Post by MC Ice on Apr 21, 2015 7:19:22 GMT -5
Scene: Forge's Smithy, Ponyville, Equestria
Time: Afternoon
Players, Forge, Lightning Dust, Berry Punch
Clang! Clank! Clang! Clank! From within the blacksmith's shop ring the piercing tones of hammer meeting steel, The occasional Whooshing of the hoof-pedal operated bellows can also be heated from the street. And if one were to peer inside, they would be treated to the sight of Forge's broad back and shoulders, flexing with each downward stroke of his hammer. Sparks flying off the glowing metal, the fire flaring as he works, causing shadows to dance in the corners of the building, and across him. His face is set, and he looks for all the world like some dark, primal, god of the forge, crafting some wonder to place within the mortal realm.
Striding into the forge is Lightning Dust. She has a confident swagger to her entrance, smirking a bit as she glances about the knick-nacks along the walls, then over to the studly stallion banging away on his hammer. On her head she has a helmet that appears to be dented on one side. Perhaps a stunt went wrong? "Yo, hunkster!" She calls out as she maneuvers herself towards him with a smirk upon her muzzle. Her eyes of course stare at the flex of his muscles in an appreciative manner. As a world class athlete, she knows a good body when she sees one.
Berry_Punch does too, but she also has a gift for knowing where things are going down. She follows Lightning and slips inside, taking a comfy seat on the floor inside the door. She's got a couple saddlebags with gooseberries and some more exotic fruit in them, but they're in bags and stay put when she sits.
Forge seems to be unable to stop what he is doing just now and he calls back to the mare after she shouts her greeting, "Da! Just a moment!" He scowls at the metal even as he uses his hammer strikes too fold the metal in half, then beating it flat once more, he folds it yet again, Once that is done he places it in a trough of water, then a trough of oil, back and forth, twice more, then he sets it aside and turns to walk towards his new customer, in a mild stalliongrad accent he addresses the mare...oops. mares. "Welcome to forge, how can be helping you today?" He nods to both the pegasus mare and the earth pony mare.
"My, oh, my, aren't you a cool glass of water I wouldn't mind taking a sip of." Lightning Dust says with a smirk upon her face as her eyes trail along him quite openly without much attempt to hide it. "Damn, stud, I ain't ever seen a stallion as fine as you. You got muscles to spare and I'd love to give them a personal work out." Lobbing her helmet to the ground, she points at it with a hoof. "It's dented. Can you bang it back into place?" She asks as she bobs her head side to side a bit as she unfurls her wings a bit to show them off.
Berry_Punch grins and takes a step back. When Forge looks over, she pretends to be examining the bearing and stuff he's got on display. But she's just here for the juice.
Forge blinks at the very friendly pegasus, then offers her a smile that quite easily communicates 'I don't understand all that you just said, but I understand enough of it.' The stallion blushes just a little in his ears before clearing his throat and picking up the helmet. He gives it a once-over before looking back up at the boisterous mare displaying her wings for him, "Da, is easy." He peers inside the item to make sure the damage didn't crack the metal underneath, or ruin the padding. "Is hard work bending metal, and working close to something so hot keeps impurities out of system, getting sweaty is good for body." He remarks distractedly in answer to Lightining's statement about his physique.
"Buck yeah it is. I wouldn't mind getting sweaty with your body if it's good for mine." Lightning Dust says brazenly as she trots after him with swagger and confidence coursing through her body. She tips a wink to Berry Punch before she invades the stallion's personal space just a bit as she looks over at the helmet. "So, once you get done banging on my helmet, how about you and I go out for some dinner, then, maybe head back to your place for dessert?" Straight forward and to the point. Life as a Wonderbolt cadet does not give much room for socializing. May as well get it where you can. "Name is Lighting Dust by the way. Bench player for the Wonderbolts. Just graduated academy a few months ago."
Berry_Punch grins up and winks at the Duster. "This one's in a hurry to the top," she remarks to Forge. "I'm guessing her whole life's one big blur of speed, speed, speed." Berry is trying to set the scene for Forge, but also teasing the Wonderbolt reserve just for the kicks and giggles of it.
Forge is for a moment focused on the helmet he must repair, and by sheer coincidence it is exactly when his customer makes her offer, He nods absently, "Uh-huh, da, that is good." He is brought back to himself when she gets so very close to him, and his ears rise at both her forward behavior and Berry's summation of her character, "Ah...I am Forge. It is good meeting you. Ms. Lightning Dust. The Wonderbolts are very, very-" Here he pauses and for a moment thinks back over what he heard her say while he was distracted, the blush in his ears returns and his mouth drops open, "Ah...ah...Hmm. You are, asking me for, date? Yes? M-My place? You are, wanting to go home with me and...er...what is expression? Stay for breakfast?" The suddenness of this seems to have Forge just a little bit stunned, "But...we are just meeting today, for first time. Is this done?"
