Dusk Fire

Chapter 8 - Encounter

Petal sat across from Dusk at Caf-Hay, their milkshakes, untouched and sitting between them, dripped with condensation. Dusk re-positioned himself in his straw chair, receiving a tired protest from the chair in reply. Petal opened her mouth but closed it again, unsure of how to begin.

"From the top, Petal. What drew you to me in the first place?" Dusk asked in the softest voice he could manage.

Petal thought for a bit, searching Dusk's fire red eyes for some sort of excuse to get out of there. She was so embarrassed, sitting here in front of, possibly, the biggest crush she'd ever had. She scanned his trim, lightly muscled body, blushing a little as her eyes roamed his features. They were in no way 'chiseled', but he was still extremely good looking. He had a slightly bemused look on his face, one that fit the air that he held about him. His mane, tangled and unruly, was the same color as a raging fire; it almost gave the illusion that his head was ablaze. The combination of a fiery red and yellow streaked mane atop a midnight blue coat was enough to get Petal to blush. She had never come across a stallion that had this sort of body, yet had, to her knowledge, never used it to attract mares. His personality was that of a pony who was almost disinterested in mares. She briefly wondered if he was gay.... She shook those thoughts out of her head before opening her mouth, her cheeks almost as red as Dusk's eyes.

"What attracted me to you in the first place was your looks. You're an extremely handsome pony, Dusk..." Petal began, receiving a light blush from Dusk. "As I sort of.... stared... at you from across the classroom, I noticed you didn't care much for your school work. I kinda like badcolts..... That's what attracted me in the first place, your body and your attitude."

Dusk simply smirked at this before reaching for his milkshake and taking a sip. He scrutinized her, his eyes quickly scanning her body and face before beckoning her to continue. At this point, he had no interest in her body. He was here to talk, and he wasn't about to abuse her misguided love for his own purposes.

Petal nodded, beginning again. "On that first date, I thought you were perfect. You were everything I could have asked for, kind, caring, polite, funny... After what I did... what I said that day... I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore. That's why I avoided you. I thought I had hurt you so bad that I couldn't even face you myself," Petal turns away, her assumptions, as incorrect as they were, still hurting. "I know you said you simply overreacted... but I was still scared that you were hurt."

Dusk nodded, listening silently.

"That's really about it... That's all I can think of right now," Petal muttered, unsure if that was a sufficient story for Dusk.

"You know, Petal... You're an interesting mare," Dusk finally utters, after sipping his shake. "That's what I like about you. You're in no way my type of mare, but you're certainly better than most. That's why you're my friend. That's why I'm still talking to you."

Petal looks up at him, her eyes sparkling in the afternoon light. "Really?"

Dusk rolls his eyes. "Duh. You think I'd make that up?"

Petal giggled and reached over the table, taking a hold of Dusk's hoof and gently squeezing it. "I'm glad you still talk to me."

Dusk smiles, putting his other hoof over hers. "You said it yourself, friends don't leave friends behind."

It was Saturday night, and Dusk was trotting towards the restaurant he and Lavender had agreed on. He was wearing a white dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his 'elbows' and over this he wore a black waistcoat. His dad had given him a large amount of bits for the night, and the small bag that contained them was now levitated in front of Dusk, caught in his red aura. As he trotted, Petal's words echoed through his mind. She was quite obviously attracted to him, and it was very obvious that she loved him. He sighed as he thought about this. He had already told her he wasn't interested; already broken her heart. He kicked a small rock, mildly disappointed that these thoughts hovered over him like a black cloud. Especially on a night as beautiful as this. He sometimes wondered how the night could be this beautiful if princess Luna was no longer a part of the Canterlot Royalty. She had been banished long ago, and many ponies, those that still believed the tale, thought she would never come back. He chuckled at his minor distraction and picked up his pace. He was already late is it was; he couldn't afford to be thinking of a banished princess when Lavender was waiting for him in a crowded restaurant.

