Lilacs. She always did smell like lilacs. It's good to know some things haven't changed.
She slowly eases her head back, breaking our contact, my head still swimming as my thoughts scramble to catch up with everything that's happened. I still can't quite process the fact that I'm here, with her, the end of a road I'd abandoned long ago. All my hope and joy had been crushed, ground into fine powder and replaced with resentment and bitterness, but somehow, by some miracle, I can feel the pieces inside beginning to form anew, making me whole in a way I haven't been for innumerable years. The wandering, the endless searching, town after town yielding only another dead end, another fruitless quest; after all that, this is the moment that I'd been wishing for the whole time, and yet, I can't even process the scene before me.
Behind her, the sun continues its descent, streaks of yellow bleeding into an array of colors that reflect off the high clouds above. Ponyville stands in the distance, the town I never thought to visit; as much as I want to curse myself for neglecting it, I find it quite impossible to remain negative as I focus on the centerpiece of this vision of loveliness, her face the penultimate beauty in this panorama of brilliant light.
Matilda.
Age has taken its toll on her, as it has on me. The wig bestowed on me by Pinkie Pie still feels (and looks) unnatural and fake, a means to cover up my thinning hair, but it can't disguise the wrinkles on my face or the pinch in my knees. I have more than my share of the little aches that start to snowball until your entire existence is one constant annoyance, each step accompanied by another twinge of pain, and I'm sure her life is no picnic either. She has a few extra lines running across her face, a slight droopiness beneath her eyes, telltale signs of her own mounting years, but beneath the veneer of age, I still see the same face that met mine across a crowded gala.
We were two lonely souls in a sea of guests that didn't even share our species. By no means outcasts, we were still ignored and shunned by the Canterlot elite, the snobby unicorns that didn't have time for two lowly donkeys among ponies. Princess Celestia, no doubt, could have helped them overcome their prejudice if her night hadn't involved greeting party-goer after posh party-goer, shaking hooves and flashing a smile that should have been forced, but somehow came off as genuine. That was how she welcomed me, though I could see her eyes widen a bit in surprise to see a jack walking into the Grand Galloping Gala, clad only in a tie. My bits had earned that ticket, and I wasn't about to let a bunch of ponies who couldn't even see past the ends of their own noses bring me down.
They certainly did their best, though. Any conversations I tried to start ended almost as soon as they began, often with a toss of the head and a huff or snort. Attempts to retrieve food from the elaborate spread brought with them cold stares and glowering eyes, enough to leave me without much of an appetite. I dared not venture out onto the dance floor, for fear that I would empty it completely. Finally, the rejection and disdain became too much to handle, and I simply found a quiet place where I could stay out of view and sat down, my eyes scanning the room for somepony, anypony with a hint of friendliness in their eyes. All that met my gaze were cold stares or quickly turned heads, the ponies focusing their attention on anything but the dirty donkey in the corner.
Then, my stare caught another, and I froze. For a moment, I thought I was seeing things, and I blinked to clear my vision, only for my eyes to lock once again with the most stunning creature in the room. Her ears were long, her expression soft and warm, her mane not overdone but still lovely. A shawl was tied around her neck, a simple garment, but one which only added to her homely appearance. I found the sight of her simultaneously comforting and exhilarating, and my heart began to beat rapidly against my rib cage, practically shouting at me to stand up, walk over, say something, do something as my body remained locked in place, overcome at the vision of beauty.
Thankfully, it was she who made the first move, crossing the room slowly until we were mere feet apart. We did nothing but stare for a while, looks of disbelief plastered on our faces, and the background of the gala melting away as my eyes focused solely on this mysterious jenny. I struggled to find words, finally sputtering out, “Hi there.”
She seemed to break from a trance, and she gave me a smile in return; it nearly broke me right then and there. “Hello.” Her voice was like soft music, the kind that plays in the background largely unnoticed, but when you take the time to listen, turns out to the be the best piece you've ever heard. She tilted her head to one side. “What's your name?”
I actually had to concentrate in order to remember. “Cranky...Cranky Doodle. How about you?”
That smile – that simple, unassuming, gorgeous little smile – remained on her face as she replied, “I'm Matilda.”
Matilda. That was a name emblazoned upon my memory for all of time, regardless of how that night went. We managed to start a conversation, brief, nervous exchanges giving way to longer, more involved discussions. Honestly, I don't remember a thing about the topics brought up that night; all I can recall is her face, from her long brown ears, to her quiet, joy-filled blue eyes, to her smile that warmed my heart so much it was almost maddening. And of course, I remember the kiss, the gentle peck of her lips against my cheek that sent my head reeling and my heart somersaulting after it.