Berry_Punch chimes in. "It's not done!" she cotributes. "But it is done, if you know what I mean."
"Oh? You're offering me breakfast? Sweet. I was thinking more or less wearing you out until you couldn't walk straight, then slip out the window or something, but, hey, if you're a morning cuddler, I'm down for it." Lightning Dust grins back at him even wider as her wings puff out more in a very impressive arc. "So, yeah. You wanna go out and get dinner? I'll even treat since I'm on a Wonderbolt salary and all." She winks, lifting a hoof up to brazenly stir it along the broad chest of the stallion, ruffling the fur up there.
Forge thought he could get no more stunned then he was before, but he was mistaken, his haunches lower to the ground and the helmet lies beside him on the floor, forgotten now. His eyes are just about as wide as they can be, he listens to both mares, and, he even finds his eyes wandering over the Wonderbolt in front of him. He may be shocked, but he is not slow, and he knows what the mare wants. As much as he tries to be a gentlecolt, he is a stallion, and no matter what, a stallion is always a stallion. After a second or two he tears his eyes away from Lightning Dust's body and forces himself to look into her eyes, "Any stallion would be fool to say no. But...this is very fast. I make no promise about later tonight. But I will say yes to dinner, and we see where things go from there, yes?" He reaches up to brush one hoof across the pegasus mare's cheek, "I am sorry, I do not mean to hurt feelings. Is tempting, is....very....tempting." His eyes roam over her again as he speaks haltingly, "But I am not wanting to take advantage of you."
Berry_Punch hoots from off near the wall. "If anypony's getting taken advantage of!" she laughs, leaving her thought unfinished.
Laughing as well, Lightning Dust looks quite amused as her cheek leans in against his hoof. "Dude, Forge. Listen up. I am giving you a one way ticket to buck-ville with me. You aren't taking advantage of me, I'm straight up saying, I'm going to rock your bed so hard that you will have to rebuild it. Dude. You're a huge, sexy, hunk of a stallion. I'm most definitely taking advantage of -you-." She hooks her hoof up around his neck and leans a bit closer to him, her mouth whispering an inch away from his. "Believe me, I'm going to make you a fan of mine by the time I'm done with you, stud." She tilts her head, then brushes her tongue against his lips before she leans back. "Whatcha want for dinner? Pick anything. I can throw anything down."
Forge has grown a bit less surprised by this encounter, and he gives a low chuckle at Berry's observation, nodding first at her then his eyes flicking back to Lightning Dust when she leans into his hoof. His breath catches a little when those words hit him, and her tongue brushes his lips. His eyes going a bit glassy, after a moment he frames his answer, "Ah...er...I like pasta. Any sort of pasta." He folds his ears back bashfully, "And thank you for complement. You are very beautiful mare." He for a moment considers telling her that his bed frame is reinforced with steel brackets in the joints. But he finds himself honestly afraid that she may take that statement as a challenge. "I will fix helmet, and whatever pony over there needs, and close shop after. When should we meet? And where?" He turns to Berry then, "How can help you?" He seems uncertain about asking anypony what they want now, never having guessed that a customer would be so forward with him.
"Oh, I'll just wait aorund, we can go together. That way you don't get a chance to run for your life." Lightning Dust playfully bumps her hip against his before she struts off away from him. Just for show, she rocks her hips with each step she takes, tail flickering side to side just enough to give the poor lug a peek at things to come. Flopping down next to Berry, she winks to her, then gives a long stretch of her minty colored body.
"Me?" asks Berry. "Oh, I don't need anything. I don't even know what you sell here. I just wanted to see *that.*" She waves her hoof around to loosely indicate the interplay between himself and Lightning Dust. "That was totally worth it." She looks at the pegasus when she flops next to her. "So you're the sort who just asks for what she wants, huh? I like that. You realize this smith's a gentlecolt, right?"
Lightning_Dust gives a sly grin to Berry. "He won't be in the morning."
Berry_Punch raises her eyebrows and turns to Forge. "You gonna take that from her?"
Lightning_Dust puffs out her wings. "Believe me, he's gonna be taking it all night."
Forge smiles for a moment at the joking going on between the mares, then, all of a sudden his smile vanishes, and instead he looks thoughtful, then apologetic. The blacksmith clears his throat after a moment and bends to pick up the helmet from the floor, this is just stalling however as he tries to think of a way to put what he is going to say, "I-I am having bad news. I am sorry Ms Lightning Dust, I cannot go on date with you. As apology. I fix helmet, free of charge. Very sorry." He then turns and heads over to his anvil and forge, selecting a small hammer from an array of several, he begins to gently pummel the thing back into shape. He falls silent, seeming unwilling to look at either of his guests.
