Chapter 3: A Waltz for a Night

Riffraff had initially begun stumbling in the direction of Graceful Melody's motel, but found himself making a beeline for the first small shop he spotted in the outskirts of the tiny settlement. The blood-red pegasus now sat on the ground in front of the poorly lit store, holding a cigarette with a trembling hoof to his muzzle. He'd run inside and bought a pack of the brand he was most familiar with, realizing the agony he'd been suffering was the desire to succumb to the payment for his contract.

Nearly a dozen smoked butts littered the concrete around him, along with a rather unsightly puddle of cooling vomit and bile. The stallion shivered but couldn't stop himself from lighting the next cylinder despite how nauseous he felt. While the various precautions he'd taken during the summoning (not to mention the fortuitous moments of manipulation) certainly reduced the demon's ability to control his mortal form, this initiation to the chosen method of his payment caused an urge so intense that he had no choice but to fill his lungs with the foreign smoke. While Riff knew the demon had no direct physical control over his body, the torture of failing to fulfill his contractual obligations would be beyond his imagination, if the books on the subject were correct. And considering how those books were probably the only reason I survived the summoning...I'm gonna listen...

He trembled silently, drawing slowly on the smoldering cigarette and then sighing through the thick plume of bluish smoke that trailed out from his nose and muzzle. His stomach churned and he winced again before rubbing his free hoof through his now-sweaty and messy off-red mane. Dark silver eyes flicked to his other side, where the scarred guitar lay propped against the wall of the store. He grumbled quietly before blinking as he suddenly realized the pain he felt across his hips originated not internally, but from the outside...where his tilted-scales emblem had been overtaken by an ugly black “X”. The pegasus slowly poked it with a grimace, gritting his teeth at the shock of pain, as if he'd touched a freshly burned patch of skin.

As he continued to stare at the scarred flesh, he could swear he saw a writhing motion, rippling through his singed hide as if something lurked beneath the surface. It was then he realized that the mark was a depiction of a crossroads. Riffraff smiled grimly, closing his eyes and idly prodding the matching mark that steadily faded into existence on his opposite flank. He almost relished the sharp pain, realizing ironically that he didn't really mind if this was to be his new cutie mark. The winged stallion smiled slightly to himself again, continuing to draw quietly on the cigarette as he tucked the half-empty pack into the body of his worn guitar while slowly standing up.

His legs swayed and he closed his eyes as vertigo and fatigue simultaneously shook his sense. The excitement of going to meet his...hero? Heartthrob? Please, he doesn't even know I exist. Victim of my stalking? Yeah that sounds about right...was steadily coming back to him, though his entire body was still wracked with the combination of summoning a powerful demon, wheedling his way into a dangerously two-sided pact and now apparently being addicted to cigarettes. He shook his head firmly, then quietly slung the guitar around his neck and onto his back, flapping his wings once before furling them protectively against the battered instrument. “Probably need to avoid flying until I remember how the hell how to,” he mumbled, drawing slowly on the half-smoked cigarette one last time before half-forcing his hoof to the side, flicking the butt away as a spray of embers exploded through the dark night. He checked for a street sign, but figured the small town – barely even a village by most standards – surprised him enough having a small jazz club and a motel...he wasn't going to count on proper signage.

The pegasus took a moment to judge the size of the thoroughfare beneath his hooves, then shrugged and began a brisk trot down the abandoned road, glancing so often at the rarely-lit buildings to either side. He had spend a bit of time downtown earlier that evening to watch the start of Graceful’s set before heading out to the crossroads. The slender singer had been booked to play for four continuous nights, that evening's having been the final show. I’m not gonna have a job when I get back...if I go back... Against his better judgment (and the half-pleading request from one of the kinder interns in his office), he’d skipped out on a fairly important case involving a botched bank robbery. For some reason, the district attorney and even both assistant DAs had decided to pass the case down to Riffraff, likely due to the precedents the defense planned to use as reason to have their client released without charges. But he’d set the date for the summoning ceremony months ago, carefully picking through countless records of historical celestial occurrences to find a night that met the vast range of requirements listed across the books he considered most reliable.

He felt that the risk had been worth taking, considering he was neither dead nor had he walked away from the summoning with empty hooves. If Amdusias had truly given him the gift of musical ability, the stallion would be glad to never sit inside a courtroom again. “Not like I was making a killing as a lawyer, anyway,” he mumbled, nodding once to himself and then turning down a smaller street as he recognized the grocery store he'd just passed. I guess the real question is...what's gonna happen with Graceful Melody...

The muscular pony continued to trot along the quiet roads until his eyes managed to make out the sign for the motel in the distance. He studied the squat building for a moment, but he saw multiple rooms with light streaming out through shuttered windows – not all that helpful in pinpointing the slender pegasus's room. He shrugged and decided to go with his instincts as he strode into the dingy lobby-and-front-desk area, using a rear hoof to stop the door from slamming. He heard a quiet snoring from behind the desk and frowned as he spotted the middle-aged unicorn snoozing in a worn chair at the check-in area. Gonna have to wake him up anyway... He sighed softly and approached the counter, opening his muzzle to wake the snorting male. But he paused as his eyes flicked across the open logbook a few feet away. The pegasus peered carefully at the unicorn once more and then inhaled slowly as he reached out with a hoof to slowly pull the book toward himself.

It only took a few seconds to find the entry for Graceful Melody – the motel had not seen more than a few guests over the last week and the singer apparently had no qualms with using his real name rather than an alias. Then again, it's not like he's super-famous...I'm just more than a little obsessed... Riffraff smiled amusedly despite himself, gingerly sliding the book back toward the unicorn and then making his way to the lobby stairs.

He arrived on the third floor slightly winded, breathing softly and realizing after a moment that the half-pack of cigarettes he'd sucked down like so much candy was taking its toll on his lungs. He grimaced and pounded quietly at his chest, then turned to follow the numbered doors until he came to 303. The stallion looked stupidly at the door for several moments, wondering what the hell he would even say. And what if there's somepony in there, too? Oh Horses of Heaven, of course there's probably somepony else in there. Why on earth didn't I think of that... Riffraff grit his teeth and dropped his head forward...only to bang his muzzle firmly against the wooden surface of the door.

The pegasus immediately yelped and then covered his maw with a hoof as he stared around morbidly, cursing silently and starting to quickly backpedal on three legs. As he did so, the battered guitar slid past one of his furled wings and swung by its strap around the pony's neck to thump soundly against the same door. His eyes widened and he briefly wondered if the demon had already returned to begin his promised reign of torture. But when the door to room 303 slowly opened and the curious features of the periwinkle pegasus within peered out at him, Riffraff lost whatever chance he had of recovering from his stumble. “Uh, uh. Um...uh...”

The smaller male blinked owlishly, rubbing at his eyes sleepily before squinting and asking curiously: “Do I know you? An' what time is it? I'm not getting arrested, am I? 'S not my fault that that guy was almost as loud as me...besides, there's like almost no--”

“Um...I'm...not here to arrest you,” Riffraff stammered. His features flushed and he felt blood pounding in his cheeks and ears as he licked his lips and blurted: “I'm here to see if you wanna be partners or something.”

