With the pressure exuded by the SR Platoon now a past-tense blastmark on the San-Palomino, I felt eager and comfortable enough in our safety to begin a tour of the Rook. Unfortunately as before, Garand was forced to remain in the main passenger cabin due to his size while Firefly accompanied me on our short but entertaining walk around. As to be expected, he was impressed as all hell with every inch we had scoured and I felt like a proud mother showing off her newborn foal to a close friend. Our (my) new toy and its accompanying V.I companion had provided a feast for the senses as I took him through the various rooms onboard the Vertibird. Our first discovery was in the long hallway leading from the central hub to the cockpit as the walls on either side were lit up and displaying a view of the outside soaring past. The massive screens I had seen built into them were seemingly displaying from the camera feeds built into the port and starboard gunner stations, presenting a slightly pixelated view of the world around us in real-time. The only possible explanation was that it was meant to provide some extra awareness for crewmates who were in transit in an area completely devoid of windows. That, or it was just meant to be something pretty to look at while dragging ass between the cockpit and main cabin. Either way, it was a veritable trip for the eyes and for the first few moments I felt my knees go a tad wobbly, a tentative feeling of vertigo hitting me as I forced myself to remember I was safely indoors.

Once we had both enjoyed our fill of watching dull red crags of rock sail past, we ended up in the central hub intersecting both passageways and Firefly looked to me for direction. When I suggested the armory, he immediately jumped on the opportunity and rushed into the room as soon as the hatch hissed softly open. Like before the wall to our right was a line of wire mesh cabinets and an extensive workbench while to the left below a long, rectangular window sat a bolted-down table with a set of chairs. Naturally, once Firefly produced a small packet of bobby pins from his bags, we each tried our luck at picking the locks on the weapons' cabinets both big and small. After several long minutes of broken bobbies and profuse Southern swears, my enthusiasm had burnt out and I convinced him to drop it for the sake of some more exploration. The rest of the quasi-rhomboid shaped room was worthy of a look and quickly his attention was drawn to the barren workbench with its elaborate array of cubbies, drawers and tool racks. Rummaging around them showed a surplus of simple hoof-tools, small power tools and a myriad of other instruments useful for dozens of applications from gunsmithing to electronics' repair. Of course, that was nothing compared to the sheer heart attack he seemed to suffer once I opened the hatch to the Power Armor repair bay on the far side of the room.

"Wha' in th' name o' fuck is this?!" He cried out, stumbling a bit backwards as his eyes were drawn up the length of the small room hidden beyond the bulkhead.

"That is the Powered Infantry Armor Repair Bay, or PIARB." AUNTIE replied from overhead as she had for every question either of us had had so far. "If its appearance is not indicative of its purpose then...well, heavens help you."

"Yer tellin' meh tha' this here can fit ah whole damned Griffin suit o' PoA?" He asked in disbelief despite the evidence beyond the bulkhead. "I wanna cry bullshit so much righ' now..."

"You are correct, although I am sad to inform you that there is no bullshit to be found in the technical specifications. On another point of interest however, under extreme conditions I am also able to further extend the space within to accommodate up to four mechanics and technicians. This will allow for a crack repair team to operate with relative freedom of movement as needed with the armor mounted in the repair harness. However, it should be noted that extensive trials of this feature were not performed and so I am only able to make educated guesses as to how long it could be sustained. In conjunction, it should also be noted that the storage capacity within the repair bay is extremely limited so any spare Powered Armor parts will need to be stored somewhere separately. It was intended more as an emergency repair station rather than as a dedicated service overhaul bay and was held back in large part due to some limitations with the arcane technology."

"I see..." I hummed in response while glancing over the inner walls packed with power tools and various small replacement parts. "That does bring up a good question, just how much fuel do we have to work with onboard? Will we have to regularly change out Crystalline Fusion Cores like we had to do with the Ravens? The hangar bay back at the Outpost didn't exactly look like it had any of the usual maintenance equipment and infrastructure I've come to expect from this sorta craft."

"Very observant!" She congratulated, the smile obvious in her happy tone. "To answer your question Colonel, the UFF-1 Rook was issued with a one-of-a-kind Nexus Catalyst power system formally designated as the 'Meteor Shower Engine'. From technical specifications I have access to onboard, the theoretical power generation possible is in the ten-to-twelve megawatts range, with a reactive half-life of well over a million days. Put into simpler terms, this unit was purpose-built to be as self-sustaining as possible and you will not ever need to worry about running out of power in any foreseeable future. The fuel cell installed aboard will not even hit the quarter-empty tank mark for at least another three millennia, if not a little more depending on the intensity of power consumption."

Three thousand years or more of nonstop power... And I thought living past the age of 200 was a long time.

"Hooo boy, so yer gonna outlive all us eh?" Firefly chuckled, pulling away from the repair room so the hatch could close. "Bet tha's nice, heh. So...mah horn is sensin' ah whole buncha arcane energy around these doorways. Tha' have somethin' tah do wit' these rooms bein' hella big fer their size?"

"Another astute observation!" She crooned with glee. "Indeed they do as they act as the event horizon for the Artificial Extension charms placed upon each and every room. Every doorway acts as the entry portal to a sort of limited and rudimentary pocket dimension that is bound within the confines of this craft. Every cabin as you see them now are each at the maximum size allowed by the limitations of both power generation, and the extension charms placed upon the rooms themselves. As impressive as the Nexus Catalyst Core appears to be, its capabilities do have a limit unfortunately enough. The compromises reached on each individual cabin are each pushing towards that limit."

"What happens if we were to lose most or all power then?" I asked with a hint of apprehension.

"All cabins, save the cockpit and passenger cabin, would be sealed off with the contents compacted into a field of temporal flux awaiting sufficient power to restore the room to normal. Occupants will be unharmed and will be unconscious in a state of suspended animation. Do not fret! I won't allow that fate to befall my charge, not while I still retain weapons systems and the structural integrity of the armor remains intact."

Although she sounded reassuring, the thought of what she had described wasn't particularly appealing and, before thoughts of doubt had time to bud, I suggested a distraction. The kitchenette came next in our tour, which just tickled Firefly pink for some reason. Something he said that had to do with the surreal nature of something so homely being on something dubbed a 'Flying Fortress' by its creators. Regardless, the artificially extended food cabinets and refrigerator unit caught his fancy and he had commented as to how much damned whiskey he could store in there. Of course there was not enough room for a dining table or chairs, but that was a minor inconvenience compared to everything else they had managed to stuff inside the Rook; not even mentioning there was a table to eat at, just located in another cabin. Two persons could occupy the kitchenette counter space at once with relative ease, and a third could find some space to stand in a couple areas. Either near the entry hatch or stuffed into the nook on the other side by the fridge. At about chest height, the wall of cabinets to our left hid a sleek, modern microwave unit with a holographic display of large, pony-sized buttons that flashed to life when I came near it. Firefly discovered that the last fourth of the countertop could be lifted away against the backsplash to reveal a small electric cooking range with two large heating elements and a smaller third one. Similarly at the end closest to the door, the counter could be moved aside to provide access to a hidden sink and tap. With a modest selection of pots and pans dangling from a set of hooks and a magnetic knife strip on the wall above the counter, it had essentially everything any of us would need to prepare even a grand little feast. And on top of it all, I could do any and all of it while flying; assuming no sudden movements or turbulence of course.

The micro washroom seemed to catch him the by the most surprise, unsurprising given it managed to have a toilet and full-sized shower pod big enough for the average Griffin. Not comfortably and certainly with minimal wing room, but it'd get the job done well enough; ponies getting the benefit of an oversized showerhead and multiple nozzles lining the walls. The toilet itself was nothing special, nothing more than a standard pop-a-squat design with a comfy enough seat, handlebars for support and goddamn restraints in the event of evasive maneuvers. Built into an alcove directly across from the shitter was a tiny sink operated by a step lever directly below it with a modestly-sized mirror hung above it. As an extra nice touch, the mirror was lit brightly from behind along its rim allowing one to see all their flaws and casting all the grime on my face into sharp relief. Once I had seen the state of my appearance so clearly, an instant feeling of grossness trickled across my spine and I decided to give the sink a quick go; cold refreshing water erupting eagerly from the small tap as soon as I stepped a hoof upon the switch. I had detached the reinforced steel combat boots from off of my underbarding and rubbed my face down with the comparably softer (and waterproof) Kevyarn weave underneath. Firefly was too occupied by the size of the shower and the number of nozzles to notice as I washed my face down in the sink and I took the chance to look at myself in the light. Purple eyes on a grey face with a lime green mane highlighted at random with straight and curling streaks of light cobalt blue and a long, grey horn poking out from the mess. It was hard to know just how to feel when seeing yourself in a mirror after an unknown time spent away from one, particularly ones that showed off so much raw detail under its revealing light. Each room was equally well lit, courtesy of the dozens of tiny LEDs embedded along the top and bottom rim of the walls giving a soft white mood lighting that was easy on the eyes. Accompanying them as well were some larger, solitary lights located directly above specific areas like the countertops, sinks and other areas in potential need of some stronger lighting. After mucking up a small towel hanging nearby and drying my face as best I could, we departed for our last stop. Moving on to the next distraction felt far better than facing any personal demons anyway.

"Annnnd this is the bunkroom!" I announced proudly as the hatch slid open on the last cabin left to explore. "Pretty small like everything else but still! You can sleep up to four at a time in this thing, and pretty damn comfortably at that, lemme tell ya."

"Sweet Mother o' Light, this thang just keeps on givin', don't it?" Firefly commented, following me inside and looking all around. "Oh yeah, heh, heh...fergot ya took ah nap on us fer a bit back there. Not gunna lie to ya, ah lil' nap would be fuckin' wonderful righ' now...gotta snag one when we land back in Zeta. Place's got bunks fer days, y'all."

"I don't doubt it if it's got nine whole fucking levels hidden away down there. On that topic though, that power nap left me wanting as well... Especially after how much ass I had to haul just to catch up to you two and then get ahead to wait."