Lightning_Dust blinks her eyes, then trots over towards him with a flatten of her ears back against her skull. "Huh? Why not? You suddenly don't find me attractive or something? Look dude, I've been stalling for like.. a week now, trying to get the guts up to visit you here and ask you out. You said you'd go, so, why are you backing out now?" Her eyes narrow as anger wells up in her chest. "Look, I'm just teasing back there. I'm really into you, honest."
Berry_Punch also seems concerned. She stands up too. "Hey. Hey, you know you can just have dinner on her dime and then say good night if you want, right? No obligation or whatever." She steps a little closer. "And don't let her get the helmet for free! You've got bills to pay, don'tcha? If I could get stuff for free by coming on strong to guys with ethics, I'd be unstoppable."
Forge looks down at the helmet that is held in his tongs, "So helmet was just excuse to come see me? I did not know. No, no, no. You are very attractive pony, any stallion would be lucky. I cannot go with you because..." He sets the damaged helmet down and sits, looking very serious, gravely serious even. "I cannot go because I do not believe in love, or romance, or special someponies. I did not meant to get hopes up, normally i am much better about keeping head. But this time, was taken by surprise and caught up in moment. I never have been on date, never have marefriend, and no, no coltfriend either if this is what you are thinking." He shakes his head at both mares, "I am not sort to let mare pay for meal and then not....ah...go through with evening."
Berry_Punch looks puzzled. She sits down again and looks to the flier to see if she has any insight into this.
"Uh, dude. I ain't looking to marry you. I'm just looking for a hunky stallion to rock the bedsheets with me for a few hours. I just got all giddy because when I first saw you, I -knew- that you were a /real/ stallion and this town has a real shortage of them." Lighting Dust says as she reaches out with her hoof again, sliding along his broad chest. "So, then let's skip dinner then and just go back to your place. Though, the idea of pasta sounds /really/ good now that you mentioned it. And, if you want to pay, I don't care. I can even cook if you want." Her muzzle twists into another smirk. "C'mon stud. Give it a chance?"
Berry_Punch perks up, raising one eyebrow at the stallion. "She cooks!"
Forge looks down at the mares, the stunt flier was very tempting, but he lifts his own hoof and places it over her's, gently pulling it away from his chest, if she knew how close to breaking him she was... " I am sorry, very sorry. You are first pony ever to even tempt me. I know you wish for this very hard, but I am not sort to just, take mare and leave it at that. Do you really want me to fix helmet? or was it only ruse to come see me?"
"I don't care about the helmet, I don't even know who's it is. I found it in the locker room and figured it was a good excuse. You seriously are gonna turn me down? Dude, I'm offering up a no strings attached bed wrecking evening. I'll even give you a repeat in the morning if it will make you feel better." Dusty is starting to grow frustrated as her wings ruffle against her sides. Ears flattening, she hisses out, "Know what I'm sick of? Wishy washy stallions who prance around this town with their eyes and their muscles and their rugged looks and then when a mare gets the confidence to ask them out, they act like total punks and make it out like hooking up with a girl is the worst thing in the world. No wonder most of the mares here are a bunch of carpet munchers."
Berry_Punch gets a little upset at the tirade, culminating in the final insult. "Whoa whoa whoa. Carpet munchers? You talking about *me?*" Berry turns on Lightning Dust, ire rising. "You know there's more reasons to have muscles than just drawing in the chicks, don't you? This guy just turned you down and the first thing you do is slam him, you don't even ask him *why?*"
Lightning_Dust lets out a loud snort. "I'm not talking about you, you're married to a stallion." She flicks her ears over to Berry with a roll of her eyes. "And yeah, I'm a bit insulted that one second he's into me and telling me he's taking me to dinner, then the next he's making up some crud about not believing in romance or whatever." Her eyes roll upwards as she starts off from him, kicking the helmet off to the side and causing it to bounce along the floor. "The last stallion I was with decided to start hooking up with the town slow-poke behind my back and not even apologizing about it. So, excuuuuse me for being the conductor of the hate train."
Forge is silent for a moment, letting Lightning Dust bluster at him, he figured she would be angry, so he allows her to vent. Admittedly, he is a bit surprised at how far she goes with her railing at him. But he remains calm, "I am sorry stallions hurt you. What your stallion did was not right, that is why I try to be honest from beginning. But I am not making anything up, I have never believed in love, or even 'hook-ups' as you say." he shakes his head before getting up to gather back the helmet, setting it on one of his work tables, "Is all nonsense, but I understand you are angry. I will return helmet to Wonderbolt academy, I hope you find nice stallion for you."