“Eh? Partners?” Graceful wrinkled his muzzle before yawning widely. “I mean...there's probably room in the bed, but...'s pretty late and stuff. I'm usually good to go in the morning, though, if you wanna come back and give me some breakfast in bed, if you know what I mean.” The slim pegasus giggled tiredly before pausing as Riffraff stared at him with obviously pleading in his eyes. “Wait...do I...know you?”

“Um.” Riffraff blushed again as he sat back on his haunches as well in the hallway, fiddling nervously with the neck of the guitar. “Well, I...have seen a...a few shows of yours...”

Graceful Melody squinted his soft grey eyes once more before giving a loud laugh of recognition. “Oh yeah! Now I remember you, you've been followin' me around, and you're always staring but like you never come up afterward, and I was wondering why. I mean, you're pretty cute and...well, I certainly am not THAT picky, and...”

“I...I don't just want to be a one-night-fling,” Riffraff interrupted nervously, running a hoof through his messy mane before smiling sheepishly and silently gripping his guitar against his chest. “I...wanted to play for you and...see what you thought, and...maybe we could do a few shows or something together...” He nodded and swallowed thickly, half-turning his head away in anticipation of the rejection he expected.

He was greeted only by thoughtful silence, however, and he slowly glanced back to meet the performer's eyes. Graceful Melody looked over him in return, then shook his head as he spoke softly: “I'm...I'm usually a one-pony act. Used to picking up a band where I am, when I need it. But...well, why dun you come on in, play a little something and...if you're really honest about wanting to travel around with me, let's see if you're up for it.” He smiled softly and winked. “I'm kinda all awake now, anyway.”

Riffraff's breath caught in his throat and he blushed deeply again. “I..I can come in now?”

The other pegasus laughed and nudged the door open, turning around and sauntering back into the room with just enough sway in his hips to return Riffraff's blush to his cheek. He hesitated only a second before following the slender male into the room, awkwardly nudging the door shut behind him and quickly looking around. As he'd half-suspected, he could see a masculine figure in the darkness, sprawled across the too-small bed with the sheets thrown across his frame. Riffraff heard his snores but still moved as gingerly as he could after the silver stallion. Graceful Melody slipped out onto the tiny balcony without a sound, his hoofsteps soft and as tender as his voice. Riffraff could only attempt to make his movements as quiet, wincing once when the guitar smacked lightly against the sliding glass door.

He carefully slid it shut behind him, then turned around, almost nose-to-nose with a smiling Graceful. The larger stallion blushed once more but smiled back sheepishly before clearing his throat awkwardly. He looked around lamely and eventually sat back upon one of the ratty plastic chairs before holding the guitar quietly to his body and letting his hooves find their places. Across from him, Graceful remained standing, but was clearly waiting, listening patiently. It was then that Riffraff realized he hadn't even yet tried out the ability Amdusias had gifted to him. He sat there stupidly, staring down at his guitar before swallowing as he started to strum one of his favorite songs, one he'd practiced for years and yet had still never quite gotten down entirely. He started to move his hooves across the strings, clumsily at first. He winced, a few disharmonious chords clanging out as his legs trembled nervously. A mumbled apology slipped out from his muzzle but he kept his eyes down, afraid to look up and find disappointment in his idol's gaze.

After a few carefully strummed bars, however, Riffraff remembered the strange, foreign sensation he'd experienced when Amdusias had shown him what his hooves would be able to do. With a grimace, he concentrated on the specific agony he'd felt, closing his eyes and focusing every bit of his will into reproducing that sensation. At first he felt nothing, only proceeding to pick nervously at the introduction to the song with the awkward, clunky motions of his hooves. I dunno how those other guys do it...just never been able to quite get th—ooh SCREW ME! The stallion's eyes suddenly bulged as several veins along his neck and forelegs pulsed visibly.

Across from him, Graceful Melody blinked and looked confused, his head tilted to one side. He leaned forward slightly in concern but Riffraff bit his lip hard and focused on the music, the notes he could hear as naturally in his mind as he would in his ears. Fighting through the unexpected but familiar pain of before, he forced himself to ignore the horrifying sensation of multiple small, flexible appendages forming beneath his hoof, desperately attempting to keep his attention on playing the ugly guitar. He nonetheless stole a look downward in the fear that this transformation would terrify his captive audience and succinctly ruin all chances of a future partnership...but Graceful had not uttered a peep, and as the crimson pegasus watched these new, temporary flanges beginning to pick the strings with ease, he realized they were inconspicuous enough that one would either have to be directly next to him or peering over his shoulder to spot the tiny flagella. That or know enough about guitars to figure out that it ain't a big stupid hoof doing this...

The intro to the song came so smoothly through his hooves that he didn't realize he'd come to the opening stanza. He blinked in surprise as the slender male's voice drifted through the air in time to his gentle playing, smiling shyly as he continued to strum slowly.

“What'll you do when you get lonely...and nobody's waiting by your side?” Riffraff glanced up with a blush, his eyes meeting the soulful irises of the smaller stallion. “You've been runnin', hidin' much too long...you know it's just your foolish pride...”

Riffraff was filled with a sense of pride and astonishment, staring at Graceful with disbelief at the situation; here he was, playing the guitar as he'd always dreamed as the obsession of his last several months sang along with him. His ears heard only the eloquent and melodic flow from Graceful's muzzle, his eyes only taking in the sleek frame and gentle rhythmic movements of the winged singer as the rest of the world faded blissfully from his senses. The larger male watched Graceful's eyes half-lid, his own blush becoming all the more prevalent as they entered the second stanza in perfect time together. But the blue-grey pegasus sounded breathier, his voice rougher and the all-too-obvious signs of arousal bubbling to the surface as he visibly struggled to sing the lines in key.

The strangely fierce attraction to this shy guitarist was too much for Graceful Melody's unquenchable desires and he suddenly shoved out of his chair in mid-verse, wings flapping once to carry him across the small balcony and astride Riffraff's lap as the other male yelped in surprise. The guitar fell to the side with a distinctive twang as Graceful's muzzle shoved against the larger stallion's own like a tidal wave smashing against an eager rock face, his forelegs wrapping tightly around his neck as they began to kiss almost ferociously.

They somehow managed to make their way inside and eventually stumbled up to the bed together. Riffraff's senses were aflame with passion but he was still fairly sure he rolled onto the unknown stallion from Graceful's earlier “session”. The earth pony immediately stirred and yelled in surprise as the two pegasi moved eagerly together, falling out of the bed and dragging one of the sheets with him as he stared with horror when the feminine stallion gave a long moan of delight. “What the hell!?! Who...who is this, what are you two – oh gods, that's...Graceful!” His outburst began in outrage but ended as a rather pitiful whine, the earth pony seeming somewhat hurt as his eyes widened.

