“Oh Celestia.”

Shining opened his eyes to a pink prince and white princess, Cadence mounted atop Celestia. Both ponies’ eyes were closed and mouths open as they moaned each other’s names.

“Oh Cadence, I’m so glad you left Shining.” Celestia paused to groan, her body rocking back and forth in time with Cadence’s thrusts. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment since you first talked about your sexual activity with me.”

Opening his mouth, Shining tried to shout, he tried to scream, tried to beg, but nothing came out. Why is this happening, what terrible thing did I do that Cadence would leave me?

“Celestia,” Cadence grunted. “Thank you for arranging for the dragons to kill Shining during our trip, I was always wanted to fuck like this but he never let me.” Pulling himself from Celestia, Cadence shot a load of white liquid over Celestia’s back before driving her still erect cock back into the princess.

Shining tried to move his legs, turn his head, close his eyes. Nothing worked. He was frozen in place, forced to watch. You can’t possibly mean this Cadence?

“Shining was never enough to sate my sexual desires.” Bending down to bite Celestia’s mane, Cadence pulled at it, jerking the princess’s neck backwards, evoking a scream from her lungs. “He was such a boring pony that Shining, Shining.”

“Shining.”

“Shining!”

Panting, Shining wrenched his eyes open, the sunlight that streamed into the tent blinding him. Cadence stood before him, worry written across her face. Grasping her by the shoulders he blurted, “I promise I’ll let you do anything you want to me, just don’t have me killed.”

Her expression shifting to confusion, Cadence bit at her lip, “What are you talking about?”

“You,” Shining twisted his neck, taking in his surroundings. “And Celestia,” Am I back in my tent? “You were, wait. We haven’t been to the dragons yet have we?”

Cadence chuckled, shaking her head. “Of course not Shining, we only left Ponyville yesterday. What gave you that idea?”

“Oh,” Bringing his hoof to the back of his head, Shining lowered his eyes to the ground. “Just a silly nightmare, nothing to worry about. What’s for breakfast?”

“Well, that was the reason I came to wake to you,” Cadence lifted her hoof, pointing over Shining’s head. “It seems we have a guest for breakfast.”

“Howdy.” A twang rang from behind.

Shining turned his head toward the voice. An orange coated stallion with a turquoise cap pulled over his ginger mane sat beside their fire, his eyes locked on their conversation. “What are you doing here?”

“Well there’s no need to be so rude,” The stallion said, his muzzle bobbing around as saliva flew from beneath his buck teeth. “My name’s Jack Rabbit, and I was on my way to deliver a letter last night when I saw your glowing tent. I thought to myself, Jack, that tent looks mighty big. The nice ponies staying there would be sure to let you spend the night with them.”

Cadence and Shining shared a look, the same question in both of their eyes. Turning back to Jack, Cadence stuttered, “Wh-why didn’t you ask us that last night?”

“Well you see.” Jack paused to snort before spitting at the ethereal fire. “I found myself staring at the most amazing sight, the two of you having a randy little root. So I thought to myself-”

“I don’t care what you thought.” Shining stood as he spoke, his voice deepening to a growl. “I want you to bounce out of here like the rabbit you are or I’ll throw you over the next hill myself.”

“Why would you do something so mean? I was-” Jack’s words stopped as his lips were slammed shut by a blue glow. His eyes widened as the color spread across his body until he was floating above the fire, encapsulated in blue.

“If I see you again Jack,” Shining spat the name from his mouth like a bad taste. “You won’t get one word out before I tear your tongue out. Now let’s see how well a rabbit bounces.” He swung Jack back and forth a few times before tossing him toward the nearest patch of trees, several hundred steps away.

Turning back to Cadence, he found shock written across her face. “Don’t you think you went a little too far? You might have just killed him.”

Shining sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Maybe. Just the thought of him watching you, I don’t know. It’s like something overcame me.” His eyes closed, head shaking as he lowered his muzzle to the ground.

To Shining’s surprise he felt Cadence lift his head and push her lips against his. “Well you’re the best guard a princess could hope for,” She said after she pulled away.

“You’re not angry at me?”

“Only a little.” Cadence wrapped her forelegs around Shining’s neck, choking him with a hug. “But really I’m relieved that you got rid of that creep. Do you want some chocolate to cheer you up?”

Shining shook his head. “My stomach is sick just from knowing that he was watching us.” Lighting his horn, he snuffed the fire out with a blue fist. “I’d rather get moving right away, put him far behind us.”

It was a little before noon by the time Shining’s stomach called for them to stop, the frequency of its growling almost rivaling their steps. “Do you think we’ll be able to have that chocolate now?”

Cadence smiled at his question, “I guess it couldn’t hurt to have a little.”

They shared four apple pastries between them, Shining sating the remainder of his appetite with a few pieces of chocolate before the pair returned to their travel.

The rest of their day was uneventful, the only sign of life on the plains flocks of birds soaring overhead. The animals’ shadows providing brief moments of cool relief before the sun returned to its duty of overheating their coats.

By nightfall it seemed they had made little ground, the mountains on the horizon still an unreachable distance away.

“I’ve been thinking about something,” Shining said as they stopped to set up camp, his eyes glued to the sky. “I was watching those birds today, they travel so quickly through the air.”

Cadence looked up from stretching their tent, “Please tell me you’re not thinking of something crazy.”

Tearing his gaze away from the dim horizon, Shining turned to Cadence, “It’s not crazy. You’ve got wings, why don’t we use them to fly?” He patted his belly, sucking in air. “I’m not too heavy, I’m sure you could carry me.”

The tent sized to her liking, Cadence stepped from its cover and put her forehooves on Shining’s shoulders. “Shining, I know your hooves are hurting from all this walking. Trust me, mine are hurting too, but I simply couldn’t carry you through the air, let alone carry myself for a full day.”

Breaking away from her grip, Shining made for the tent, his blue grasp lifting the flaps on Cadence’s saddlebags. “I’m sure Celestia has a spell to give a pony wings, just let me have a look.”

“Shining.” Cadence wrapped her forelegs around Shining, jerking him away from the bags, pages of the itinerary exploding into the air. “Even if there was a spell for that, I don’t think it would be right.” Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes, pulling all the scattered pages back into one pile. “Celestia planned our journey to last a specific length of time for a reason, and I think it’s so we can grow as ponies, together.”

“But the mountain,” Shining pointed out into the blackness. “It’s so far away, it’ll be months before we get there. We’ll be completely out of food by the end of this week.”

Flipping through the pages held in her magical grip, Cadence found the one she was looking for, “Celestia gave us a week to get to the mountain, we’ve got plenty of apple pies to last until then.”

Slumping in her grasp, Shining sighed, “You’re right, my hooves hurt so much I can barely think. I just need some rest.”

“Well then, let’s quickly eat before we go to sleep.”

The bright light of the morning greeted the pair with new energy, their aches barely noticeable as they continued to walk, the mountains growing with each step. The grass plains surrounding them slowly thinned out, brown replacing green, boulders replacing trees.

It was only four and a half days before they reached the base, Shining falling back onto his haunches as he stared up at the towering peaks. “They looked a lot smaller from Ponyville.”