Berry_Punch shrugs at Lightning, reining in her anger. She knows how to not spoil a good thing. "I hope so too," she adds, walking around the forge and peering at things.
"Yeah, whatever. I'm getting used to this feeling. Rejection." Lightning Dust angrily storms out of the forge, trying to suck up her pride and not show the hurt upon her face. She feels completely embarrassed.
Forge watches the pagasus mare as she leaves in a huff, then he shakes his head for a moment and turns back to his work, "Will not be losing head again." He returns to the job he had been doing when the mares entered his shop, glancing at Berry Punch before offering, "Is metal works there, also precious metals, over there. small sale on this week. Let me know if you have questions." Then he turns back to his task.
Berry_Punch walks slowly and quietly for a while. She finishes her little tour of the place before ending up standing next to Forge. "So, I'm guessing you had a bad experience somewhere along the line," she murmurs.
Forge watches Berry Punch as she draws near to him, he pauses in his work for just a moment before considering her question, "Most ponies think that, but actually, no. No bad experiance. I have always kept myself away from that sort of relationship. I have never had a marefriend, not even when I was young and In school. I just never paid much mind to that sort of thing, never thought about it."
Berry_Punch is still for a while, until she thrashes her tail. She sits down. "Yet you were tempted. I saw you were tempted and you said so too. So it's not like you don't want a girl."
Forge chuckles softly at this, "Yes, I was tempted, I am not blind, I can recognize beautiful mare, even handsome stallion. But that is just body responding, is nothing important, or anything that cannot be controlled." He sets down his hammer and turns to look at her fully, "You see when I thought about what I had said? I was remembering something I tell a friend some time ago, I tell them, "I have no need for special somepony in my life, is pointless, is silly to me." Tempting ponies come and go, they take maybe a few moments of my time, and then they are gone, is no reason to get worked up. Yes?"
Berry_Punch is still at first, then shakes her head. "No. There's plenty of reason to get worked up. I used to paint the town red and now I'm married and I love my husband tons. You think that's pointless? You think there's no reason for us to care about each other?" Looks like Berry's slowly getting worked up again.
Forge tilts his head just a bit, he can see the earth pony mare is now getting upset, "I do not know husband, I am just meeting you. Who am I to say? So i ask you question now, I know nothing of this mare Lightning Dust, what makes me take time out of my day to go on date? I see no worth in looking for other pony to be in romance with, I see no reason for romance in my life. And this makes her angry? Is silly, is not making any sense."
"You wanted to at first," points out Berry, quashing her ire. "If you saw no reason, you wouldn't have been torn."
Forge lifts his eyebrows in surprise, "Yes, and sometimes find candy bar tempting, but do I need it? No. Is it worthwhile? No. You ask me if romance with husband is pointless. I do not know, so you tell me. What is point to looking for it. And she did not even want romance, just a stallion. I was just piece of meat to her."
Berry_Punch huffs and lowers herself. "So if there's no point in romance or sex, what is there point in? What's supposed to occupy our days? And for that matter, where are we supposed to get new ponies from, huh?"
Forge actually laughs now spreading his hooves wide, "So many things to occupy yourself, whole wide world filled with things and ideas. And getting new ponies? This is not my concern. Getting worked up over tiny thing like romance, and even smaller thing like sex. Is ridiculous, these things, they are nothing at all."
"If new ponies are nothing at all," says Berry Punch, a bit quieter, "Then the things ponies make can't be worth much, either." She tings the corner of the gallows.
Forge nods at Berry's statement, "This is so, cart wheels are only good for carts, and those only good for hauling things. If a cart breaks? Is no big thing. Just get another cart. Important thing is to live life, and romance is such a teeny tiny unimportant part of the whole."
Berry_Punch strikes the ground. "Then what is important, huh? Stuff made of metal??"
Forge looks a little surprised at the outburst, then he holds up one of his hammers, "Things made of metal? No. what is important is finding things that make you happy. So long as you are not hurting anypony else, just be happy. Why are you so angry? I say romance and love is nothing to me, I never said it had to be nothing to you. If you like it, have it."
Berry_Punch's ears quiver. She swallows. She stands up with more effort than seems necessary, pushing down against the forge's floor. She takes a slow breath and lets it out. "Fine. But then y--fine." She turns around and heads for the door.
Forge watches the second mare leave his shop angry at him tonight, he scratches one ear and slowly shakes his head before turning back to his work, glancing over at his work table and sighing, "Now I am having two mares angry at me, and a helmet to fix, and I don't even know who it belongs too or if I will get paid for it." He begins working on his first project again, "Thank you Lightning Dust, for more work...such a strange night."