The lithe pegasus jerked his head to the side, his eyes half-lidded and burning with pleasure as he rasped: “You can see your way out, right?” He paused as his eyes bulged and he gave a half-cry, half-laugh of delight as his back arched and his wings fluttered wildly on the bed beneath him, grinning widely at the horrified earth pony again. “It...it was a pleasure to...meet you, um...whatever your name is but – oh! – but...but...” His halfhearted apology twisted into a long whine as he threw his head back in bliss and Riffraff panted hard above him.

Whatever feeble attempt the ousted stallion had in mind for regaining his position with the singer was lost in his awkward scramble backward toward the door. He regained his hooves a moment later and mumbled some manner of insult before bolting out of the room. The other two hardly noticed as they drowned themselves in the delight of each other, their bodies writhing together, diving deep into the blissful throes of spontaneous romance as Riffraff's abandoned guitar lay gleaming in the pale moonlight that streamed across them through the balcony door.

Graceful Melody sat up in their tent, blinking and feeling suddenly awake despite the unexpected departure from his sleep. He glanced around in confusion – hadn't he and Riff fallen asleep outside the tent, next to the fire? He frowned and rubbed at one of his many earrings before staring at his foreleg, realizing with shock that his coveted lightning-bolt tattoos were glowing, twisting unnatural around his limb. He blinked several more times and then yelped as a voice whispered teasingly from outside the tent. “Graaaaceful...”

The slender pegasus shivered and reached over blindly to shake his companion awake, but his hoof only shoved against a thick mound of pillows and blankets. He looked over in disbelief as what he thought had been his partner fell apart into a disheveled mass of bedding. “What...what's...am I dreaming? Who's...who's there?”

The same voice from before giggled outside of the tent, Graceful's soft grey eyes spotting a shadow swaying slowly before the fading glow of their campfire. “Amdusias was right, you're a dumb little colt!” It tittered cheerfully again and the scared pegasus watched the shadow – pony-like in form, but with an obnoxiously large mane, styled up with twisted braids and dreadlocks – continue to gyrate steadily against the wall of the tent. He stared as the figure reached up into its mane, then pulled out a slender object that glinted despite casting a dark shadow against the tent. But it wasn't until the strange creature jabbed it into its own foreleg with a low grunt that Grace realized it was a hypodermic needle, his ears going flat as he whimpered softly and slowly shrunk back to the furthest corner of the small tent. The shadow gave a shuddering groan before sighing loudly in pleasure, the needle still visibly hanging from its arm. “Ooooh, yeah. That's the stuff...nothin' like a good hit before a show...mmm.” And then somehow, Graceful Melody felt the shadowed figure grin toothily despite seeing only its silhouette and he shivered as it spoke with a now-lilting tone. “C'moooon out, Grace...I'm not here to hurtcha...mm-mmmmm, just here to talk, sugah...”

Hesitantly, the nervous pony reached forward and unzipped the front of the tent and immediately whimpered as he was greeted with two glowing red eyes and sharp teeth that gleamed unnaturally in the mouth of the silhouetted figure. He swallowed and then slowly stepped out of the tent, edging around the creature and toward the fire. It turned easily with him, keeping its bright eyes on his trembling figure until he sat down apprehensively, now able to see the apparition before him.

Most of its features seemed to belong to a pony, other than the fact that it had no hide whatsoever besides its greasy-looking mane. Its red eyes studied him intently, sunken back into the smooth dark-grey skin that stretched over its bony form. Its legs all ended in sharp claws rather than hooves, and a row of thin spikes lined the creature's spine, ending in a tail that seemed reptilian in nature, long and whip-like. A mottled tongue swept quickly along the sharp teeth that lined its hairless muzzle, unblinking eyes continuing to stare with a mixture of curiosity and mockery. Graceful could also see that it had apparently been a unicorn at some point in time, but its horn had been sawed off near the base, leaving an ugly, smooth stump half-hidden by the messy, twisted manestyle. The pegasus swallowed thickly again. “Are...you a demon? Are you here for Riffraff?”

It continued to leer at him for a moment longer before throwing its head back and laughing raucously, its voice rough and yet lyrical in an off-key sort of way. “Oh no, no, no,” it replied easily, drawing out each word slightly before leaning forward with a teasing whisper: “Your big stallion's above my pay grade, yes, yes he is...but I am here from Lord Amdusias, with a message! A warning! Yeeees, sugah babe, here to warn ya!” Graceful Melody whimpered and lowered his ears, his body dropping a bit lower to the ground as the thrall continued in what he now thought was a distinctly female voice: “Storm's comin'...real dark storm, the kind you ain't gonna survive! You, your stallion...you both gonna die, but Lord Amdusias gonna take real good care of you! Mhmm, if you two ain't passin' on, he'll be here for ya, every day, every single day! Waitin'...he's real excited about Mistah Riffraff, he is...but he wants you two to know that big things are brewin', and the horizon ain't what it used to be.” It smiled, half-cruel, half-pitying as it slowly stepped backward, away from the fire and toward the shadows of the dream-world forest as Graceful shivered and felt the darkness pressing in all around him. “But don't you two go doin' anythin' dumb, now...he'll be watchin'. He wants you for himself, and he'll kill anyone he's gotta kill to make sure, oh yes, yes he will...” It grinned toothily again, only its teeth and eyes once again visible as it slunk backward into the treeline with a final, soft whisper: “Pray hard, baby...you gonna need every bit'a help you can get 'til that cold, hard end...”

The pegasus blinked and staggered forward, asking weakly, “But...wait, help for...help for what? What's coming?!?” The figure had disappeared into the darkness of Graceful's dream-forest, however, and not even a whisper returned to him. He took one more hesitant step, then sat back again, frowning and rubbing at the side of his skull as he let the dream fade naturally around him, the quiet black of night – and something perhaps beyond -- steadily encroaching the confused stallion.

Graceful Melody woke before his companion as he often did, blinking owlishly before he rubbed his hooves against his eyes. The pegasus mumbled quietly, then sat up and glanced around, confirming that they had in fact slept outside and not within the tent he'd seen in his dream. He sighed and carefully extracted himself from the larger pony's embrace – he'd taken Graceful into a tight hug at some point during the night. The slender male certainly didn't mind. Just hard to make coffee like this... He smiled slightly and quietly adjusted the sheet around Riffraff before kneeling by the fire pit to rekindle the warm embers still smoldering from the night before.

His thoughts wandered as the fire once more began to crackle, idly balancing the percolator carefully across the rocks as the mixture of coffee beans and filtered water began to bubble upon the flames. What's coming...what's Amdusias planning? He'd seen the demon perform various feats of power in the past – Amdusias had once appeared during a show at a fully-packed night club, appearing at center stage as Riffraff had been mid-solo, and the entire audience had been frozen in place while the demon proceeded to lecture the scowling guitarist on improving his talent further. Graceful hadn't known how to react, only able to stare out at the unmoving audience before looking at the reptilian creature with disbelief. Riffraff had appeared less affected, grumbling throughout the snide preaching before hissing at the demon to get lost when he'd turned his attention to Graceful Melody in an attempt to rile the larger pegasus. And just as easily as he'd trapped the nearly-hundred-strong audience in a single moment of time, the demon had played a smooth tune on his gleaming saxophone and caused the whole crowd to come back to their senses a moment after he disappeared, the memory of the scaled demon having been replaced apparently with a bright lens flare from the stage lights.