"Heh...yeah, tha' there be awkward territory pardner." He chuckled, waving a hoof as if to ward off the topic. "How about somethin' more interestin' like this here bunkroom?"

The bunkroom itself was still rather roomy, even with the two of us in full gear standing nearby. Overhead, the recessed lighting cleanly illuminated everything that wasn't already basking in the light coming in from the long starboard window. While Firefly busied himself with poking through the empty cabinets set against the far wall towards the cockpit, I took a seat at the small table located beside the window and gazed out. AUNTIE had chosen to vanish back amongst the stony forest of mountains to hide us from any prying eyes. I had applauded her thinking given I was more than a little reluctant to have rumors of my new prize spreading across the San-Palomino just yet. It was going to be a miracle if I could keep word of it from being whispered in the ears of the Syndicate and the hundreds under their variable employ. Along with that concern was also that of the new reality I found myself in when it came to my once target, Garand. The price on his head was still in play and I had Sealed my name to the Contract addressed to him...and yet, I just couldn't even stomach the thought of following through with it. The only comforting notion to find amongst all the confused emotional chaos of the situation was that at least now I had enough firepower to evade any Bounty set on me. Of course...that was assuming they only sent waves of Mercs, Hunters and Hitmares after me. Were the Brokers to get directly involved...my life was going to become far more tenuous to keep to myself for any significant length of time. Dark Magicks were simply out of my league to combat in any meaningful way and if I couldn't shoot, stab or strangle it well...I was next to useless. I had been trained to fight conventionally and left the world of the arcane to eggheads and those with actual talent behind their horn. Not me.

As my mind wandered, I couldn't help but stare out the window beside me at the gnarled peaks of the Embers as they lazily drifted past. It was still a few hours before dusk and none of us had much problem with AUNTIE taking her sweet time returning to the hangar. Well...all except Garand of course who was still cramped into the main cabin with little to do while we enjoyed features designed for smaller species. Our brief argument from earlier returned to memory for a moment and got a chuckle out of me as it did. In no way, shape or form would him taking ownership of the Vertibird make any goddamn sense. As we could all see for ourselves, he couldn't move past the passenger cabin let alone enter the cockpit to pilot the thing. No...he was just jealous that he was too big to make any use of such a wonderful contraption. Odd as it felt, I couldn't shake the feeling of pride and accomplishment that came from something so petty and stupid. There were going to be other treasures for all of us to explore and catalogue in the coming... All at once it hit me that I had to rethink my timetable in light of so many recent changes. I had bought myself time thankfully by giving everyone back home a rather loose schedule as to when to expect me back but there were nine floors to explore. Located so close to the Southern Front, there was bound to be at least something related to the Desert Rangers in all that unknown space deep below ground. Hell, for all we knew the place had tunnels running everywhere throughout the Embers and we would never find out with just how much ground we had to cover. As we all knew by now, the place had been built into an old mining complex which itself had used what ancient Dragons had left behind as a convenient place to start. Thankfully the answer was simple: just bring more eyes for searching. And I had a few extra sets of my own that would be very excited to poke around.

"Colonel? I hate to interrupt but the Captain is demanding we return to base immediately. Apparently he is in some level of physical discomfort due to the dimensions of the interior. Amongst other various complaints..."

"Huh?" I asked distractedly before recognizing AUNTIE's voice and replying, "Oh. Yeah well fuck him, take your time flying back all you want. I'd say you earned it."

"Aye, aye Ma'am! I shall inform him to respectfully go fuck himself." She giggled in reply, the glee in her voice almost whimsical in tone. "AUNTIE, out."

The moment she stopped speaking Firefly started busting a gut, to the point he had to sink into a bunk and fight to catch his breath. The glowing blood flowing inside him was visible through cracks and breaks in his carapace which flashed softly brighter with each beat of his heart.

"Goddamn! Yew ain't pullin' any punches wit' him are ya?" He asked between wheezes. "Gonna do him dirty like tha' after fuckin' up his shoulder like ya did? Tha's ah ice cold drink yer servin' there, Crete."

"Ah fuck...right..." I groaned as he reminded me of the state I had left him in. "Fine...AUNTIE? Belay that command, let's get him back there so we can get him some medical attention. We'll let ya fly as much as you'd like once we've disembarked. Well...least until I need your help getting home and back to that whole other situation, but that can wait awhile longer. We all need a good long break I think..."

"Understood, Colonel. And perfect timing as well as the Captain has begun cussing me out in the other room." She replied with a bemused chuckle from overhead. "Time till landing is approximately five minutes and twenty-two seconds."

"Thank you, that will be all for now." I replied before addressing Firefly. "Looks like you'll be getting a chance at that nap a bit sooner than we thought after all. Thanks for reminding me about his shoulder...I don't think any of us have stopped to even take a look at it yet so who knows how bruised the area is. Ugh...don't even wanna think about the last time I dislocated something like that and I'm sure you prolly don't either, eh?"

In response, all I got out of Firefly was a contented snore from where he had sunk into the cot; another victim of its wickedly comfortable clutches and a small moral victory for myself. At the very least, my nap from earlier was more understandable than ever now that he could vouch for the traps' effectiveness himself. Leaving him be, I quietly left the bunkroom and returned back into the central hub intersecting the midsection of the ship. While I was tempted for a second time to try my luck at fiddling with the locks in the armory, the feeling just as quickly passed as a cooler head prevailed. Instead, I decided to meander my way back into the main cabin where Garand eyed me from his place curled up on the metal floor. Even from the way he was laying I could tell his whole arm was giving him hell and despite our initial encounter, we had both come this far alive. Our fight was long over. I had ultimately come out the victor and at the end of it all, I couldn't even say that I harbored any ill-will towards him. He had stood his ground honorably, got in some good licks of his own on my hide to make sure I knew he fought back and...I never considered how good midnight blue feathers looked on a Griffin. Er...Gryphon. When we locked eyes, I couldn't help but smirk at him and leer at the shoulder he was taking great care to coddle against his body. I wasn't in the mood to turn this conversation heated but there was a weird playfulness about it all that was simply asking that I dip my hooves into it a little more. My curiosity had been piqued in an unexpected way and I felt compelled to prod a little further.

"Take a fuckin' picture, it'll last longer..." He huffed with a bored look. "Ya here to tell me to go fuck myself in person this time? Takes some big girl panties to not rely on someone else to talk that kinda shit to someone way bigger than you."

"Look who's fuckin' talking!" I countered with a wicked grin of mock superiority. "I thought you Gryphons hatched from cannonballs or some shit. And you lost to a pony not using any magic? What would your team think if they saw all that shit back there, huh?"

"Prolly that you're a lousy fuckin' shot with that AMR of yours. I mean, common I was fuckin' walking and talking at the same time completely unaware and you still couldn't even hit me at ten yards! How the hell ya gonna shoot somethin' across the curve of the horizon with an aim like that?"

Like before there was definitely some fight in him, even after sustaining some bruising blows. He was even going so far as to dish something equally stinging in return and seemed ready for more. I could oblige...

"I wonder, would they be impressed or disappointed that a mare like me whooped your fat ass like I did?"

"Ohhh you'd just love to know that wouldn't you, you overrated walking stick. Least I actually have an ass worth whooping! You see any action with that lil' thing because jeez, they must have some poor fuckin' taste. Slap some meat on them cheeks princess and then we can have a proper talk about some ass-smackin'."

"H-hey!" I blushed slightly, caught off guard and scrambling to maintain the assault. "Fuck you, I've gotten plenty of New Pegasus' finest off with this ass! You even know what a mare likes? I bet you go right for the rough shit and don't even last past a full minute before you bust a nut inside her. That's assuming you can even get it inside her, featherhead."

"Who the fuck said I only banged chicks?" He asked smugly, cocking an eyebrow above his smirk. "I've had plenty of guys worshiping this dick too before, so keep talkin' shit like that and I'll show you just how long I can go for. I guarantee ya you couldn't even handle the fuckin' load I'd leave in ya, no matter how much you think your scrawny self can take."

Why were my knees shaking a little? Was...my heart skipping a beat? What the fuck was going on??

"Aha, got ya! I win this one! You owe me a fuckin' SparkleCola Rad! Or fuck, any SparkleCola at this point...I can feel the shakes and headaches coming on and they aren't feeling too kind today."

"Ugh...Sparklediction?" I assumed to which he nodded with a sigh. "Yeah...friend of mine has it too but he makes enough money to buy out half the Westcoast's supply so he rarely has withdrawals."

As if on cue his gut gave an extremely unpleasant noise and he looked back up at me more than a little panicked.

"Seriously, get me a bottle of that shit ASAP, mare." He grunted, clenching his beak and looking uncomfortable. "That or get this thing back to base faster so I can find a fuckin' bathroom my size. Things ain't gonna be pretty..."

"Alright, alright! Calm down ya big baby..." I chided as I manually sorted my inventory and brought a bottle of my own up to the top of my bags. "Take your victory juice and chug. Don't think any of us wanna see ya shit your feathers over a Sparklediction so at least it tends to kick in quick. For all our sakes..."

He snatched the bottle from my magic the second it got close before casually flicking off the neck of the bottle with his talon and tossing it back down the hatch. The neck cleaved off so cleanly with such a crisp, bell-like tone that I was too stunned to watch it, bottlecap and all, sail past and shatter against the wall beside me. He clenched the tip of his beak tightly around the rest bottle while it poured right down his throat and it gave me the amusing mental image of a funnel at work. A couple seconds after tossing the empty glass onto a nearby seat, he let out a hearty burp and patted his side contentedly. The addiction beast was fed...for now. I ignored the bottle for later cleanup but took the discarded cap of his for myself since he had flicked it out of reach. He might have won but he still kinda lost in the end, even if it was only by just a single, stupid cap and I was content to take a silent victory lap of my own.

"Ahhh...that's the good stuff. Shit's warm but eh, still hits the spot at the end of the day and it'll keep withdrawals at bay. Can't complain about that."

