Cold Hearts Never Thaw

Stepping outside, Double Diamond could finally relax. He had taken care of his problem, and it had felt good. Not as good as if Red had been there to help, but good nonetheless. He checked his scarf, making sure it was clean and secured snugly around his neck, and he began to trot into town. He had brought his saddlebags as well, filled with papers of his ideas for the town's improvement.

He paused and looked around, seeing fewer ponies than normal outside, and his brow furrowed. But one orange flank he did spot, since it was the only flank he knew well enough that had no cutie mark; Red. She was out and about, walking aimlessly around the town, looking at the buildings and homes. Double Diamond's smile grew wider, and he trotted up to her, pausing as he remembered last night. Was she still in a bad mood? He chewed his lip, and grew closer; there was only one way to find out.

“Red?” He asked, brushing his muzzles against her side. Her response was a sudden shiver, and he looked into her eyes as she turned her head to look at him. He gazed up at her nervously, suddenly concerned if he had spooked her. But the look she gave him was...strange. Soft, amused, confused, and a small mix of disbelief.

“Hello Double Diamond..” she murmured in reply, a faint smile on her lips. The tall mare turned and brushed a wing against his side, “I hope you are feeling well...last's night events were...most unfortunate it seems..” she said, tucking her wing in and sighing. “I guess a lot of the ponies here are rather...pent up. Discontent...but it wouldn't be surprising with such an...unwelcome mare among them..” she said, raising a hoof to brush her mane to the side.

“You aren't unwelcome. In fact, I think everypony wants you to stay!” Double Diamond said quickly, but his expression became one of confusion as Red began to chuckle. “What?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Oh darling..I am not talking about me..I am talking about the mare who caused a scene last night. I have been walking around, and it seems nopony is one hundred percent positive that Miss Starlight's little episode was just an accident..but intentional...why? Now that is a mystery on its own.” Red murmured, smiling softly at him, before she stepped away. “Forgive me..I am...a little spooked after last night...” she added in a hushed tone.

“Spooked? I mean, I guess what happened was a little...disorientating..” Double Diamond said, but he remembered how Red had acted last night, and how she was acting this morning..Double Diamond could guess that maybe she was spooked after all. He wasn't sure. Red didn't seem like the kind of mare to be scared or spooked.

Red smiled faintly, before looking away. She wasn't ready to tell him what she saw him doing. What she heard. She was still trying to process through that. Shaking her head, Red sighed, and she flexed her wings some. “I do not think I will stay here...too much anger...too much distaste for difference..” Red mumbled. Double Diamond felt his heart plummet, and the stallion rushed forward, hooking his fetlock with hers. Red looked down sharply, then up at him, her eyes wide.

“Don't go...please...” he pleaded. “I am sending Starlight away. She isn't welcome here...and you are...if you leave, you will just be wandering for a place to belong and here...well...I think you belong...” Double Diamond said, his white cheeks tinging a dark pink.

Red blinked, her own cheeks turning a darker color, and she gazed down at her hoof, joined with his, and she couldn't help the image of his hoof wrapped around his shaft, stroking it as he whispered her name. A wave of feelings rushed through Red, and she removed her hoof from his, backing away slowly and giving him a half smile. “I...thank you for your..thoughts. I shall keep them in mind when I decide.” she said.

The stallion wasn't about to give up, and he moved closer, pressing his snoot to her neck, and he nuzzled into the soft orange fur, into the dark red mane. He inhaled her scent, “What if I asked you to stay...personally?” Double Diamond asked.

“Then I would say that you are being selfish and giving me little choice in my own desires...” Red replied calmly, her eyes looking at him through the corner. She was unsure how to react. This stallion was making advances after only a few days...two at most...and she was not about to let herself be swept up into a romance that would ultimately end badly no matter which way. In the end...the sad truth was, Double Diamond would die..if not because of her, then of nature.

Double Diamond was unaware of this of course, and he sighed, looking up at her with a warm look in his eyes, “And I suppose that would mean I would be no better than Starlight huh...” He mused, and with a pained look, he backed away, giving Red some space. “I'm sorry...” he sighed.

Red frowned, and she would later slap herself for what she was about to do, “Double Diamond..you have been kind to me...and I want to give you what you deserve in turn...if there is anything you need...please...let me know...alright?” she said, and she stepped closer, a long orange wing moving to raise his chin. The mare pressed their lips together, the soft fleshy mounds melding and embracing the other's. Double Diamond's eyes flew wide in surprise, and he stared into Red's eyes, the mare's own eyes half-lidded in contentment.

They remained there, holding the single kiss, the sparks almost rapidly flying. Double Diamond's heart was ready to break at least one of his ribs from how fast it was beating, and how hard it was. The kiss was almost perfect...not perfect enough to feel off, but it felt right..And he didn't want it to end. Red on the other hoof...she could taste him..smell him...hear his heart pounding, and because of that, she could sense the blood pulsing in his veins, almost like a siren call for her. A little nibble wouldn't hurt.

She could feel her fangs slipping out, and she panicked, breaking the kiss, only for one tiny sharp tip of her fang to nick the soft skin. Double Diamond let out a hiss of pain, and Red's eyes widened as the dark red fluid began to dribble down his bottom lip and chin. He held his hoof up, wiping it, and Red's throat tightened. “I'm sorry..I didn't mean to..”

He looked at the blood, then at Red, a surprised look in his eyes. But he leaned in, his hoof dragging the mare closer, and he pushed into another kiss. Red was stunned, and she was forced to taste the red nectar that dribbled from the wound she had made. The taste sent a flurry of tingles into her mouth, and she pushed into the kiss, allowing the blood to flow smoothly over her tongue. She couldn't resist the slight suckle on his lips, the tangy but sweet metal flavor, filling her senses.

It was only a slight groan from him that the orange mare halted, her eyes snapping open, and she jerked away from the kiss, backing up some. Her breath came in shuddering gasps, and Double Diamond stared at her in shock. Red quickly wiped her lips, and she backed away, her ears folding back. She looked at his lips, stained red with their lustful, bloody kiss, and she wrenched her gaze away. “I'm sorry..” she repeated. Before Double Diamond could stop her, Red snapped out her wings and took off, leaving him behind and stirring the dust of the road behind her.

He gaped as he watched her fly off, his bottom lip throbbing from the wound, and from when she had suckled it. It was a dull, almost irritating pain, but less than the pain he felt in his heart. He licked his lips, blinking as the tangy flavor of his blood filled his taste buds. He quickly wiped his lips, using his scarf to wipe the red fluid from his coat. He had never seen Red so spooked or anxious...But now that he thought of it, she had pushed back into the kiss when he started bleeding..and she...had she actually drunken his blood? Double Diamond gazed after Red, and his brow knit together. He turned his course, now heading for the medical building. He needed to talk to a certain unicorn...