But Graceful wasn't quite sure that the demon lord himself had any plans to bring some era of darkness. Amdusias had shown more than once or twice that he was perfectly capable of being as cruel as any other creature of Helheim, but the reptilian creature had also shown subtle hints to the ponies that his intentions were hardly destructive. Amdusias might have a bit of an egotistical streak, but he was by no means a megalomaniac and even though Riffraff had told Grace numerous times over not to trust or assume anything with the demon, Graceful had never felt that Amdusias meant to bring any kind of cataclysm to the world. In fact, he's kinda basically just. Obsessed with getting Riff's soul. I know that sucks, too, and isn't any better or anything, but...he never talks about doing any taking over of Equestria or...really even getting himself more...minions, or whatever they're called...

The slender male continued to mull over the subject while slowly swirling the percolator around, evening the strength of the brew. He felt somewhat overwhelmed, having difficulty even wrapping his head around the idea that something terrible lurked on the horizon. He'd become rather accustomed to prancing with Riffraff at his side, their only worries paying for the next rental check or instrument repair. Having to try and fathom something that threatened more than their daily survival was a foreign concept to the feminine pegasus. He grimaced and rubbed a hoof through his messy mane – its natural state, though the normally spiky-curly locks now simply stood out chaotically in all directions – and sighed quietly.

His multiple-pierced ears perked when he heard his companion stirring behind him, glancing over his shoulder and immediately brightening as Riffraff sat up with a mumble. “You're s'posed to make the mornings happy, Grace...why you sighin' 'n stuff so early?”

Graceful Melody blushed. “Sorry, Riff! I...I hope I didn't wake ya up.” He smiled sheepishly as he dug through one of their scattered bags while murmuring embarrassedly: “Sorry, I was just...thinkin' and stuff. Uh. Did you...have any bad dreams or...visitors or...anything?”

The larger pegasus gazed at his companion blearily, rubbing slowly at his eyes before flopping onto his back again. “Th' hell you thinkin' about? But nah, I dreamed...about the past. That night...when...when I...”

“When you did the bravest thing any pony could ever do, just to be with me,” Graceful whispered softly, cutting the other stallion off from his darker self-recriminations. “Don't beat yourself up about it. It's...been almost two years...”

“I know, I know...but still...” Riff sighed and then leaned up on one foreleg, gazing across at his partner worriedly. “But don't make this about me, what did you mean by bad dreams and visitors?” He paused, then frowned as he asked sharply, “Did...did he come back and talk to you last night?”

“Huh? Oh, no, no...no, Amdusias wasn't here. But...well. One of his...thrall-thingies was, now that I think about it, I think...you told me about her...” Graceful leaned back again with a small smile, producing powdered creamer and a plastic bag half-full with sugar. “The uh...the one with the needles?”

Riffraff scowled and sat up a bit more, making a face. “You mean that bitch who wants to be Amy Winehorse? Horses of Heaven, I can't stand her.” He mumbled and then rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “The hell did she want?”

“I...I dunno, I think...I mean, she said she had a message from Amdusias. But it didn't make any sense...”

The larger pegasus held back his urge to snap at his companion, instead standing up and slowly shaking out his feathered mane, keeping his eyes on the nervous Graceful. The periwinkle stallion fidgeted with one hoof still idly swirling the percolator, then finally glanced up at Riffraff. “She said that...I dunno, sounded like...a prediction or something. Something bad, though...something...ahead that I think we should be scared of.” Graceful Melody looked down, swallowing thickly with an unnerved expression even as he removed the hot canister from the fire pit.

As always, when Riff tried to help by digging out their chipped mugs, the slender male shooed him quietly with a hoof and busied himself with preparing both their coffees. He smiled faintly, then grimaced as an all-too-familiar throbbing began just behind his temples. The stallion sighed and dug in his jacket for a moment to extract the rumpled pack of cigarettes. His partner glanced up long enough to give him a worried gaze, but Riffraff only smiled thinly and returned the same dismissive wave. “I'm fine. Shoulda had one before bed. Anyway...” He paused for a moment and lit the tip of the cylinder perched between his lips, inhaling a slow, deep breath of the thick smoke before exhaling slowly through his nose. “I don't think we should get ourselves all worked up over whatever that...thing told you,” he murmured, gesturing around them with the glowing cigarette, thin wisps of smoke twisting around his features. “We're...we're doing good, ourselves. The world's been pretty kind to us lately, with everything considered. We're making decent money...and...” He smiled slightly again as the feminine pegasus carefully slid a steaming mug of coffee into his free hoof. “Thanks, Grace.”

The masculine pony sipped carefully at the perfect mix of creamer, sugar and coffee, sighing in soft content for a moment. As he drew on the cigarette automatically, Graceful softly finished his earlier statement: “And we have each other, right?”

“That's right,” Riffraff replied quietly, nodding and meeting the gleaming silver of his companion's irises. “Besides, she could have just been talking horse apples. Gods know she's always shooting up with...whatever that junk is that demons can apparently get high with.”

“Really bad emotions?” Graceful suggested, but smiling in a way that brought an amused expression to his partner's face. “I know, I know, you've told me about a BILLION times how that whole thing works with...demons and emotions and stuff. It isn't a drug, it's...more like a dietary supplement.”

Riffraff smiled amusedly despite himself and grunting as he took another slow sip of coffee. “Better, though I dunno why you can't just...understand it instead of always trying to figure out some damn comparison or metaphor.”

But the slender pegasus only jutted his chin out childishly and slurped with gusto at his own – surprisingly black – coffee. “I'm a singer! I like words! So...go and fornicate with yourself in the corner.” He stuck out his tongue, the silver stud pierced through it gleaming in the morning sunlight.

Riffraff snickered and flicked his cigarette to the side before retorting, “I wouldn't even be able to get started with how fast you'd come running over.” Graceful laughed, far from denying his partner's words. “Anyway, we got a big trip ahead of us. So no gloomy thoughts, it's probably four or five days to Canterlot from here and the last thing we need is to be worrying about some junkie from the underworld telling us the world is gonna end or something.”

Graceful Melody nodded in agreement, smiling and starting to clean up their campsite with the mug of coffee still in hoof. “So you just wanna eat on the road, then?”

“Yeah, we should have plenty of dried fruit still...might as well get moving soon. Gonna be a long, boring trip. The only things we'll probably see are your creepy little friends in the woods.”

“They aren't creepy,” Graceful whined, kicking some dirt onto the fire and flapping his wings a few times. “You should try and talk to them sometimes, the Phooka are really actually nice!”

“Right up until they hypnotize little children and carry them off to eat them,” Riffraff mumbled, earning a scowl from the slim male. “And you, they'd probably mistake for a filly. A tasty little snack to start their day off right.”