"You're welcome..." I chuckled sarcastically before plopping back onto one of the seats flanking the corridor. "Least I had some on me. I'm not much of a Cola girl, never really got into the flavor like everyone else seemed to. Always kinda considered it super overrated if you ask me, especially back in the day with all that bullshit advertising they pulled."

"Eh...I agree with ya on at least part of that last bit, but only when it comes to the original flavor. I mean...yeah, shit works for Sparklediction but where's the enjoyment? Fuck that...no, my favorite has always been the Peachy Crème special edition. Guess it was a limited edition flavor since it's super hard to find anymore... Ever had that shit?"

"Nope, only saw Grape, Orange and Cherry as the usual suspects out here. And Sarsaparilla. LOTS of Sarsaparilla."

"Eck...I'd rather deepthroat a cactus than guzzle down one of those things..."

The conversation kinda petered into silence again after that as we both seemed at a bit of a loss for words. We both just sat there, silently staring out of opposite windows completely avoiding eye-contact for...some reason. What was this tension between us? Again, our physical fight had ended hours ago and yet I still felt myself being on some sort of defensive. Or was it a playful offensive? Something more was going on here and I found it all at once both odd and...exciting? There were several emotions that I was becoming reacquainted with slowly over time but what was going on now felt unusual. When I tried to place where it felt familiar, all I could think of was Melody but...it didn't quite fit the same feeling. It was similar in a way but distinctly different in the way it felt, an indescribable sense of...longing? If that were the case then...

"Ya know...seein' you again has brought somethin' up I've been wondering for a long time." He said suddenly, my attention naturally being drawn back his way. "Did that Griffin on your team ever get anywhere with Gryphon magic?"

"Who, Buck?" I asked in surprise as his was a name I wasn't expecting to be brought up by someone other than myself.

"Was that his name? Yeah, him. Short guy but had a hell of a fire in his eyes that some Drengr back home would've envied so I never forgot about him. Always wondered if he was ever able to do anything with that desire of his."

"Yeah...yeah he did." I said softly, the painful realm of nostalgia playing the lute on my heartstrings. "Well...one spell at least. Managed to learn how to make an ethereal battleaxe but he could never summon it entirely at will. Had to be in the middle of a fight or just be really pissed off by something. Still, bastard could summon it and he always left a mess behind afterwards so I think he used it well."

"No shit...well damn, glad to hear it. When he said he was born in Griffinstone...not gonna lie, I didn't exactly think he had enough Gryphon in his ancestry to tap into our magic. Not for nothin' but those runts aren't much compared to us. Big and tough to you small fry but if ya put a Griffin next to a full-sized Gryphon, you'd see why we are intentionally named differently. Their bloodline deviated from ours centuries ago and their progeny are payin' the price for leaving the homelands. The old Megin, Gryphon Magics, are just too damn important to what makes us, us."

"Is that so..." I hummed softly in thought. "Just how big do you guys get then? I remember that one guy on your team, fuckin' giant of a bird. He as big as you fuckers get?"

"Muller? Heh...yeah, he was actually pushing the average height limit at nine-and-a-half feet. Average range is like around seven or eight but anything close to nine is kinda uncommon. Now, the Ferals living deep in the mountains and forests? Those mean fuckers can get upwards of twelve feet of pure, angry muscle fulla predatory instincts."

"Twelve?!" I gasped in shock and a little horror, trying to picture just how high over me one would be. "How the fuck is that even any sort of ok? Now Dragons I can understand. Even with all the Greater species long gone, there's still plenty of Lesser ones that can get pretty decently huge. Merchant friend of mine raises big ol' Feral ones for various things and his broods can get as big as forty feet. But a fuckin' bird? Nah, you guys are already plenty big for my taste."

"Heh, the fuck is that supposed to mean? Besides, what's wrong with being big huh?"

"Well if you ask me, you having to cram yourself inside this thing is a pretty decent opening argument, don't ya think?"

"...I swear to fuck, mare..."

The smug look I gave him was a face well earned but I wasn't given long to enjoy the annoyed glare he sent back my way as AUNTIE buzzed overhead.

"Final approach to hangar, all hooves prepare for landing. Remain seated until we've come to a complete stop, please."

"Not like I was goin' anywhere anyway..." He groaned to himself, rubbing a hand over his face and dragging down his eyelids a bit. "Remain seated my ass..."

Me on the other hoof? Well, I just couldn't help myself. I had found my flight legs again as if I had never left them behind and as such I willfully disobeyed her instructions. Without a hint of hesitation I stood back up and made my way over to the starboard sliding door and, in full view of Garand, tugged on the manual release catch. The moment it opened, the gale from outside swooped in causing my mane, tail and anything else not strapped-down to flop and whip around violently. Outside the ruddy canyons and peaks that surrounded us began to slow down and I sat myself down along the edge of the door, holding onto the side of the wall while letting my hindlegs dangle over the void. It was an experience right out of a memory. One of many made on an entirely different Continent with drastically different circumstances. And yet, for all my fear of heights and my silent hatred for being on anything going faster than a gallop...I never felt more at home. From my vantage point I watched as all of a sudden the area around me suddenly became familiar the moment I spotted the service road we had taken to get here. Of course we were too far away to see exactly where our little showdown had occurred along its path, but it explained why our speed was then almost immediately cut in half. A moment later and the red rock we had been weaving between rushed up to kiss the bottom of my hooves before we slid over yet another void. Underneath the hangar doors split cleanly down the center while I watched on, feeling like I had become twelve years old all over again. The drab concrete floor of the landing pad rose to meet us and I felt a light thud underneath me as a pair of three landing wheels emerged from the bottom of the chassis allowing us to come to a comfy stop. Far more comfortable than even my best landings back in the day working with the Ravens.

"Well, least my Power Armor's still here." Garand sighed in relief after I had hopped off and made room for him to crawl back out. "Not gonna lie, that was a hella smooth ride for something this damn big. I'll admit it, I'm impressed by it."

"That's what she said!" AUNTIE giggled as the main door slid itself shut again, her voice coming from some unseen exterior speaker. "But in all seriousness Captain, thank you sincerely for the compliment. I have not flown in centuries and I was afraid I wouldn't perform up to either of your standards. I have much to prove."

"Standards?" We both asked in unison before Garand decided to wait his turn to speak.

"Yeah, what the hell do you mean by that?" I asked, wondering how we could've possibly been disappointed with. "You fuckin' wiped the floor with those bastards! Literally might I add! The ponies of Junction-11 are gonna be talking about that scorch mark in the desert for years to come, trust me. Word'll spread fast across the San-Palomino soon as the next merchant caravan stops by and asks what's new in the region."

"Eh, much as I hate it, I'm with her on this one for once. You didn't leave a damn thing alive back there to the point I didn't even bother asking you to make another pass at the terrain." He added, attempting to stand upright but quickly dropping into a pained hunch. "Ugh...fuck this, Imma go find an infirmary or something. My arm's fuckin' killing me..."

"Do you even know where you're going?" I asked after his hobbling form making its way to the passenger elevator. "You didn't mention finding an infirmary earlier so you're only gonna make that thing hurt worse by wandering around on it."

He stopped dead in his tracks and sighed again, the noise of it echoing across the spacious room like the hissing of a bored snake before he replied, "Care to lead the way to one then? Miss Know-It-All?"

"Why me? You've explored this place more than I have by a long shot since I was looking at the Vertibird so what makes you think I suddenly have all the answers? And piss off with the know-it-all shit, you're one to fuckin' talk."

"Dunno, does it matter? Eh...whatever..." He sighed again, turning back around to face me. "Well? Don't just stand there, help me find one if you care so much about it. Can waste time on your own time, not mine."

"I...but...fine." I stammered to myself, following after him before calling over my shoulder, "AUNTIE? Let Firefly know we took off to find an infirmary if he wakes up before we get back. We'll try to be back within the hour."

"Loud and clear, Colonel!" She replied brightly, the mental image of an officer's secretary once again coming to mind. "Take care of yourselves and do radio me if you need my services anytime soon. I do not think Mr. Firefly will mind if I take back to the skies for awhile...by your leave of course, Ma'am."

"By all means, hun. Have fun and please stay outta sight. Check in over radio if you spot anything unfriendly out there you think we should be worried about." I chuckled in reply, giving her a wave before I made it to the lift.

He kindly held the double doors of the elevator open for me and waited for me to wander in before letting them slip shut. Seeing the Vertibird from a distance all lit up properly in the hangar was nearly enough to make me swoon as I still struggled to come to terms that for once one of these beauties was all mine. Every inch of hull, each gun barrel and all those blinking lights and glowing screens now all belonged to me without the burdens that came with working with the Ravens. Rules and regulations as long as my tail always kept me from hopping in the pilots' chair anytime I felt like taking to the skies in such a majestic machine. The doors slid shut just as its mighty dual props began to spool back up, the gust of air just beginning to stir the tails of my coat as the lift began to move deeper below. The elevator itself was unremarkable with dull tan walls, industrial lighting, brushed steel doors, a severe lack of any signage, and a Gryphon who was testing it's capacity margins in more ways than one. Like the other rooms and passages we had seen so far, it was obvious this place was still under construction when the Great War hit and I was finding the lack of useful signage mildly annoying. None of the floors were labeled, the floor indicator lights above the door were empty and unfinished and there wasn't even a handy robot to read aloud which floor you were on. The only way to have any sort of idea as to where we were was via the control panel, home to the only discernable numbers in the lift that were lit up softly blue from behind.

"Firefly and I already checked Sublevels 1-4 so no need to check there again, least for now until we wanna do some serious searching around. Only shit there were operations, buncha barracks and armories...oh, and that slick-ass garage we found on Sublevel-3. Plenty of cool shit in there to look through but it'll take days to even go over it all. For now, let's just continue the tour from where he and I left off." He commented after a few moments, the control panel set to descend to Sublevel-5.

"Works for me I guess, makes sense to keep trying down the list till we find something." I replied with a shrug and a sigh before feeling my nose curl at a sudden realization. "Ugh...this place have any showers you two happened on, perchance?"

