygen rich air rejuvenate her lungs. "Mmm! Much better!" It certainly seemed like Passion was quickly getting back to her usual self, and to further lift their spirits, the walk down was getting much smoother now. Passion being able to walk fast again allowed them to climb down easily.

"My mind was so... foggy up there. I don't remember half of what went on or what I said... But, I'm sorry for causing you all these problems," mumbled Passion with her head a bit lowered, kicking a small rock as they went by it. "Also, from what I remember, I dreamt about you." Her cheeks changed to a noticeably more red color as she brought up the fact that she'd dreamt about him. "All I remember is staring into your eyes. I closed my own, and then I just felt so warm all over. It was like you breathed life into me. It was... a weird, but good dream..." It was an odd sight to Allington, seeing Passion being embarrassed about it. Though, what she mentioned sounded a lot like what actually happened, but it had all been a dream in her mind.

Allington was delighted to see Passion returning to her full health and spirits. "Good, good. Glad to see that you're better." He smiled warmly, with a hint of goofiness as he listened to her recollection of the mountaintop. "Well now, that sounds like a very weird dream to have." He giggled a bit that at least she remembered parts of it. He wasn't quite certain how badly the lack of air had addled her brain, so her dream at least meant that she wasn't suffering memory loss.

"I don’t blame you for what happened, Passion… The mountains are interesting places, you know. They give you dreams and visions you would not otherwise have. You know, I had a similar dream, except in mine, you were dying and I had to save you." He said absently, retelling the events of yesterday as if they were a dream he had. "...And I was worried that I had lost you. Luckily though, I didn't" He turned his head to look at her as they traveled while a thankful and contented smile appeared on his feature.

Though, when Allington turned his head to look at Passion, he was met with frightened eyes. She looked absolutely horrified from hearing about his dream. "I was dying?" she mumbled in the same tone as she had demonstrated when fear of abandonment became a reality to her. "I'm really sorry to hear about your dream. But, you did save me." Her horrified expression turned soft and thoughtful. She looked away from Allington, smiling softly as she thought about her friend having taken such a shine to her that she was in his dream, and he wanted to save her. She could hardly believe somepony could like her this much. "Thank you, Allington. This means a lot to me." Her voice sounded strange, a mixture of sad and happy echoed in every one of her words.

"It does?" He gazed at her with a soft curiosity upon hearing his ‘dream’ meant so much to her. ...Of course, it meant a lot to him as well to know that she thought so much of him as to have a fond dream about him, even if the dream was affected by her trauma. Still, he would never forget that soft and sweet smile she gave him in the tent. 

The descent from the mountain was much smoother and easier than the ascent. They made it down to the base at around sunset, having spent two whole days scaling the mountains. Despite all the time spent on the mountains, and the fact that Passion got rather ill at the top, she was happier than ever. The terrain before her was new and foreign, almost exotic. She was positively beaming with vigor now as she jumped around to examine the area at the foot of the mountain.

Allington, in turn, was glad when they finally reached the base of the mountains. As much as he enjoyed traveling across them, he knew that in the future, should Passion travel with him they would need to find alternative routes to where they were going. The landscape past the mountains was mostly flowing hills, broken in spots by patches of forest and a few ponds here and there in the distance. As it was nearing nightfall, they wouldn't have much time to explore before they needed to set up camp once again.

Passions behavior was much like that of a little filly when she went about exploring a nearby patch of trees, checking for edible plants, berries and nuts. She did come back with a couple of nuts and berries. "I found us some more food!" She grinned proudly as she held up a particularly huge wild strawberry with her mouth for him to try. "Twy it! It's delicious," she giggled.

Allington giggled in return as she offered the berry. He was scanning the area ahead for a suitable spot for camp, and her bringing back the strawberry was a pleasant surprise to him. "Mm, it is very delicious, Passion!" He giggled again. 

Once the strawberry was out of her mouth, Passion looked towards the distance, seeing it getting darker and darker, prompting the question, "should we set up our camp near the trees?"

"Actually yes, I was actually just looking to where we might set up camp, and that patch of trees looks suitable for use,” answered Allington. He pointed to a patch of trees close to where she was looking, though a little closer to their location. "There's a few trees clustered together we could use as posts for the roof."