But now, I don't have to rely on memories any more. Now, I can look into those eyes again, and hear that voice, a little deeper but still just as sweet. Now, she's here, standing in front of me, and I still can't quite believe it even after her soft kiss on my muzzle. For the first time in a very, very long time, I feel the corners of my mouth begin to quiver and lift. How long has it been since I've smiled, really smiled, fueled by a reason, a purpose, a passion? No matter how long, it's been too long. The dam I've constructed in my head, each brick containing all the frustrations, empty searches, and hopelessness that have plagued me for most of my adult life, bursts without warning, and pure, unfettered joy pours forth, flowing through my entirety and culminating in the biggest, silliest grin I've ever worn.
I'm vaguely aware of Pinkie Pie, that overly excitable pony, going into conniptions at finally seeing me crack a grin, but right now, as it has been since she arrived at my door only a few minutes ago, my undivided attention is on the lovely jenny who has changed so much, and yet so little. Her mane has a curl and a bounce to it now, and a pair of simple blue earrings are clasped to her lengthy, lovely lobes; the shawl so gracefully worn has become a neckerchief, one that still fits her oh-so-well. But when she closed the gap between us to give me a peck on the nose, I dared to inhale, her scent rushing through me and sending my brain on a one-way trip to the land of euphoria.
Lilacs. Oh, how I've missed that smell.
Matilda leans her head in to nuzzle against mine, and I eagerly return her gentle affection, her soft fur warm and comfortable against mine. A voice I've heard throughout this entire day pipes up, “So does this mean you accept my apology?”
I look over at Pinkie, all the anger that I'd harbored toward the energetic pony melting away ever since she appeared outside my door with a long-eared guest in tow. How she did it, I'm still unsure, but by Celestia, she did it, and I wouldn't have the prettiest jenny in the world beside me if that little pink bundle of near-nauseating happiness hadn't brought her here to me. “Yes, Pinkie, I accept your apology,” I answer, my face still bearing a smile, “and I am honored to call you my friend.”
The pony explodes; she literally flies into the air like a firework, a contrail of two shades of pink left in her wake, and explosions of light and color provide a backdrop as she cries out, “Woohoo! This is just fantastic!” Anypony else would have scratched their head at her antics that defied all logical or physical boundaries, but after spending most of the day around Pinkie, this just seemed normal for her. My eyes drift away from the spectacle of the exuberant pony and once again meet Matilda's, whose smug grin lets me know that she's used to Pinkie Pie's antics as well. I barely even hear what the pink one is saying now, as I'm caught in the gaze of my long-lost love. There is warmth and comfort there, yes, but I can see a fire raging behind those spellbinding blue orbs, a similar heat building in my belly.
All those years I spent alone, I rarely sought the company of another. Only once or twice did I give myself to anypony else, but each time, I felt unnaturally hollow afterward, almost like I was more incomplete than before. I could never handle a relationship; no matter what the mare or jenny was like, they could never compare to the night of the gala, spent alongside Matilda. For all those years, I knew that nothing I did, and nopony I ever came across, could ever measure up to the soft-spoken donkey that had been my companion for a few glorious hours as we walked and talked and fell in love.
A string of chatter is pouring forth from Pinkie's lips, but I don't hear any of it as Matilda and I stand close. At last, I think I've grasped the fact that she's real, not some figment of my imagination or vision brought on by decades of frustration. Our heads are pushed together gently, no doubt the little mare's doing, and I close my eyes in bliss as I feel the jenny continue her delicate nuzzles. Pinkie is still talking, something about a party, but suddenly goes silent, and I open my eyes to see if she's all right. She's frozen in mid-gesture, then settles into a sitting position. “Or maybe something a little less over-the-top and not so super-hyper.”
Her intentions are good; they have been all day long, a fact that I knew but still pushed beneath my cloak of sorrow and self-pity. She really is sweet, but I've just been reunited with an even sweeter creature, and I'm not about to waste an opportunity that I thought would never come. I pull my head away from Matilda (reluctantly) and address her. “Pinkie, we're eternally grateful to you, but...” My vision drifts over to Matilda, and I know exactly what I need to say. “Matilda and I just want to spend some time together in peace and quiet.” I give the pony a sincere smile, and beside me, I know that the jenny is doing the same thing.