Cadence held a hoof over her eyes as she peered at the sun overhead, “Well it seems to only be about noon, so why don’t we rest for the remainder of the day and start our climb tomorrow?”

Bouncing up from his slumped position, Shining smothered Cadence in a hug, “I think that’s a great idea.”

The couple spent the afternoon spread out on the magical mattress, hooves throbbing with a week’s worth of ache, the mountain’s shadow keeping them cool. By the time the stars were twinkling into view Cadence was up and awake, busying herself by reading Celestia’s plans for them.

Shining was content to nap until the smell of warm apples woke him, a wide smile on his muzzle as he joined Cadence by the fire.

“It looks like you’re feeling a lot better after your nap,” Cadence said as he sat, her horn glowing blue as she held two pairs of pies above similarly color flames. “Are you ready to climb the mountain tomorrow?”

Taking a moment to peer at the dark outline above, Shining returned his eyes to Cadence, his smile growing into a grin. “Almost, there’s just been one thing I’ve missed over these last few nights.”

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Cadence chuckled. “As much as I’d love to, a night of fun really takes the energy out of me, and I need all of it for tomorrow’s climb. So no.”

His smile shrinking, Shining climbed to his hooves again, turning his body side on to Cadence. “What am I supposed to do with this then?”

Upon sight of Shining’s erect, throbbing member, Cadence collapsed backward, her body shaking with laughter. “How, did, that, happen?” She spoke between bursts of giggles, the pies she was previously holding forgotten inside the fire.

Quickly rescuing the crispy pastries, Shining placed them on a nearby rock before answering, “After a few days without being, relieved, some strange things begin to appear in my dreams.”

Panting, Cadence sat up, her brow raised, “What kind of things?”

“You know,” Shining averted his eyes, a tinge of pink visible on his cheeks in the dim light. “Things about you, and food. Sometimes at the same time.”

Holding a hoof to her lips, Cadence resisted the urge to burst into laughter again. When the feeling eventually subsided she spoke, “I guess I can finish you off then, but then it’s dinner and straight to bed okay.”

Shining nodded eagerly.

The next morning Cadence awoke to the sounds of ringing and shouting, her eyelids snapping open as she recognized Shining’s voice. “Get out of here you monsters!” Jumping to her hooves, she glanced at the surroundings. Shining was outside the tent, surrounded by creatures she had never seen before.

Standing on two legs, they were covered in scales. Long, thin tails extended from their rears to balance their hunched over torsos. Small arms protruded from below their necks, three claws at the end of both.

One of them snarled in Cadence’s direction as she made for the tent’s doorway, its open mouth displaying a jagged array of teeth, yellow eyes bulging as its head tilted back.

Following the eyeline of the creature, Shining spotted Cadence standing inside the tent. “Don’t step outside,” He warned. Taking advantage of the distraction, one leapt toward Shining, jaw wide open.

Time slowed down for Cadence, her mouth opening to scream, horn lighting blue in attempt to save Shining. There’s not enough time, She thought, flinging her body forward in a hopeless effort.

A beam of sunlight encapsulated the lizard moments before its teeth impacted Shining’s back, the bright yellow rays suspending it in mid air. Every eye was on the creature as it disintegrated into dust, the grey powder forming a pile before Shining.

Mouth hanging open, Cadence heard herself whisper, “What was that?”

Her words broke the trance, the other monsters being pulled from the ground by similar beams and suffering identical fates.

Jaw slack with shock, Shining made his way back to the tent, stepping between knee high peaks of ash. He collapsed into Cadence’s waiting forelegs. Stroking his mane, Cadence listened to the sound of his heavy breathing, waiting until he spoke. “I’m so glad I woke up first today Cadence.”

“Tell me what happened,” She demanded, curiosity raising the volume of her voice above her intent. Wincing, she repeated the question softly, “I mean, could you tell me what happened, please?”

Pulling himself from Cadence’s grasp, Shining rubbed his horn, “Sure, but first I need something to eat.”

Seated by the fire, half an apple pie in his magical grasp and two more in his stomach, Shining finally spoke. “I was having the strangest dreams, I can’t remember what about, but it ended with me waking up to snarling. I opened my eyes and one of those things was standing right outside our tent, bashing its snout against the magic as if it couldn’t get in, so I got up and chased it away.”

“Then how did-” Cadence blurted before she could stop herself. Closing her eyes, she breathed out slowly, suppressing her urge to question. He’ll get there eventually. “Sorry, keep going.”

Seemingly ignorant of the interruption, Shining paused for a moment, eyes rolled into his head. Eventually he met Cadence’s eyes again, “As I said, I chased it away, unknowingly making a terrible mistake. When I turned back around two of them stood between me and the tent. Before I could fight them off another pair jumped down behind me, the four encircling me. So I shouted to try to scare them away.”

“That must have been when I woke up,” Cadence allowed herself to but in, satisfied with the story. “What do you think those rays of light were?”

Tearing away another quarter of his apple pie, Shining swallowed before speaking. “I thought they were something you did, but if they aren’t,” He stuffed the remainder of the pie between his lips, staring at the ground as he thought. “Maybe they’re Celestia’s doing?”

“Celestia? How could her magic even reach all this way?”

“I don’t know, but remember what she said, I’ll be watching over you, or something like that.” He ran a hoof through his mane, head shaking. “It doesn’t matter how she did it, what matters is when know she can protect us somehow. Hopefully we won’t need it.”

“Even if she can protect us somehow, I don’t like knowing that those monsters are watching us. Let’s try to get over this mountain as quickly as we can.” Cadence stood as she spoke, levitating her saddlebags onto her back. “Are you ready to leave?”

Shining nodded, dusting his hooves of crumbs before following Cadence’s lead, his half empty bags hanging lopsided over his withers.

Climbing the red mountain was slow going, the lack of a clearly defined trail forcing them to double back multiple times. The solid rock underneath provided firm footing, allowing them to traverse the mountain’s face with ease.

By mid-morning they stumbled across an opening in the wall of rock. “Cadence,” Shining exclaimed, bounding ahead with a new found energy. “This could be a way up.” Staring through the entrance his eyes found a long trail upward, its end hidden by an incline.

Arriving at the gap, Cadence found her eyes drawn to the dark ground underneath Shining, pointed imprints in the dirt. “Shining, get away from there. The ground is covered in tracks, most likely from those monsters.”

Glancing downward, Shining felt his heart leap for a moment before he returned his gaze to Cadence. “Come on Cadence, we’ve been walking round the mountain all day. This could be our only way up.”

“Or it could be a one way trail straight to our death. We’re not following them.” Cadence stood her ground a few steps away from the prints. “I don’t want to walk right into a pack of them and have to rely on Celestia’s help to stay alive.

Sighing, Shining closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them, features holding his best attempt at a pleading look. “Please Cadence, it’s either this or we spend the whole day walking around the mountain’s base getting nowhere.”

Cadence took a small step toward the trail, “You make it sound like this is the only path up the mountain.”