Passion scanned the trees he pointed at for a few moments before turning to Allington. "Okay, I'll do that. I want you to sit on your plot and not lift a hoof!" she commanded him in a playful manner. Passion even patted a spot on the ground nearby for him to sit on. The saddlebags on Allington’s back was removed from him by Passion as she moved about to set up the tent on her own, and then continued with making a little fireplace for them. And, whenever Allington even tried to get up or help, Passion pushed him down onto his butt and looked at him as sternly as the little mare could manage, which wasn't a lot in her case.

Allington found the whole scenario rather odd. Odd in the funniest way imaginable, though. It seemed that Passion was trying to make up for him caring for her that morning. With that in mind, he sat and waited, though every so often -and with a mischievous grin- he would move or try to get up, just to see how she would react. He couldn’t help but think of her being rather adorable when she was trying to be stern, and he almost felt bad for provoking her like that. It was still completely funny to him though, and he watched with a wide grin as she worked.

Allington’s shenanigans aside, the tent ended up in a lovely position, the campfire had a perfect rock circle and a stack of fire ready to be lit, and Passion looked as proud as ever. Once all had been deemed perfect by herself, she finally felt ready to ask him, "Want me to start the fire now before it gets dark?" By the appearance of the sun, a vague promise of half an hour of light seemed about right to Allington. Although the fire wasn’t needed at the moment, starting a fire right away would be just fine. But, something in Allington made him hedge towards her not doing it. Perhaps he wanted to see her eyes glow so beautifully in the moonlight, or perhaps there could be a tender moment between the two of them once darkness had settled onto the lands and they'd snuggled up in the tent. After all, Passion was a batpony, and they more or less felt more comfortable at night than day.


"Well done, milady!" He laughed as he spoke, finally standing up without reprimand. "The camp looks fantastic!" He trotted around and tested the cord on the roofing and found it acceptable, the gear was nicely stowed, and the firepit was neatly made. "Well... I actually think the fire can wait for a while. I think we can manage just fine without it for a spell."

Her big eyes, concerned smile and absolute silence gave away how much she hoped she'd done well. A sigh of relief escaped her lips upon hearing everything was in order. "Phew, glad to hear you like it! I thought it was only right that I took care of you some since you took care of me." A hoof was gently drilled into the ground as she shyly mumbled her reason for setting up the camp on her own.

“Oh, and are you sure about the fire?” Her eyes went from the fireplace to him. "I mean, I’m fine with waiting if you are." Passion came to sit in front of the tent, near the unlit campfire where she casually chewed on some wild nuts. Eventually turning her head to look at him as she asked, "Mmmm... Allington, can I ask you some questions about yourself, and Trottinghim?"

Allington was making a trip around the campsite to see if the area was safe enough. Given, he should have done this prior to letting Passion set up everything, but he assumed it was safe. This trip around the site confirmed that assumption. Traveling back to the tent, he sat next to Passion and smiled. "You want to know about me and my city? Alright, I can oblige. Ask away, lass." He gazed at her with a cheery smile, awaiting her questions.

She looked into the distance in front of her as she went about asking her questions, not wanting to make eye contact when getting personal like that. "Thank you. I hope you don't mind me asking a fair bit." She paused for a moment and then continued with, "How was it like growing up for you in Trottingham? How is the house you currently live in like? Do you have a lot of friends back home, or are you like me when it comes to friends?" Her voice fell a few notes in cheeriness, but she managed to get it back up again to continue questioning him. "How big is Trottingham? Do batponies live in your town? Or, will I cause you problems by going into town with you?"

He paused and blinked as she asked question after question. "...well, once again, I don't know if I can answer all those questions at once. Let me start at the beginning though." glancing upward in thought, he tried to answer her questions as best as he could. 

"Growing up in Trottingham was a good experience for me. I love the lowlands, so naturally I have loved my hometown growing up. As for my house? I live at the orchard with my family." He paused in realization. "Oh, I don't think I've told you about that yet. My family and I own and operate an apple orchard." He giggled before resuming. "Anyway, Trottingham itself is quite big, though I live right outside it. I do have several friends, though only a few close ones. Batponies are rare, yes, so you may get some odd looks, but I don't think you will receive any hateful comments about your race."