A slightly sad look comes to the pink pony's eyes. “Oh, um, but we're still friends?” she says timidly.
I step close, placing a hoof on her shoulder for comfort. She certainly rides an emotional roller coaster, but I'm determined to let her know that I don't harbor any ill will toward her. “Pinkie, you went way way way out of your way to make me happy; of course we're friends.” She dons her familiar goofy little smile, one that's become infectious now that my bitterness has been replaced by elation. That joy only intensifies as I look back to see Matilda walking toward us slowly, coming to a stop by my side; I could certainly get used to the feeling of her body next to mine. My love's eyes meet my own, and I know that her intentions are a perfect match for my own. With a nod to Pinkie, I walk past the pink pony and through the open front door of my house, Matilda right behind me.
We stride into the living room, content in silence for now, simply basking in each other's presence. I pause at the open window and turn to face her, that smile never once leaving my lips. Time seems to stand still. I hear the chirping of the birds outside, heralding the departure of the sun, and a breeze rustling through the autumn leaves and bringing a gust of cool dusk air through the room. A light, airy tune, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, drifts in along with the breeze, and I chuckle softly at the pony's seemingly innate ability to come up with tunes on the spot. My eyes, however, are fixed on the donkey before me and her smoldering stare. The last rays of the descending sun glimmer through the window, catching the side of her face, and my heart hoists a white flag, surrendering entirely to the beauty of the jenny that I never thought I'd find. Now that she's here, I don't ever want to let her get away from me again.
My head, almost beyond my control, begins to drift forward, and hers does the same, our lips slowly inching closer together. At the gala, she had planted that smooch on my cheek, but we hadn't had a proper kiss; after all, it was our first date, and I had no way of knowing that we wouldn't see each other again until today. Looking back, if I'd known what lay in store for me after that magical evening, I would have held nothing back, but now, the moment is still perfect. Two pairs of eyes slide shut as two sets of lips draw nearer. The anticipation is killing me; we're close now, so close...
We both recoil as a sudden noise interrupts our tender moment. As one, we turn to see the source of the interjection, and I'm a little surprised to see Pinkie outside, flailing her hooves about as she belts out yet another song. “I have the Cranky Doodle boy, yes, I have the Cranky Doodle boy!”
With one voice, Matilda and I shout, “Pinkie!”
A sheepish grin appears on her face. “Whoops! Privacy, sorry.” Giving a quick toss of her head and a slight giggle, she bounces away down the path that leads back to Ponyville.
The mood utterly ruined, I turn back toward Matilda with a frown, but my eyes shoot wide as her head lunges forward to meet mine. For the first time, our lips entangle, moving of their own accord, and inside my head, the explosion of sheer euphoria begins. All doubts vanish. All my fears, sorrows, and despair are evaporating into nothingness, replaced only by the image of a jenny whose beauty has never faded despite the advance of time, and whose love has never waned in spite of the time and distance spent apart from me. The upwelling of heat within my core reminds me of my own love, a feeling that I clung to even when it seemed all hope was lost. Now, at last, I can set those desires free, and I wrap a hoof around her withers and pull her closer, our jaws widening as our heads press together.
My desperate tongue rises from its dormancy and begins its excursion, eagerly lapping at her lips before descending further into the wilds of her oral cavity. All around her mouth I sweep, the taste of Matilda now bursting in my head. She may smell like lilacs, but her flavor is soft and subtle, mildly sweet like the autumn evening that decorates the sky outside my window. There's no word to describe it but perfect, and I lick wherever I can reach, desperate to absorb as much of her essence as I possibly can. Her own tongue brushes against mine, sending shivers through me, and our flexible pink organs engage in a slow, sensual dance as a smile reappears on my face. How could I do anything but grin as I kiss my one true love for the first time?
Shortness of breath forces us apart, though the tongues that loll out of our panting mouths are joined by a thin, clear string of saliva. Our lungs sufficiently filled, we crash together once more, making out more ferociously than before. We have to make up for lost time, for all the days, all the years we should have been at one another's side. Over and over again, we lock our lips, our tongues taking turns asserting dominance and roaming all around the other donkey's mouth before we pull away breathless, only to dive right back in seconds later.
The wet, sensual kisses, along with her taste on my tongue and her scent drifting through my nostrils, have only served to stoke the fire within me, until it's grown into a raging inferno of passion and desire. The physical representation of my arousal long ago snaked out of its protective sheath, now hanging below me and hardening quickly. All these years, I'd known that I wanted Matilda and only Matilda, but only now do I realize how badly I wanted her. Ours was a love that was meant to be; it just took a little longer than either of us wanted. As our most recent kiss breaks, she whispers, “Oh, Doodle, I've missed you so much.”