Berry_Punch peeks her head back in the door. "I'm not mad at you! But you probably deserve having to fix up that helmet." Her head zips out again.
Time: Afternoon
Players, Forge, Lightning Dust, Berry Punch
Clang! Clank! Clang! Clank! From within the blacksmith's shop ring the piercing tones of hammer meeting steel, The occasional Whooshing of the hoof-pedal operated bellows can also be heated from the street. And if one were to peer inside, they would be treated to the sight of Forge's broad back and shoulders, flexing with each downward stroke of his hammer. Sparks flying off the glowing metal, the fire flaring as he works, causing shadows to dance in the corners of the building, and across him. His face is set, and he looks for all the world like some dark, primal, god of the forge, crafting some wonder to place within the mortal realm.
Striding into the forge is Lightning Dust. She has a confident swagger to her entrance, smirking a bit as she glances about the knick-nacks along the walls, then over to the studly stallion banging away on his hammer. On her head she has a helmet that appears to be dented on one side. Perhaps a stunt went wrong? "Yo, hunkster!" She calls out as she maneuvers herself towards him with a smirk upon her muzzle. Her eyes of course stare at the flex of his muscles in an appreciative manner. As a world class athlete, she knows a good body when she sees one.
Berry_Punch does too, but she also has a gift for knowing where things are going down. She follows Lightning and slips inside, taking a comfy seat on the floor inside the door. She's got a couple saddlebags with gooseberries and some more exotic fruit in them, but they're in bags and stay put when she sits.
Forge seems to be unable to stop what he is doing just now and he calls back to the mare after she shouts her greeting, "Da! Just a moment!" He scowls at the metal even as he uses his hammer strikes too fold the metal in half, then beating it flat once more, he folds it yet again, Once that is done he places it in a trough of water, then a trough of oil, back and forth, twice more, then he sets it aside and turns to walk towards his new customer, in a mild stalliongrad accent he addresses the mare...oops. mares. "Welcome to forge, how can be helping you today?" He nods to both the pegasus mare and the earth pony mare.
"My, oh, my, aren't you a cool glass of water I wouldn't mind taking a sip of." Lightning Dust says with a smirk upon her face as her eyes trail along him quite openly without much attempt to hide it. "Damn, stud, I ain't ever seen a stallion as fine as you. You got muscles to spare and I'd love to give them a personal work out." Lobbing her helmet to the ground, she points at it with a hoof. "It's dented. Can you bang it back into place?" She asks as she bobs her head side to side a bit as she unfurls her wings a bit to show them off.
Berry_Punch grins and takes a step back. When Forge looks over, she pretends to be examining the bearing and stuff he's got on display. But she's just here for the juice.
Forge blinks at the very friendly pegasus, then offers her a smile that quite easily communicates 'I don't understand all that you just said, but I understand enough of it.' The stallion blushes just a little in his ears before clearing his throat and picking up the helmet. He gives it a once-over before looking back up at the boisterous mare displaying her wings for him, "Da, is easy." He peers inside the item to make sure the damage didn't crack the metal underneath, or ruin the padding. "Is hard work bending metal, and working close to something so hot keeps impurities out of system, getting sweaty is good for body." He remarks distractedly in answer to Lightining's statement about his physique.
"Buck yeah it is. I wouldn't mind getting sweaty with your body if it's good for mine." Lightning Dust says brazenly as she trots after him with swagger and confidence coursing through her body. She tips a wink to Berry Punch before she invades the stallion's personal space just a bit as she looks over at the helmet. "So, once you get done banging on my helmet, how about you and I go out for some dinner, then, maybe head back to your place for dessert?" Straight forward and to the point. Life as a Wonderbolt cadet does not give much room for socializing. May as well get it where you can. "Name is Lighting Dust by the way. Bench player for the Wonderbolts. Just graduated academy a few months ago."
Berry_Punch grins up and winks at the Duster. "This one's in a hurry to the top," she remarks to Forge. "I'm guessing her whole life's one big blur of speed, speed, speed." Berry is trying to set the scene for Forge, but also teasing the Wonderbolt reserve just for the kicks and giggles of it.
Forge is for a moment focused on the helmet he must repair, and by sheer coincidence it is exactly when his customer makes her offer, He nods absently, "Uh-huh, da, that is good." He is brought back to himself when she gets so very close to him, and his ears rise at both her forward behavior and Berry's summation of her character, "Ah...I am Forge. It is good meeting you. Ms. Lightning Dust. The Wonderbolts are very, very-" Here he pauses and for a moment thinks back over what he heard her say while he was distracted, the blush in his ears returns and his mouth drops open, "Ah...ah...Hmm. You are, asking me for, date? Yes? M-My place? You are, wanting to go home with me and...er...what is expression? Stay for breakfast?" The suddenness of this seems to have Forge just a little bit stunned, "But...we are just meeting today, for first time. Is this done?"