“For all we know it could be.” Holding one of his forehooves outstretched toward Cadence, Shining widened his eyes, blue irises quivering as he pouted. “Come on Cadence, I’ll be right by your side the whole way.”

Half-sighing, half-chuckling, she took the hoof offered, stepping onto the trail beside Shining. “I really do hope Celestia’s still watching.”

The well trodden track zig-zagged up the brown-red mountainside, sending Shining and Cadence between boulders, underneath rocky overhangs and through short, dim tunnels. For its apparent usage the trail appeared absent of life, the couple not even hearing a snarl until the sun disappeared behind the mountain.

“What was that?” Cadence stopped, swinging her eyes around their now dim surroundings, ears twitching, waiting for a sound.

Turning to face her, Shining tilted one of his ears up into the air, “I didn’t hear-” His words caught in his throat, eyes widening till his pupils were tiny black ships in a sea of white. “Cadence,” He held out a foreleg, “Come and give me a hug.”

“I don’t think thi-”

A snarl sounding from behind Cadence sent a jolt of shock from her tail to snout, exiting her lips as a scream. Jumping away from the dangerous sound, Cadence slammed into Shining, wrapping her hooves around him.

Ringing, followed by a burst of magic from Shining’s horn clipped the lizard’s neck, the green and grey scaled beast growling meekly before scampering off.

“Are you alright Cadence?” Shining said softly, lifting her muzzle from his neck. She nodded, rubbing her cheek along his. “Good, hopefully we’ll be alright now.” Shining felt Cadence’s movements stop.

The ring of magic filled the air once more, “Somehow I doubt it,” Cadence said, her body jolting as she sent a blue bolt from her horn.

A pained roar mixed with the sound of magical impact behind Shining. The lizard stumbling, falling face first into the dirt, its body motionless. Two more jumped from the surrounding rocks to take its place, one falling to another burst from Cadence, the other a ball of blue from Shining.

Turning back round, the couple’s eyes were met with more scales. Green and purple and red, four stood a few steps away, cautiously moving toward them.

“Cadence, the tent,” Shining grunted as he fended off a lizard’s charge with a bolt of blue, sending it cartwheeling back into its friends.

The question offput Cadence’s aim, her spell splintering a nearby rock, showering the lizards with red pebbles. “What would we do with a tent in a time like this?”

Summoning a barrier of blue before him, Shining met the next lizard’s charge head on, both pony and reptile bouncing back from each other, skidding through the dirt on their backs. Sliding to a halt beneath Cadence, Shining met her eyes, “I’ll explain once you’ve summoned it.”

“There better be a good reason for this,” Cadence said a she side-stepped the final charge. Lighting her horn, she summoned the ethereal construct around herself and Shining, the magic rippling as the lizard behind them slammed against the blue walls. “I think I understand.”

The pair sat close against each other as their tent repelled charge after charge from the lizards without faltering. Three of them eventually stumbling away, leaving one stunned, lying on the dirt.

Head nuzzled into Shining’s neck, Cadence breathed softly as Shining stroked her mane. When the last lizard finally struggled to its feet and followed the rest, she finally broke the silence, “It seems this tent does more than keep us cozy at night, but how did you know it would protect us?”

“I told you earlier, when I saw those things this morning one of them was trying to get inside the tent, but it seemed like it couldn’t. I assumed Celestia put some kind of protective magic into the spell.”

“I guess she really meant it when she said she’d protect us.” Cadence stared up at the sky, cloudless and blue, vacant of the sun. “So are we just going to cower inside this tent all day?”

Slipping himself from underneath Cadence, Shining stepped around the tent’s border, extending their space with his hooves, “Just until it feels safe to go outside.” Finished with his task, he turned back to her, smile on his face eyes wide. “Now what is there to eat?”

Cadence shrugged her saddlebags onto the dirt before pulling a crumpled basket from one pocket. “There’s still a few pies left, but they’re getting a little old.” Lifting one out, she bit into it and chewed slowly. “Still edible.”

Three were grasped by Shining’s magic and shoved down his gullet before Cadence could utter another word. He wiped the crumbs from his muzzle before speaking, “Now that food’s taken care of, what are we going to do till we’re ready to leave?” Blue eyes narrowed lowered as he spoke, a smile spreading across his lips.

Blowing out a breath, Cadence shook her head, “Shining, as much as you want to do it, being surrounded by killer lizards makes me a little too uncomfortable.” She patted the dirt beside her, “Why don’t you just come sit beside with me?”

His smile shrinking, Shining cuddled close to Cadence, crossing his neck over hers, “What are going to do then?”

Cadence touched a hoof to her lips for a moment, thinking before lighting her horn, “Why don’t we have a little look at where we are going?” Pages fluttered the air as Cadence brought the itinerary to hover before them. Flipping through the pages raised her brow, “It seems like the pages got a little out of order when you scattered them.”

His cheeks warming with red, Shining quickly split the pile of paper with his magic, taking half for himself. “Why don’t I help you sort them then?”

Their silence was only broken by the rustling of pages as the pair searched through their stacks, Cadence sorting hers into separate piles. Shining’s haphazard, one stack shuffling causing him to lose his place more than once.

Eventually Shining stopped sorting for a few moments, one particular page creasing his brow as he read it. “Cadence?” He levitated the page over her own. “This is the page that details where we need to go to get to the Dragon Lands right?”

Cadence’s eyes flicked over the pages, nodding at key words, “Yes, why do you ask?”

“There maybe one thing you missed when you read it.” Shuffling closer to her, Shining pointed his hoof to a paragraph. “It says here we are not to climb the mountain, there’s even a set of instructions of how to navigate round the base.”

Pushing Shining’s foreleg aside, Cadence squinted as she read the text, “I’m sure it never, oh.” Her muzzle held an apologetic smile, “I guess this mess we’re in is all my fault then.”

Shaking his head, Shining chuckled. “I think it’s a both of our faults. If I hadn’t have insisted on following this trail we would’ve eventually found our way round the mountain.” The pair sighed simultaneously, pink snout rubbing against white.

Cadence pulled away from the touch first, her eyes glazing over with thought. “As great as it is to figure out where we went wrong, we still need to find a way out of here. Do you think it’d be safe to head down the mountain now?”

“I’ll go check,” Shining said as he stood and paced toward the tent’s entrance. The instant his hoof stepped out a roar erupted from behind a nearby boulder followed by a pair of charging lizards. Retreating back inside, he winced as the two creatures bounced off the tent before bounding away. “Looks like we’ll be here a little longer.”

They huddled together inside the tent, breathing in time as brightness slowly faded from the sky. Shining’s neck and foreleg were draped over Cadence’s withers, her head tucked into his chest.
“Do you think we should check again?” Cadence whispered, words mixed with the sound of Shining stroking her mane.

“I’ll go.” Gently, Shining slid her head from his hoof and stood before slowly stepping toward the exit.

Thud! The ground sounded with cracks from the impact, Shining quickly spinning to find a cloud of dust behind a startled Cadence. He shot a wall of magic toward the brown-red fog, clearing the dust to reveal a sky-blue coated pony splayed across the ground.