The other pegasus huffed. “You're just jealous 'cause they don't talk to you! And they don't actually carry kids off, I heard that was all just stories made up to scare little colts and fillies.” He paused, then frowned as he dumped the grinds out of the percolator and onto the smoldering ashes. “They...don't, though, right? I mean, they've never tried to hurt me...” He gazed across at Riffraff with a hint of worry creasing his features.

But the larger stallion only smiled slightly. “Well...I do think the stories are embellished, but...stories all start somewhere, right?” He drained the rest of his coffee as well, then tossed his finished cigarette onto the steaming remains of their fire. “Why don't you just ask one of 'em next time? I honestly just never studied many creatures beyond...demons, butthead. I don't wanna lie to you, I only know what I've heard.”

“Well...I think whatever you've heard has been baloney,” Graceful Melody said impishly, splashing a bit of water from one of their canteens into his mug to rinse it out before tossing it into the same bag as the rest of their motley cooking supplies. “I think too many ponies are mean to too many other ponies and creatures and stuff just 'cause they don't understand them. It isn't right!”

Riffraff couldn't help smiling, as always admiring the smaller male's gusto in making his beliefs and opinions crystal-clear. “I can't argue with that, Grace. Can't argue with that.”

The two were completely packed up within twenty minutes, carefully rearranging the wagon once more before pulling the complex piece of mobile machinery back onto the winding trail that would lead them through the woods, across the barren plains and wastelands, and finally through a stretch of the Everfree Forest before at last intersecting the larger road that led directly to Canterlot's front entrance. It was a trip they'd made twice before on the long summer circuit that took them across Equestria to their favorite venues. This time, however, they were not leaving Canterlot for Manehatten two or three days after arrival – they'd gotten generic invitations for “All Independent Musicians” to attend a large festival hosted by one of Canterlot's well-known families. They were considerably wealthy and had a penchant for supporting the arts and acting as patrons for many aspiring musicians, authors and painters.

Both pegasi were hooked up to the front of the cart, flapping their wings in time, easily propelling themselves together as the worn wheels of the cart rumbled along the dirt road behind them. They made easy conversation as they traveled, talking about which songs they planned to perform – their usual mix (as for any respectable jazz/blues duo) consisted of about seventy or eighty percent covers, with only a handful of original tunes tossed in now and then. It was a subject of constant argument -- arguments that Riff fought viciously. He knew from his collection of albums growing up that any skilled jazz musician would include several cover songs on any given LP. Certain classics and standards were considered a staple in the genre and were more than just a “rite of passage” into being able to claim the title of “blues guitarist”. Each version became a unique song of its own because of the nuances and styles of each individual performer. And anyone who argues against that is a big...ass...

Riffraff grumbled to himself, mulling over the potential playlist that he and his companion had mostly settled upon -- assuming they’d even have that long on stage, that was. Graceful Melody glanced over at him and tilted his head as their wings began to beat slightly out of synchronization. “What’s that, Riff?”

“Huh? Oh. Just. Grumbling to myself,” he murmured, shaking his head and then smiling slightly at his companion. “You worry too much.”

“I wasn’t worrying,” the other stallion complained, pouting as he crossed his forelegs and began to rock side to side in his harness, bumping lightly against Riffraff each time and causing their wings to naturally cross upon one another with each steady flap. “You just sounded all grumpy and you’ve been all quiet an’ stuff since town. Well, really since this morning when we woke up, but...” He softened and turned his silver irises back to the road ahead. “Are you really alright? It...your mouth and...”

Riffraff sighed softly, gazing across at the smaller male for a few long seconds before glancing at the slowly passing trees and the eventual end of the forest, nearly half a day’s distance away. “It...still hurts a little, but I mean. I had a damn blast of fire come outta my face. I’ll be alright, Grace. I guess I just still worry about Amdusias. It’s been almost two years since that night. And you remember the first year...tried to keep it all a secret, but the first time he showed up, exactly six months later...”

The slender pegasus smiled a bit and looked back at Riffraff. “He showed up at breakfast, I remember. And you couldn’t even figure out what you were gonna try an’ say to convince me that a real-live demon hadn’t just...poofed into our hotel room.” Graceful laughed softly, tilting his head back and smiling easily again. “You were so...freaked out. And even worse when he started to tell the whole story...” His mischievous eyes shifted to his companion again, adding teasingly: “As if you could ever keep a secret from me that long...you were butter in my hooves from night one, an’ you know it.”

Riff smiled slightly despite himself, shaking his head once. “Yeah, yeah...I guess that’s true. You...handled the news surprisingly well...”

The periwinkle stallion shrugged and let one of his legs drop down, dragging his hoof lightly through the dirt for a moment. “I...I dunno. I liked you from the moment you came in, all...determined to have your li’l audition. You can play, hon...” He tossed a soft glance at the other pegasus, meeting his eyes. “You’ve got a soul for music, a passion for it, just like me. And well, you ain’t too hard to look at, neither...” His smile brightened as he lifted his leg, then slung it lightly around Riff’s shoulders, forcing their sides together as their wings fluttered, shifting naturally to to keep them in the air. “It wasn’t all that hard to accept you’d given your soul to a demon -- a demon LORD, that is -- so you could play as good as you deserved to, and on top of it you gotta smoke and always know that at the end of it all, you’ll be tortured endlessly down in Helheim.”

Blushing, the other pegasus mumbled awkwardly, “Shut up. Nopony takes that kinda news as easy as you did. You’re weird. I think you’re a demon, too. A...sex demon.”

Graceful laughed cheerfully, releasing his partner and letting both their bodies swing back into natural formation as they both began to flap a bit harder, the incline beneath the cart’s wheels creeping upward. “Hey, every time I say that, you correct me an’ tell me that they’re called Lust demons! You’re just mad ‘cause I made you stop bein’ grumpy. An’ besides...” He once again quieted, poking Riffraff’s shoulder lightly with a hoof. “I can tell by how Amdusias acts around you...you really did get him good. He can’t just...take you at any time. He can’t even force you to do anything unless you let him hypnotize him, which I’ve seen you resist, too. It...it coulda been a lot worse...” Graceful Melody closed his eyes and murmured softly, “There could be a clock ticking above your head. Or you could be vulnerable to every little thing he does. What you did...and the fact you did it for...for me, not even having said ‘Hello’ to me before?” He smiled quietly and looked over at an embarrassed Riffraff. “It was stupid. But it was...the most romantic thing anypony’s ever done for me, and...you managed to get a leg or two up over a demon lord! You...can’t be bummed about it forever, Riffy...”

The blood-red pegasus mumbled something akin to a protest at the pet name, but otherwise seemed to calm down somewhat, nodding silently. They fell into a momentary lull as both stallions exerted slightly more effort to climb the steady incline toward the top of the first in a series of lazily rolling hills. But as the smoothed wheels rumbled across the short plateau and the two prepared to use the built-in braking system for a slow, careful roll down the other side, Riffraff finally replied quietly. “Thanks, Grace. It really does count for a lot more than I can express how well you take to this kinda stuff. You really are a weird pony, but...that’s probably why we get along so well.”

