Ghost of the Everfree

by David Silver

39 - First Base

"You." Silver was walking out of the castle, Dry at one side, Diamond on the other. "It's time."

Dry quirked an ear at her. "Time for what? How can I help?"

"Oh, you can help, for sure." Silver edged closer, veering to the side towards him. "It's all about you."

"Yeah, catching the hint." Diamond smirked at her friends. "Had fun, see you tomorrow." She went off in the other direction, leaving the two to their own devices.

Dry swallowed nervously. "Why is she leaving?"

"Because she isn't needed, but she's an awesome enough friend to know that without me telling her." Silver leaned in so close he could smell her breath and feel it washing across his snout. "I owe her one."

Dry flipped his ears back. Was... "I thought we were still courting?"

Silver sat and crossed her arms. "I heard you think you're more mature than us, but you don't act like it sometimes. Kissing while courting is, like, not even that big of a deal. You're going to marry somepony you've never kissed before?!"

Dry licked over his dry lips, trying, and failing, to think up a proper reply to that. "I..."

"I'm going to kiss you," stated Silver Spoon in the bluntest tone she had to wield. "You will kiss me back. We will enjoy it. How does that sound?" There was no subtlety there. She wasn't hiding behind sub-contexts.

Dry colored vividly. It wasn't that he didn't know what a kiss was. No, no, he knew all about that. That didn't make his first one any less daunting. "I would like that... It's...my first, please don't be mad if I get it wrong."

"My delicate first timer." Silver touched her nose to his. "Guess what? My first too. The others were all not-romantic, so they don't count. We'll make this easy. Start by touching lips to faces, they don't even have to meet, not at first." She smooched him on the cheek to demonstrate. "See, not so bad."

Dry wheezed, but he hadn't died, nor had she been scared off. "Not so bad..." But did he dare to return the favor? To attack was to expose himself to danger, but to not attack? That also had risks. She might get irritated at him, seeing as she just asked for it. He was in a position where there was no safe path. Exposed and vulnerable, Dry had to choose how to fight, because hiding had been taken away from him.

So he would die. But how he would die, at least that was left in his hooves. If he had to be found... He touched nose to nose with her, not going for the face, at least, not randomly. He pressed his lips to hers directly, inhaling her aroma and gently walking into her, maximizing their contact. If he would die, he would do it in the hooves of the mare he happened to like a lot. At least that wouldn't be so bad.

Silver let out a surprised, if muffled, noise. She hadn't quite realized how it worked. Even the tamest, most timid, and meek of creatures will fight when cornered. She had pinned her boyfriend against a wall, and with flight and hide removed as options, he had attacked, and... it was kinda nice. She raised her hooves to embrace him, leaning back into the kiss. As she hugged him tighter, she adjusted her head to allow their lips to meet deeper.

"Woah!" Spike blinked owlishly at the late-foal smooch fest he had just walked out on. "Uh..."

Treehugger casually pulled Spike back towards the inside of the castle. "Leave them alone, little dragon. They're enjoying the night." She gave a dramatic wink and walked sedately past him into the night, ignoring the empassioned foals entirely.

Fortunately, neither of the kissers had any room to even notice her, trying their best to fall into one another, if only for that pesky material existence preventing them from completing that act, but there was enjoyment in trying as hard as they could, exploring where the other started and ended in their fiery embrace that seemed to have no end in sight.

At least until a hoof gently tapped at either of their shoulders. Twilight smiled at the two gently, if a little nervously. "I'm glad to see you two are getting along well, but if you could... not do that right in front?" She angled her head back at her castle. She cleared her throat softly. "You're both old enough to enjoy a kiss, but--"

Silver drew back from the kiss, but didn't let Dry flee entirely, even if it felt like he would if she let him. "Sorry. Like... just got out of hoof a little." Not that she looked like she was that upset about it. "We'll head home." She tugged Dry away.

But the direction... "Scootaloo's house is this way." He pointed in another direction, not the one Silver was pulling him towards.

"Scootaloo will not help us tonight, Dry." She rolled her eyes. "Use your big boy maturity for a change."

"Oh." He walked after her, dazed and confused.

They had a pleasant evening.

---

"Silver Spoon!" thundered a male voice, startling both of them awake. "What is the meaning of this?!"

There was Silver Spoon's father, looking displeased, to put it mildly. "And who is this?!"

Dry had failed to hide properly. What he deserved for getting too comfortable. "Sorry, Sir. Would you like me to leave?"

"Not so fast." He thrust out a hoof in Dry's way. "I need to know what happened first. What did you do to my daughter?"

Silver growled low. "I can make my own dec--"

He held up a hoof, quieting her. "Tell me," he ordered of Dry with a heavy scowl.

"Um..." He sat, hooves coming together. "We kissed, sir... Um... She's courting me..."

The father blinked softly, his turn to be stunned. He twirled on Silver Spoon. "You're courting him?!"

Silver stood up as tall as she could, still quite a bit lower than her father. "Yes I am, father. I am chasing his hoof. He has been a gentlepony." She rolled her eyes. "We slept together and the most he did was kiss."