The intruder rolled onto its back, brushing short locks of white hair aside with a hoof. “What was that for?” She coughed, glaring at Shining.

Gritting his teeth, Shining dashed across the offering his hoof to help, “Sorry about that, my horn’s a little jumpy from seeing lizards all day.”

Ignoring the offer, she pushed herself up, extending her wings completely before folding them to her sides. A small smile touched her lips, “I can understand that feeling.” Looking over her body, the mare flicked dust from her tail before turning back to Shining. “What I want to know is why you two are here?”

“We may have taken a wrong turn,” Shining said, exchanging a glance with Cadence as she joined them. “How did you find us? This mountain is like a maze.”

Pausing for a moment, the mare stared at Shining, adjusting her wings before answering, “From up in the air this tent of yours is like a beacon in the mountain’s shadow, hard to miss.”

Cadence looked past the mare at the ethereal fabric behind, “I guess it is a little obvious. Anyway,” She shook her head. “If you could help us off this mountain it’d be a great help.”

“The fastest way would be to go back the way you came, but I can’t guarantee you’ll make it back alive. It’s hard to believe you two made it this far.” She twisted her neck, gazing back up the mountain side. “If you want to stay alive it’ll be best if you came back to the base with me, we can work out a way to get you off the mountain from there.”

Sky-blue wings snapped out as she stepped back from Shining and Cadence, testing the air with a few flaps before leaving the ground completely, hovering a few feet above them. “Just follow me,” She called down at them.

“Wait,” Shining held up his hoof. “Couldn’t we walk? I’m lacking in the flight department.”

A chuckle briefly tickled the blue mare’s body, smile spreading her muzzle, “You’ll never make it to the base without wings.” A stern expression swallowed the joy on her face as quickly as it had come. “You partner has wings doesn’t she? She can carry you.”

“Well,” Cadence pushed herself into the air and floated beside the mare. Cadence’s limbs and belly looked plump next to the scrawny pegasus. “I’m not exactly the strongest flier myself, if I could carry Shining we would have flown out of here by now.”

Sighing, the mare dropped back to the ground, “I’ll carry him myself then.” Wrapping her her forelegs around Shining’s belly, she straddled his back while maintaining a firm grip. A few flaps and Shining’s hooves were off the ground, the pegasus lifting him as if he were a doll. “Let’s go.”

The air beneath her wings roared as she took off, the glowing tent shrinking underneath Shining. His stomach lurched, lips clamped tight, every organ in his body fighting to escape. The sun appeared from behind the mountain as they rose, its warm embrace easing Shining’s nerves.

Shining watched the glowing square below them wink out, the pink dot that was Cadence bobbing slowly toward them, two pairs of saddlebags on her back. They continued their climb until they were higher than the mountain itself, the clouds above seeming within reach.

Without a word the mare dove forward, sending another wave of nausea through Shining’s body as his insides were left behind, lips peeled back and a breath forced into his lungs.

Finally regaining his senses, Shining’s eyes focused on the object looming before them. “Don’t you think you should slow down?” He shouted. “We’re going to hit the mountain!”

Either his words were whipped away in the wind of the mare chose not to hear them, as she continued toward the massive red rock. Shining’s eyes closed on instinct, his body not wanting to witness its own death.

His stomach lurched again and the overpowering wind halted, the dirt’s kiss against his hooves the sweetest chocolate they’d ever tasted. A breath he couldn’t recall holding escaped his lungs, relief washing over his body, “I’m never flying again.”

Shining had regained his composure by the time a panting Cadence landed with the blue mare. She stumbled across to him, wrapping her hooves round his neck, pressing her warm lips against his. “I thought I’d lost the two of you for a second, until she came to find me.” Releasing her grip on Shining, Cadence turned to the mare, dipping her head slightly, “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” The pegasus muttered before turning away. “Follow me, I’ll take you to the captain and he’ll organize a way to get you past this mountain.”

Obedient, Shining and Cadence trailed her, their eyes widening at the buildings ahead. A tall stone tower stood as the centerpiece, its bricks the same red as the mountain. Like a web streets spread out from it, stack of similarly styled buildings in between.

“What is this place?” Cadence breathed, eyes tracing the intricately carved patterns on the walls of the closest building, stories forever branded in stone. “It’s beautiful.”

“The buildings are, but the ponies who live here now aren’t.” The mare spoke as they walked between two scenes, on one side an army of pegasi fought off a monstrous dragon, the other depicted a great storm. “This used to be a thriving pegasus town, but that was almost a century ago. Now it’s just a run down military base.”

“What happened?”

“Dragons.” The mare stopped and pointed to the petrified battle that raged beside them. “That is the last picture that was carved before this mountain top became a war zone and all the pegasi living here had to leave. Now that the princess has made peace with the dragons this base has little use. It’s just a place for idlers to live.” Her face formed as grimace as she turned away, continuing to walk toward the central tower.

Following, Shining and Cadence’s minds took steps through history, a great wedding, a monstrous wave, a pegasus and his gleaming sword, each building they passed hinted at events long forgotten.

A half-shattered wooden door hung loosely at the tower’s entrance, the blue mare’s echoing knock against wood receiving no response. She shook her head and muttered, “He’s probably drunk himself to sleep again.”

Fallen and cracked stone bricks made for traps on the floor as they stepped inside, one causing Cadence to jump as she kicked it. “Ouch!”

The tower’s lower floor held a dim room lit only by a candle. An ornate stone desk took residence in the centre, corners split and chunks of its white stone littered across the surface. Papers were scattered across the desk and the floor surrounding it. Torn and crumpled, they were stained by every shade of brown imaginable.

The mare skirted round the desk’s edge, shaking her head at the sight on the other side, “Typical.”

Moving round the desk for a better view, Shining and Cadence’s jaws dropped. A straw-yellow coated stallion was cuddled round a slightly darker colored mare, both showing no signs of consciousness. The sleeping mare was cuddling a wooden tankard in her forelegs, most of the liquid spilled on the stone before her.

Shining and Cadence’s eyes took none of this in, instead they were focused on the slumbering couples groins. The pink-yellow base of the stallion’s length was clearly visible, the rest still inside the mare. His seed was splattered across her rear, a thin film covering clumps of fur that seemed to be matted with a similar substance.

The blue mare turned away, “You won’t be talking to the captain today. You’ll have to stay the night.” She led them back out into the cooling afternoon, the sun retreating toward the horizon.

“Shouldn’t we do something about them?” Cadence questioned as they stepped outside. “Report them for, something.”

Hah,” The mare chuckled, a strained sound. “Who am I supposed to report the highest ranking pony here to?” A sigh swallowed the laughter, the sadness tainting her voice. “They’re all like that here, and there’s nothing I can do to change it.”

“Could you at least show us where we could stay overnight then?”

“Just pick a house,” The pegasus swept her foreleg over the buildings. “No one lives in them. They barely leave the tavern.” A soft growl sounded from her stomach. “Do you want something to eat?”

Shining’s stomach responded with a roar, “Always.”