She smiled softly while imagining the area he grew up in. "Sounds like a lovely place, and wait!... you live on an apple orchard? w-with your parents?" She looked both surprised and nervous, but also a bit happy. "I've never been to an orchard before. I bet they're really nice. I've read about them before!" She grinned for a moment before mumbling, "I really hope your parents will like me though... i-if I get to meet them that is!" She looked a bit, flustered. "I bet your town is huge compared to the one I came from! b-but that's kinda good, lots of stuff to do, and friends to make." With a lowered head and some concern in her smile, she mumbled, "And I kinda figured there wouldn’t be any of my kind... I've never met anypony like me before... Maybe I will one day. I don't mind if they got hateful comments, I can handle it. Odd looks are fine too. I just don't want to cause any problems."

He giggled a bit. "Yeah... I do apologize if I hadn't stated that before. I do indeed live on an orchard with my family, and, well..." He smiled warmly at her. "I do hope you can see it sometime during our visit there. It really is a lovely place. I'm certain that my family would be excited to meet you, Passion." He hoofed the dirt a little, feeling an urge to scoot closer to her. "And yes, Trottingham is a nice city for its size. We even have a few... celebrities, if you could call them that. All in all though, I think you should fit in fine, Passion. And I hope you do get to meet another batpony in the future. Who knows? Perhaps you could meet one of Princess Luna' guards at one point."

Her nervousness was slowly dying down. Though, it was being replaced by a mixture of sadness and loneliness. "I really want to visit your orchard, and meet your family. But... I doubt they'll like me. I'm nopony special, my biggest accomplishment is making an entire town hate me." She was regressing faster than ever, and going to a new low he hadn't seen before. Her figure slouched, her ears drooped, and Allington could even detect her eyes welling up from thinking about it. She looked so isolated from her surroundings, even though she was only a few feet from him. Her voice remained in a sad tone, staying just above the threshold to quivering into a sob as she mumbled, "Maybe I'll meet a batpony someday... But meeting one of her guards would mean going to Canterlot. I don't even own a single bit... I doubt I'll ever get to the capitol..."

It pained Allington to see Passion behaving like that. Scooting close to her, he placed a foreleg arond her withers and pulled her into an embrace which caused Passion’s ears to perk right back up. "Passion... Do not think such thoughts. Believe me when I say this: My family will accept you. I lived my whole life with them, so I know a thing or two about how they act. You need not worry." His heart went out to the distraught mare in his embrace. He hated seeing her this way. He would do his best to show her that she was accepted, that she was loved.

"It would be lovely if you could meet another batpony." Allington said softly, still holding Passion tenderly in the hug. "And you don't need bits to get into the city... Remember, we traveled here without bits."

Although Passion was rather deep in thought about her past, she did instinctively lean into his side. Her soft fur brushing against his as she sort of nuzzled into him. Her mumbling had become much happier, although still a bit dampened. "Do you really think they'll like me?" Her head tilted back so she could look up at him with her big flickering eyes. "If you think they will... then I'll definitely do it." She looked back down, this time staring at the campfire. "Yeah... Maybe I will get there some day. And, you're right. We got this far without using one bit!" Her voice steadily rose back to its normal levels of cheeriness. "But, that'll be for some other time. Right now, I just want to see Trottingham, and your orchard."

Allington smiled warmly to himself as she had perked back up. He was glad to know that she was breaking out of her saddened state. He took a slow and deep breath as she spoke to him, enjoying listening to her concerns, enjoying the sensation of their fur being in contact, enjoying... Well, enjoying her being, really. It struck him as funny, but in that moment, he realized that he did enjoy her. A lot, in fact.  "Aye, withought a single bit. You don't have to take a train to reach there if you have legs to move yourself there. And those you have, Passion." He chuckled quietly.

Passion looked back up at him as she now noticed they were sort of cuddling. This was such a weird moment for Passion, usually she'd be terrified of anypony doing this kind of thing to her. Though, it was more because a situation of physical contact with another pony would result in bruises and other injuries for her. But, this felt so nice, it felt so right that she couldn't help herself from asking, "Allington... do friends do this?" She used a hoof to gesture to themselves and their sort of cuddling position.

Upon hearing the question regarding their embrace, which he now realized was very close to a cuddle, and showed it with a small blush. He glanced to the side, making a faint sawing motion with his teeth upon his lower lip. "Well... Um, they can, I suppose... Friends don't often embrace each other in this manner, a-as we are..." He shifted slowly in his spot. "U-usually this sort of embrace is performed by, er, couples... though if a friend is in need, friends can embrace like this without qualm..." He stuttered slightly in his speech, his nerves trying to get the better of him.

