Airships, Sandskiffs, and Locomotives

The local offices of the Mareathon Travel Company were cramped, windowless, and stupefyingly stuffy. The only source of air was a tiny, cheap fan on the representative’s desk, and it wasn’t nearly good enough at its job to cool down Night Light’s rising temper.

He put a hoof to his head and flung out the other in desperate supplication. “What do you mean, there’s nothing you can do?!”

The travel company representative, a young mare in a crisp suit, shrugged unhelpfully. “I’m very sorry, sir. We can’t offer refunds after a passenger has ridden on the railway. If you had brought the error to our attention—”

“The error!” Night Light gave an indignant huff. He looked over at Velvet, who was seated beside him in front of the representative’s desk. “Show her, honey.”

With an arched eyebrow, Velvet flashed her horn and lifted their train tickets.

The travel rep scanned the tickets. “Admit One Each to Hoofar Al-Batin, one-day trip, for a Mr. Bright Flight and Mrs. Sunset Violet Sporkle. I don’t see the problem, sir.”

“The problem? Those aren’t our names!” Night Light groaned in exasperation. “That kid back at the Canterlot station must have mixed them up. We’re supposed to be in the Crystal Empire!” He felt himself dying a little inside as he realized that they’d ridden with that Candy fellow for hours because of a filing mistake.

The mare whistled. “The Crystal Empire? That’s quite a mix-up.”

Velvet had a very faint, dry smile. “I imagine there’s a pair of very confused ponies in sunglasses and sandals having a similar conversation up north right now. At least it’s not winter.”

The representative touched her hooves forward in a placating gesture. “As I was saying, if you had brought the error to our attention back in Canterlot, we could have re-booked you, but Mareathon company policy is—”

“To leave us stranded in the wrong country?!” burst Night Light, flicking his ear angrily.

“Of course not, sir. We’ll get you on the first train back to Canterlot, free of charge.” The mare pulled out a pair of paper slips and scribbled something on them with a pen clenched between her teeth. “We’ll even put you up in a hotel. Here, some vouchers for the Quality Inn.” She slid the papers across her desk toward them. “You can stay there at our expense until the train arrives.”

The fact that she had the hotel vouchers so readily available confirmed Night Light’s growing, disgusted suspicion that this wasn’t the first time such a mix-up had happened. This is why I hate travel.

“And how long will that be?” asked Velvet, wearing that glazed expression she always ended up with around bureaucrats.

The mare checked her desk calendar. “That would be… next Tuesday.”

“What?!” Velvet blinked. “That’s almost a week!”

“This is Hoofar Al-Batin, Ma’am. Everypony comes through here to get to Saddle Arabia; pilgrims, tourists, political envoys… but they all go south to the larger cities and head back up through the other side of the country on the way out.” The mare gave an apologetic shrug. “Nopony goes north from here.”

“Well,” sighed Velvet, “there goes our trip to see Shiny and Cadance.”

“And maybe more,” grumbled Night Light. “Our flight leaves from Atlantrot this Friday. If we miss that, we’ll never get our deposit back.”

“I’m sorry,” repeated the company rep.

Night Light had serious doubts about the veracity of that. “You’re telling me there’s nothing between here and the east coast?”

She put a pensive hoof to her chin. “There is one line… it used to run south of the badlands through the desert, all the way over to Trottingham, in the southern foothills of the mountains on the border. There's a tram there that goes over the mountain range to Atlantrot. But the blowing sand really does a number on the tracks, it’s been down for repairs for nearly a year with no completion date in sight.”

“Fine,” said Night Light, standing up so suddenly that the mare jerked back in startlement. “We’ll find our own way there. Come on, Velvet.”

The mare’s eyes widened in alarm. “Sir, wait! I can’t recommend that. The desert is very large, and there aren’t any reputable travel services across it with the rail down—”

Night Light snorted angrily. “Well, the reputable one just got us stranded two thousand miles south of our destination!”

“Again, Mr. Sporkle, our apologies—”

“It’s ‘Sparkle!’”

“—but traveling across the desert simply isn’t safe. There have been a number of stories in the paper lately about some extortion racket that strands tourists out in the dunes until they pay up. And then of course there’s the sand sharks—”

Velvet, shaking her head, stood up to follow him. The Mareathon representative’s jaw moved for a few moments as if to continue, before she closed her mouth in unhappy defeat and folded her forelegs. “Well, sir… if that doesn’t work out for you, please come back and we’ll discuss that train.”

Favoring her with a glare, Night Light grabbed the hotel vouchers and stormed out of the office.

As they walked down the stairs, rolling their luggage behind them, Velvet gave a discreet cough. “And just how are we going to cross an entire desert in time to catch our flight, honey?”

“Maybe we can rent a carriage or something.” A pair of double doors waited for them at the far end of the office lobby. “Like she said, this is a travel hotspot. The whole city was built to get you somewhere else; there’s bound to be somepony willing to take us across the continent to Trottingham. From there, we just take a tram over the mountains to Atlantrot, hop on our flight, and we’re home free.”