He soon arrived, entering the crowded area with a semi-professional air about him. He scanned the room for Lavender, but continued moving as if he had a place to go. He spots her quickly, playing with a fork as she waited for him. He skirted around the room, keeping out of her line of sight, until he was behind her. Then he walked up to her, the chatter of ponies masking his hoofsteps. Snickering silently, Dusk puts his hooves over Lavender's eyes. She squeals in fright, struggling a little before the familiar smell of his mane wafted past her nostrils. Once she realized who it was, Lavender giggled and uttered a greeting. Satisfied with his 'work', Dusk takes his seat across from her and flashes a brilliant smile.

"Evening, dear Lavender," Dusk said in a posh, Manehattan accent. This received a giggle and a light blush from Lavender, who promptly replied.

"I'm good, Dusk. Very good..." She trailed off, an almost sinister look in her eyes, as if she had something else on her mind. Dusk picked up on this, and became instinctively wary of her, but hid it from her quite well. "So..... what did you want to do after dinner, Dusky?" Lavender continued.

"Perhaps we should have dinner before discussing anything else, first," Dusk replied, his mind clicking over as he realized what she was up to.

Lavender opened her mouth to say more, but quickly closed it before nodding her agreement and began perusing the menu.

Dusk quickly skimmed the menu, picking out what he wanted before looking up again, watching as Lavender made her decision. She was wearing a rather alluring dress this evening. It was short and very motile, the fabric seeming to slide over her body with no problems, fluttering in the slightest breeze. It was a dark purple, slightly darker than her coat, and sported gold trims. Coupled with this dress, Lavender wore small, diamond shaped earrings which sparkled in the restaurant light. Her mane was styled a little more elaborately than it was on their first date; some extra sparkles and curls here and there. Over all, this style fit her figure quite well. It was a very 'Lavender' outfit, in Dusk's opinion.

Dusk caught himself blushing as he stared at her and quickly looked away, embarrassed at his mild arousal. Lavender looked up after he looked away. Noticing his blush, she giggled a little before asking him if anything was wrong.

"I'm fine, Lavender," Dusk replied, a pony across the room catching his eye. He watched the stallion intently for a while, observing his movements for absolutely no reason at all until the waiter arrived at the table and took his and Lavender's orders. After that, Dusk lost interest in the pony and simply slumped back into his chair, waiting for his meal to come.

"What's wrong, Dusk? You seem.... off, tonight," Lavender said, curious about his attitude.

"I've just got a lot of shit on my plate at the moment, Lavender," Dusk replies, dismissing her inquiry with a wave of his hoof.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lavender asked, mildly irked at his almost rude gesture.

"It's not something you would enjoy talking about, Lav," Dusk stated.

"I'm guessing it's got to do with Petal, then?" Lavender replied.

Dusk nods before folding his hooves as their meals are set down in front of them. Dusk begins eating before Lavender can start a conversation, more intent on eating and getting out of this noisy, crowded venue than striking conversation with a beautiful mare.

Dusk had ordered a relatively small meal, and therefore he finished it quickly. He moved to his drink, a lemonade, as per usual, and sipped it while he watched Lavender eat her meal. He watched her cut, chew, and swallow, all in her petite, Manehattanite style. He sighed quietly, rolling his eyes a little. Posh ponies had always gotten to him; even those he was attracted to.

As soon as Lavender finished her meal, Dusk stood up and quickly payed the bill before heading back to the table to retrieve Lavender. She looped his hoof through his elbow as the two quickly left the restaurant and entered the quiet, late night streets of Manehattan.

The air outside was cooler, and the combination of this and sudden wave of silence made Dusk relax greatly, his body loosening up as he slowly trotted along with Lavender, who sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" Lavender asked, still slightly surprised at how rude he had been in the restaurant.

"Yeah, it was good," Dusk replied, not interested in his meal in the slightest.

"You seem really off tonight, Dusk," Lavender said, a small tone of seductiveness now slipping into her voice. "I know it's about Petal, so I know you don't want to talk about it, but maybe I can do something to make you feel better...."

"Like what?" Dusk asked, curious, yet wary, of her intentions.

"I'll show you..." Lavender replied, taking him by the hoof into the shadows of an alley.