Allington could see Passion turning bright red as he mentioned couples. "R-really? This is normally a c-couple thing?" It was almost as if she treated into herself, feeling very embarrassed and unsure of how to progress from there. Even if friends occasionally did this, it was a couple thing first. "B-but friends do this, so I guess it's okay, right?" she smiled nervously, and albeit feeling weird about it all, she didn't move away from Allington.

"T-thank you for being my friend, Allington." Passion tried her best to change the subject, sort of. She hoped to at least make it so things would become a bit less awkward. "I still really appreciate all you've done for me. You're the best friend I could ever ask for." She smiled softly and poked the ground a bit. "I... I want to try all the things that friends do together. Think we can do that? A-also, how much more traveling is left before we get to Trottingham" It was by now that the sun had gone down, and when Passion looked back up into Allington's eyes, her own shone with that unique glow that he'd seen a couple of days ago. They were as beautiful as ever. Her face looked so inviting and serene. Her lips lush, soft, and warm, and even more alluring than her facial features.

And as awkward as the situation at hoof was, Allington didn't feel like removing himself from their embrace either. In fact, he hoped she wouldn't try to, either. "...no problem, Passion." He said softly as he held her close to him. "And you've been a wonderful friend and traveling companion to me..." He smiled softly again. "Well, I'd say we can make it to Trottingham by tomorrow afternoon, given we kee-" He stopped mid-sentence, taken slightly off-guard at her eyes, despite having seen them that way a few nights earlier. ...They really were stunning. Of course, at this time he noticed that all her other facial features looked equally stunning. But, it was those eyes of hers which really spoke to him. He felt he could gaze into them for a long time without realizing he was. In fact, he probably was doing just that at the moment. Blinking once, he lowered his gaze to the ground and coughed softly. "...Er, as I was saying, tomorrow afternoon. Yes, we should make it by then..." He glanced back up at her, admiring her stunning eyes. He blushed heavily as he once again broke eye contact and glanced downward, biting his lip softly.

"Tomorrow? that sounds great! I'm already really excited!" She smiled giddily and wiggled some in her spot. Though, she stopped as she actually took notice to Allington's awkward behavior. Her response was however not something that would actually help alleviate the awkward tension. Her muzzle moved under his to help tip it up to its normal level while she mumbled, "What's wrong, Allington? did I do something wrong? I swear I can change, I'll do better..." and as she raised his head and their muzzles moved apart, for a split second, Allington could feel her soft lips graze his, and her warm breath seeping into his mouth. She was about to pull away, about to say something. But, something stopped her. She just gazed deeply into his eyes, feeling stranger and stranger by the second.

Allington wondered if Passion knew at all what sort of effect she was having on him. He doubted that she did, given her foalish innocence towards other matters. Still, everything she did at that moment only augmented the feelings inside him. And that moment as she was lifting his muzzle... He remained silent for a few moments, simply gazing into her eyes as she looked into his. Those eyes, those pools of vision which glowed as bright as the moon in the sky. As he stared, he felt warmer than before, and his heart leapt silently inside him. Without thinking too much about it, he almost whispered "no, no, it's nothing you're doing wrong, Passion." He shook his head almost imperceptibly. "And yet, it's everything you're d-doing. I cannot explain it..." As he spoke those words in nearly a whisper, he found himself leaning his muzzle a little closer to hers, even though they were close to begin with. He kept his eyes on hers the entire time, not wanting to break contact for a moment.

Passion couldn't look away, she was just locked to his gaze. It was as if the world melted away around her. She felt naked and vulnerable, yet secure and stronger than ever before. "O-okay..." she whispered back softly while biting her lower lip. Her heart had begun pounding, a sense of nervousness rushed over her, and unbeknowst to her, this unspoken attraction made her want to move closer to Allington, even if they were already very close. Their muzzles aligned once more, each other's warm breath brushing against the opposite's lips. "A-Alington... I feel, really... strange," mumbled Passion in a weak voice. "Maybe, I should lie down?"

A part of Allington wanted to break the trance and see if she needed help. But, that was also the part of him that was afraid to go through with what he was thinking about doing. Everything in him agreed on this fact though: if he was going to act, this was possibly his only chance. He couldn't let the moment fade away- he felt too strongly about her to let that happen. His mind argued if he should? Would it be right? Would she hate him, or react in fear? No, he pushed those thoughts aside for now.

