Chapter One: Parallax Error
CHAPTER ONE: PARALLAX ERROR
The pitter-patter of rain could be heard outside his window, as he lay still on his bed; the gentle staccato rhythm of Luna's tears beating against the cobblestone walkway two stories below.
It was night, and the loud, boisterous ruckus that could be heard in the day was replaced by the soft, constant ebb and flow of conversation and drinks being served. Such was the life of any tenant who lived above the most popular nightclub in downtown Baltimare.
Soft strains of jazz would occasionally waft up through the ventilation duct, and float over to where he lay, his eyes staring at the ceiling in quiet contemplation, without a shred of artificial light to mar the ghostly effect the full moon cast upon his window sill, spilling onto his alabaster coat.
Aside from these reminders that the world around him was alive, the room and everything in it was still, and silent as death. Only those with exceptional hearing would notice the occasional drawing and exhaling of breath; that mayhaps another creature existed within those four walls.
It seemed as if time itself was careful to tiptoe around him, to give him the freedom he needed to be alone with his thoughts, to ruminate on the picture frames in his mind that moved in front of his vision, over, and over again. Frame after frame, moving within his field of vision, only to fade away as a new one took its place. A silent memorial to a life lived, but not loved. A time spent, but not cherished.
Sweet Mother of Celestia, I have got to get a hobby, Swift Focus thought to himself as he lay on his bed. If I keep this up, I'm going to start writing on the walls. I wonder how it would look if I just wrote 'All work and no play makes Swift a dull colt' a hundred thousand times?
He sighed.
A quick flash from his horn, and flame erupted from a nearby lantern, casting a dull yellow glow throughout the room. Yawning, he rolled onto his side, and into a sitting position on the broken down mattress. He looked around his spartan room. "Maybe I should get furniture first," he said to no one in particular. No one interesting, anyway.
His room was fairly empty, save for a pile of rolled up fabrics, an old stool laying in the corner, a spotlamp propped up against one wall. The walls were bare, save for what appeared to be oddly placed brass hooks. The apartment was rather generous in size, and could have easily been fitted to house half a dozen ponies, but Swift Focus needed this space. It was his whole reason for being, and without it, he figured he would wither up and die. I have to stop reading Colt Whitman, or else I'll prove my old drama teacher right.
Rolling his eyes at the mere thought of proving his old high school drama teacher right about anything, let alone the deep meanderings of his own soul, he let his mind switch gears, and he glanced at the foot of his bead, where he stowed his equipment. Letting his eyes rove over the reel casings, and snap fittings, they settled on his old camera, a Bell Equus 527, passed down the family line to him, starting from his great-great-great grandfather Abel Shutter.
Swift, like his father, was a photographer by trade. He used his prodigious skill to make lasting memories for tourists, submitting snapshots for newspapers; occasionally, he'd even get a modeling gig or two. Unlike his father, however, Swift never stayed in his hometown of Manehatten.
He chose, instead, to follow the distant lights that beckoned him away from home, from his family, from all that he had known his entire life, and all the way to Baltimare, where he quickly found out that being naive in the ways of the world could cost you dearly; that pride, and self respect, couldn't be replaced as easily as a bank vault full of bits, and that your name laid out in fine print on page 26 of the Gazette didn't amount to a whole lot when the daughter of your Editor-in-Chief decided you were more fun as a chew toy than you ever were as a valued friend.
Swift ruffled his charcoal mane, as if to scrub away the memories before they brought him down into a funk. It wasn't as if he needed any more of those. Business had been bad lately, thanks to a colleague's unintentional invasion of his territory. It happened last month, when Photo Finish swept into town on her latest mission to beautify the world with her unique vision of high class taste and sophistication.
With her arrival came the grand opening of her new boutique in Baltimare Plaza, and business had been booming from the moment she left. Granted, there were plenty of photographers in Baltimare, himself included, but ponies wanted to be associated with Photo Finish, and if that meant paying twice as much for the illusion of glitz and glamor, they were willing to part with their bits.
Tourists accounted for most of Swift's income. While submissions to newspapers, and the occasional contest photo made a little on the side, tourists were his wheat and potatoes. Without them, he couldn't pay for film, couldn't pay for food, couldn't pay for rent.