“Well yeah, I mean...I usually bang at least ONE guy per show, so...for me it isn’t so weird to have a creepy obsessive stalker show up at my hotel door past midnight, wanting to serenade me...buuuut I’m still pretty sure that those kindsa relationships don’t usually last more than a week or two,” Graceful commented amusedly, gesturing with a foreleg as he added: “Usually just long enough for the creepy stalker to kill the stalkee and make a big creepy stuffed animal to put in his creepy shrine.”

Riff gave his partner a flat look, pursing his lips and replying stiffly: “I...I was not a creepy stalker. I was a recently-damned-and-somewhat-desperate admirer.” But Graceful Melody only laughed warmly again, leaving the larger stallion to huff and cross his forelegs childishly as they began down the other side. Their rear hooves worked together on the levers behind their harnesses to allow the cart a controlled roll down the hill as Riffraff added quietly, “ But I’m really glad you let me in that night. And I’m...really really glad you didn’t make me just a one-night stud...”

The other stallion only smiled tenderly, reaching over to quietly brush back the bangs that almost always fell in front of Riffraff’s eyes. The larger pegasus was grateful for his companion’s ability to read him so well -- Grace knew more than well enough that a few small affections or gestures could make a world of difference to Riffraff, especially in these moods.

The two only halted once to enjoy a small but quick meal together, not even bothering to pull their cart to the side of the lightly traveled path. Riffraff hated to admit it, but Graceful’s insistence on stocking up on the cheap, long-lasting dried fruit pieces had more than once saved them from a few days of hunger on their longer trips. Graceful himself continued to gnaw quietly at a slice of dehydrated apple as they finally cleared the last of the shallow hills -- undaunting but certainly still wearisome to traverse, specially-made cart or otherwise.

Riffraff had tried once again to at least ignore the urge, but when his emblem had begun to trickle a tiny rivulet of blood, Graceful had grumbled and all but shoved a cigarette into the other stallion’s maw, glaring at him despite Riff’s blush and visible shame. “You’re the pony who’s always worryin’ about him showin’ up...an’ you know that’s the easiest way to get him to do it!”

Riff sighed and nodded, rubbing at his forehead for a moment and then drawing quietly on the cigarette as the smoke was sent twirling past them by their powerful wings still flapping in tandem. “I know, I know. I just...”

“You feel bad, ‘cause you know it’s gross and stuff,” Grace supplied with a supportive smile, nudging him gently. “I know. But...it’s better than you like...exploding.”

“I won’t explode,” Riff grumbled, blowing a plume of smoke to the side. “But...thanks. I’m...glad you put up with all the stuff that comes with the whole...bound-to-a-demon package.”

“I like all your packages,” Graceful replied cheerfully, flashing a broad grin as Riffraff rolled his eyes but smiled slightly nonetheless. “Anyway, it’s not so bad. As long as you got gum for bedtime.” His companion shoved him lightly and he laughed quietly as they both gazed ahead to the long, winding road that disappeared somewhere at the base of the mountains on the horizon. “You wanna go ‘til sundown?”

The blood-red stallion nodded slowly. “Yeah. We’ll find a place to stop while there’s still light...we haven’t passed a soul, after all. And as long as your weird forest friends don’t come eat us in the dark...” He snickered quietly, automatically holding the smoldering cigarette out to the side as Graceful huffed and shoved gently at him.

“They won’t EAT us. They’re probably scared of you an’...they like me, so...”

“You think that’s because of your singing. I think it’s because they know you’re a little nasty nympho.” Riff paused thoughtfully. “I wonder if they think about sleeping with you the way us normal ponies think about sleeping with that exotic foreign prostitute you always see at the fancy hotels...” They both laughed even as the slender male slapped quietly at his companion again. “Either way...let’s get as far as we can before the sun sets. This thing in Canterlot isn’t somethin’ we wanna be late for. Might just be our big break.” Graceful Melody nodded quietly as the masculine pegasus tapped the butt of his smoke out, then tossed it over his shoulder and into the cart to dispose of later before they both began to fly with a bit more gusto, picking up speed and letting the familiar comfort of each other’s company fill the quiet of the lonely road.

The next few days passed with a relatively low number of incidents -- they’d only passed two other travelers, both ponies leaving Canterlot for the markets in the west, seeking to sell their various hoof-made goods in new locations, likely to gain a bit of business outside the walls of the royal city. Graceful Melody had indeed found a small group of Phooka near one of their campsites and Riffraff had watched with a mix of morbid fascination and irrational fear as the slender male cheerfully babbled to them about their journey. The smoky equines gathered in a tight cluster before the pegasus and -- as they often did -- eventually made a loose circle around him as he switched between telling the exaggerated tales and performing soft solos for them. The periwinkle stallion had an odd and uncanny ability to apparently understand some of what the Phooka said, and even though Riff understood every word he happily rambled back to them, the creatures themselves also appeared to comprehend. The only reason Riffraff didn’t have more doubts about his companion’s natural communication abilities was because the Phooka did not act or even truly look like feral beasts. Despite their animalistic curiosity and simultaneous caution around the ponies, their glowing eyes lit up with more than the threat of hypnosis -- they were semi-intelligent, at the very least. And with the way Graceful seemed to all but carry on conversations with the dark creatures, it would not have surprised Riff to learn they were just as sentient and evolved as Equestrian ponies.

As always, it had been hard to tell whether Graceful’s singing and easy talking put a sort of trance over the Phooka, or if they had done the same to the two ponies -- they’d both fallen asleep rather easily after the Phooka had disappeared into the woods again, though it was a peaceful slumber and Riffraff admittedly did not wake the next morning with any pieces of himself missing or chewed off.

But the fifth morning of travel began with the two pegasi gazing up at the elevated city of Canterlot, visible from their campsite. They only needed to reach the intersection with the main road, and from there complete the last four or five hours’ worth of travel to the city’s gates -- it would give them two whole days to spare before the festival. More than enough time to practice, find a place to stay, explore the stone city and perhaps even find a few ponies willing to sit in on the other instruments that truly made a complete jazz-blues ensemble.

When they reached the apex of the long uphill climb to the city, he two companions found themselves at the rear of a short line formed at the entrance to the city. Graceful stared around with wide eyes as he often did when they traveled, regardless of what “sights” there were to see. But this time, he had a decent enough reason -- many of those in front of them were clearly musicians of one form or another, and some of the visible equipment certainly put Riff and Grace’s small set-up to shame. Furthermore, creatures other than ponies stood with loaded carts and wagons -- they could see a young dragon lounging in the back of one wagon, tapping a pair of drumsticks idly against a large plastic case, a few griffins and even a pair of zebras with brightly colored mohawks that toted some matching pair of electronic equipment behind them.

Riffraff grimaced and ran a hoof through his nearly-pink mane before glancing at Graceful Melody and nodding once. As if on cue, they let themselves drop to the cobblestone path simultaneously, furling their wings back and rocking slightly as the weighted cart shifted behind them. “Looks like this thing’s bigger than I thought,” Riff murmured.

