//-------------------------------------------------------// Discovery -by Lover of Shadows- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Discovery //-------------------------------------------------------// Discovery There was no path too dangerous, nor trek too bold for you, Adventurous Spirit! Yes, the name was a bit obvious, and your parents had the grave mistake of assuming that giving you such a name would not result in you becoming an adventurer. But, sadly, they forgot that this was Equestria, and that was usually exactly what happened. However, you didn't care, you were just out here for the thrill of it. The unknown! The danger! The mystery! All these things and more beckoned to you as you travelled the world, meeting new and exotic peoples, learning about them, and just plain old having fun while doing so. But, every once in a while, you did have a plan for yourself, and such was the case today, as you walked along old and forgotten paths, un-trod for who knows how many generations. You had long ago passed by the point where any pony would go, and now, you were alone, in the wilderness. Why? Because you had come to search for the legendary Kirins! A race of creatures no pony had ever seen before, but whom many had heard of. Were they here? Would you be the one to uncover their secrets? The thought brought a smile to your face as you boldly went forth, never stopping or tiring on your exciting quest. Time passed, and soon you encountered the bane of all great adventurers. You were running out of water. Sighing, you turned your bottle upside down, seeing the last drop of the stuff fall to the dry ground below. You'd need to find a water source, and soon. But where? Your ears perk up, and you hear the unmistakeable sound of water flowing nearby. A smile touched your lips, and you find yourself racing towards the sound, moving past trees and bushes of all shapes and sizes. Before long, you see it, a stream, trickling down from a high and dangerous-looking rocky cliff-face. But, as you approach, mouth opening to receive the refreshing liquid, you're halted by a new and unexpected voice. "STOP!!!" Naturally, you stop, and you spin in place to see who had called out to you. Your eyes widened as you see who it is. This was no pony, yet she seemed to be the same size as one. She bore a strangely-shaped horn, and her head was covered in a fierce mane, not unlike that of a lion. Could this be one of them? One of the legendary Kirin? Your heart races at the possibility, but before you can even open your mouth to ask her, she speaks first, giggling before walking over to you. "Sorry to interrupt, but you were about to drink from the stream of silence. It sort of trickles down here, and whoo-boy if you'd have drunk from it, you'd have been in big trouble, let me tell you! You'd never be able to speak again! And we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Taken aback by this revelation, you take an understandable step away from the now-ominous trickle, but again turned to this newcomer as she again laughed. "Oh! Where are my manners! I'm Autumn! Autumn Blaze! And I'm a Kirin, but I guess you probably figured that out already because of...well...me looking like one." She snorted. "But here I am, talking about me and nothing else! What about you? You're a pony, right? And you look like you've travelled far." A gasp escaped her. "Oh my! Are you an explorer?! An adventurer?! Oh! You must have so many interesting stories to tell! And I haven't heard anything from anyone in such a long time! You have to tell me everything!" She was definitely an excitable one, that much was certain, and in truth, you really didn't know what to make of her. She was friendly, certainly, but it was like this was her first time ever speaking to someone. A part of you figured that there was more to this way of behaving than met the eye, but you couldn't even get a word out right now, at least not while Autumn kept talking. "You must be so tired from coming as far as you have, I hope my place isn't too small for you! And do you like soup made from tree leaves, because it's kind of the only thing I know how to make." She went on and on like this for some time, all while she led you through paths and crevices in the cliff-face. Now, you weren't ungrateful for the help, quite the opposite in fact, but the sheer volume of what she was saying would have been much for anyone. Still, before long, you reached her abode, a quaint little place, but one that just screamed of one who lived in isolation, which would explain a lot actually. However, Autumn didn't in any way seem bothered by this fact, as she turned to you with another of her wide smiles. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to spend time with someone! I live alone out here, as you can see, and my old village doesn't really want me, but I won't bother you with the details. Anyway, like I said, it's so nice to meet someone from so far away! Someone new, someone interesting, someone...someone..." Here, she trailed off, as though some important piece of information was slowly trickling into her mind for the first time. She stared at you, her smile fading as she appeared deep in thought. "Someone...male." As one would expect, words of that nature sent a red flag springing up in your mind, and you opened your mouth to ask what she was planning, only for her to pre-emptively silence you again by putting her hoof to your lips. "So...um...you don't actually know anything about Kirins, right?" You shake your head, giving her the answer she sought, and Autumn, in response, started to smile a little. "So you know nothing of our ways? Our culture?" Again, you shake your head, and her smile widened. "Well, in that case, I should probably tell you that we Kirins actually have this super-important 'welcoming ritual' that all newcomers have to go through!" You tilt your head, uncertain of where she was going with this. "Well, you see, in order to ensure proper harmony between our people and those visiting us, it's important for outside males to be introduced to a willing female for...um...some physical intimacy." Your eyes widen to the size of dinner plates, and suddenly, this meeting has taken on a whole new angle for you. Was she seriously suggesting what you thought she was? The blush she was developing certainly seemed to suggest so, even as she continued to explain herself. "It's all to do with...er...unions and...um...togetherness and...sharing one's warmth and, you know...all that cultural stuff." Okay, that settled it, she was just making this up on the spot. She wanted someone in bed with her, and you were just the first one to come along. Part of you wanted to just end this charade right here, to call her out and to just walk away