He took a deep cleansing breath, and let it all out.
Standing to his hooves, Swift stretched. The strains of jazz combined with the downpour outside, putting him in a mood. Knowing from past experience what would happen if he stayed in this place all alone, he decided it was time to socialize. Jumping up and down in quick succession, on the hardwood floor, got his blood pumping, and gave him the motivation to go into action.
Sweeping aside the curtain that divided his sleeping area from the rest of the apartment, he ambled over to the utility sink that was positioned against the old, stained brick wall that held it up. Splashing his face with cold water, he grabbed the towel off the counter and dried his face.
He glanced in the mirror, smiling long enough to give his teeth a cursory glance, for it wouldn't do to strike up a conversation with somepony only to show off last night's dinner. A quick check under each eye showed no egregious signs of fatigue; his green eyes stared back at him. He contorted his face until it fell back into a more natural position, one of casual interest.
Satisfied with his appearance, he turned and made his way toward the door, its old metal hinges protesting his use, as he began taking the steps, two at a time, toward the back entrance to the club. It was time to make some magic.
***
Swift's senses were assaulted upon entering the club. He could see the dim, hazy atmosphere tinged with the neon glow of the stage lights, hear the smooth strains of a saxophone, a bass combo, a drummer and his brushes; the low, and meandering susurrus of a hundred conversations taking place all around him. His nostrils inhaled the dusky wafts of smoke hanging in the air like a foggy blanket.
He made his way around a number of the small, circular tables where other ponies sat, spilling their hearts, flirting with strangers, reminiscing with old friends. He sat down at a stool next to the bar, and motioned for Sterling Suds, the longtime, long-suffering bartender, to bring him his usual.
He watched as Sterling mixed his drink, a Sugar Rum Rocks, and sidle on over, setting the drink on the counter, a napkin underneath to catch the condensation and overspill.
"Here you are, Swift. I'll put it on your tab."
"Thanks, Sterling." He swished his drink. "So, anything new tonight? It looks like Spit Valve is out sick again," he added, glancing at the empty wooden stool on the small stage where the musician usually sat and played his trumpet. He took a small sip of his drink.
"Nah, didn't you hear?"
"Hear what? What didn't I hear?"
"Spit Valve done went and got married."
Swift choked, mid-drink, and began coughing loudly.
Sterling leaned over the bar, and pounded the stallion on the back with a hoof. "Whoa, there, Swift! Take it easy! You don't gotta drink it like it's going out of style!"
Swift managed to bring his cough under control, along with his breathing, and he righted himself on his barstool. "Married? When did Spit Valve get married?!" He asked, as the bartender stepped back to wipe down the counter and refill Swift's spilled drink.
"Sometime last week. He just came in, said 'Hey fellas, me and my gal are gettin' hitched,' and off he went. Was all kinds of sudden, but I guess that's the way it is for the musician types."
"Wow, sudden isn't the word for it," Swift said.
Sterling raised an eyebrow expectantly.
After a moment of awkward silence, Swift conceded lightly, "Actually, yeah, nevermind, sudden is the word for it."
Sterling patted his young friend on the back. "Ah well, don't worry about it. Some two bit trumpet player will come along, and the band will be swinging like they'd always been that way."
A patron down at the end of the bar waved a hoof to Sterling, who nodded back.
"I've got to go see to my customers, Swift. If you choke on anything else, just give me a wave, or a gurgle or something." The elderly gray stallion winked before heading off to the end of the bar.
Swift chuckled to himself. Ever since he had moved here, Sterling had taken up the role of the sage; the oracle, and old man who knew it all. There was nothing that Sterling hadn't seen or heard, no one he hadn't given his shoulder for them to cry on. He was a good stallion; the best stallion, and this bar was his home. It was more than his home, really, it was his livelihood. He had owned the place for all 50 of her advancing years, and had invested his whole heart into her.
"Is this seat taken?"
A voice jarred Swift from his ruminating. He looked up to see a white maned stallion, with a midnight blue coat, looking at him with intense, gold, cat-like irises.
"Oh, uh..." Swift began, but discovered he couldn't find the rest of his voice.