Behind the tower squatted a one-story wooden tavern, the only building not made of stone in the town. The cracks between its fastened shutters flickered with light, the dull drone of voices reverberating through the walls. A sign hung above the door, Barracks was scratched out and the words A Partner’s Drink poorly carved underneath.

The noise and stench caught them full in the face as they entered, a wall that mixed the smell of sweat with squeals of pleasure, spilled cider with muffled grunts. The interior was a sight that stopped Shining and Cadence in their tracks.

Countless wooden tables were jampacked with a rainbow of pegasi, each one partnered up, whether it was mare and stallion, mare and mare or stallion and stallion. They were all kissing, stroking, pleasuring each other. Pink and brown and sandy yellow genitalia were exposed wherever they looked.

The blue mare led them past the panting tangles of limbs, over-eager moaning and shiny, sweat-coated bodies. A small table in the corner lay vacant, a wall made of loosely nailed together planks cutting it off from the remainder of the room.

Sliding into the cramped space across from the pegasus, Cadence leant over the table, a well polished slab of varnished oak. “Is it always like this in here?” She whispered.

“Yes,” The mare sighed, pounding her hoof against the wood before her. “All they do is drink and fuck, day and night. It’s a disgrace to what this place used to be.”

“I see you brought friends with you today Skylight, have you finally found a partner, or two?” The voice caught Shining and Cadence’s attention, their eyes finding a squat azure-coated pegasus, a splash of some liquid dripping from her soft pink mane.

Skylight eyed her with contempt, “They’re not here for that, I found them on the mountainside. They’ll be gone by tomorrow, or whenever the captain wakes up. Can we just have something to drink and a few loaves of bread?”

“Anything for you cute thing,” The pink-maned mare cooed, hoof lifting as if to stroke Skylight’s mane, but never daring to get within touching distance. “As for you two,” She turned to Shining and Cadence, holding them with a sultry stare. “Have a good night.” Her head tilted with a wink before she walked off, pink tail flicking over her ample rump as it swayed.

Silence fell across the table, Cadence chewing her lip as she formulated a question. Eventually she spoke, “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you so, negative. These ponies seem nice enough, albeit a little, open.”

Skylight looked up, holding Cadence’s eyes with her own for a moment before speaking, “They are more than welcoming, but that is the problem. This is supposed to be an outpost, not a whore house. The way the give each other pleasure like it’s as simple as a few words disgusts me.”

“Oh.” Cadence shrunk back into her mind, gaze wandering the room as she thought. The two stallions at the nearest table climbed off of each other and stumbled to another, a lone white pegasus quickly securing the space for himself. She turned back to Skylight, “Why don’t you just leave then? It doesn’t seem like there’s anything going on here. I’m sure no one would notice if you left and started a new life somewhere else.”

“I’ve thought about that-”

“Here’s the food and drinks you ordered,” The pink-maned pegasus butted in, her spread wings depositing three tankards and a wooden plate stacked with bread on the table. “Have a wonderful night.” She waved one final time before leaving, the white pegasus closest to them calling her over.

Grasping one of the wooden tankards with her wing, Skylight took a swing. “Like I was saying, I’ve thought about leaving, but I can’t. I’m the only pony here who would even notice if the dragons tried to attack Equestria. The only one who would get a message to the princess in time. They need me here.”

“Skylight,” Cadence broke a piece of bread from a loaf with her magic, nibbling at it as she spoke, ignoring the violent crunching as Shining devoured multiple loaves. “Some mountain top in the middle of nowhere isn’t the best place to be protecting Equestria from dragons.”

“It’s directly between the Dragon Lands and Cater-”

Cadence pressed a hoof to Skylight’s muzzle, the pegasus’s baby-blue eyes widening briefly, the corners of her jaw clenching for a moment before her features calmed. “I think there’s one place that’s better. The Dragon Lands themselves.”

Pulling Cadence’s foreleg away from her snout, Skylight narrowed her eyes. “Repeat that, you can’t have possibly said what I thought.”

“The Dragon Lands,” Cadence leant across the table. “That’s where we are going, why don’t you come with us? It’d be the perfect place to stop an invasion if there ever was one.”

Skylight sighed, “As good as my combat abilities are, I could never fight off a whole dragon invasion myself.”

Eyes closing as she chuckled, Cadence waved away Skylight’s answer with a hoof. “That’s not what I meant. You could talk the dragons out of invading before they even leave, you could live with them.”

The suggestion was answered by silence, Skylight’s jaw slack as her eyes drilled into Cadence, a blue and white statue. Shining pulled Cadence back from her position hunched over the table, her gaze swinging round to meet him.

“Cadence, don’t you think that’s a bit of a strange idea, how do you even know the dragons would agree to a pony living among them,” Shining said, Skylight nodding along with each word.

“I agree, the dragons would rather eat-”

“Drink for you Skylight,” A voice cut her off. Turning, they found the pink-maned mare sliding a rainbow in a glass across the table toward Skylight. “It’s from the cutie over there,” A blue hoof directed them to the nearest table, where the lonely white pegasus still sat, one of his broad wings lifting to wave.

Skylight sighed, shaking her head, “When will he stop?”

The pink-maned mare’s eyes narrowed, her head tilting to the side as she spoke, “When you give him a chance.” With a giggle she stalked away, dragging her tail around the blushing white stallion as she stepped past him. Pushing away the colorful drink, Skylight took another swig from her tankard.

“Why don’t you go over and talk to him?” Cadence questioned, and encouraging smile on her face.

Pushing a hoof through her short mane, Skylight allowed a deep breath to escape her lungs. “He’s just like the rest of them, he wants a body to satisfy his cravings, nothing more.”

Cadence stole a glance at the white stallion sitting a table away, his head hung low, hooves fondling the fringe of his blue mane. “I don’t know about that. He looks distraught, like he really likes you.” Pulling her eyes away from the white pegasus, Cadence held Skylight’s gaze, “How long has he been trying to win you over?”

“A few months, he started a week after he was drafted here.”

Placing her hooves on the table, Cadence leant over the wood, her muzzle close to Skylight’s. “A few months? And you haven’t even said hello?” She shook her head, voice raising, “Haven’t you thought that maybe he wants something more than just your body?”

“You don’t understand, the only reason a pony comes to this base anymore is to mess around,” Skylight shuffled out from the corner table, finishing her drink as she stood, “And that kind of pony isn’t one I want to know.”

A blue glow stopped Skylight as she made to leave, Cadence half-standing as she pulled the pegasus back to face her, “If this is a base for lazy ponies, why did you come here?”

Ignoring the question, Skylight stormed away, the slam of the tavern door drowned out by the surrounding sounds of pleasure as she stepped out into the evening.

Shining draped his foreleg around Cadence as she sunk back to the floor, the comforting smile on his face meeting her crestfallen expression. “Do you think she still wants the drink?” He joked.

After a moment, a chuckle burst through Cadence’s lips, a grin spreading across her muzzle, “I’m sure she won’t mind.” Sighing, she allowed her head to rest against Shining’s neck, mind a churning cauldron of thoughts.