Graceful glanced at him but only smiled and continued to look around in awe. “Don’t worry, hon...we’ll do great. You ‘n me, we got ‘em all beat.”

The larger male smiled despite himself, watching the feminine stallion peering at their competition with his usual mixture of curiosity and unsettling lust. “Are you ever not positive?”

“Are you ever not not positive?” he echoed without looking back at his companion, lightly slapping Riff’s side with a wing. “We’ll have plenty of time to look around an’ stuff, we can see what everypony else is up to.”

Riffraff ducked his head embarrassedly as the two zebras glanced over their shoulders and fixed the pegasi with appraising stares before smirking and making an obvious show of catching the afternoon rays of sunlight on their gleaming equipment cases. “What everypony else is up to is having non-crappy stuff to play on,” he mumbled, rubbing at his muzzle morbidly, looking over his own shoulder to the battered and beyond-worn luggage. “We look like hobos.”

“And they probably smell like hobos, stop bein’ such a Debbie Downer,” Graceful chided, frowning at his companion. “Do you need another sm--”

“No, no, no...” He slapped gently at the other stallion’s outstretched foreleg, then smiled faintly. “I’m just worried. I really want this for us. We deserve it.” He nodded slowly. “But...if you say we can do it, well.” He glanced back at the now-hopeful Graceful Melody, then finished softly: “Well then, what am I worrying about, right?”

His partner brightened immediately. “Right!” He laughed and nodded firmly in return, continuing to look around with a cheerful expression. Riffraff could hardly maintain his grouchy demeanor -- Graceful’s moods were extremely infectious, after all. Even the ones that aren’t so good to express in public. He smiled a bit, forcing himself to cheer up as the line moved forward steadily, the Royal Guards at the gate allowing another group of musicians through.

“Whatcha think they’re lookin’ for up there, Riffy?”

Riffraff looked at Graceful thoughtfully, then shrugged. “Probably nothing weird. Uh. Weapons...drugs? Stolen foals?” He did a mental inventory of everything in the back of their cart, coming up with nothing that the Guards might find as a reason to deny their entry into the stone city. “And since we had to sell off all your dirty bedroom toys, I doubt they’ll stop us.”

Graceful pouted and flattened his pierced ears with a grumble. “I dunno WHY we had to sell that stuff, we probably coulda made more money by chargin’ ponies to come USE it with us.”

“You do look pretty good in leather,” Riffraff admitted before he could stop himself, blushing slightly as his partner grinned toothily back up at him. “Oh, stop...being awkward, and no, you can’t hit on the Royal Guards.”

At this, the blue-grey pegasus slipped out of his harness, moving as silkily as water between clenched hooves. Riffraff grumbled, regretting his words immediately as he automatically shifted his harness to the middle of the support bar, locking himself into place to manage the weight of their cart alone. His eyes lifted to watch the excited stallion hovering just above the roof of the wagon in front of them, no doubt peering ahead at the armored guards. Riffraff could make out one of them, a dark blue pegasus wearing the traditional golden armor and currently prodding at the zebras’ electronic instruments..

“Are they the stuff of your nasty hopes and dreams?” Riffraff asked dryly. He began to pull the wagon a few steps forward as the line lurched toward the gates again.

The slender pegasus tittered softly, glancing down at his partner. “They don't look so bad! But don't worry, baby, you're still my stallion.” He laughed and twisted around neatly in the air before spiraling lazily toward the cart to land neatly at the front. “Besides, they're not like...huge – they're about your size, actually!”

“Thanks...I think,” the other male replied mildly, rolling his eyes and looking over his shoulder at the cheerful singer. “You gonna behave?”

“Can't make no prooomises,” Graceful trilled, his multiple facial piercings glinting in the warm afternoon sun. “I won't jump on anyone today, how 'bout that?”

“More than I would have hoped for, that works for me. But seriously...I know that our act is kind of based around the fact that we aren't your average ponies, but I'd still like to avoid jail-time this go-through,” Riffraff intoned carefully, grimacing to himself as the wagon directly in front of them underwent the cursory inspection by the two guards. He could now see that the other guard was a unicorn with a white-and-grey dappled hide and a gleaming ivory horn. Wouldn't admit this aloud, but...I can see why Graceful got all excited...the Princess keeps a good-looking bunch.

He smiled despite himself as the wagon in front of them was cleared. Grunting softly, the pegasus pulled forward with his legs alone, straining a bit but finally beginning to feel positive as he pulled the cart into place and nodded to both Royal Guards. The unicorn glanced over the dark red pegasus, nodding curtly. “Purpose of your travel to Canterlot?”

“Uh...we are here for the...er. Festival. The one for the music,” Riffraff answered lamely, rubbing the back of his head as the name on the flyer escaped his memory.

The armored pegasus sighed and nodded grumpily. “The Vonderhoof Music Contest. Same as every other one of you weird ponies today. We need to check your cargo and register your names, as well as your planned duration of stay.” With that, the dappled stallion’s horn glowed, Riffraff glancing back to the first guard awkwardly. “Are you aware of what may and may not enter the city gates?”

“Don’t worry, I’m the only firework on board!” Graceful announced cheerfully from upon the cart. Riff groaned and dropped his head as both guards blinked and stared up at the bright pegasus, apparently have not noticed his multiple piercings and extensive leg tattooing until now. “We don’t got nothin’ that goes boom, two things that go bang an’ no drugs ‘cept the intoxicating power of our music!” He grinned and spread his wings to emphasize, standing on his rear hooves and throwing his forelegs wide.

Riffraff groaned, looking up embarrasedly as the unicorn blinked again, his horn still glowing as a fountain pen was held out in midair, dripping a bit of ink onto the floating slip of parchment beneath it. The pegasus guard stared stupidly up at Graceful, his jaw dropped in disbelief. Looking awkwardly between the Royal Guards, Riffraff slowly added: “Uh. Yeah. And stuff. If you want to...look through our things, go ahead. Honestly we’re just here for the music thingy.”

But Graceful had already bent down, hunching over the front of the cart to bring his pierced muzzle down toward the unicorn, licking his lips as his flank swung lightly back and forth in the air behind him. “You c’n also jot a li’l note there that we’re also here to offer some extra roomin’ for anypony that needs a space for the night.”

It took the unicorn a moment to register, staring up into Graceful’s teasing grey irises, unable to resist watching the movement of his studded tongue as it traced across his lips again. He then suddenly blushed when the innuendo became clear, stumbling backward and clearing his throat. “That’s...that’s...prostitution is illegal in Canterlot, I’m afraid, and...”

“Well who said anything about charging?” the periwinkle stallion replied, leaning forward sinuously before arching his back slowly and lifting a slender leg to slowly run his hoof through the mess of curls and spikes atop his skull, sighing loudly. Riffraff closed his eyes, mumbling a few choice words in the strange language he’d begun to pick up from Amdusias.