"Heh, yeah. Why? Sayin' I stink or somethin'?"

"No, I'm saying I stink. Had to gallop all last night just to catch up to you two fucks and I reek from all that exercise. Though...now that you mention it, prolly could use one yourself. Dunno which of us I smell more in here..."

"Ohhhhoho!" He chuckled evilly as the doors dinged open and I could get back to clearer air. "Don't act like you smell any fuckin' better than I do, princess. Might be attached to my beak but my nose can smell just fine."

"And my hoof'll be attached to your beak again in another second if you don't shut the fuck up about it." I growled back at him, facing down the dull concrete corridor ahead of us with a sigh. "Common, let's get going. That shoulder ain't gonna fix itself anytime soon."

We walked abreast of each other in silence making for a Maglock door at the far end flanked by some sort of security checkpoint with booths on either side. Even from a distance it was obvious these were more than a basic ID check-in station, but was rather a small reinforced defensive point. A veritable pillbox complete with thick panes of ballistic glass around both booths and reinforced steel walls sporting ablative outer plating. Cameras in armored housings hugged the upper corners of the bulkhead while in the ceiling above I could spy the undersides of several automated turrets sitting inactive. For now... Several feet from the door itself stood an archway that bridged the upper gap between both booths and hummed audibly with energy. Embedded along its length were thick braided cables of silvery crystal wiring and small Nexus nodes sealed away in vacuum tubes, all of which led to a set of control panels located inside either booth. Each and every node and cable was alight with the bright baby blue glow of pure arcane energy. As such, it quickly dawned on me that I couldn't help but notice so much sensitive wiring was being left exposed; not a single inch of wiring was tucked away behind some sort of Ministry of Image approved protective cover.

A hurried glance through the tinted glass of the booths showed rooms further off behind sealed blast doors. Either acting as the entrance to the security booth or potentially as some other sort of back room. A small barracks of sorts perhaps? Relics rarely told a cut-and-dry tale on first or even third glance. What was obvious was that yet again, it all looked only half-finished. Only critical architecture/infrastructure had been installed such as the booths, archway and Maglock bulkhead while things like lighting fixtures and general aesthetics were left unfinished. Beyond the arch lay another large, empty void in the wall above the door which seemed to have been intended to house a lit-up sign. Where this sign was (if in the base at all) or what it said were complete mysteries but it didn't stop the mind from wandering quietly after answers. It was hard to say if the facility had actually been operational by the time of the Great War given all the evidence we had encountered so far. Garand hadn't mentioned any signs of life during his check-ins from earlier in the day and my quick peek into the security booths hadn't spied any signs that they had ever seen any use. If it weren't for the mound of bones we had passed in the maintenance corridor, I wouldn't blame any of us for assuming the place had been completely abandoned before the Balefire hit.

"Well...ain't this interesting..." He mumbled aloud with an amused chuckle. "What ya thinkin'? Even the garage floor didn't have this much security posted so close to the elevator so there's gotta be somethin' special here."

"Not sure..." I hummed in response, getting closer to the archway but knowing better than to blindly pass the threshold. "But that thing over the center aisle is giving me an iffy feeling. Fancier and more advanced than some others I've seen but I'm pretty sure this is a Dampening Arc."

"Meaning...?"

"Meaning it's designed to put a dampening spell over anyone with a horn. At least that's what the basic models I've seen do, they used to have these sorta things all over the place. Anywhere magic could be a problem of one sort or another. You know, government offices, secured facilities, hoofball stadiums. The important shit."

"Heh, yeah. Like fuckin' sports were so 'important'... So? What does any of it matter to me then? I don't have to deal with that sorta bullshit since Gryphon magic is all in the blood. Sucks to be you I guess." He sneered, making towards the archway before I stepped in his way.

"Even so, let's consider the facts for a second. Every one of these things I've seen so far, even the ones paired with metal and concealment charm detection, has never looked like it was hooked right up to a goddamn reactor. This is a place neither you nor I have heard of as far as we both can tell, and that massacre by the blast doors earlier was a fucking who's-who of Ministry goons of all sorts. What's this all telling me? That thing is something stronger and is thus more concerning to either of us than just a dampening spell. In case you didn't notice the automated defenses up there just waiting for one of us to royally fuck up."

He glanced up at the ceiling before back at me and replying, "Yeah I saw 'em. Either way, what do you suggest we do then, princess? Can't just stand around here."

"I think we should wait, get main power back online and let AUNTIE use her overruling credentials to crack this whole bitch wide open. For all we know walking through that thing without the right combination of factors and credentials could drop the floor out from under us and dunk us in a vat of acid or something. Besides, why the fuck would they keep a hospital wing under such high guard? The fuck they need to be guarding against, floosy Nurses? Two booths, possible on-site barracks, auto-turrets, a Maglock bulkhead and that weird-ass Dampening Arch? Makes no sense for us to be here right now, not when we're looking for something operating under the Ministry of Peace. This is just too heavy for those pussy-hoofed pacifists' taste. Took their Healers ages to even start carrying pistols with them onto the field so this lil' fortress here can't be one of theirs."

He gave the Arch another look before sighing again and rolling his eyes in defeat, nodding back towards the elevator and the relative safety of anyplace but here. I had been expecting him to just throw himself through anyway as a direct challenge to both myself and the security system at large but...I wasn't exactly dealing with Buck Beak now was I? It was easy to blur the line between Griffin and Gryphon but the distinction was there for a reason.

"Yeah...you're probably right." He grunted, whacking the door button casually with the back of his hand. "You ponies were a fucked up bunch, you know that? For a buncha herbivores who were peace and friendship lovin' hippies, you guys sure as hell have found some interesting ways of scraping the bottom of the shit barrel. Besides...bringing up the fact this place is such a fuckfest of Ministries is a good point. You'd need some hella credentials to even get inside this place to begin with, so to have a security checkpoint inside the complex like this is really saying something. You say acid bath trap door? I say why not just vaporize the fucker as they're walking through the field if they don't pass inspection? Take way less effort than something so uselessly dramatic."

"I was just using it as a possible example...but yeah." I sighed in response. "That's more or less my same thought process on all this. I hate to say it, but this sucker is just too sketchy to crack open just yet. I'm not willing to trip off any sort of security system just because we're impatient to explore. That being said...can't help but wonder what the hell they're hiding behind that door."

The brushed steel doors opened after a moment and we boarded the elevator once more, this time bound for Sublevel-6 and whatever wonders it held. It wasn't lost on me just how much could be hiding behind a locked door like that but without more information...I just wasn't willing to take risks. I had seen good, tough armor get holes punched clean through them by high-grade military turrets packing a surprise 20-mil with a penetrator. Even my venerable Mrk. IV (R) wasn't rated for something that high.

"Bet ya five Sparkle-Rads that it's some sort of 'unconfirmed' R&D department." He snorted in amusement as the doors slipped shut again. "Number of eggheads on site is just too big for anything small-scale. Though it's not like you shrimps ever built or worked small-scale when you found a good innovation so that's at least something I can give you guys some credit for. Not as big a scale as Gryphons work on, but you at least punched above your weight more often than not. Better than Griffinstone to be honest."

"Oh really...?" I asked with a bit of hesitant curiosity. "And what exactly makes you say that...?"

"Oh common, they were a bit of a fuckin' joke." He laughed, almost to himself. "For being our genetic cousins, they really dropped the ball when it came to innovating. What'd they produce? Couple successful, big-caliber weapon lines, some potent medicinals and a ton of meatheads itching for a fight to justify their devolved existence...the fuck...?"

The doors dinged open once again, this time revealing an odd underground metro-like station with an empty set of tracks to our immediate left and a row of cushy seats along the wall to our right. Ahead lay another security checkpoint although unlike the last one, this was the simple desk-and-computer setup that stood before an electronically controlled gate. With emergency power running the show, the lighting overhead was as sparse as could be while still giving just enough light for us to navigate our way; the tracks completely vanishing into the void of a tunnel further ahead. The overall construction of the small station was mostly unremarkable keeping in line with the majority of areas we had seen so far. There was little in the way of color and clear designations as to what this place even was. Everything save the bright red seating along the wall was the same shade of dull, concrete grey and I found it hard to feel that anything was exactly real given the distinct lack of colors. The only other feature of note that stood out to me were that the tracks were really wide for just simple passenger transport, perhaps hinting that it was meant for hauling freight as well.

"Well...this is new." He commented after we had already made it halfway across the platform towards the checkpoint. "Never seen a fuckin' subway this deep underground but I guess there's a first for everything with you ponies."

"Can't disagree with any of that..." I mumbled aloud before feeling some excitement upon finally seeing some signage riveted to the wall beside the security gate. "Records and Archives? This far up? Odd..."

"Oh? You guys like storing your dirty little secrets deep underground?"

"Like that's any kind of unusual? Any nation would want to store sensitive materials as securely as possible and you can't get much safer than someplace like this. No, I'm just commenting on the fact that I find it odd they would store these on Sublevel-6 outta 9 instead of like...Sublevel-8. Or hell, even just shoved to the bottom fucking floor if it's all that. Also, are we gonna talk about the Buffalo in the room or nah?"

"Only Buffalo in this room is your fat ass!" He chuckled with a bit of glee, his voice echoing in a slightly unsettling manner down the dark metro tunnels ahead and behind us. "Alright, bullshit aside I get what you're saying. And I would happen to agree, it's a bit weird to see Archives in the middle of the sandwich rather than getting friendly with the bottom piece of bread. I would expect to see this sorta shit further down and definitely behind more security than this."

"I was talking about the fuckin' metro system directly to our left, jackass..."

"I know you were, and all I gotta say about it is what I was gonna be saying anyway if you hadn't cut me off. This ain't the infirmary either and I'm honestly glad that damn train isn't here. Why? Because I don't trust you or me to be able to resist seeing where that fucker goes. So, instead of running in circles chasing butterflies, let's just leave it at that alright? Common, let's get back to the lift. Thing's really starting to hurt again..."