“Me too, Matilda,” I whisper back, nuzzling against her soft cheek. “I spent so long trying to find you; sometimes, I was afraid I would forget you, that I would wake up and you'd be out of my mind. But not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about our night together, and more than anything, I've wished that we could have just one more.”
The amber cheeks, already flushed red, glow with a brighter crimson. “I never forgot you either, Doodle, or how happy I was to find somepony who would accept me for who and what I was. No matter how many times I've been looked down on by others, even since I've moved to Ponyville, my spirit never fell, because I knew that somewhere out there was a donkey who knew me and still...loved me.” Her eyes moisten. “You do still love me, don't you Doodle?”
I pull her into an embrace. “Ever since I first saw you in that ballroom.” I draw her closer to my body, the soft warmth of the jenny's frame pressed against my own, and she returns the hug. We stay that way for a while, our hearts beating against one another as we revel in the closeness of our embrace. My body, however, tells me that I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things, and I tilt my head up to whisper in her ear, “Matilda...would you like to finish what we started?”
She steps back, her face now beet red, and she looks off to the side, a nervous grin on her face. For a moment, I think I've overstepped my bounds, and I chide myself for moving too quickly. Surely, even being separated for so many years, it's best to take things slow, to start over from where we began all those years ago, to get re-acquainted –
“I'd like that very much, Doodle,” she says, shifting her eyes to cast a sidelong look at me. “I think...no, I'm sure, that this is what I've wanted for a very, very long time.” She turns and stares me full in the face again, her eyes half-lidded in a sultry stare. “Too long.”
That is all the encouragement I needed, and my head flies forward to kiss her again. After a few seconds of locked lips and tangled tongues, she gently pushes me away with a hoof, that smoldering smile still on her face, and turns around. Her head dips down and her tail drifts to the side, presenting herself fully to me. My breath catches in my throat, and I utter a slight gasp of surprise at the stunning vision before me. I trace the line of her legs, up from her hooves to her ample, curvaceous flanks, then inward to the small mound of pink that stands out amidst the amber fur. It seems to gleam, evidence of the moisture that even now is seeping out, trickling in a thin line from her entrance to mat the fur beneath, releasing from her in tiny drips that fall to the floor.
And I thought I was ready.
Her voice snaps me out of my captivated stare. “Doodle? Are you just going to look?” She glances back playfully, flashing a toothy smile beneath red cheeks.
I take the hint and shake my head rapidly, clearing my swirling thoughts, before making my move. In a few seconds, my front hooves are braced against her back, just below her shoulders; her body sinks slightly beneath me, and I ask, “Matilda, is this all right? Am I too heavy?” The last thing I want to do is cause her pain or discomfort.
She glances up at me. “Not at all. It feels just right.”
My heart nearly melts from her sweet tone of voice and her lustful smile, and I give her a smile of my own before looking further down. I shift my hips, adjusting my stance, concentrating on alignment. It's difficult to focus, given the fact that I'm about to mount the donkey of my dreams, the one that I spent so long pining after, but I somehow manage, nudging forward once I'm sure of my positioning. The tip of my member makes contact with her damp lower lips, and both of us release low moans of pleasure and anticipation as my brain reels from that first touch. I rub my sensitive head up and down the length of her waiting entrance, enjoying each sensation that flows through me, but my hips eager to push forward and make the plunge into her warmth.
Finally, unwilling to wait any longer, I begin to press forward, meeting very little resistance as I slip inside her for the first time. A thousand different reactions fly through my mind at once, and finding it impossible to settle on just one, I instead release a gasp and an elongated moan as her inner walls clench around me from the very first moment of penetration. She cries out as well, a beautiful sound of surprise at my welcome intrusion into her most sacred of places. It's warm and comfortable inside her, each inch I descend further bringing with it a new rush of pleasure and another twitch from the jenny beneath me. I sink in easily, but not quickly, wanting to draw out each feeling for as long as possible. After several seconds of agonizing, glorious pushing, my hips make contact with hers, her soft amber fur tickling against mine. I pause, gasping for breath as my member lies enveloped by her, each twitch and tremble of her body as she grows accustomed to my presence causing her inner walls to squeeze against my sensitive shaft and head and sending another rush of pleasure through me. She moans softly, and I can hear the relief in her wordless exclamations of joy.