The familiar sound of Shining’s deep gulping as he down the glass helped sooth her until she was thrown off his spasming body. Shaking her head, she turned to find a red-faced Shining, hooves fanning the rainbow stained tongue that hung from his mouth. “Hot.”

Cadence giggled, “At least I can see why she refused the drink, but why was she so against the idea of talking to that stallion.” Laying her head on the table, Cadence’s smile wilted. “Why am I so terrible at this kind of thing?”

”Don’t say that Cadence, you’re amazing at this, just look at what you did for Rose and Mac.”

“You’re right,” Cadence said as she stood, eyes full of determination. “And I think I know exactly what I can do to cheer Skylight up.”

Shining watched as she strolled across the room and bumped into the white pegasus by what seemed to be an accident. A short conversation later the pair were walking back toward him, a smile on Cadence’s muzzle, a shaky grin and nervous eyes on the pegasus’s face.

A pink hoof directed Shining’s eyes to the pegasus’s chest, “Shining, this is Cloud Dancer,” Cadence’s hoof pointed to Shining, “And Cloud Dancer, this is Shining.”

“Hey,” Cloud meekly lifted his wing in a wave, eyes looking down at Shining’s neck.

“Why don’t you take a seat Cloud,” As she spoke, Cadence slid in beside Shining. “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”

Cloud’s mouth opened, his tongue hesitating for a moment before allowing words to escape, “If, if it’s about Skylight then I’m, uh, I’m sorry, I just can’t stop thinking about her. Ever since I first arrived at this camp she’s filled my dreams, but whenever I try to talk with her she just ignores me.” Running a hoof through his blue mane, he shook his head. “I can understand if she’s had enough, I’ll just leave her alone.”

“That’s completely the opposite of what I wanted to ask,” Cadence brought a hoof to her muzzle, trying to suppress her gleeful grin. “I want to set the two of you up on a date.”

Eyes bugging out, Cloud sat straight up, his jaw hanging loose as he whispered, “You mean you want me to spend time with her?” His pupils rolled backward, eyelids closing as he slumped against the table.

Lighting his horn, Shining shook the fallen pegasus and received no response but a drop of saliva falling from his mouth onto the table. “Don’t you think you should’ve told him she has no idea about this first?”

Cadence smiled guiltily, “I guess, but then he wouldn’t be as eager to accept.”

Lifting the stallion back into sitting position, Shining glanced sideways at Cadence, “Looking at how he handled this, I think he’d be eager to do anything related to her. How do you plan on convincing Skylight to do this anyway?”

“I don’t,” Cadence giggled, reaching a hoof across the table to shake Cloud. “Are you alright?” Her voice was devoid of its previous humour, her words carrying a serious tone.

His eyelids fluttering open, Cloud shook his head, eyes in a frenzy as the took in his surroundings. “What happened?” Neck drooping, he sighed. “I blacked out again didn’t I?”

“Again?” Cadence chewed at her lip, Please don’t say this is something that happens often. “This hasn’t happened before has it?”

Cloud chuckled, a weak smile on his muzzle, “It happens whenever I get close to her. I think it might be the reason she ignores me.”

Oh poor, poor Cloud, Cadence sighed. “She doesn’t know this happens right?”

“Uh,” Burying his gaze into the table, Cloud nodded slowly. “I accidentally woke her up one time when I fell on her. She’s always avoided me since.”

Cadence’s breath caught in her throat, “You collapsed on top of her while she was sleeping?” Maybe he is just a creep like Skylight said? “What were you doing?”

Holding his hooves up, Cloud shook his head, “No, it’s not like that.” He lowered his eyes to the table to a moment, rubbing a hoof against his head. Eventually he spoke, “It was my first day here, she was the pony assigned to showing me round the base. As soon as I saw her, i don’t know, I felt something inside me. The same kind of feeling I felt when I first saw a guard and knew that was what I wanted to be.”

Meeting Shining’s eye, Cadence smiled, a warmth growing in her chest, “I know what you mean. That still doesn’t explain how you ended up collapsing on her as she slept.”

“Oh, yeah. That was an embarrassment.” Cloud traced a seemingly random pattern across the table with his hoof as he spoke. “When I saw her, I knew I’d have to do something big to win her over. So I picked an idea from one of my favourite books, I was supposed to be placing a clue beside her bed for a treasure hunt I had planned, but it all went wrong.”

His white muzzle twisted in a grimace as the memory came back in full, a haunting nightmare he could never escape. “I ended up passed out on her bed beside her, a note reading The first step to love lies behind the ponies who watch you day and night, in my mouth. So she threw me outside, and I’ve been trying to win her over with drinks ever since.”

“You mean this drink?” Shining held up the half empty rainbow stained glass with his magic. “You really should taste a drink before you order it for someone, this thing is a little spicy.”

Taking the drink from the air with his wing, Cloud brought it to his lips, his white cheeks exploding with red as he sipped. Panting, he pushed the glass to the side, “I always thought the most expensive drink on the menu would be the best, they say it’s pure rainbow.”

Cadence looked from Shining to Cloud before rolling her eyes, “Enough talk about the drink, do you want to go on a date with Skylight?”

Pushing both hooves against the table, Cloud steadied himself, “Does she really want to spend time with me?” His cheeks bulged as he smiled, bright blue eyes shimmering with joy.

“Well, uh,” Cadence shared a look with Shining, his disapproving gaze difficult to hold. Maybe she doesn’t yet but, “I’m sure she will.”

The air left Cloud’s lungs as the words left Cadence's mouth, the pegasus falling face first toward the table once again. Shining’s hooves stopped him, slowly lowering to rest, “Before he can even think about going on a date he needs to fix this problem first.”

“But we’re leaving tomorrow, something like this could take weeks, maybe months to overcome.” Cadence gritted her teeth, the weight of her self-induced problem heavy on her shoulders.

“You’ve got until tomorrow to decide what you want to do then.” Shining said softly, “I know you’ll make the right decision. Until then, why don’t you go talk to Skylight? You’ll have trouble setting up a date if you’re on bad terms with her. I’ll stay here and watch over Cloud as he sleeps.”

A small smile pushed its way onto Cadence’s lips as she nuzzled Shining’s neck, “Thank you, you always know how to comfort me. I hope Skylight isn’t still angry with me.” Kissing him goodbye, she stood and stepped toward the door, the sounds of pleasure that filled the room drowning out her hoofsteps.

The wind caught Cadence’s mane as she exited the tavern, whipping strands of hair over her face. Pushing it back, she scanned the surrounding buildings, stone walls dimly lit by sparsely placed lanterns. Where would she go?

She poked her head into a few of the ancient homes, each room proving just as empty as Skylight had said. Several loops of the town left her with more lifeless sights. If she isn’t inside these buildings, maybe I’ll be able to see her from up in the air?

Extending her wings, Cadence stretched out the slight ache from her previous flight. She looped around the tower as she ascended into the air, eyes searching the sky for any signs of a sky-blue pegasus.

Her wings were already hurting by the time she was level with the tower’s rooftop, I’ll just rest up there, I’ll be able to see everything.

“I knew you’d come looking for me,” The voice startled Cadence, her wings snapping shut, two legs catching her around the belly before she fell. Twisting her head, Cadence caught the white of Skylight’s mane and the curve of her snout.