I couldn't argue with any of the points he was making and so with a shrug I returned to his side and entered back into the lift just before it shut around my tail. Once again he casually thudded the back of his fist against the control panel to take us to Sublevel-7 however, the unit instead dinged and the door slid back open on the floor we were already on doing nothing further. Neither of us said anything and he slapped the button again with an annoyed grunt only for the doors to remain stubbornly open as if he had hit the open doors command. To top it off, as if out of spite it gave another ding as if it had done the job asked of it correctly. Needless to say it didn't sit too well with Garand who reached out as if to strangle its wiring to death.

"The fuck is wrong with you ya goddamned ass-sucking fuck nugget!?" He growled at the elevator at large, glaring around at the doors and control panel. "I'm hitting the damned button to go to Level 7!"

"...Is this Level 7 then?" I asked, almost feeling foolish for asking.

"What, you think I can't count?" He snapped back, gesturing to the panel in a grand display before jamming a talon into the one numbered 7 with the same result as before. "See?!"

"Oh shut up...I saw it happen the first time, jackass. I dunno what to tell ya, maybe it's refusing to let us go to certain floors with main power being offline? Would make sense to me if that were the case."

"Hmm...only one way to find out I guess."

With a grunt he gave the number 6 button a slap of his hand and once again the doors dinged back open on the metro and Archives. Seeing as both 6 and 7 were giving us this problem, I could only assume we were being artificially prevented from accessing those floors. This all went to indicate that we were somewhere below 6 and 7, possibly even 8 in the event multiple Ministries each had a floor to themselves. Of course, it was all just more speculation. Speculation that would be significantly helped if there were any kind of easy-to-read instructions on the walls...

"Well...that sucks." He said with a massive sigh, letting the elevator doors slide shut on us. "I dunno about you but I'm fuckin' over this shit already. Let's just head back to the Vertibird and raid one of the medkits on board and go from there unless you've got something strong stashed away in all those damn bags of yours."

"You gotta problem with them?" I asked with a hint of surprise as it was an odd thing to be called out for. "Whatever...yeah, I've got some decently strong shit in my field kit but I should warn ya, I don't carry a Griffin Stim on me. One experience with 'em was more than enough for me but, I do know there's at least one onboard the Rook in one of the medkits in the main cabin. It would probably be more effective in the long run than even the Extra Strength potions I have on me but we would have to radio AUNTIE to make her way back. It's your call. What ya wanna do?"

He thought for a moment before slapping his hand off the button to Sublevel-2 and replying, "Fuck it...I just want this thing feeling 'good enough' and a long, hot fuckin' shower. And fuck your opinion if you think I don't deserve it 'cause I do."

I snorted at that and retorted, "Oh fuck off, I'm the one tagging along to help fix that damn thing and we both agreed we need a shower. Fine, we can do it this way. Whatever this 'way' is..."

"Glad we can come to an agreement..." He grunted sarcastically, rolling his eyes and looking away. "Long as you've got something for all the damage you caused, I don't give a fuck what happens."

I opened my mouth to respond but bit my tongue and instead just stood there silently as the lift rose towards our destination on silent, greased wheels. When the doors opened of their own accord after another few moments I made the decent assumption we had arrived on Sublevel-1 without incident. A moment later my assumption was proven correct as Garand commented on everything looking familiar before striding out with a limp. On this floor, the lift exited directly into a semi-circular atrium space graced by a large chandelier, a floor mosaic of the Equestrian Armed Forces' crest and a large staircase leading downwards in the center of the room. Ahead and beyond the staircase, the path led to a Maglock door bulkhead which lay open showing a long, narrow hall beyond it ending at a fully closed hatch. I also couldn't help but notice that along the curved wall ahead of us were similar alcoves with booth seating and tables like I had seen at Camp Macintosh. With the mosaic and red velvet seating, plus the flecks of light glinting off the chandelier, this was by far the most colorful room in the base that we had seen yet. It wasn't saying much given the competition so far but it was a nice change of pace on the eyes.

"Stop and stare on your own time, mare." He huffed over his wounded shoulder whilst hobbling towards the stairs. "Common, barracks n' shit down this way. Only thing past those doors are operations and communications, nothing either of us needs to be fucking around with right now."

I grumbled something in response and followed after him, smirking quietly to myself as I watched his awkward shuffle down the too-narrow stairs designed for smaller species. At the bottom lay another long corridor lined with multiple doorways along either side, each finally having an independent number stenciled next to them and wide open to show off the rows of bunks inside. Each individual barracks contained enough bunks to sleep half a Platoon each, along with their personal effects and locker all arranged in neat, clean rows; each room a carbon copy of the next down to the last bedsheet. After he had peeled me and my curiosity away from Barracks 01, I decided to run a quick count in my head as we made our way towards the T at the far end of the hall. With Barracks 20 last ahead on the right just before the T, that meant this place could rack up at least eight-hundred personnel, an entire goddamn Battalion of soldiers, all at one time. Was it all meant for GA grunts assigned to guard and defend the base? Or were all but the top brass on-site merely expected to shack up like it were bootcamp all over again?

"Canteen to the right, lockers and showers to the left." He commented as we hit the junction and went left as he instructed. "Nothin' too interesting to the right unless you have a thing for big, underground creepy abandoned cafeterias and kitchens. Locker room ain't much to write home about either from what Firefly said but, they're big which is what matters most to me right now."

"Are they co-ed or..." I asked before the question was answered for me by the one large, shared locker room I saw before me as we rounded another corner. "Ah. So no privacy even underground. Lovely!"

"Heh, privacy...what a fuckin' joke." He snickered, leading me in and finding a bench down a center aisle to rest on. "Was no such fuckin' thing back in Stable 39. When you're crammed in a Stable with a couple hundred other asshats of mixed heritage, you start forgetting what that sorta shit feels like. Why? Afraid to share the same shower as me?"

A soft shiver of glee hit my spine as he said that but I didn't let it show as I snarkly replied, "Hardly, just doubt your fat ass will fit the two of us in the same space like that very well."

"Oh don't you go down that path again, princess." He chuckled in response, giving me a sly wink while starting to unstrap his tactical plate rig. "Common, stop wasting time and get that medkit of yours out already. I'd like to start feeling better today if it ain't too much of a fuckin' hassle for you."

All he got as a response was an annoyed flick of my tail as I turned to the bench behind me and detached my kit to lay out what I had to work with. Graciously, I had found time to recoup some of my supplies from those I had spent assisting the slaves of New Appleloosa and I was able to set aside two whole vials of Extra Strength healing potions for him to use. My painkiller supplies however...

"So, good news and bad news." I said to him, looking over to see him stripping out of a tan shirt while showing off miles of his dark blue feathers and a curious expression on his face. "U-um...anyway, good news is I've got a couple Extra Strength potions for ya to use. Bad news is I've got basically no painkillers on me. I've neglected to top off my supply before now and I'd have to rob the Vertibird. With how big you are...I'm kinda doubtful even two of these are gonna heal it all the way. That, and that kinda damage is more than likely gonna keep on aching like crazy till it's fully healed up on its own."

"Ugh...yet again you shrimp's puny sizes find a way to fuck up my day. Do you have anything for the pain? I'd even fuckin' puff on some Dash if it were all that...least the high would help put my ass to sleep."

"Well..." I hummed thoughtfully, reaching for my bandolier with magic and withdrawing the vial of Berryl distillate with it's handy eye-dropper. "I've got this but...it's strong shit. Ain't Medix for damned sure, but this'll dull most pains for awhile. Taste's like shit though so don't say I didn't warn ya."

"What is it?" He asked critically. "Some sorta new world designer drug or some shit?"

"Please..." I sighed in response while taking out the dropper and, completely without thinking, dribbling a few drops onto my tongue and gagging. "F-fuck me that shit is nasty! But...ugh...it works wonders. It's how I managed to catch up to you guys in one night."

"Huh...well aren't you a brave one to poison yourself for my entertainment!" He laughed heartily before holding out a hand for the vial. "Fine, give 'er here. Even if this is some sorta date-rape drug, you fucked yourself over first and I got the stronger metabolism against that sorta shit out of the two of us."

Without another word he tilted his head back and crammed the dropper into the corner of his beak and shockingly squeezed the whole damned pipette right down the hatch. I had absolutely no idea how to measure dosage for myself let alone a Gryphon, but something was telling me even these few milliliters were probably a bit too much. By the time I was chugging on some lemonade from my canteen to wash out the flavor, he had already popped another full dropper's worth of the viscous fluid. I didn't even have a second to think as he snatched the canteen from my hooves and proceeded to chug down like any bar champion with reckless abandon. Before I knew it, he had drained it down to the last drop and his long, surprisingly slender tongue was slipping inside the thing lapping up whatever was left behind. I was disappointed he had drank it all but the sight of his tongue sent a tingle of electric excitement down my spine.

"Fuckin' hell you like your shit strong!" He gasped, letting the canteen drop to his side as his eyes scrunched up against the potency of my preferred brew. "Gods you were right...whatever that shit is tastes like hot ass! And not the good kind either, like the sweaty unwashed ass of some Raider bitch who lives in a fuckin' outhouse or something...I'm trustin' ya when you say this stuff works."

"I mean, it's Red Berryl so how could it not? Shit'll knock anypony on their ass if you give 'em enough." I asked nonchalantly to which his eyes went wide in an expression of pure, absolute horror.

"Oh no...oh fucking hell no..." He gasped, looking at the little vial with fear. "Is this the pure stuff??"

"Uh...yeah? Haven't you ever seen Dash derivatives in the wild?"

"No! I mean...I dunno if I have, but that's beside the point!"

"Then mind telling me what the big deal is? It's just gonna be a...heh...yep, I feel it workin' already."

I sat back on the bench behind me as the world started to sway and shimmer pleasantly around me, my body feeling slow and leaden but altogether happy and bubbly. I felt loose. Relaxed even. This large locker room was more inviting and comfortable than I had originally thought. Still he looked on with terror, cradling the vial in his talons as if he had been poisoned. Or...perhaps a more appropriate term was drugged? In my defense he had taken it before I had gotten around to telling him what it was so it was kinda on him for what happened.