Berry_Punch chimes in. "It's not done!" she cotributes. "But it is done, if you know what I mean."
"Oh? You're offering me breakfast? Sweet. I was thinking more or less wearing you out until you couldn't walk straight, then slip out the window or something, but, hey, if you're a morning cuddler, I'm down for it." Lightning Dust grins back at him even wider as her wings puff out more in a very impressive arc. "So, yeah. You wanna go out and get dinner? I'll even treat since I'm on a Wonderbolt salary and all." She winks, lifting a hoof up to brazenly stir it along the broad chest of the stallion, ruffling the fur up there.
Forge thought he could get no more stunned then he was before, but he was mistaken, his haunches lower to the ground and the helmet lies beside him on the floor, forgotten now. His eyes are just about as wide as they can be, he listens to both mares, and, he even finds his eyes wandering over the Wonderbolt in front of him. He may be shocked, but he is not slow, and he knows what the mare wants. As much as he tries to be a gentlecolt, he is a stallion, and no matter what, a stallion is always a stallion. After a second or two he tears his eyes away from Lightning Dust's body and forces himself to look into her eyes, "Any stallion would be fool to say no. But...this is very fast. I make no promise about later tonight. But I will say yes to dinner, and we see where things go from there, yes?" He reaches up to brush one hoof across the pegasus mare's cheek, "I am sorry, I do not mean to hurt feelings. Is tempting, is....very....tempting." His eyes roam over her again as he speaks haltingly, "But I am not wanting to take advantage of you."
Berry_Punch hoots from off near the wall. "If anypony's getting taken advantage of!" she laughs, leaving her thought unfinished.
Laughing as well, Lightning Dust looks quite amused as her cheek leans in against his hoof. "Dude, Forge. Listen up. I am giving you a one way ticket to buck-ville with me. You aren't taking advantage of me, I'm straight up saying, I'm going to rock your bed so hard that you will have to rebuild it. Dude. You're a huge, sexy, hunk of a stallion. I'm most definitely taking advantage of -you-." She hooks her hoof up around his neck and leans a bit closer to him, her mouth whispering an inch away from his. "Believe me, I'm going to make you a fan of mine by the time I'm done with you, stud." She tilts her head, then brushes her tongue against his lips before she leans back. "Whatcha want for dinner? Pick anything. I can throw anything down."
Forge has grown a bit less surprised by this encounter, and he gives a low chuckle at Berry's observation, nodding first at her then his eyes flicking back to Lightning Dust when she leans into his hoof. His breath catches a little when those words hit him, and her tongue brushes his lips. His eyes going a bit glassy, after a moment he frames his answer, "Ah...er...I like pasta. Any sort of pasta." He folds his ears back bashfully, "And thank you for complement. You are very beautiful mare." He for a moment considers telling her that his bed frame is reinforced with steel brackets in the joints. But he finds himself honestly afraid that she may take that statement as a challenge. "I will fix helmet, and whatever pony over there needs, and close shop after. When should we meet? And where?" He turns to Berry then, "How can help you?" He seems uncertain about asking anypony what they want now, never having guessed that a customer would be so forward with him.
"Oh, I'll just wait aorund, we can go together. That way you don't get a chance to run for your life." Lightning Dust playfully bumps her hip against his before she struts off away from him. Just for show, she rocks her hips with each step she takes, tail flickering side to side just enough to give the poor lug a peek at things to come. Flopping down next to Berry, she winks to her, then gives a long stretch of her minty colored body.
"Me?" asks Berry. "Oh, I don't need anything. I don't even know what you sell here. I just wanted to see *that.*" She waves her hoof around to loosely indicate the interplay between himself and Lightning Dust. "That was totally worth it." She looks at the pegasus when she flops next to her. "So you're the sort who just asks for what she wants, huh? I like that. You realize this smith's a gentlecolt, right?"
Lightning_Dust gives a sly grin to Berry. "He won't be in the morning."
Berry_Punch raises her eyebrows and turns to Forge. "You gonna take that from her?"
Lightning_Dust puffs out her wings. "Believe me, he's gonna be taking it all night."
Forge smiles for a moment at the joking going on between the mares, then, all of a sudden his smile vanishes, and instead he looks thoughtful, then apologetic. The blacksmith clears his throat after a moment and bends to pick up the helmet from the floor, this is just stalling however as he tries to think of a way to put what he is going to say, "I-I am having bad news. I am sorry Ms Lightning Dust, I cannot go on date with you. As apology. I fix helmet, free of charge. Very sorry." He then turns and heads over to his anvil and forge, selecting a small hammer from an array of several, he begins to gently pummel the thing back into shape. He falls silent, seeming unwilling to look at either of his guests.