“The. Slinky one back there is Graceful Melody. I’m Riffraff,” the crimson stallion announced carefully. “We’re...gonna be here for...uh.” He blinked as the armored pegasus seemed to finally regain his senses, flapping his wings to lift himself up and poke through their luggage, carefully keeping himself several feet away from the feminine male near the front. “Uh. Festival is...in two days? Lasts three? Um. I guess seven days in total?”

The unicorn shook his head briskly, finally seeming to clear his head and hurriedly scribbling their names with the glowing pen. “That’s...that’s fine. Storm Tide, do you see anything back there?”

His fellow guard opened one of the cases, peering inside and then shrinking back slightly when he glanced up and found himself almost nose-to-nose with the still-grinning Graceful Melody, now half-sprawled across the back of another speaker case and watching the armored pegasus with an almost hungry expression. “Uh...no, no, nothing back here,” he quickly replied, hopping backward nervously and then giving a yelp as a hoof clipped the back of the cart, causing the Royal Guard to half-flip over the paneling and land with a crash of armor smacking against the cobblestone below.

Riffraff immediately winced and ducked his head as his companion only covered his muzzle with a hoof and giggled childishly behind it. The sound of metal scraping across stone filled the air for a moment before the flustered Storm Tide quickly stomped back to the front of the cart, his slightly disheveled armor clanking against itself as a blush rose beneath the helm that barely covered his features. Riffraff looked nervously between the two Royal Guards, both visibly unsettled. But the unicorn finally returned the pen and parchment to a small satchel across his back and said unsteadily: “You...you two are good to go. Please do not cause any trouble or...or we will be forced...”

“To bring us to the Royal Guards’ barracks for...corporal punishment?” Graceful asked, eyes half-lidded as he lightly bit the tip of his tongue, the gleaming silver stud just resting against his upper lip.

The unicorn and pegasus both stared up at him and Riffraff swallowed before blurting, “We’ll be good, we won’t cause any trouble, and we won’t prostitute, promise, may we enter the city now?”

“Yes, yes, please..go,” the blue stallion stammered, gesturing beyond the gate almost frantically with one of his wings.

Riffraff breathed deeply in relief, nodding and mumbling a quick thanks as he flapped his wings firmly and lifted himself and the front of the cart off the road, rolling forward with far more ease past the two flabbergasted guards. The moment they passed the city walls and entered the central road, Riffraff quickly steered the cart down a side street, then dropping down to his hooves again and sighing loudly. He glared over his shoulder for a moment, but Graceful only beamed and waved at him before hopping down next to him. “Oh, don’t look so grumpy, Riffy, you’ll get old-mare-wrinkles!” He paused and then looked around curiously at the small shops and apartments that lined the narrow roadway. “Is this where we’re stayin’ or somethin’?

“No, Grace, do you see a hotel here?” the larger stallion asked tiredly, carefully extracting himself from the harness and then taking a few steps forward to stretch his legs and back out, closing his eyes for a moment. “But we can ask somepony or something, find out a good place to stay. I don’t remember where we were last summer...”

“I remember that the sheets were maroon, or at least they were when we checked in, an’ that the headboard was steel, ‘cause it broke through the wall pretty easy,” Graceful supplied, smiling warmly as Riffraff blushed and rubbed slowly at his own muzzle.

“Which means they probably put our names down as a party to never allow to stay there again,” the masculine pegasus replied with a sigh, but smiling all the same despite his best attempts to do otherwise. “Let’s just see what they got that’s cheap. There’s no prize money for the festival, remember. Unless we can snag a few gigs here or there...we ain’t gonna bring in any coin.” He glanced across the street before sensing his companion’s following suggestion, quickly adding: “You heard the Guards. No prostituting. You...slut.”

But Graceful only smiled and winked before leaping easily into the air, his wings unfurling to catch the slightest breeze, allowing his body to twist gently higher with the barest of effort. “I’ll take a look up here, see if I can spot other poor musician ponies like us, hon. Wanna meet back here in a couple minutes?”

Riffraff smiled slightly again, nodding slowly. “Alright, Grace. Just...try not to go make some stallion’s day in those couple of minutes, okay? Let’s get our crap into a motel room somewhere first.”

The slender male laughed but nodded. “Okay, okay. Be right back!” Riff watched for a moment as the slender stallion quickly climbed above the tallest buildings with only a few easy beats of his off-white wings, the same small smile creasing his muzzle. He shook his head before turning to the nearest open shop and heading through the front door.

The two pegasi relaxed on the nearly-too-small bed a few hours later, having been pointed to the affordable motel by an older earth pony behind the counter of the pharmacy into which Riff had wandered. Both ponies had towels around their waists, having shared a rather ironically unclean shower together only a few moments after entering the room. Graceful’s head rested on his partner’s damp chest, curled up to his side with a content smile. Riffraff himself felt...lightened, a gentle flush still visible beneath his crimson coat. The room had been furnished very sparsely, with only a small armchair, two hard chairs next to a tiny table and a worn radio that was now playing the only station Riffraff found tolerable, a fuzzy but just audible mix of soft piano music.

As Graceful curled a bit closer, nuzzling slowly across the other male’s breast, he asked softly, “How are you doing, Riff? Your...your hooves okay?”

Riffraff shook his head a bit, the blissful haze beginning to fade as he smiled quietly, glancing down at his companion. “Yeah. They...don’t hurt as much as they used to. I think my body’s finally getting used to it or...something. I dunno.” He reached down to idly brush a few curls from the other pegasus’s features. “All the reading up I did on demons and pacts with demons and types of demons and stupid demon abilities...never really did come across anything like...well, like this.” He held up his other hoof as one leg wrapped quietly around Graceful’s slender shoulders. Both ponies looked up at his appendage before Riff winced slightly as he forced the eerie flanges to slowly push free, the fleshy digits waving gently as if caught in some minute breeze. The smaller male whined quietly, squeezing into his companion’s chest worriedly. But Riffraff smiled again, murmuring softly, “No worries. It’s...getting easier. And it doesn’t hurt as much, even doing this.”

Whereas Riff figured most ponies would likely run and scream at the sight of the wiggling mini-tentacles, Graceful took them into stride as just another quirk of his partner. The smaller pegasus reached up without hesitation, quietly pushing his hoof into the strange bunch of flagella. Riffraff blushed, squirming a bit on the bed -- no one had ever actually made physical contact with the odd finger-like digits and the sensation was strange. But certainly nothing...bad... Grace smiled softly at the texture, laughing quietly as they moved lightly against his hoof. He gazed up at Riffraff once more, feeling considerably less concerned. As he felt the multiple tiny appendages lightly grip into his hoof, he leaned up and met Riff’s muzzle for a soft kiss, and then another as he gently shifted, rolling on top of the larger stallion and continuing to work their jaws together. His free foreleg slipped down, pushing the damp towels away as Riffraff murmured softly past the kiss: “Grace...maybe we should...just get some sleep...”

But the feminine pegasus only opened his eyes, filled with passion and need, his wings flapping once as he broke the kiss for only a moment, whispering back, “One more time won’t hurt...”