"You do? Well, m-maybe this will help…" He spoke the only words he could think of before he acted. Slowly, he leaned forward the rest of the short distance and kissed her. It wasn't a long kiss by far. Lasting only moments, he closed his eyes briefly as his lips delicately met hers. Well, he did it. He leaned his head back slightly and opened his eyes to look at her again; to see what her reaction would be.

For once in her life, her instinctive reactions were overwritten by her subconscious wishes. Her body wanted to flinch away, but she stood still. Passions eyes closed at the same time as Allington's, and he could even feel her lips gently pressing back against his as they share a soft kiss. As both of their eyes opened to gaze into each other's, what Allington saw was Passion looking a bit confused, a bit anxious, but also very happy. It also became clear, despite the darkness, that her wings had for opened up for the first time around Allington. Passion's mouth hung open for a moment, she was desperately trying to find the right words. "W.... w.... was that a normal... friend thing?" Her cheeks would be rosy red if it wasn't for the darkness hiding their true color. The pupils of her eyes darted a bit from side to side as she tried to make sense of everything that had transpired. Her mind went through a myriad of options for what to do now, but only one was continuously thrown to the front of her mind, and it was to kiss him again. Passion leaned in a lot faster than what Allington had done. Her warm lips wrapped around his to exchange a two seconds kiss before pulling back.

Her assertive behavior and rash action caused her to blush even more, along with setting off a chain reaction of emotions. She began to look more scared and nervous by the second. "I'm sorry! I-I don't know why I did that. I've never even done this before! I don't... I don't know..." she fumbled with her words, finally dying down to just stare at the ground with a broken smile and dimmed eyes.

"W-well... No. f-friends do not normally do that, but special friends do-" Her return kiss took him completely off-guard, and his eyes opened as wide as they would go as he reacted in shock. His heart froze in place, yet it felt like lightning had just passed through him, starting at his mouth. He didn't know how to react completely. She had never been this assertive to him before, not counting when she set up camp for him. His mouth hung open for a minute before he swallowed and snapped back to reality. Seeing her with her head hanging low, it was his turn to lift her muzzle with his. "No, no, no; don't be sorry, Passion. It's alright. I, uh..." He bit his lip before continuing his thought. "I loved it. That was very sweet of you, and I, I uh... Thank you, Passion. What you just did was. You are... Beautiful." He smiled, blushing madly and out of words to describe how he felt at the moment.

There was still a mixture of emotions surging through Passion, and her expressions made it very obvious. Though, she seemed to calm down completely when he tilted her head back up to tell her he loved it, that it was sweet and she was beautiful. All of these things were so surreal to her that she had no clue how to take compliments. She stuttered a "I-I-It was? I am?" She stared confusedly into his eyes with her glowing orbs. Passion was sharing a similar blush as Allington, being unable to accurately describe the feelings she was experiencing. Though, her way of expressing it came out a bit weirdly. Her eyes welled up, which was followed by light sobbing noises as her face contorted in an expression of happy sadness. "Nopony has ever said such nice things to me before... I don't know what to say..." was all she could manage to cry.

"Y-yes, you are, milady." Allington said softly, smiling tenderly at her in the darkness. The welled up eyes sparked initial worries about her crying. But, it seemed to be mixed with happiness, so a slight sight of relief escaped his mouth as he had at least not hurt the poor mare in any way. "W-well... You could always say thanks, though that isn't necessary, Passion." He scooted a little closer to her and sat on his haunches, putting one of his hooves under her chin, he brushed her tears off with his fetlock of the other hoof. "Now, now, do not cry, dear. There is no need for that." He smiled again before kissing her forehead gently, causing Passion to tense up a bit, but also emit a strange, yet cute squeaky sound. Allington realized then just how much he had taken quite the shine to her. In fact, she was beautiful in many ways to him.

A few more sniffles came from Passion as she rubbed both of her eyes with her forehooves. "O-okay... T-thank you though."  She looked up at him with a much calmer demeanor, almost curiously studying him now. She had herself been drawn very much in by Allington, probably far more than she could understand herself, or he could figure out. Though, Passion had very little knowledge of how friends should behave around each other, and even less when it came to couples and romantic involvement with another pony. But, she seemed more curious than ever to find out some more about it.