Lightning_Dust blinks her eyes, then trots over towards him with a flatten of her ears back against her skull. "Huh? Why not? You suddenly don't find me attractive or something? Look dude, I've been stalling for like.. a week now, trying to get the guts up to visit you here and ask you out. You said you'd go, so, why are you backing out now?" Her eyes narrow as anger wells up in her chest. "Look, I'm just teasing back there. I'm really into you, honest."
Berry_Punch also seems concerned. She stands up too. "Hey. Hey, you know you can just have dinner on her dime and then say good night if you want, right? No obligation or whatever." She steps a little closer. "And don't let her get the helmet for free! You've got bills to pay, don'tcha? If I could get stuff for free by coming on strong to guys with ethics, I'd be unstoppable."
Forge looks down at the helmet that is held in his tongs, "So helmet was just excuse to come see me? I did not know. No, no, no. You are very attractive pony, any stallion would be lucky. I cannot go with you because..." He sets the damaged helmet down and sits, looking very serious, gravely serious even. "I cannot go because I do not believe in love, or romance, or special someponies. I did not meant to get hopes up, normally i am much better about keeping head. But this time, was taken by surprise and caught up in moment. I never have been on date, never have marefriend, and no, no coltfriend either if this is what you are thinking." He shakes his head at both mares, "I am not sort to let mare pay for meal and then not....ah...go through with evening."
Berry_Punch looks puzzled. She sits down again and looks to the flier to see if she has any insight into this.
"Uh, dude. I ain't looking to marry you. I'm just looking for a hunky stallion to rock the bedsheets with me for a few hours. I just got all giddy because when I first saw you, I -knew- that you were a /real/ stallion and this town has a real shortage of them." Lighting Dust says as she reaches out with her hoof again, sliding along his broad chest. "So, then let's skip dinner then and just go back to your place. Though, the idea of pasta sounds /really/ good now that you mentioned it. And, if you want to pay, I don't care. I can even cook if you want." Her muzzle twists into another smirk. "C'mon stud. Give it a chance?"
Berry_Punch perks up, raising one eyebrow at the stallion. "She cooks!"
Forge looks down at the mares, the stunt flier was very tempting, but he lifts his own hoof and places it over her's, gently pulling it away from his chest, if she knew how close to breaking him she was... " I am sorry, very sorry. You are first pony ever to even tempt me. I know you wish for this very hard, but I am not sort to just, take mare and leave it at that. Do you really want me to fix helmet? or was it only ruse to come see me?"
"I don't care about the helmet, I don't even know who's it is. I found it in the locker room and figured it was a good excuse. You seriously are gonna turn me down? Dude, I'm offering up a no strings attached bed wrecking evening. I'll even give you a repeat in the morning if it will make you feel better." Dusty is starting to grow frustrated as her wings ruffle against her sides. Ears flattening, she hisses out, "Know what I'm sick of? Wishy washy stallions who prance around this town with their eyes and their muscles and their rugged looks and then when a mare gets the confidence to ask them out, they act like total punks and make it out like hooking up with a girl is the worst thing in the world. No wonder most of the mares here are a bunch of carpet munchers."
Berry_Punch gets a little upset at the tirade, culminating in the final insult. "Whoa whoa whoa. Carpet munchers? You talking about *me?*" Berry turns on Lightning Dust, ire rising. "You know there's more reasons to have muscles than just drawing in the chicks, don't you? This guy just turned you down and the first thing you do is slam him, you don't even ask him *why?*"
Lightning_Dust lets out a loud snort. "I'm not talking about you, you're married to a stallion." She flicks her ears over to Berry with a roll of her eyes. "And yeah, I'm a bit insulted that one second he's into me and telling me he's taking me to dinner, then the next he's making up some crud about not believing in romance or whatever." Her eyes roll upwards as she starts off from him, kicking the helmet off to the side and causing it to bounce along the floor. "The last stallion I was with decided to start hooking up with the town slow-poke behind my back and not even apologizing about it. So, excuuuuse me for being the conductor of the hate train."
Forge is silent for a moment, letting Lightning Dust bluster at him, he figured she would be angry, so he allows her to vent. Admittedly, he is a bit surprised at how far she goes with her railing at him. But he remains calm, "I am sorry stallions hurt you. What your stallion did was not right, that is why I try to be honest from beginning. But I am not making anything up, I have never believed in love, or even 'hook-ups' as you say." he shakes his head before getting up to gather back the helmet, setting it on one of his work tables, "Is all nonsense, but I understand you are angry. I will return helmet to Wonderbolt academy, I hope you find nice stallion for you."