After a few brief, but catastrophic, seconds of silence, the stallion smiled. "Oh, I see, nevermind. I'll-"
"No!" Swift blurted out loudly enough to catch the attention of a few nearby tables. "Uh, no. No, this seat's not taken. Please, be my guest."
The stallion's smile turned wide and genuine. "Thank you, sir," he said, as he sat down. He turned to Swift and extended a hoof. "My name is Rain Shadow."
Swift gave his hoof in return. "I'm Swift Focus. Nice to meet you, Rain Shadow."
Rain Shadow smiled. "The pleasure is all mine, Swift Focus."
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, as Rain Shadow ordered a drink. Swift watched as Sterling brought a drink over and sat it in front of the new stallion who had taken up company with Swift.
"So," Rain began after taking a quick sip of his amber colored drink, "what do you do here?"
Swift took a sip of his drink. "I drink."
Rain Shadow chuckled. "Sorry, I mean what do you do here in Baltimare?"
"I drink."
There was a moment of silence before both ponies started chuckling at the cliched quip.
"If I may ask you something, Rain Shadow," Swift began.
"Just Rain, please, if that's okay."
"Certainly, and you may call me Swift, if you'd like."
"Thank you, Swift."
"No problem, Rain." Swift took another sip of his drink before continuing. "Anyway, so I should ask you, what are you doing here in Baltimare? I've been all over this town, and I don't recall seeing you here before."
"I'm here at the behest of Princess Luna."
"So you're a-"
"Batpony? Yes."
"Well, I mean, not that, I uh-"
Rain Shadow held up a foreleg. "It's okay. We're rare enough that it can shock those who don't see ponies like us every day."
"Oh, no! I mean, I wouldn't-" Swift sputtered.
"There's nothing to apologize for, Swift."
"Oh, good, because I-"
"I don't get upset easily, you have nothing to worry about."
"Worry? Oh, no, I mean, it's not like I was worried... or anything." Swift ended the sentence feebly.
Rain Shadow smiled at his new friend's attempt at saving face. "It's okay, really."
Swift went to take a sip of his drink, only to find that the glass was empty.
As he waved down Sterling to fill it back up, he turned to Rain. "So, Rain, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, Swift. Ask me anything you like."
"Okay, um... what's it like being a bat pony?"
***
"And so then she says, then she says, she says, 'Please don't suck my blood, I've got two foals at home."
"Oh sweet Celestia she didn't!"
"Yeah!"
"She did?!"
"She did! And then I say, you know what I say?"
"What did you say?"
"I said, "Ma'am, don't worry, I only suck the blood of the virgin queen."
"No!"
"Yeah!"
"What did she, what, uh, did she do?"
"Get this: she threw garlic at me!"
"She did what?!"
"She threw garlic at me! And you know what else?!"
"What?"
"It wasn't even a clove of garlic, it was garlic topping."
"Topping?"
"Yeah! You know, the stuff they sprinkle on bread to make garlic bread!"
"Oh sweet Celestia, she didn't!"
"She did!"
"Oh wow, what happened after that?!"
"Huh?"
"You know, after the garlic... thing."
"Oh. Well, I don't know, because the manager came by and escorted me out of the building!"
"Oh, wow. Was he mad?"
"Well, let's put it this way: I've been banned from the Steersville Piggly Wiggly for life!"
The two stallions broke into laughter, once again, much to the chagrin of the nearby patrons, many of whom who had taken seats at tables farther in the back of the nightclub.
The pair had spent the past three hours getting to know one another, telling horrible jokes, and consuming large quantities of alcohol in the process. They had been loud, boisterous, and downright irritating for some, though Sterling didn't seem to care, but finally, as the evening wore on, things were beginning to quiet down.
"So Swift," Rain said, after a moment of gathering his wits together once more. "We've talked about a lot of things, but you never told me why you came out here to Baltimare. Didn't you say you used to live in Manehatten? That's a sweet town. Lots of night life, lots of places to find everything you could ever want."
Swift's expression grew morose, and he swirled the purple liquid in his glass. "I guess."
Seeing his new friend's features become less animated, he quickly apologized. "You don't have to tell me if it's painful. I didn't mean to dig into old wounds or anything."