“Sorry for being so forward earlier,” Cadence said once she was safe, hooves against the hard tiles of the tower’s rooftop. “I get a little too passionate about matters of other ponies’ love sometimes.”

Skylight met Cadence’s eyes for a moment before looking away, the stars winking into view above holding her attention, “If you just came to apologise, then thank you, but don’t even think about trying to convince me to date that stallion.”

“He’s really not b-” Cadence bit back her response, No, I need to come at this from her side. “I know he must seem like a creep after what he did to you.”

Blue eyelids perked up, Skylight lowering her gaze to meet Cadence’s once again, “You know about that?”

“Mmmhmm, I talked to Cloud after you left-”

“Cloud?”

“He’s the stallion who fell on you,” Skylight nodded. “Anyway, about what happened between you two. He explained it all and it sounds like an accident.”

“An accident?” A breath burst from Skylight’s nostrils, her lips curling into a grimace. “How can walking into someone’s room and collapsing on top of them be an accident?”

Cadence held up her hooves, “I know it may seem that way, but if you hear it from his point of view you’ll understand why he was there and why-” She almost said Why you should go on a date with him, but held her tongue.

“Why what?”

“Why, uh,” Running a hoof through her hair, Cadence groaned, I just have to say it. “Why you should give him another chance.” A pink hoof plugged Skylight’s mouth before she could respond. “Please don’t fly off again, you’ll understand once you’ve heard it.”

Shoulders slumping, Skylight sighed, “Fine, but this better be worth it.”

A smile filled Cadence’s muzzle, “Thank you, I promise you’ll think differently of Cloud once you’ve heard this.”

Skylight’s expression remained hard as she listened to the story. When Cadence had finally finished, Skylight spoke, “I can see how I misunderstood his intentions, but why should any of this make me want to spend time with this stallion? Why didn’t he just talk to me when he first arrived?”

Gasping, Cadence jaw dropped, “His idea was so cute though, don’t you find that at least a little romantic?”

“Romance,” Skylight stuck out her tongue. “Those books always made me sick. I chose the military to get away from all that, but wherever I run it follows me.”

“If you don’t want romance, what do you want from life then?”

A scoff burst from Skylight’s lips, followed by a chuckle, “I don’t know what world you’ve been living in, but not everyone is obsessed with love as you are. Some just want to fly.” Her lips spread wide as she stared out into the starry sky, blue wings twitching.

Cadence jaw hung open for a moment, her thoughts rushing as she processed Skylight’s words. “So you never want to be with anyone?” She said eventually.

Returning her eyes to Cadence’s, Skylight pushed a heavy breath from her lungs, “I wouldn’t mind it, but I don’t want a stallion whose idea of a good time is a treasure hunt. I want someone who can fly, and fly fast.”

“I guess I understand,” Cadence chewed at her lip, It doesn’t look good for Cloud. “So you don’t want to go on a date with Cloud then?”

Skylight shook her head, “Not if you’re the one asking. Tell him to ask me himself, then I’ll consider it.” With that she sprung from her hind legs, flipping backwards and rotating her body to dive from the tower top. Wind caught her wings on the way down, sending the blue dot speeding upward to meet the moon.

This is going to be impossible. Cadence took a deep breath before allowing herself to fall over the rooftop’s edge, gliding in a spiral until her hooves touched the ground. The tavern was just as hot and sweaty as she had left it, Shining still sitting in the corner with a now awake Cloud.

“So did you manage to convince her?” Shining asked as Cadence sat, his muzzle stained with patches of brown.

“Well,” Cadence met Cloud’s onlooking gaze with a smile. “I managed to convince her to give you a chance Cloud.”

White eyelids fluttered as Cloud blinked, his face creasing with confusion. “I thought-”

“I know I said it was a sure thing, but I may have stretched the truth a little, but she did say she’ll go on a date if you ask her yourself, maybe”

Cloud’s eyes dropped to the table as Cadence’s words entered his ears, “How could I ever talk to Skylight if just thinking about her makes me collapse?”

Bringing a hoof to her chin, Cadence shared a pondering stare with the table until she eventually sighed, “To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve never dealt with love where both ponies don’t fit together perfectly.”

“Why don’t we set up some drills for him?” Shining suggested, pulling their attention toward him.

“What do you mean?”

“We could set up some practice for Cloud before he has a go at the real thing. I could pretend to be Skylight, and you can help Cloud talk to me.” Shining locked his eyes with the pegasus sitting across from him. “Okay, I’m Skylight, what would you say to me?”

Cloud averted his eyes, taking great interest in the plain wood wall beside him. “Thanks for trying to help, Shining right?” A dark blue mane jumped as Shining nodded. “As much as I try to pretend you’re Skylight, I would never be able to replicate that sensation I feel when I see her, that spark inside me.”

“Ahh,” Shining met Cadence’s eyes, the couple sharing a smile. “I understand.” Leaning back, he stared at the ceiling, raking his thoughts for further ideas. “Cadence!” He exclaimed after some time startling the pony in question. She coughed at a peice of bread that slipped down her throat as Shining continued to speak. “Do you still know that shape-shifting spell?”

Swallowing hard, Cadence gasped, “Oh my Shining. Yes I know which one, just give me a moment.” After rubbing her neck for some time, Cadence finally lit her horn. “I haven’t perfected this spell yet, Celestia was teaching it to me just before I left. Now, Skylight.”

Blue encompassed Shining’s head, his feature twisting and coat darkening, the blue from his mane flooding into his face, leaving the hair a snowy white. The hard edges of his snout softened, forming a feminine curve. His mane shifted, the flick round his neck curving back to protrude behind him. Lashes lengthed and his eyes widened, a tint of pink glowing on his sky-blue cheeks.

“I thought you said you didn’t know how to transform a stallion into a mare,” Shining’s voice was unchanged, a strange baritone coming from Skylight’s lips.

“As you can hear, it’s not perfect. All I can do so far is visuals.” Cadence grinned, her eyelids lowering. “But hopefully with some more practice I’ll be able to perform a true transformation on you Shining.”

Biting his lip, Shining’s lips curved in a soft smile, “We shouldn’t get distracted, this is all for Cloud after all.” Turning to Cloud, Shining found the pegasus face down on the table, “It looks like we found a way to drill him.”

Cadence head fell, shoulders slumping in a sigh, “We can’t have him falling asleep, constantly.” A ring filled the air as she grasped the slumbering pegasus in her magic and shook his body softly.

“Huh,” Soft golden eyes flashed below white lids as Cloud woke, his head swaying as the ponies before him came into focus. “Skylight?” A heavy breath burst from his mouth, eyes crossing as his muzzle fell toward the table.

“Cloud,” Cadence caught the pegasus with a stern word and strong grasp before he collapsed again. “If you keep falling asleep like this you’ll never get close to Skylight, let alone go on a date with her. Now look at her, focus on keeping yourself upright.”

“B-but,” Cloud stuttered, his eyes bursting from their sockets as he took in the view of Shining’s altered features. “S-Skylight, why are you here?”