from the whole thing. However, that part of you was quickly drowned out by the veritable chorus of other thoughts that were, by contrast, telling you to just go ahead with it. Because after all, here was this, it had to be said, attractive female, and she wanted you. Not really much else to say after that, was there? "So...you okay with it?" she asks. Smiling, you give a consenting nod, and Autumn gleefully squeals, only to realise how that must have looked, before clearing her throat and starting to look a bit more stoic. "I mean...I am grateful for your acceptance of our ways, stranger." Well, let it never be said that she wasn't trying at least. Now, in this instance, you fully expected her to lead you into her abode, perhaps to a comfy bed where you two could do your business. What you weren't expecting, however, was for her to simply spin around on the spot, crouch down, raise her hind quarters, and literally just wiggle her butt right in front of you. "I take it you already know what to do?" She was to-the-point, you had to give her that much. Now, all this talk of mating had already gotten you pretty excited "down there", but the revelation that it was just going to be out here? In the open? Where anyone could just stumble across the two of you? That brought a whole new level of concern for you, but also, in all honesty, a feeling of excitement. The thrill of maybe getting caught doing something naughty, it filled you with a desire, an urge to see this through. So, not wanting to waste any time, you accepted Autumn's invitation, moving forward and, looking to her smiling face, began to mount her. Her scent filled your nostrils, driving you crazy, deepening your desire for her. And through your peripheral vision, you could see the moistness she had glistening down there. Autumn herself, in this moment, bit her lip in readiness for what you were about to do. And do it you did, gently coming into contact with her wet opening. A slight yelp of pleasure escaped your partner, but you merely smiled to it, deigning to move further and further in. It was like she'd waited her entire life for this, and you wondered to yourself just how long it had been since she'd had any kind of intimacy with someone. But the pleasure of this experience began to wash over you, and over her too. Before long, you had gone as deep as you could, yet you could feel that, surprisingly, there could have been even further to go. A moment of shame came to you over not being quite large enough to fill her completely, but one look at her smiling face made it clear that she wasn't bothered by that in the slightest. That one notion gave you the drive you needed, and so you pulled out, only to thrust back with even greater vigour than before. "Oh! Yes!" Autumn called out. You begin to sweat, and your heartbeat races uncontrollably. This was not your first time with a mare, yet the feeling of this strange female, this Kirin, was a sensation unlike any you'd ever known. There was a warmth there, a heat, that was far beyond what any mare felt like. In your mind, you jokingly tell yourself that it's almost like making love to someone who was on fire, as silly a thought as that was. Autumn, through it all, continued to moan, her face becoming more and more ecstatic. "Yes...yes...YES!!!" The two of you were close to the end of it, you could tell, and you could feel your seed getting closer and closer to bursting forth. Within moments, it happened, and you shut your eyes tightly as you released everything you had into this willing female you'd come to know so intimately. More and more pumped out of you, fare more than you even knew you had in you, and the effort made you so exhausted that it would not have surprised you if you'd just collapsed right then and there. She too called out with pleasure, but you found, to your confusion, that her voice sounded more than a little different as she did so. "YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!" As your eyes widened, you saw, to your immense confusion, that she, to put it lightly, looked a touch different. Remember that silly little thought you had a moment ago? About her being on fire? Well, it wasn't so silly now, as that was indeed how she looked. Now, the thought that your private parts were deep inside someone who was blazing right now were a worrisome enough thought, but you at least had the relief of seeing this bizarre sight not last too long. For mere seconds afterwards, the fires dimmed, and Autumn's original face returned soon after, smiling sweetly at you. "Hehe...sorry about that. That's sort of a thing you need to learn about us Kirins. Well...me anyway." It was a strange moment, that was certain, yet the thought was soon banished from your mind, replaced instead by the sense of satisfaction over what the two of you had just done together. She too smiled, but that smile gradually changed to a look of shame, and she glanced away from you. "I...I need to confess something. This whole 'welcome ritual' thing? Yeah, that...that's not actually something we do. I just, you know...I get so lonely up here, and I've been so frustrated for so long that I..." This time it was your turn to silence her, as you placed a hoof to her lips. Surprised, she looked to you, seeing the tenderness on your face, and it wasn't long before she understood. "You...you knew?" You nod, answering her question. It takes a while, but eventually, her shame and guilt over her "attempted" deception began to fade, replaced instead with the same satisfaction you had. "Well...guess this is one for the record books, eh? The first act of pony-Kirin mating?" Not quite the accomplishment you expected to be known for, but hey, there were certainly less brag-worthy things to have to your name. Autumn, after taking a moment to recover from you slowly sliding out of her finally, let out a contented sigh, before starting to take on a more amused look. "You know...you'd think I'd be pretty tired of silent types at this point, but I guess not." There was more to those words than she was saying, but right now, all you cared about was being here, with her. And she too seemed to think the same thing, as she smiled to you in a sultry manner, walking closer and nuzzling you gently. "So...how about a second round?" You looked to her enthusiastically at that thought, only to again be surprised when she, all of a sudden, took on her alternate fiery form. "Maybe...we do it this way? Just to shake things up?" You stare at her, your fear for the wellbeing of your junk now back in full-swing, and Autumn merely laughed, resuming her natural appearance and wiping a laugh-induced tear from her face. "Oh yeah, that's gonna be fun!" Author's Note My first stab at a first-person story. Opinions would be appreciated.