Swift waved him off. "No, no, it's okay. I have family and friends back in Manehatten. They're all in the business."
"Business?"
"Yeah, professional photography, and not just 'click click, here's your photo, sir', but the fashion modeling variety. Anypony who is anypony goes through our family on their way to the top. Our galleries have made hundreds of ponies famous, and our name alone guarantees wealth, fame, and the highest levels of influence. You know Sapphire Shores?"
Rain nodded. "Of course! She's the hottest pop star on the planet."
Swift smirked. "All me. Well, my family, anyway. Her album covers, centerfolds, press release images, everything associated with her look; it's all due to my family. We have a stranglehold on the business."
Rain let it sink in for a moment, and then looked at Swift, his expression one of confusion. "What about you, then? Why aren't you out taking pictures of models, and movie stars?"
Swift chuckled mirthlessly. "I didn't want to do it. I got sick of it. I wanted to take pictures of mountains, of oceans, families playing on the beach, and ponies in love. The fame, and fortune, it's all shallow, and I didn't want to contribute to that shallow culture."
"I see. I bet the family wasn't too pleased with that."
"You better believe it, and that's not even the half of it. When I left, they hired a bright young mare named Photo Finish to take my place. Now, don't get me wrong, she's a nice pony, but it kind of stings to see my position so easily replaced. It's like being family meant nothing, like my dreams meant nothing."
Rain Shadow leaned over, and patted his friend's back. "Hey, Swift, it's alright, man. I bet you could snap circles around them."
"Would you like to see them?"
"Huh?"
"My pictures, would you like to see them?"
Rain nodded. "Sure, I'd like to see them. Any time you want, you can-"
"I have them upstairs."
"You do?"
"Yeah, that's where I live. I have an apartment that I rent from Sterling. He owns the bar. I use it as a studio, also, and I keep all of my photos up there. So do you want to go take a look?"
Rain smiled. "Yeah, we can go take a look." He looked up to motion to the bartender, who waved him off with a smile and a nod.
Helping his stallion friend to his hooves, he motioned for him to lead the way. "Well, lead on, Swift, and may we stay on this side of the double yellow line."
"Oh, hardy har. You've had as many as I have, probably." Swift commented as they passed the tables on the way toward the back of the bar.
"True, but mine were mostly vermouth chasers. Yours were all fizzes followed by a fifth of scotch," came Rain's reply.
"Well, we can't all drink pretty drinks," Swift retorted as they began climbing the stairs, Swift tripping on a few only for Rain to catch him.
"It's hard to see in the dark," Swift said as he stood at the top of the steps a moment later.
"Not for all of us," Rain replied, a hint of smug satisfaction in his voice.
"Woo, well goody for you!"
"What are you looking for?"
"The door handle. Ah, there it is."
"Oh my!"
"What?"
"That's not the door handle."
A coughing fit echoed inside the small stairwell, its source being the embarrassed stallion who was still fumbling in the dark, vainly searching for something that was not what he had just grabbed. "Well now that I've apparently found the knocker, help me find the handle!" He managed to bark, while thanking the poor illumination for hiding the deep red blush on his face.
Smiling to himself, Rain managed to bump against the door handle, and pushed it forcefully. Re-orienting himself in the small alcove, he opened the door to the loft, and helped usher his friend inside. "That's one hell of a housewarming, you know," the stallion added coyly, stepping inside behind his new friend.
Gently pushing the door shut, he moved further into the room and stopped as he looked around the loft. While most of it was bare, save for a bed in one corner, with some equipment piled at the foot, and a sink against the back wall, there was not much else except for an area cordoned off. Rain could see what appeared to be backgrounds stacked against the sheet rock, likely made for indoor photo shoots and such.
He winced a little, as his eyes adjusted to the sudden influx of light. Swift had apparently been busy lighting the lanterns.
"They're over here," Swift motioned to Rain as he took a couple of steps over toward the bed. Rain couldn't help but notice the bed itself, little more than a cot really, but his attention was drawn away as Swift fumbled around in a large canvas bag, pulling a large portfolio out of the satchel, and returned it to its rightful place sitting next to his camera equipment.