Once there, and once hidden, Lavender pushed Dusk against the wall and began kissing him passionately. Dusk accepted the kiss, putting one hoof on her waist as the other supported her head. The musky aroma of her perfume intoxicating him as she slipped her tongue into his mouth and began swirling it around his tongue. Dusk gasped through his nose, the hoof on Lavender's waist clenching slightly. Lavender moaned softly and she let her hooves explore his body; running over his chest, midriff, and waist. Dusk followed her lead, a rookie at this sort of thing, wrestling his tongue with hers as he leaned back against the wall, the combination of Lavender's touch, her smell, and her soft moans arousing him.

Lavender eventually broke the kiss and stared lovingly into his eye before crouching down. Dusk followed her with his eyes, looking down at her in confusion. Her hoof gently touched his crotch and she began caressing his stalionhood. Dusk stood there, stunned, now knowing why she had such a peculiar gleam in her eyes tonight. Lavender continued stroking, making Dusk more and more erect. Dusk's heart raced and his breath came in heavy gasps as he stood there, completely paralyzed out of confusion and fright. He knew what she was going to do, but he was too embarrassed to say anything.

Her tongue gently began licking the underside of his length, and Dusk closed his eyes, unable to do anything more as Lavender's soft lip wrapped around his tip. At this point, Dusk finally regained motor control and he pulled away from her, pushing her roughly onto her back as he dropped down onto all fours. He glared at her, his face as red as his eyes.

"What was that for?" Lavender asked, slightly irked.

"What the hay do you think you're doing?" Dusk asked, angrily.

"I was gonna... you know...." Lavender replied, slightly frightened.

"No. I will not let you do that," Dusk stated.

"Come on, Dusk. Everypony does it and loves it. Give it a try," Lavender replied, attempting to push him back into the wall.

Dusk roughly pushed her away. "We're in year 8 for buck sake!" Dusk exclaimed.

"So? It's just a blowjob, it's not like I'm putting it inside me or anything," Lavender said.

"No no no.... I can't do this. I have standards, Lavender, I'm not gonna buck around like this. Don't ever talk to me again," Dusk stated before trotting off angrily.

"What?" Lavender called after him, confused. "You're just ending it like that?"

"Yes!" Dusk shouted back at her as he turned out of the alleyway and teleported home with in a flash of red light, leaving Lavender standing in the alley, shocked at his reaction.

Dusk arrived home and entered quietly. His parents were still up and as he came in, his father came up to him.

"How was the date?" he asked.

"Absolute shit, dad. The meal was crap, and Lavender tried to give me a blowjob," Dusk answered, still fuming at her.

"Did you let her?" Dusk's father replied, slightly shocked.

"No. I didn't want that from her. I'm too young, she's too young, and this was our second date for Celestia's sake," Dusk replied.

Dusk's father gave a small smile before ruffling his mane. "At least you know what's up, Dusk. I'm proud of your maturity."

"Thanks, dad," Dusk replied, halfheartedly. "I'm gonna go to bed, Dad. Good night."

"Night, Dusk," his father replied. "Sleep tight."

"I will," Dusk replied as he trotted off to his room.

Dusk entered his room and closed the door, using his magic to take off his clothes before he lay down on his bed, sighing. He shook his head, clearing it. How could Lavender have thought such an act was appropriate. She could have at least asked him first. Either way, he would have said no. He was too young to be fooling around like that, and he had no intention of doing it until he had found the right mare. Dusk sighed, defeated. Lavender obviously wasn't going to be that mare. He knew she never was; she just wasn't the kind of mare he could easily respect. It was all hormones. After all, he was at that age when hormones start coursing through a stallion's veins like a volatile drug. It was only natural for some part of him to want a mare like her. He shook his head again.

"She's just not for me. I have standards. I have morals," Dusk muttered to himself, ashamed that he had not seen her intentions sooner, and ashamed that he had reacted in such a rude manner.

Dusk sighed once more, the events of that night harrowing him. He had never experienced such a thing, and he was, deep down, extremely scared of it. Where would it have lead if he had let his body go? Dusk had no way of knowing. All he wanted to do was sleep. So he shook his head violently, to clear it, and rested his head on the pillow. He closed his eyes and curled up into a frightened ball as he fell asleep.