"Red Berryl...this shit...it does things to Gryphons." He stammered, the look in his eyes slowly softening as the potent drug began to hit his system as well. "A-and I don't think you wanna find out what..."

All was right in the world far as my mind and body were concerned. I had found inner peace in this odd, underground locker room and...were the walls waving back and forth or was it me?

"Heh...I dunno..." I cooed playfully, a tiny part of me shocked at where I knew I was going. "Why don't ya show me then. Or are ya just a big ass chicken?"

He...ruffled up at that, the lighter blue feathers of his neck and belly puffing out even more noticeably than the rest. I had yet to see him do that in our short time together, but regardless of it was out of spite or wounded pride, I felt another happy shudder tingle up my spine. And then all at once I felt and smelled it. The musty, peachy sweet smell of my own snatch drooling over some fucking bird I only knew outta some half-forgotten memory. Even through the blissful haze of the Berryl, I could smell just how much I wanted him wafting up from below; my armor and underbarding be damned. Even if I wanted to deny it, the trickles down my thighs were my guilty confession signed and sealed and I was only going down this spiral faster and faster. In some circles I could see how being aroused by the scent of your own arousal might be seen as weird but...I doubted any of them could eat themselves out if the need or heat was dire. In whatever case, I was caught in a feedback loop of smelling myself, drooling more with need, making even more of an odor and then back to huffing away again like a goddamn powder addiction. It was only a matter of time until he noticed.

"H-heh...you uh...you ok there, mare?" He asked in a subdued but happy monotone. "You're all red n' shit heh..."

I didn't even bother responding with words when action was all my mind and body could comprehend as possible. Without giving him (or myself) a chance to back down I rushed forward and kissed him; wrapping my lips around the tip of his long and tapered beak and subconsciously dragging my tongue across the length of it that was nearby my mouth. It lasted only a moment but breaking away from him to see the results...he was shocked more than anything. I just couldn't hold back the giggles when I settled back in a dazed stumble and grinned at how flabbergasted he was. My actions had definitely caught him by surprise but there was something else hidden behind it that showed some interest.

"D-did you..." He stammered, blinking his eyes frantically as if trying to keep reality in check before him. "W-what...?"

"Oh shut up and kiss me back, you handsome fuck!" I growled playfully, approaching him again for another go and relishing the scene of him cowering in fear. "Or are ya not tough enough to handle a lil' mare like me again?"

He huffed, almost to himself, and tried puffing himself back out again in a show of strength but all I saw...was a delightful place to stuff my fuckin' muzzle and nuzzle to absolute death. In the blink of an eye my want became a reality, and I lost all sight as well over half of my face sank into his chest feathers like some sort of downy void. My arms were wrapped tightly around him and I was face deep in this guy's chest fluff like he were some dainty cutie from the SugarApple brothel. I could feel my nose curl angrily against the smells that were hitting my brain at random and from somewhere afar but...I just couldn't stop; I wouldn't even if I needed to. And the best part? His arms finally wrapped back around me, completing the feeling of deep, soft warmth from every angle and at that point I just fucking melted in his strong arms. Here was a fuckin' stud of a male, as evidenced by how much my female-centric hormones latched onto him outta nowhere. Or...was it? Faint echoes of the past were whispering of a curiosity, once upon a memory. Finally, I had to come up for air and was met with the tip of his beak as my muzzle poked up from under all his fluff.

"Heh...you're more cuddly then I was expectin'." He chuckled to himself blissfully, looking down at me softly with his large, sharp orange eyes. "Should I take this as some sorta weird-ass prelude to a sneak attack?"

Yet again I answered him with another kiss, this one with even more of my tongue slithering around just...worshiping his wonderful beak. I couldn't even remember the last time I had been given the chance at a bird, let alone one this handsome and respectable. My taste in birds was loose when it came to looks as I was open to any who were guaranteed to give me a good time and not act like they owned me after the fun was over. To be frank, there was no one true reason behind the stirrings within me that leaned in his direction. He was someone I knew, he had a gruffly charming personality, despite its outward barbs, and he had proven a strong and rather resourceful fighter. One that had stood their ground and walloped me for all I was worth without the use of any underhoofed tactics. All that garnished with a very fine Gryphon physique and further topped off by a beautiful blend of blue feathers? Truly the only thing to hide the puddles I would soon be forming under myself would be a bath. Or really...a shower for two.

It had been through a hazy dream that we somehow ended up in the showers, the massive room lined thickly with more showerheads than I had ever seen in one place. How or when either of us had turned them on (or finished stripping down) was a complete gap in my memory, however, there was no forgetting the flood of heavenly warmth now coming from every angle. It was such a feeling of relaxing bliss that I was beyond the ability of words to say anything more coherent then a long, mewling moan of pleasure. Hot, cleansing water cascaded down my face and body and I could feel myself melting under the deluge; the faint but pleasing mental image of how brown and grimy the water coming off of me sticking out in my minds' eye. Truly I was so relaxed that I could have pissed myself and not even noticed, the flood of water washing everything away equally. All I could see, hear, or even think of was the majesty of these industrial-sized water heaters providing me with the shower of a lifetime. Of course, that was until I was reminded of the big blue featherhead I had dragged along behind me, complete with his own groans and sighs of relaxed relief under the coaxing warmth of the water. Neither of us could take a step in any direction without at least two showerheads hitting somewhere directly on the body; heat and steam acting as our just reward for an SR slaughter gone well.

From a cozy distance my mind viewed life through my eyes and from somewhere deep within, I felt bubbly feelings as warm as the water enveloping me once again stirring inside me. He was laying on his side across the white-tiled floor in the corner nearby, his wounded shoulder allowed to face the brunt of the invigorating heat coming down on us. His feathers and fur were matted and soaked through, while sheets of grime, shedding fur and loose bent feathers sloughed off and onto the floor; their destination being the long rows of drains lining the floors at regular intervals. He had his eyes closed and held his long charcoal grey beak open slightly, allowing the water to flow down into his mouth but letting it spill back out freely. With all the fluff now clinging more to his body, I was given a much better look at the flowing curves of stocky, well-built muscles lining every inch of him. Everything from the muscles in his neck to the ones in his exquisitely soft looking pawsies were mesmerizing to look at. My excitement grew as my eyes lingered on a set of long, fluffy ears poking up off the side of his head. I knew not every Griffin (or Gryphon) was born with external ears due to the vast variety in their genetic heritage but...I was allowed to have secret preferences. Of course, amongst all the blues and greys I could see dozens upon dozens of scars, each discolored and devoid of just enough fur to draw attention to themselves. His mighty wings as well were spread out on full display, accepting a much-needed washing and warming like the rest of his body. Although now that I could see them properly given that he was out of armor, I noticed one was noticeably bent awkwardly, as if it had once been severely injured and not healed properly. There was so much loveliness to glance over while instincts and wants beyond my control were crying out for action. However...the sight of so much muck and filth coming off of him was enough to persevere under the pressure. I was a bit of a slut at the end of the day but I still preferred my partner to be smelling at least like they hadn't just spent the last month plus straight on the road.

Taking the initiative, I wobbled my way over to the wall closest to me where one of many soap and shampoo dispensers had been installed and pumped the frogs of my hooves full. A moment later and I found myself rubbing the sudsy concoction directly into the fur of his back in long, slow circles. He started at my touch but when he spied what I was doing, he lay still again and...actually laid out properly for me. Every limb spread out and laid flat, relaxed and ready for some work. And so I obliged him, with more gusto and enthusiasm than I thought possible from such a situation.

"H-hey...just...b-be gentle, would ya?" He groaned softly after I jolted my hooves into his spine and sent a wave of pops and cracks down the immediate area. "B-but for the love of Tälin...don't stop w-whatever magic you're workin'..."

When was the last time I had even heard an offer so enticing? Surely not since my darling Huckleberry so, so long ago... Here I had a handsome stud of my own, completely at my mercy and who had thus far not denied or shrugged off my rather obtuse advances. I couldn't believe just how ravenous my bird kink had become after what could be years of neglect. Of course, I had to be fair to him...I couldn't just jump in there and have my way immediately. No, I had given him a decently serious injury when I had dislocated his arm. While they were rusty from disuse, I still could remember some of the tips and tricks on proper massage Hucks had once taught me. He was a far larger bird than I had ever been with but...I was confident in myself, repeatedly bringing my hooves overflowing with suds to and from the pumps on the wall. I fell into a blissful pattern with my movements, hooves digging deep into his scarred flesh in wide circles like I were kneading a large pile of dough while I made slow work across his neck, shoulders and back. Come time to wash down his wings I became extra gentle and affectionate, to the point I was finding myself nuzzling the length of his wing actually feeling genuinely sorry that I had hurt him. All the while he laid still and rewarded me with some of the loudest and most enticing moans and groans I had ever heard come out of such a unit of a Gryphon. There was just so much I needed to work on, the water dripping off his body coming out a ruddy brown/black that, slowly and reluctantly, began to lighten in color.

"Fuckkkkkk..." He half groaned, half gasped as another loud pop came from his left hip after I had made some adjustments.

"Heh heh...is someone enjoying himself?" I cooed softly, unable to hold back the feisty, playful minx clawing her way out of me. "Don't be afraid to say yes handsome."

"Y-yes..." He moaned again, arching his back like a cat against my hooves as I worked them into his lower back. "Enjoying this sooooo much..."

"Goooooood..." I giggled in response, leaning in close to his ear to give it a playful nibble and getting a very cute squeak of some sort out of him. "Oh myyyy...aren't we a noisy one?"

He visibly shrank in on himself at that, quickly turning his head to face the complete opposite direction from me as he replied, "S-shut...s-s-shut the f-fuck up. You d-didn't hear a goddamned thing, mare."

"Humph...for shame then..." I crooned in response, sliding up a bit more to give his ear another nibble and a light tug just for fun.