Swift sat down on the bed, and motioned for Rain to do the same. As Rain made himself comfortable on the small single frame, Swift opened his portfolio, and sat it in the space between them. They began to look through the images, Rain letting Swift do the talking, of course.
Rain was impressed as he let the erstwhile stallion guide him over the snapshots. "Swift, these are superb," he said as he stared at the photos spread out in front of him: Mountains, purple, and laden with icy tops, jutting into the blue skies; White clouds seeding the sky; foals running around a spraying fountain in what appeared to be some kind of remote desert village, their smiles bright and effervescent, caught perfectly in the sunlight. Joyful moments captured forever in time; red barns, golden hay bales, lush green grasses, fields of flowers so colorful, it looked as if a rainbow had been painted right atop them, their hues and shades bringing a song to his soul. The Moon. Oh, precious Luna, the Moon! It stood out like a jewel so delicately rendered, cast against the gossamer glitter of a starry black blanket. It took his breath away.
"Swift, you have a truly amazing talent, my friend."
"Thank you, Rain, but you don't have to blow smoke up my flank."
"No, I truly mean it. These are awe inspiring."
"I know you do, and thank you. This: This is what I want to do with my life, and it's nice to hear it from somepony besides the voices inside my head."
Rain looked up, and he gazed upon Swift in the soft light of the lanterns. The shadows played at the contours of his muzzle. The light reflecting off the golden flecks in his emerald green eyes. Realizing his judgment was probably impaired, and that he may have had too much to drink, furthermore realizing that this was not the brightest thing in the world to do, Rain leaned in, and kissed Swift tenderly on the lips.
Swift was surprised, and for a moment, his mind fought him, demanding to know just what he thought he was doing, stridently declaring that nopony should ever just touch him or kiss him without his permission, but before his brain could get too high minded and full of itself, Swift leaned into the kiss, letting his lonely, tired heart have a chance to say its piece as well.
The kiss had turned mutual in a heartbeat. It was a soft, tender kiss; Not so chaste that one could mistake it for simple friendship, but not so lewd as to be mistaken for a slovenly, drunken snogging session. It was a kiss of gentle kindness; a kiss that made a promise of things to come, if both hearts were willing to explore one another more openly.
The hearts of Rain, and Swift, chose to explore each other. The kiss lingered for a moment longer, before Swift pulled away long enough to quickly close his portfolio, and set it on his camera bag at the foot of the bed. As he turned back, he saw that Rain had moved toward the middle of the bed, offering Swift room, and patting the covers as an opening invitation.
Swift didn't wait for a second one.
Clambering over to where Rain was now lying patiently, Swift brought their muzzles together. This time, the tenderness was only the beginning. Before any time at all had passed, Swift had pulled Rain closer to him, and pressed his lips more firmly against the bat pony's own. He let his tongue probe the stallion's lips, hoping to gain entry, and was pleased to find his roving tongue welcome.
As his tongue began exploring the inside of his lover's mouth, it brushed against sharp fangs, making his heart race, and sending a thrill of danger down his spine. It wasn't that he was afraid of being harmed, only that the different characteristics between the two stallions meant there was so much to discover, and that excited him more than anything else.
He opened his eyes, and saw soft golden irises staring back at him, and he could feel the smile from his lover through the kiss. Their passions ignited from the different taste, and feel, of each others' mouths.
Separating their muzzles, Rain began peppering Swift's long, slender, alabaster neck with kisses. Every other kiss, he would nip playfully as he traveled down the stallion's neck. Swift's breathing increased rapidly, and he began to lean into the kisses, as he pulled against the bat pony, pressing their chests together.
"Do it," Swift whispered, as he nuzzled Rain's neck.
"Are you sure?" the bat pony replied, a tingle of hope in his voice.
Swift nodded, and kissed Rain on the neck. Mere moments later, he gasped as he felt Rain's fangs sink into the base of his neck. The sensation was a mix of both pain, and pleasure, all at once. He could feel the throbbing member between his legs becoming aroused and unsheathed. He felt it brush against Rain's own burgeoning stallionhood.