That she sounded like she might have hoped for more only brought up a blush to the stallion's cheeks. "Silver! Not in my house! Filly.... I... I thought you respected me." He suddenly flumped to his belly. "What did I do wrong?"

"Dad." Silver turned to Dry. "This is between us two. Go on." She waved him away.

A chance to run and hide! Dry took a step forward to find a hoof in his way, attached to Silver's father's arm. "Sir?"

The father sat up, eyes on Dry. "Tell me the truth, foal. What do you plan for my daughter?"

Dry rubbed behind his head. He was the one being courted! "Um, sir... I will protect her as best as I can. I will treasure her, if she asks The Question. I will be treasured... Um... You have raised a very nice daughter, sir..."

The father smiled wryly. "Right..." His eyes snapped to Silver. "You are a tough-minded little filly... If I tell you not to see him, you'll just see him when I'm not looking."

Silver looked perhaps a bit too agreeing with his words, a smug smile on her face. "See... Look... Look." He waved between Silver and Dry. "No more secrets. I shouldn't find this out walking in like this! We're a family... I love you, Silver Spoon... I want the best for you, I always did..."

Silver shrank a moment before rushing up and hugging her dad. "Of course you do. I love you too, daddy." They hugged, the firm dry exchange of familial affection. "I shoulda said something, like... but I was nervous, you know?"

"All the more reason to share," cautioned her father. "You know I'm on your side."

"Yeah..." Silver waved at Dry. "But look at him!"

So he looked at Dry. "His mane is kinda silly." He casually patted Dry's puffy mane.

"Right?!" Silver giggled with obvious agreement. "And he's nice, and he knows magic. He worships the same god I do and gets spells from her too."

The father flinched at that. "Oh... Is... did they go to that place?"

Dry's ears fell. He knew the sound of fear. "I'm actually from there, sir..."

"Oh..." His fear did not abate. "Are you going to... Do you want to take her back there?"

"N-no sir... Unless she wants to? She has strong opinions, sir, her and her friend." He smiled a bit helplessly. "I probably couldn't stop them if they wanted to go, sir."

He smiled in kind. "That's about the truest statement I heard all day." He swatted Dry on the back with a thump of his hoof. "You're alright. At least you see how it is... So, um... you like that princess? I like a princess. Celestia's pretty great, huh?"

Dry inclined his head. "I don't know that princess... Is she a god here? That's exciting! I would like to hear more." Surely Luminace would appreciate words of other gods being shared. "If there's a book, I can read that."

The father curled a hoof to his chin. "A book, huh... I'd ask Twilight. She's a princess too nowadays, but she has most of the local books, but she isn't shy about sharing them with anypony that asks nicely for 'em. She was Princess Celestia's student once! Bet she has a few books about her."

Dry smiled, fear replaced with joy. His target was within reach. "Twilight is a nice pony, and princess, and I will just ask her. We were just there last night, talking about magic."

The father perked up. "Oh, right. That club you mentioned." He nodded at Silver Spoon. "How did it go?"

"It went great, daddy." She adjusted her glasses. "And, after I learned things and made contacts, I got to kiss my boyfriend."

The poor stallion colored vividly. "Silver Spoon! Have some mercy on your father. I'm glad to hear that... went well." He let out a tense sigh. "You know... Diamond is an excellent guardian. If she didn't like you, she would have gotten rid of you already, no matter how much Silver said otherwise."

Silver growled but sagged at the truth behind those words. "She wouldn't..."

"Not if you found a good pony, which maybe you did... I'm just saying, I'll trust in your friend. You two are thick as thieves and know each other better than your ole dad ever could."

"Don't be like that." Silver nestled up to him, hugging from the side. "You're still my dad and I love you very much."

They met, clonking heads together with a shared smile.

Life was changing around them, but they were still close.

Which left Dry considering his place in the touching family moment. "Sir?" He had gained the stallion's attention. "Sir, I would like to get to know you better, sir. Do you... If you don't mind, can we spend some time... together?"

He smiled at that, reaching to set a hoof on Dry's shoulder. "I figured you'd be trying to get away from me." He laughed awkwardly, patting Dry. "But if you want to hang out with me, I don't see the harm in that. I'll show you how we do things around here!" He stood up proudly. "We don't show off as much as the Rich's, but we have plenty to our name. If you're going to be involved, you should know it too. Tomorrow! I'll have a tour ready for you." He walked off with a happy smile on his face.

Silver blinked dumbly. "Nice going... How did you know how to handle him?"

"I handled him?" Dry inclined his head. "I just thought it'd be polite for me to do that. He might become my father one day... It'd be sad to have a son you don't even know."

Silver nuzzled her clueless but thoughtful boyfriend. "I hope you two have fun."

Author's Note:

Teen romance! And some parental chat. Silver's dad is nice, I say.

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Comments

[redmar]

That went well and Dry's meeting with Silver Spoon's dad was successfull.

[Booster Spice]

Tomorrow is going to be Take The Kids To work Day?

Ah, that explains Iron Will trying to stop the goat eating the carpet?

[howard035]

I like Daddy Spoon, especially that he knows Diamond Tiara possibly better than Silver does.