"Eeeeep!" He squeaked again, the noise very much akin to the sound a small, happy Feral bird and absolutely adorable in pitch and tone. "F-fuck you! N-no fair! My ears are s-sensitive, damnit!"

"Oh I'm sure they are...I'll keep it in mind."

I didn't immediately resume my assault on his fluffy ears. Instead, I chose to tease him a bit further with a bit of a bait-and-switch by returning to my work on his back and wings. His protests from the moment before were immediately silenced and replaced by more moans of satisfaction and relaxation. I had taken my time working from his neck and shoulders, making sure every inch I could easily reach was well tenderized and massaged. Now that I had reached his hips and lower back, his wings were stiff and spread wide while his long, lion tail swished about eagerly. He was putty in my hooves and just begging for more. Annnnd then of course there was his deliciously fluffy bird ass just casually laying there...

"Mmmfff...t-the fuck you doin' down the-"

In a flash I was already beyond the ability for words as I wrapped his long tail gently around my hoof, hoisting it high and proud for me to see everything he had on offer. The bit of soft pink goodness hidden underneath the base of his tail was just...too fucking tempting, but I had to remain focused on ensuring a clean experience for myself. Before he could say another word I plopped down a large glob of soap and rubbed it in slowly, my body trembling softly with electrified excitement from tail to hooves. From further up his body I could hear his moans of relaxation turn to heated ones of lust as I gingerly soaped up his ass and the back of his sagging, fuzzy sack. Every subtle curve of his rear was on full display for my personal lewd enjoyment and I was almost seeing cross-eyed as I tried to focus through the Berryl haze on such a magnificent sight. It was rare to find a male bird who was into letting his lower half be at the mercy of a hungry mare; as to be expected, most were iffy on being someone else's plaything. Of course, it was up for debate if he would enjoy the ride but not once did a word of protest come out of him. Once I felt the area was clean enough to work with, I wrapped my magic around his waist and casually hoisted his ass up so it was directly under the stream of water. To my delight and surprise however, his moans only grew louder while the shower washed the area clean. For all sakes and appearances, Garand liked his ass getting played with and I couldn't be happier for my luck.

"F-fuck m-mare..." He panted hotly over his shoulder. "T-take a guy to dinner f-first."

I pouted back up at him from around the curve of his ass and replied, "Look buddy, I've been waiting fuckin' years for somethin' like this an-"

"I didn't say to f-fuckin' stop, did I?"

I had to do a double take just to make sure I saw the seriousness in his face despite the water still coaxing a needy undertone out from his expression. He gave me a nod when I cocked an eyebrow followed by a wink and...a beautifully adorable wiggle of his ass for me, his tail flopping lazily from side to side and splashing against the floor. He was even so kind as to move back out of the direct blast of water so I wouldn't drown as I energetically worshiped his asshole.

"I-if you wanna eat it so bad, then fuckin' d-dig in already." He chuckled shyly, the look in his eyes soft from the high though I swear there was something deeply genuine in there as well.

"Mmmmfff..." I whimpered uncontrollably, spreading him apart with my hooves and moving in for my target with an almost primal hunger. "Don't fuckin' mind if I do..."

Even while soaking wet, nothing could beat the feeling of soft nether fur surrounding your face, the precious fuzz obscuring all sight and most sound as you worked away. All the while, the only thing in the universe left to you was your sense of touch...and taste. And while this ass was sadly missing the dripping slit I had grown more accustomed to in recent decades, there was still plenty under his tail for me to relish and enjoy. My mouth still nibbled, drooled and lapped away with all the skill that I was proud to have gained while muzzle deep inside the finest mares Lead Rose and others had on offer. There was something inherently different about the way a Gryphon's ass felt against the tongue compared to the puckered mound found on ponies; the sensation was far softer and velvety, like licking the inside of your cheek. There was no relieving the need building inside me for more of this plush softness against my face and mouth and I found it hard to pull away for more than a moment or two to focus on another area in need of some love. My tongue scraped away manically at his ass like I were on my last meal for life with my only goal being just to worship the damned thing with my mouth as much as I could. That being said, once I felt the heft of his balls drape across my muzzle, wrapping my nose and cheeks in the softest fur on his body to date...there was finally a strong contender for my attention. There was no way for my mind to comprehend just how much time I was spending on him as neither of us were wearing a watch but it was impossible to ignore the immaculate sounds coming out of his beak as I worked my magic. Incoherent words muddled about amidst lustful grunts and groans of pleasure accompanied by an occasional squawk or chirp as he squirmed in my grasp. Truly I had never seen such a hunk of a stud be reduced to such adorable levels of lewd begging and moaning.

Eventually...sadly...my jaw finally called it quits on me and I was forced to stop my assault. This give him some time to lay there limply across my lap and pant, his moans and groans from earlier still punctuating his breaths at complete random. As hard as it was for me to keep shit in focus enough to stay conscious of what was going on, Garand had taken a much larger dose and it was starting to show. His eyes were crossed and unfocused and it was clear from his pleasured mumblings that I had more than likely popped a few fuses in there somewhere. While I gave my jaw and tongue a well-earned break, I gave nuzzling his balls across my muzzle and kissing his hole my top interest. With his hindlegs somewhat propping him up on his own, I was able to finally see what kinda dick I was to be enjoying tonight and admittedly...my heart skipped a beat. I knew what to expect from a full-blooded Gryphon, regardless of his somewhat diminutive stature amongst his species, but even then...it was a bit bigger than I was used to. It was sleek, dark grey like his talons and thick at the pointed head and knot and I could only guess he was breaking the foot-long mark which was...going to be interesting. It wasn't that I didn't want things inside me, let alone him, it was just...questionable how much of him I was gonna be able to stuff up inside me. Not to mention it had been quite some time since I had parted my folds with anything larger than a tongue or a couple of talons so this was going to be an experience. In a small modicum of reassurance though, I was grateful his shaft was at least longer than it was wide and didn't come with any barbs like some Griffs came with which snagged in all the wrong places. I wouldn't be able to get that knot in me like I wanted...but at least he wouldn't tear me apart at my metaphorical seam.

"T-that was..." He began, his panting just as robust as when I had stopped. "W-wow...f-f-fuck..."

"Mmm...was that a compliment I just heard, little bird?" I crooned back at him, hugging the side of his ass so I could leer up at him with a mixture of pride and playful flirtation.

"E-eep!" He squeaked like a rodent caught in a snare, his wings flopping forward to cover his blushing face from sight as he tried getting back on all fours. "S-shut up! I-I'm a b-big Griffin! Er...G-Gryphon!"

"Ohhh...did I hit a sore spot, little bird?" I cooed again, this time letting my words ooze with the smug sound of victory and getting an almost violent shiver out of him as he whined long and hard with a noise I couldn't quite describe.

"S-s-shut up, Athena!" He whimpered again, his legs trembling while his tail wagged from side to side in an excited frenzy, like a cat waiting to pounce. "I'm not l-little! I'm not!"

At this I couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably at just how flustered this seven-foot behemoth was getting over some playful banter. Admittedly he was high as fuck, if not more so than I was, but all the same this was a vulnerable side of him that I was honestly unready for. His snappy remarks had felt a little forced on occasion and it didn't take a genius in psychology to know he was hurting in more ways than just a dislocated shoulder and assorted bruises. If there was one thing Red Berryl highs were good at, it was dropping defenses and allowing people to breathe a sigh of relief and fall into their relaxed, more open selves. In my case, I could feel that feisty side of me on the forefront of my thoughts and actions causing me to be far more bold with him and his body than I would have been otherwise. In his case...I was getting to see just how much of his pride had been wounded and what kind of an affect my words could have on him as the victor from our brawl. Well, that and the fact he was kind of a sub which was far from a problem for me. If anything, it just raised his standing on best birds I had ever taken to bed with me and I had little doubt I was looking at a new champ. If the rest of him was anywhere as enjoyable as toying with his ass was, I was in for the best fuck I'd had in decades with this gigantic dork.

To help offset his embarrassment, I decided my jaw had enjoyed enough of a break and it was time to take things up a notch. With how damn high he was, it didn't take much kneeling to make my way under him and bring my muzzle right up against his dick and I took some time to enjoy it against my face. The poor guy whimpered in pleasure as I did so and I relished in the soft feeling of it throbbing against my cheek as excited blood pumped away through his veins. My face continued to wander and nuzzle around his cock and balls, every now and again finding my lips kissing his pointy member or the soft fur of his lower belly. Despite having to snort water out of my nose every few moments from the deluge surrounding us, I was having just as much fun as he was from the sounds of things; ever more grunts and gasps of delight and enjoyment echoing across the white tiled walls as I continued my worship of his nether regions. Eventually though...I just couldn't deny myself any longer and with a long, slow, drawn out lick from the back of his balls all the way up to the tip of his pointy cockhead, I finally wrapped my lips around his dick. In the same moment, another hunger possessed me. Spurned by faint but happy memories out of another life, I melted into the role I had assigned myself as the unique texture and taste of a bird dick flooded my mouth. My tongue became a wild snake, writhing and thrashing about on the underside of his cock while my cheeks and lips began to suckle away at what few inches of him I could fit in my maw. I was truly blessed he wasn't thick and lengthy, and that I was actually able to cram him in as there was only so much fun to be had from licks and nuzzles. It wasn't often I had a craving for dick but by the gods I was going to milk this one for all it was worth.

"Ohhhhfffucckkkk......" He gasped sharply the moment I wrapped my lips around his member. "Ohhhhyeahhhhh...fuck that's warmmmm..."