Removing his fangs from Swift's neck, he leaned upward, and kissed the stallion hard on the mouth. Swift could taste the blood on his tongue; his blood: a metallic electricity mixing into their kiss. Excitement pouring through his veins, Swift pushed the stallion down firmly onto the bed, lying on top of him, without breaking the fevered kiss. Swift's heart felt like it was going to burst from the elation he felt as he lowered himself onto the enigmatic stallion. He felt his warm stallionhood press against Rain's own, the thickness and heat causing fire to spread throughout Swift's whole body. His warm sack gently massaging his own balls as they fondled one another.
They broke the kiss as both moved to a sitting position in order to catch their breath. Swift's cock was rock hard, now, and he could see Rain looking at it hungrily, even as his own chest heaved out of desperate need for oxygen. Rain's eyes meet Swift's only for a second before the bat pony licked his lips, and laid his body down onto the mattress, pushing Swift onto his back in the process. Rain hovered over it, letting his hot breath caress Swift's twitching shaft, before he began licking the tip slowly, his tongue caressing the stallion's sensitive head gently. His tongue was like fine grit sandpaper; There was no pain, but the rough sensation nearly drove Swift to a madness of ecstasy, as his eyes nearly rolled back into his head.
Rain continued licking down the shaft, taking the time to caress Swift's cock tenderly. His tongue edged further downward, tracing over each large vein in Swift's aching cock. His tongue began licking at the base of the shaft, and Swift's breath caught in his throat as Rain's tongue started lapping at his sack, the fine texture pulling on them, drawing them upward before letting them drop again to smack against his taint. A pleasant shock reverberated from the tips of Swift's hooves to the points of his ears.
As Rain continued licking Swift's beautiful, ebony balls, he brought a hoof up to the stallion's cock and began stroking it up and down. The combined sensation sent a tingle of pleasure through Swift's entire body, and his heartbeat quickened the pace. He moaned in pleasure, a deep throated moan that vibrated his whole chest. Rain, taking this as a sign to up the ante, raised his head from Swift's twitching balls. Unable to breathe from the spectacle, Swift watched as Rain began wrapping his tongue, his long, rough tongue, all the way around his member, like a ribbon on a giant candy cane. Swift felt his whole shaft throb as Rain tugged at it with his tongue, the sensations sending spasms into his ballsack, and a tingling throughout his taint.
Swift cried out in pleasure as Rain's warm muzzle completely covered his cock; the force of his tongue pressing firmly up against Swift's rigid shaft, acting like a wave machine. He could feel his tongue all along the shaft, massaging every inch of his love muscle. He could feel Rain mouth sucking hard on his cock, as if to coax his cum out for all its worth.
Swift could feel the pressure in his balls, and knew that he was about to release his spunk. He tried to signal Rain that he was about to cum, in order to allow Rain a chance to pull back, but Rain was having none of that. He increased the force of his suction. This almost took Swift to the brink, and it still would have been best blowjob he ever had, until Rain bit down lightly on the base of Swift's shaft, his fangs gently poking the tender skin. The piercing sensation sent Swift over the edge, and he came hard, his pelvic muscles causing him to thrust his cock forcefully into Rain's waiting throat, his balls slamming against Rain's muzzle.
"Oh, sweet Celestia!" Swift called out as his cum burst forth in gushes of thick, white roped seed. All he could see was pure light, color, and all he could feel was the numbing euphoria as he continued to cum inside Rain Shadow's mouth, the sticky wetness inside coating Swift's cock as it continued spurting helping after helping of his hot glue. Rain, for his part, didn't let a single drop get away from him, and he lapped it up, his textured tongue hungrily scraping Swift's cock to get every last gooey drop.
His cleanup complete, Rain leapt forward, grabbing Swift in his embrace, kissing him with an open mouth, and for the first time, Swift tasted his own cum. His own essence was being shared with this beautiful stallion, and he accepted it without hesitation. They both pulled away, dropping to the mattress and laying there together, side by side, their labored breathing the only sound in the darkness.
After a few minutes of shared silence, Swift leaned over and kissed Rain on the muzzle. "You are amazing, Rain," he whispered, and began kissing the stallion's neck. Rain smiled, and looked at Swift. He brushed the stallion's mane away from his eyes. "I know," he said gently. They laughed softly at the false modesty of the comment, the silliness of it in light of what they had just shared together.