Her face turned a bit to the side, along with lowering. Her eyes went on to avoid his gaze as she mumbled. "This was the first time I've ever kissed anypony before... I never knew something so simple could feel this nice." She poked at the ground a bit with her right hoof before continuing, "Nopony's ever wanted to be close to me, unless it was to rough me up some. Every fiber of my body is telling me to run before I get hurt. But..." Her eyes and head went back to align with his. "My heart won't slow down. It won't let me run away. I kinda want to try it again." She gulped slowly as she managed to admit to herself that she wanted another kiss.

He was glad to see her calm down enough to speak again. Even though she was happy, as far as he could tell, his heart still felt a tug towards sadness as he listened to her sniffle. He watched her as she fought to say what was on her mind. His heart leapt inside his chest to know that she actually enjoyed being in his company, let alone debating about giving him a chance romantically. "I see. This must be so new to you that you are unsure how to proceed." Allington had partaken in several kisses before, but they were all trivial affairs, often brought on during bar dares or other tomfoolery. His kiss with Passion though, Was far more meaningfull. "As for trying again... Well, I’m gladly willing to give it another try, i-if you are willing as well." He too gulped faintly, waiting to see what her next move would be.

She nodded slowly while biting her lower lip. "Mhm. It's very new to me, almost alien. I don't know what to think of it. But, this is what I want to do, is to try it again." It was then Passion closed her eyes and leaned up some to give Allington another kiss on his lips. This time she held it for several seconds, letting those soft warm lips of hers gently tickle Allington's as he could hear a very faint moan-ish sound come from the small mare. The kiss was only followed by Passion pulling her head back an inch, mumbling. "I... I think I really like kissing..."

Allington closed his own eyes as he allowed her the kiss. Her lips were so vibrant that they felt like fire every time they graced his’. He smiled faintly in the kiss as he heard her moan ever so slightly. Pulling his head back a fraction, he halfway opened his eyes and gazed into her radiant ones. "Aye. Kissing is an amazing thing, Passion. And hardly anything is comparable to kissing somepony you want to be with." He leaned back in and kissed the tip of her nose lightly.

A broad, yet a bit subdued smile filled up her entire mouth as she shyly looked at Allington after receiving the nose kiss. "Y-yeah... it really is. I really enjoy being around you. You're the best thing that's ever happened in my life." She let out a sigh of both happiness and sadness as she reflected on her life, comparing it to all that Allington had offered her in such a short time. Her contemplation was quickly followed by a rapid head shake as she tried to knock out all the negative memories from her head. 

“I am?" He blinked in slight surprise. He could see why she might think that way, as she had been raised in an abusive environment. An overwhelming desire to have been there for her earlier rushed over Allington. ‘If only I had traveled there sooner… Maybe I could have spared her from all the violence that I’m certain she had received from the villagers. But, there was no altering the past. I have her now, though, and she is away from that forever’. "Well, let me say, Passion, that meeting you has been one of the best things to happen to mine so far..." 

"Yes you are, Allington. And, I..." She mumbled quietly to herself, then took a deep breath, closed her eyes and nodded once to herself before quickly leaning back up for her third kiss. This time she just kept on kissing him as her lips gently massaged his. It was clear that she wasn't experienced with kissing, but she definitely did her best to do it right. And, as the kiss had lasted for several moments, her wings once more unfolded to stand up straight in the air. 

The third kiss was just as sweet as the first one, though he was a bit surprised when she continued it for longer than a few seconds. Allington began fluttering his eyes closed, though pausing their descent to watch her wings stand at attention. Yet another beautiful thing about her. He brought a hoof behind her head as he scooted a little closer to her in the kiss, not minding that her form wasn't perfect. Heck, his wasn't that good either: he was just in love with the fact she was kissing him at all, let alone this long.

Several more faint moans came from Passion as she got really into the kissing. In fact, Allington felt her forelegs slowly wrap around his neck, and her small chest press against his. This allowed him to be certain about her heart racing a thousand miles an hour as they kept on sharing their tender moment. "Mmm..." The entire experience lasted a good minute or more before Passion pulled her head back a bit, actually panting as she mumbled ever so sensually. "That was, really amazing... I feel, tingly all over."