I couldn't respond without letting my hungry mouth go unfilled so I replied instead with I felt in a long, whimpering moan of pure ecstacy that I couldn't have down-played if I tried. Years of shoving my tongue where the sun didn't shine had left my gag reflex as more of an afterthought than anything but I knew better than to push my luck with him. The last thing either of us wanted was for me to puke mixed canned vegetables on his cock and potentially even choke on it, regardless of how easy it would be to clean it up. Rather, I made sure to bob my head in short thrusts and focused on keeping my mouth and jaw loose and...inviting. The sensation of such a fine Gryphon member to suck on was immaculate, my tongue bathing in the smooth, fleshy texture as it slid to and fro across it in a comforting, hungry rhythm of lust. I could never quite pinpoint where my love for Griffin/Gryphon cock laid as there were several reasons I preferred them well over the dicks of my fellow Equines. I was no stranger to either, having slept my way around in both the pre and post-apocalypse but my experiences with the male sex had usually involved some sort of exchange. Whether it were the lead gunsmith at Ironshod and his assistants for my Sequoia or the ex-NER guy who ran the Gun Runners Kiosk in The Pile, I was usually after something when I agreed to fuck a stallion. While getting stuffed by anything when you're aroused was usually a guaranteed good time, I had just never found pony dick all that pleasing to the eye. It wasn't ugly per-se, I just never felt as aroused by them as the other mares around me had always seemed to be.

With a bird...well, there was just more to look at in my opinion. Stallions' dicks were all solid rods of meat with an awkwardly flaring cockhead that made swallowing a cumshot extremely difficult, assuming you could even keep them in at that point. Griffins and Gryphons alike tended to have more narrow dicks with heads that easily pushed their way between your lips and could even perfectly kiss your cervix deep inside if they were big enough. Just because the vagina was capable of stretching to accommodate more than it reasonably should, it did not mean that I liked pushing that feature of my own. Stallions tended to be thick and well hung, a fact that tended to stretch me very uncomfortably on the inside just to fit them all in me and get my metaphorical monies worth. Birds...well, they tended to either stay relatively slim up to the knot or have a gradual increase in girth the further down you went. The If they were a partner of any worth, they would recognize by just how much they were spreading you apart on them and make sure they didn't stuff it in too deep and risk hurting you. Sure, it came at the cost of getting knotted like the little bird slut I was at heart but at the end of the day, if they left me loaded up on the inside with a nice creampie...I was a happy and satisfied little mare.

The curse of soreness from earlier returned to my jaw far sooner than I would have liked and once again, I was forced to pull my mouth away from his member and emerge back out from under him for a break. Soon as I did, he splashed down hard onto the floor as if his legs had given way and he took a moment to grunt and grumble in pain as he curled up a bit on the floor. I opened my overworked mouth to comment on how cute he looked curled up like a cat but he cut me off before I even had a chance to begin; latching onto my leg with his talons and pulling me in close. It...took a second for my Berryl addled brain to compute what was happened for a second but in a flash it clicked with me that my mouth was once again stuffed with something. When reality decided to ping my brain with an image of the present it was the sight of his face right up against mine, the tip of his beak shoved into my mouth while my tongue was being...wrestled by his? Oh my gods...was...was he kissing me back of his own accord? There was no denying what had just happened, even if the high made everything feel like a dream. He had pulled me in, of his own free will, and was now sloppily making out with me while his talons groped their way around my body at complete random...as if he just couldn't get enough of me. Such a compliment from one such as he and one that I was proud to be a part of.

"Mmmff...aren't you just the cutest little mare..." He chuckled huskily after pulling out of our heated kiss for some air. "Look at you...just letting me fondle you however I'd like..."

A wave of heat hit my face and I looked away completely overcome with flustered embarrassment. His tone had changed from his earlier squeak and I could tell from the way he was handling me the Berryl was starting to really kick in. His grip was firm but unfocused and while I was normally afraid of birds getting too into it and showing no mercy on my body till they came...there was a reserved gentleness in his touch I couldn't ignore. Like...I was something to be explored and enjoyed but not abused or too roughly handled. And for this, I let his talons wander where they would on me. I was strangely at ease in his hands and as a result, I was willing and maybe even a little eager to be his plaything. As he had mentioned before, his time in the Stable had given plenty of experience of bedding Equines and he had obviously learned well during his tenure underground.

"I-I...d-dunno what you're talking about." I squeaked back which only seemed to amuse him more, his talons gripping slightly tighter as he made sure to cup my ass in both hands.

"Mmmm...oh I fuckin' think you do, little lady." He chuckled again, rolling over to his side before dragging us closer to the wall where he propped himself up against and plopping me onto his chest. "Where'd you learn to suck dick like that, eh?"

"Heh...y-years of practice. Something you seem to have as well, heh..."

"Heh heh...more than a little practice making you ponies moan and whine for more. Mares and stallions alike are free fuckin' game for fun and satisfaction. Observe!"

He grabbed my tail in his fist near the base and hiked it high just like I had done with him, the results more or less the same on me as they had been on him. Even as the mewling whine of need escaped my lips I was already attempting to stuff a hoof in my mouth to stop him from hearing it. It...wasn't that I was afraid of showing him just how fucking much I wanted him, it was more of a...personal surprise to myself at just how vocal I still could be. The slow loss of my empathy and basic emotion had rendered my sexual interactions of the last century plus more of a business deal than anything else. While pleasure and satisfaction were certainly part of the goal, things felt different back then. I was existing for the sake of existing using the only life I had ever known as my means of making ends meet in the new world. Sex was still a scrumptious dessert for the senses but it had lost its deeper meaning somewhere along the way for me. Feeling want for someone like this was almost completely foreign to me, at least in the traditional sense. I knew and felt lust but in my heart I could feel this was somehow different. I couldn't deny that I wanted everything coming to me (pun most certainly intended).

"Oh my, heh heh..." He chuckled again with smug satisfaction, giving my tail another couple playful tugs. "Noisy little thing aren't we?"

"U-um...well...y-yes." I sighed in defeat, unable to even think up a compelling counterargument let alone a witty retort. "S-so are you, you fuckin' subby ass b-bitch."

"Hey!" He exclaimed with a bashful look of sheepishness while pointing a talon at me. "We don't talk about that shit. You didn't hear anything, got it?"

I grinned softly back up at him, playfully licking the talon he had pointing at me which caught him a bit by surprise before I replied, "Sureee...whatever you say. You certainly seemed to enjoy your ass getting eaten...pretty subby behavior if you ask me."

"Heh...then let's see how stoic you can be while your ass is gettin' scraped clean by some real talent!"

Without even giving me a moment to think the talons he had around my waist clamped down tightly and I felt myself get lifted effortlessly into the air. While my face got the full brunt of a nearby showerhead, the complete opposite end of me felt another feeling altogether. All at once that long ass tongue of his that I had spied earlier was upon me and it was taking absolutely no prisoners in its assault. He had opened his beak wide and straddled my hindlegs in between, allowing the fruits of his labor to trickle and drip directly down into his maw. His tongue was...something else entirely, my efforts on him before now paling in comparison to the slippery eel he was lashing against me. My lower half was alight with an overload of pleasure and warm, wet sensations as he skillfully slithered his way between my folds and deep within my dripping insides. Though he held me aloft in his hands, I had to steady my forelegs against the tiled wall for support while my mind melted under the heat of the moment. Endlessly he coiled and rolled it around inside me, every ribbed fold along the length of my love tunnel feeling the wrath of his tongue as it ran a campaign of wonderful terror against every inch of sensitive flesh I had. For once I had to admit to myself that even with how wet I got when turned on, this guy was the first who seemed to lap it up as soon as it was produced and I was almost afraid I'd be too dry for him.

There wasn't a single coherent word coming out of my mouth as his tongue ravaged me, the walls of the shower room echoing every gasp, squeak, whine and whimper he lapped away at my pussy. The tip of his tongue wiggled to and fro of its own accord, tickling against my cervix wildly while he bunched up what was left outside against my drooling lips. Every drop I had on offer was immediately his and he gave a deep, hungry growl of lust and satisfaction as he teased out ever more of my peachy juices. After a few minutes of this, he switched to a controlled ferocity as he masterfully waggled his long, warm member around and around my insides like a cyclone; what tongue he had pressed against my labia and clit pulsing in rhythm with his mad feast. There was just too much for my Berryl addled mind to process as he continued, my body alight with a majestic glow of unbearably satisfying light and warmth. I moaned and cried with reckless abandon, almost shouting myself hoarse when I couldn't take any more and exploded in his face like a popped water balloon. I was completely at his mercy as he had reduced my brain to mush and my body as supple and pliable as warm clay. No mare, stallion or bird had ever brought me to my knees with just their tongue alone and this guy hadn't even stuck it in me yet. And all I fuckin' wanted was more of it.

Time lost all meaning for several moments as my horny mind surfed waves of afterglow in search of the shores of reality. I was gasping for breath in the steamy air, fighting to regain all the air I had screamed out of me when I came and finally I found relief. The first thing my eyes recognized was his face, his beautiful eyes like bright amber gazing down at me with a soft but smug expression of victory. I was...laying on my back across his chest, cradled in one arm while the other was...twirling a few strands of my sopping mane around his talon? Gods was he soft...

"Heh heh...looks like the lil' princess enjoyed her test drive." He chuckled at me, letting my hair slip from around his talon so he could use it to trace my chin slowly. "Mmmmff...my compliments to the chef by the way. You taste better than half the mares in Stable 39 did. Gods...I forgot how sweet peaches were."

It was so sudden and personal that I couldn't control a squeak of surprise and instinctually snapped my hooves over my face to just...hide from the sheer embarrassment. Peaches were a flavor long extinct in the Post-War world but he still knew and remembered it well enough to compare me to the real deal. It was a compliment I had gotten used to but this time...it just hit differently. Perhaps it was just due to all the sexual tension that had built up between us in so short a time but I found his words hitting particularly deep. The wasn't even a hint of that snarky sarcasm I had come to associate with him, the looks in his eyes sincere and genuine giving little room for doubts to form in the shadow of uncertainty.

His amused chuckles continued as he nudged my hooves away from my face with his beak, grabbed me firmly by the ass and said, "Oh don't you worry one fuckin' bit you cute little piece of ass. We're only gettin' started, sweet lips."

Next Chapter: Chapter Forty-Four: A Test of Trust Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 53 Minutes