Swift lightly kissed Rain's chest. Pulling himself to a half sitting position, he leaned down and nuzzled Rain's belly. The action caused Rain to start giggling. "Oh, don't do that, I'm-"
"Ticklish?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes, really! Don't nuzzle me there, I-"
"You mean don't nuzzle you like this?"
Rain coughed, and began giggling once more as Swift nuzzled the soft, sensitive underbelly of the bat pony stallion.
"That's not fair, you can't use someone's weakness against them, it's cheating. You-" Rain was unable to finish as he was cut off by his lover's voice.
"Cheating? No, that's not cheating. This is cheating."
Rain felt a pressure building in his balls. He looked down to see his erect cock completely unsheathed, and hard as steel. A soft glow was emanating around his sack, and he saw that same soft glow around Swift's horn. The glow cast a small amount of light on Swift's face, and it was there that Rain saw a tiny grin, and put two and two together.
"What are you- OH! Precious Luna!" Rain called out as he felt the pressure deep within his sack grow stronger. It was a feeling Rain had never experienced before. His balls felt like they were being caressed from the inside out! He felt Swift's tongue begin trailing down his rock hard shaft, the saliva dripping downward to trickle along his already sensitive scrotum. The tickling sensation was immensely pleasurable. He could feel Swift's tongue dance along the head of his shaft, the tip of his tongue poking and prodding at his hole.
Swift took the rock hard penis into his mouth, all the while using his magic to continually massage his lover's balls. He could feel how heavy they were, and he glorified in their weight, making sure to massage them inside and out, letting the magic create a wellspring of inescapable desire inside of his lover. He began bobbing his head up and down, running his mouth along the stallion's shaft. The sensations of his lips passing over each segment caused the bat pony to gasp in delight.
Swift increased his speed, and he felt Rain begin to buck his hips in response to the increasing suction, Swift's tongue rolling over the hot, delicate flesh, as he took the shaft all the way inside his mouth, and into his throat. This caused Rain to cry out, his breath coming in gasps as he felt the pressure build to enormous proportions inside of him. He knew that any second now, he would no longer be able to hold it inside of him.
Swift's long, flat tongue began wrapping around Rain's member, caressing each and every throbbing vein. He stopped long enough, popping the stallion's rod out of his muzzle long enough to inhale the scent of the bat pony's pre-cum, and licking the stallion's tip, probing at the hole where he would receive his reward, before diving back downward, pushing his muzzle against the stallion's stomach.
Sensing the moment arriving, Swift poured more magic into caressing Rain's balls, as he clamped his mouth all the way down on Rain's cock, forcing the head down into Swift's throat, hilting the stallion's flesh sword in his entirety.
Unable to hold on any longer, Rain came hard, his cum gushing upward, and into Swift's throat, but instead of pulling away, Swift held on tightly, letting every last white chain of cum go down his throat, and swallowing every bit. The volume was so great that it erupted from Swift's nose, trailing down his muzzle, and began dripping onto Rain's stomach fur.
He leaned over Rain, and lowered himself down onto the stallion's body, their shared heat infusing the both of them with pleasure, and they kissed. Rain's cum covered their bellies, creating a sticky, gluey bond between the two stallions.
"Rain?" Swift spoke, his voice just above a whisper.
"Yes, Swift?" came the exhausted reply.
"Rain? I think... I think I love you."
There was a moment of silent contemplation; a pregnant pause between stallions. Then the reply came, warmth flooding the voice:
"I love you too, Swift."
There was some companionable silence for a little while following that affirmation, before Swift spoke again.
"So what happens tomorrow?"
"What do you mean, Swift?"
"Well, when I wake up, will you still be right here next to me?"
"I will."
"Is that a promise, Rain?"
"I never make promises before coffee, but yeah, it's a promise."
Gentle laughter could be heard after that, and then nothing more was said for the rest of that night.
Later, as they lay together, in each others embrace, they marveled at the chance encounter that brought their seeking souls together. They didn't know where the future would take them, either together or apart, but they knew it was a brighter one.
So together they lay, in an embrace of hooves, warmth, and companionship, oblivious to the wants and needs of the world. Regardless of tomorrow, tonight they had one another, and so together they dreamed.
The End