Passion was washed over by a wave of unknown emotions to her. Things she'd never felt before in her life. Some of them being the reason for the tingly sensation. She remained close to him, hooves around his neck as she mumbled, "What.. do we do now?" Her eyes finally opened halfway to look at him with a rather affectionate gaze. She had never experience love before in her life, so she wasn't sure if that was what she felt at that moment. But, one thing she knew for sure was the fact that she cared a lot about Allington, and he made her feel very strange, but in a good way.

"What to do now?" He eventually said in reply. "Well, we can do whatever it is you desire to do." He brushed her mane with his hoof. "If you mean what comes after the kiss... Well, where we are at relationship-wise, I might suggest cuddling, i-if that is fine with you." He smiled tenderly at her again. "I will let you decide. We can cuddle with each other, given as it is late, or if you want, we may kiss again before cuddling. As I said, I will let you as the mare decide."

"I see." Passion looked away again, her eyes flickering from side to side as her gears turned. She was once again lost in her own thoughts, not noticing the longer silence between the two of them. He could barely hear her mumble to herself, "Those sound good." She finally looked back up at him after a minute or two, still holding him firmly, and even instinctively moving a hoof around in his mane.

“I'm good with cuddling, a-and kissing as well." Passion slowly loosened her hold on Allington, pulling away to walk over to the tent. Despite the darkness, her frame was quite visible in the moonlight. Her wide hips gently swayed from side to side before she finally came to a stop inside the tent, looking over her shoulder to give him a shy glance. "C-can we cuddle front to front?" she asked in a far more timid voice before lying down on her side.

He laughed softly without opening his mouth. "Alright, that sounds fine with me as well." He watched her walk as she returned to the tent. She was beautiful to him. Every part of her, in one way or another. He noted that this was the first time he really had paid much attention to her hips, though. The thought was short, but he noted that she had cute hips. "Oh? Front to front?" He bit his lip softly as he slowly followed her to the tent. "Aye, we can do that." He said softly as he shimmied himself into the tent next to her, facing her as he laid himself down. His smile returned as he gazed at her from his side. Scooting a little, he pressed up against her, draping a foreleg over her withers as he embraced her from the front.

Passion returned the embrace with her own legs draping over his body till they were firmly pressed against each other. The entire process had Passion making a funny face. She looked very deep in thought and concentrated on doing this cuddling thing properly. Even her tongue was sticking out to the side as they got into position. The entire ordeal was much to Allington’s amusement. Allington giggled softly as he watched Passion concentrating on how to properly align herself. Honestly, how they currently were positioned was good enough for him, but he wasn't about to deny her the fun of figuring out correct positioning. Besides, her expression was adorable. Though, the funny expression dissolved into a more reserved and tender smile. She gazed a bit more into his eyes before closing her own to gently push her lips against his. Her warm breath brushed against his mouth as she mumbled timidly. "I've never felt this nervous in my life... or scared. And at the same time, never been this happy or felt this good before." Her grip tightened slightly, causing her body to brush against his entire front. "I never thought I'd be able to be this close to another pony. I always thought I'd be scared out of my mind to do something like this." She smiled contently as she continued, "I've read about stuff like this, as it was one of the few things I could do on my own that was fun. But never thought I'd get to experience it. You're the best friend a mare like me could ask for, Allington." She gently kissed him on the lips, nuzzling against him in a repeating fashion for as long as the kiss lasted.

"Passion, I’m glad to hear you telling me this. I want to do everything I can to make you happy." He nuzzled her a little bit. “Oh, so you spent your free time reading romance novels, then?" He almost whispered as his mouth was resting against hers. "Well, I am afraid I fall far short of any leading characters in a book such as that. Passion, I think you are a wonderful and beautiful mare. Thank you for wanting to be with me, as I want to be near you, too."

A blush kept on residing in her cheeks as she listened to him talk. She couldn't believe that somepony, anypony for that matter, would want to just make her happy. It was almost enough to make her cry from joy, but she fought the feelings so it wouldn't show. Her lips kept on brushing a bit against his every now and then as she spoke. "Erhm... kinda. I read any and every book I could get my hooves on. Some were romantic." She bit her lower lip some as she drew similarities between him and the dashing stallions in said romantic books. "Actually, you don't fall short to any of them, Allington..." She planted a soft kiss on his lips, pushing herself more firmly into his body. "And… you really think I'm beautiful?" she sounded both surprised and insecure about that statement. "I never imagined myself like that. You're a real charmer!" She giggled cutely. "I'm the one that should thank you. You're the one that has to put up with somepony like me. I very much want to be here, to be near you. Also, this kissing thing is a lot of fun!" She exclaimed the last bit with an almost childish glee, which was followed up by yet another kiss, and more squirming around.