Shining chuckled, the pitch of his voice dropping Cloud’s jaw, “Cloud, I’m not Skylight, Cadence just changed my face so we could practice.”

Nodding slowly, Cloud breathed in and out, “Okay, I just need to focus on not collapsing.” His chest filled and emptied as he stared at Shining, sweat beading on his brow. Forelegs against the floor held his body upright. Like twigs propping up a boulder they snapped, his snout bouncing off the table.

The hours flew by as Cadence coached Cloud, the time between each collapse growing until he managed to work up the courage to utter one word before fainting, “Hello.”

“Good,” Cadence clapped her hooves together as she roused Cloud with her magic. “I can already see you’re getting better.” A yawn punctuated her sentence, “And with that I guess we’ll call it a night. Meet us by the tower tomorrow morning Cloud, it’ll be nice to practice somewhere that isn’t hot and filled with noise.” She stood with Shining, the pair waving back at Cloud before stepping away.

Cloud’s fringe fell over his eyes as he nodded, a small smile on his muzzle, “Thank you for all your help,” He called after the couple, his words swallowed by the never-ending sea of grunts and groans that filled the tavern before they reached them.

Relief escaped Shining’s lungs as he stepped into the brisk night air, “I don’t know how much more I can take of Cloud staring at me. It’s weird enough having you make me look like a mare, but him looking at me for hours, I don’t know how you do it Cadence.”

Stepping down the street, Cadence swished her tail from side to side, the movement of her rear capturing Shining’s eyes, “It truly is a hard life being beautiful,” Her voice carrying a mock-posh accent, Cadence overexaggerated a sigh. “I have to deal with the attention of dozens of stallions, but I manage.”

“What stallions,” Shining jumped to attention, his eyes darting around their dim surroundings. “I’ll make sure they never look your way again.”

Cadence giggled, knocking Shining off balance with a soft push of her hoof, “I was joking silly, I’m for your eyes only.” Leaning into him, she nuzzled the underside of his neck with her cheek, purring.

“And my eyes are only for you,” His nostrils resting in her hair, Shining took a deep breath, the familiar scent of Cadence’s hair sending a shiver down his spine. “Now where are we going to stay tonight?”

Pulling away from his touch, Cadence ran her eyes up the street, “Well Skylight said all the house are empty, so why don’t we just go with that one,” A pink hoof pointed toward the closest wall of stone, two ponies standing beneath a gargantuan tree carved into the cracked slab.

Their exploration of the interior was cut short by a wall of darkness, Cadence lighting her horn to reveal the remainder of the first room. It was completely empty but for a bench hewn into the far wall, a vast expanse that gave them freedom to lay their mattress.

“Do you really think we need a fire?” Cadence questioned as Shining formed ethereal flames from nothing. “It’s already quite warm in here.”

“I’m sure it will get colder, I don’t want to get up in the middle of the night to start one.” Tongues of blue licked at Shining’s hooves as he held them over the flames, the soft warmth like a mother’s kiss, willing him to sleep.

“You don’t know what you’re missing out on Shining,” Cadence’s breath right into his ear caused Shining to jump, eliciting a giggle from her. “A cold night’s a perfect excuse to cuddle close, rub against each other in attempt to stay warm.” She wrapped her forelegs around his neck, pinching his ear between her lips.

Shivering from the sensual chill, Shining snuffed the fire out, the only light in the room a dull blue emanating from the mattress. He felt Cadence pulling him backward, her hooves tugging at his chest, the soft glow sinking beneath their weight as they fell onto it, his hooves on either side of her, their breath mingling.

The embrace of her lips on his was warm and wet, Shining’s one sensation of Cadence’s touch in the surrounding darkness. His forelegs looped around her back, scooping her from the bed and leaning backward, her body now on top of his.

A breath burst from his mouth as she pulled away, desire pushing his lips upward to grasp at the empty air where her mouth once lay. A prick of warmth on his neck calmed his want for her, the slow trail of kisses down his chest causing him to twitch, fur standing on end.

The journey of her lips ended with one final kiss on the flared tip of his growing shaft, a warm, wet tongue leaving her mouth to slide down the hot length of meat. At the base her tongue reached out, grasping one of his bulging balls and gently sliding her lips around it, suckling at it like a foal would a mare’s teats.

Having drunk her fill, she allowed the ball to drop from her mouth and grasped the now fully erect shaft between her lips, wetting it as she ran her muzzle toward its tip.

Continuing to work at the member in her mouth, she twisted her rear round, the firm pink cheeks turning a half circle to rest before his snout, the winking of her dripping lips begging for attention. Her back arched as her own body found relief in the soft lapping of his tongue, her hips instinctively pushing toward his face, wanting more.

On the opposite end her lips were halfway down his shaft, tongue swirling round the sensitive length as her head bobbed slowly, each time almost gagging as the tip pushed against the back of her throat.

I wonder if I’ll be able to succeed tonight? She thought as she visualized aligning her muzzle and neck, hoping to form one long tube to take the full length of his member between her teeth.

She had been attempting the specific technique on and off for the past year in an ongoing attempt to take his and her bodies to their sexual limits. The first attempt had been a disaster, she had almost blacked out before he pulled her off his shaft.

The harsh warning he had given had swayed her away from attempting it for a few months, but the temptation to please him in a new way had her trying once again. Each time she failed, but each time she came closer to the goal.

This time I’ll do it for sure, was the final thought that passed through her mind before she cleared it, aligning each part perfectly perfectly her only focus.

He felt the change in tightness instantly as she drove her lips down his length, “Cadence, I told yo-” escaping his lips before a sigh consumed the words. Shivers racked his body as her snout brushed against his sac, the feeling of being swallowed completely, the intimacy of her every breath rubbing against his length bringing back memories of the spa and their dive into a pool of impossibly powerful sensations.

A splash of her juices on his muzzle brought thought back into his mind, the realisation driving his snout into her winking lips, spreading her around him, licking deep inside. Pulling out to take a breath, he felt her tail pressing him back toward the quivering folds of flesh, She’s almost there.

The tension in his groin reached its peak as her insides stilled their movement for a moment. Her lips spasmed as his shaft propelled shot after shot of hot seed down her throat, both mare and stallion drinking their fill of each other’s juices.

Body spent, she drew the softening member from her mouth, a smile on her muzzle as she licked the last of his seed from the tip.

Yawning, he wrapped his hooves around her stomach, pulling her backward to lie atop him, the scent of her hair filling his nostrils. “Cadence, I told you not to do that,” He whispered into her ear.

Rolling from his chest onto the mattress, she pressed her muzzle into his, the fluids that stained each other’s lips mixing with a kiss. “That doesn’t mean you didn’t like it.”

A small smile showed his teeth, his eyes darting away from hers, “It was quite enjoyable, but,” Another yawn stretched his jaw. “It’s still too dangerous, you could choke.”

“I promise I won’t,” Cadence snuggled her head into Shining’s neck as she spoke, his hooves curling over her back, pulling her close. “Now let’s get some sleep, you’ve got a big day tomorrow, Skylight.”