Berry_Punch shrugs at Lightning, reining in her anger. She knows how to not spoil a good thing. "I hope so too," she adds, walking around the forge and peering at things.
"Yeah, whatever. I'm getting used to this feeling. Rejection." Lightning Dust angrily storms out of the forge, trying to suck up her pride and not show the hurt upon her face. She feels completely embarrassed.
Forge watches the pagasus mare as she leaves in a huff, then he shakes his head for a moment and turns back to his work, "Will not be losing head again." He returns to the job he had been doing when the mares entered his shop, glancing at Berry Punch before offering, "Is metal works there, also precious metals, over there. small sale on this week. Let me know if you have questions." Then he turns back to his task.
Berry_Punch walks slowly and quietly for a while. She finishes her little tour of the place before ending up standing next to Forge. "So, I'm guessing you had a bad experience somewhere along the line," she murmurs.
Forge watches Berry Punch as she draws near to him, he pauses in his work for just a moment before considering her question, "Most ponies think that, but actually, no. No bad experiance. I have always kept myself away from that sort of relationship. I have never had a marefriend, not even when I was young and In school. I just never paid much mind to that sort of thing, never thought about it."
Berry_Punch is still for a while, until she thrashes her tail. She sits down. "Yet you were tempted. I saw you were tempted and you said so too. So it's not like you don't want a girl."
Forge chuckles softly at this, "Yes, I was tempted, I am not blind, I can recognize beautiful mare, even handsome stallion. But that is just body responding, is nothing important, or anything that cannot be controlled." He sets down his hammer and turns to look at her fully, "You see when I thought about what I had said? I was remembering something I tell a friend some time ago, I tell them, "I have no need for special somepony in my life, is pointless, is silly to me." Tempting ponies come and go, they take maybe a few moments of my time, and then they are gone, is no reason to get worked up. Yes?"
Berry_Punch is still at first, then shakes her head. "No. There's plenty of reason to get worked up. I used to paint the town red and now I'm married and I love my husband tons. You think that's pointless? You think there's no reason for us to care about each other?" Looks like Berry's slowly getting worked up again.
Forge tilts his head just a bit, he can see the earth pony mare is now getting upset, "I do not know husband, I am just meeting you. Who am I to say? So i ask you question now, I know nothing of this mare Lightning Dust, what makes me take time out of my day to go on date? I see no worth in looking for other pony to be in romance with, I see no reason for romance in my life. And this makes her angry? Is silly, is not making any sense."
"You wanted to at first," points out Berry, quashing her ire. "If you saw no reason, you wouldn't have been torn."
Forge lifts his eyebrows in surprise, "Yes, and sometimes find candy bar tempting, but do I need it? No. Is it worthwhile? No. You ask me if romance with husband is pointless. I do not know, so you tell me. What is point to looking for it. And she did not even want romance, just a stallion. I was just piece of meat to her."
Berry_Punch huffs and lowers herself. "So if there's no point in romance or sex, what is there point in? What's supposed to occupy our days? And for that matter, where are we supposed to get new ponies from, huh?"
Forge actually laughs now spreading his hooves wide, "So many things to occupy yourself, whole wide world filled with things and ideas. And getting new ponies? This is not my concern. Getting worked up over tiny thing like romance, and even smaller thing like sex. Is ridiculous, these things, they are nothing at all."
"If new ponies are nothing at all," says Berry Punch, a bit quieter, "Then the things ponies make can't be worth much, either." She tings the corner of the gallows.
Forge nods at Berry's statement, "This is so, cart wheels are only good for carts, and those only good for hauling things. If a cart breaks? Is no big thing. Just get another cart. Important thing is to live life, and romance is such a teeny tiny unimportant part of the whole."
Berry_Punch strikes the ground. "Then what is important, huh? Stuff made of metal??"
Forge looks a little surprised at the outburst, then he holds up one of his hammers, "Things made of metal? No. what is important is finding things that make you happy. So long as you are not hurting anypony else, just be happy. Why are you so angry? I say romance and love is nothing to me, I never said it had to be nothing to you. If you like it, have it."
Berry_Punch's ears quiver. She swallows. She stands up with more effort than seems necessary, pushing down against the forge's floor. She takes a slow breath and lets it out. "Fine. But then y--fine." She turns around and heads for the door.
Forge watches the second mare leave his shop angry at him tonight, he scratches one ear and slowly shakes his head before turning back to his work, glancing over at his work table and sighing, "Now I am having two mares angry at me, and a helmet to fix, and I don't even know who it belongs too or if I will get paid for it." He begins working on his first project again, "Thank you Lightning Dust, for more work...such a strange night."
Berry_Punch peeks her head back in the door. "I'm not mad at you! But you probably deserve having to fix up that helmet." Her head zips out again.