"Alright... Now I think you are trying to flatter me!" Allington chuckled softly, landing a quick kiss on her lips before continuing. "I can assure you that I am not like the stallions in those novels. I am far less, er, appealing, as they make those lads out to be." He kissed her again after she kissed him. "Ah, now you finally see why couples kiss so much, for. It IS a lot of fun, isn't it, my dear?" He hugged her a little tighter, though he blushed slightly from the grinding they were unknowingly doing. 

"And yes. Passion, I think you are very beautiful. Not just on the outside, too." He kissed her softly yet again, this time sucking on her lower lip a bit before he pulled away. "In fact, it is your personality that is the most beautiful thing about you. You captivate me, Passion. I find myself wanting to know everything I can about you, dear." He knew that they had only know each other for about a week so far, but what an amazing and eventful week it had been. He kissed her softly a few more times, sneaking a quick kiss to her nose or chin every so often.

Passion smiled for each and every kiss she received from Allington. "Noooo! You're very appealing!" She proclaimed rather loudly and with a slight pout. "Really think so? You're a bit short for a stallion, but so am I for a mare... T-though, physically, you are in great shape, which I've read is a big factor for attractiveness."

Passion could feel her heart skip a beat as Allington gave her more compliments in that moment than she'd received for her entire life. She felt lost in his presence now, searching through her own feelings to figure out what this strange sensation was. Could it be... love? Her eyes widened for a moment as she realized it could be love that she was feeling. "Y-you... you're so charming... you're like a prince." She giggled as she imagined him in a fancy getup. "And I want to know everything about you too." She smiled shyly at him as she said, "I love it when you kiss my nose. It makes me all tingly. Also, thank you for all you've done, and said to me. This week we've travelled together has been the best week of my life. I feel drawn to you... and, I want to do anything I can do to make you as happy as can be!" Her body pressed more firmly against his as she leaned in to stare determinedly into his eyes.

Nothing pleased Allington more in this moment than to see her smiling. Of course, he also felt special knowing that he was the reason for her smiles currently. "Well, I must say, you are quite attractive yourself, milady." He kissed her nose again, now that he knew she liked it so much. "However, it is mainly your eyes. I feel I could get lost in them, Passion. They truly are wondrous things." As much as he liked the attention, he felt undeserving. He gazed at her for a few moments in silence, trying to figure out if he really did love her. Love was a powerful thing, and to declare love was a rather strong statement. Though the more he thought about it the more he realized he did in fact love her. "Also, I’m not a prince, you silly pony" He said softly after a brief pause. He leaned in again and licked her lips this time instead of kissing her. "Though, I am glad to know you see me as one." He took a deep breath in contentment. "And, I feel just as drawn to you, my dear. You make me happy, Passion" 

"Me, attractive?” It took several moments for Passion to full realize what he had said and react to it. “T-thank you for saying such a sweet thing." Passion blushed profusedly from being called attractive. The kiss on her nose made it wiggle, along with causing a very happy smile on Passion's lips. She let out a cute little giggle as she mumbled, "It tingles." Passion blinked a few times as he admitted to her eyes being the main thing he found appeal about her physically, that he could get lost in them. "My eyes? Really?" Surprise was written all over her face. This was mostly due to the fact that they had caused her nothing but problems in her village. She looked a bit torn between her past and the wonderful compliment he gave her about her eyes. "T-thank you, Allington. And, I totally think you're a prince! You're brave, strong, tolerant, and loving. That's stuff a prince is made of." She nodded assuredly. She sighed happily and mumbled, "You make me happy as well, Allington." Passions eyes slowly closed and her kissing died down as she drift off to sleep in his embrace.

As silly and over the top he found her compliments to be, he nonetheless felt warm and tingly inside to know that she thought of him that way. He rested his chin softly on top of her muzzle as they both began fading into dreamland together. Not too many more thoughts crossed his mind as he too fell asleep while embracing Passion tenderly and closely.