Soon, I begin to pull my hips back, causing wonderful friction once more and drawing another yelp from Matilda. A spasm ripples through her passage with each inch I retract, as if it's desperate to keep me inside after such a long wait, and I grit my teeth at the barrage on my senses. Already my mind is reeling, deriving unimaginable bliss from this union that has been a long time coming, and I'm certainly not about to let her remain unsatisfied. Now, only my flared head remains inside, and we take long, deep breaths as I pause for just a moment. Matilda gasps as I grind my lower half forward again, sinking back into her wet warmth a little faster, and I groan at the sensation that I could certainly get accustomed to.
The room soon echoes with the sounds of low moans, soft cries, and gasps of pleasure, the sweet symphony of lovemaking, as I settle into a rhythm with my hips. Each motion of my body, continuing on through pure instinct, brings with it a fresh wave of ecstasy in my mind, each descent and retraction an exercise in nearly overwhelming euphoria. Her body reacts in kind, her own hips soon pushing back to meet mine and swiveling forward as I pull back, preparing for the next plunge. Our chorus of bliss grows louder as my pace begins to increase, steadily bringing us both to the brink.
Amidst the waves of pleasure, I feel a new but altogether familiar tingling sensation at the base of my erection, and I know my time is short. I didn't expect to last too long once we'd started; it had been far too long of a wait for me to hope to have much stamina. However, I'm determined that I won't reach my plateau alone. Bowing my head down and gritting my teeth, I halt my thrusting for a moment, pulling out until it's just my head inside, before diving in with renewed vigor and increased speed. Matilda's head tilts back, and she cries out in surprise as our lovemaking quickly becomes much more intense. I pound into her repeatedly, each smack of my hips against her backside eliciting a higher-pitched scream from the jenny below me. Through my clenched teeth, I utter, “Matilda...gonna finish...soon...”
Her shouts come with words. “Ah! Me too – ah! – Doodle...unh...in- Hah! – inside!”
I get the message and double my efforts, my body a machine as I ride her hard all the way to our big finish. I fight as long as I possibly can, but eventually, I can't help but cave to the immense pressure. With a cry of “Matilda!” my release comes, sudden and strong, spurt after spurt of seed spilling into her, and she shivers and gives an ear-splitting yell as she succumbs as well. A rush of fluid soaks my member even as I continue to unload, each thrust coating her inner walls with another shot of my cum. Finally, the last of it dribbles out of my tip, and I feel my knees weaken. Beneath me, Matilda begins to collapse to the floor, clearly overcome with pleasure, and I follow her as she tumbles to the side and onto the floor with a thud. Despite the mass of pleasure currently clouding my brain, I manage to ask, “You okay?”
She simply sighs and whispers, “Oh yes,” before she closes her eyes and drifts away, her mind tripping on the same euphoria that I quickly succumb to. We lie there for a while, basking in the warmth of each other's bodies, my hoof idly stroking along her side. My erection soon softens and slips from her with a wet pop, a mixture of our love fluids seeping out of her entrance and dribbling out onto the floor; right now, I could care less about the mess, content to lie here next to the most beautiful jenny in Equestria as we both ride our high.
Eventually, my senses return from their trip through the stratosphere, and I lean over to nibble on Matilda's ear. She tilts her head back and smiles, her soft eyes still glassy from our coupling. With a little giggle, she whispers, “You don't know how long I've waited for that, Doodle.”
“Actually, I do,” I say, nuzzling her cheek gently. “But it was worth the wait.”
“It certainly was,” she says, smiling wide. My lips find hers in a tender kiss, and my foreleg wraps around her midsection as we lie side-by-side on the floor of my house. As our locked lips separate, she says, “You said we would finish what we started, but now...now that we've finally come this far, I know that I never want this feeling to end.”
“Me neither,” I reply, pecking her gently on the cheek. My hoof ruffles through her hair. “I love you, Matilda, ever since I first met you.”
“And I love you, Doodle,” she says with a wide smile, rolling over to face me and scooting her head forward to kiss me again. I lose myself in the intimate contact, relishing each moment with this lovely jenny, and as we make out, the last lingering trace of sorrow, carried for years as a burden upon my lonely heart, drifts away on a breeze of pure joy. I pull Matilda's head closer to mine, and our kiss deepens as I breathe in her scent once again.
Lilacs. Now there's an aroma I could get used to. I have all the time in the world to do just that.