“Will it be cheap, is the question…” muttered Velvet. “Before we start looking, we should find the post office and let Shiny and Cadance know we won’t be making it.” They pushed through the glass doors and out into the Saddle Arabian morning.

It was the middle of summer, and hot as the surface of the sun. Night Light instantly felt sweat breaking out all over his body. He glumly hoisted his bag of clothing over his back, hearing the rustling of the thick coat and scarf he’d packed for skiing with his son and daughter-in-law in the mountains north of the Empire’s capital. Wiping their brows, the couple set off into the city to look for the nearest postal service station.

It wasn’t long before the tour guides and touts started coming out of the woodwork. In a city with this many tourists, it had to be a fairly lucrative business selling directions and cheap trinkets, but Night Light and Velvet brushed them aside repeatedly with toneless “no thank you”s until the sellers got the message.

One especially persistent salespony with a bright yellow keffiyeh atop his head finally made a useful offer. “You need map for the city, yes? I have one, very cheap.”

Night Light paused, debating. “Can we see it?”

“Of course, my friends.” The pony dug into his saddlebags before emerging with a large sheet of parchment. He unrolled it with a little unicorn magic, displaying a fairly detailed map of Hoofar Al-Batin.

“Could be handy for finding a ride,” said Velvet.

“All right,” said Night Light. “How much?”

“For good friends? Only thirty bits!”

Grimacing, Night Light began to open his bag to get the wallet within.

“Twenty,” said Velvet coolly.

The tout immediately returned with “Twenty-five.”

“Twenty.”

His smile turning slightly chagrined, the stallion nodded. “Twenty bits.”

Night Light paid him and took the map. After a quick consultation, during which the tout vanished in search of his next sale, the couple located the local Pegasus Express office and began making their way through the streets.

It was undeniably an impressive city. Fantastic-looking street performances sent fire and sparkling trails of magic into the sky, while masses of camel pilgrims in sheer white robes roamed the wide avenues. The sound of sizzling, juicy, grilled fruit out of the streetside food carts made Night Light’s mouth water, and the smell of a thousand fragrant perfumes filled the air.

After a lengthy journey through the alleyways while taking in the sights, they reached the post office. The line was so long that it stretched outside the building. As they took their place at the end, Velvet scratched her thigh absently.

“Maybe we should take the Mareathon lady up on her hotel offer.”

“And miss our flight? Not a chance.” Night Light adjusted his bag. “We’re going to Griffrance, one way or another.”

“It would be nice to have a bath first, though.” Velvet blushed a little. She lowered her voice. “I’m still kind of… sticky, after last night.”

The memory brought a grin to Night Light’s lips and a twitch between his legs. “Totally worth it though, right?”

“Oh, yes,” she purred.

While waiting in line, they slathered on some of the sunscreen that they’d brought for the beaches of Griffrance. Night Light wished he’d thought to bring an umbrella, but they hadn’t expected to need one during the mild summer in the Crystal Empire.

They stood in line for nearly an hour, sweating so much from the baking heat that Night Light was starting to share Velvet’s desire for a bath, before finally they reached the front of the queue inside the building. There, they bought some stationary and stamps, and stepped aside to let the line continue.

Velvet had the neater pensmareship, so she did the actual writing while Night Light dictated.

The travel company messed up and now we’re stuck in the wrong country. Your father wants to try finding alternate means of travel so that we don’t miss our flight. Still, it looks like we’re going to have to call off our visit, although maybe we can swing by on the way back from Griffrance. Once we get to Atlantrot we’ll send you another letter. Don’t worry too much about us, Shiny. We’ll see you soon.

Love, Mom and Dad

After shipping it with overnight postage—which cost a pretty penny, Night Light noted with dismay—they left the building. Night Light checked the map, running a hoof over his chin. “Hmm… no point checking any of the rail companies if the only line across the desert is down… but I see a hot air balloon service on the south side, if this map’s still up to date. I bet one of those could get us to Atlantrot with time to spare.”

“Well, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can leave.” Velvet rolled her eyes with a crooked smile. “Or give up for the day and head to that hotel.”

The next few hours were spend getting lost, checking the map, getting further lost, and taking sips from their rapidly dwindling bottles of water. The city was mazelike, the effect made infinitely worse by the lack of street signage that rendered it impossible to orient oneself.

Eventually, hours later, they stumbled onto the correct road, more by chance than design. They had nearly passed their destination by before Night Light noticed the sign above the door. The building was a squat stone structure with little decoration aside from the sign, which had a picture of a balloon and basket, and said Hot Air Transport in several languages.

Pushing inside, they found themselves in a tiny room. Stairs led up to the roof, and a short hallway stretched back into the building ending in a door with a bathroom sign above it. Beside the stairs was a desk staffed by a snoring earth pony.

Sharing a dubious look with each other, the two approached the slumbering clerk. Night Light coughed politely.

The desk pony jerked upright. “Wha? Oh!” His eyes widened. “Sharif! Sharif, alzabayin!”

Another pony appeared at the top of the stairs, calling down to the desk pony. “Asafa, la 'astatie 'an 'atakalam alearabiata! Hadha hu hrfya mjrd tarjamat al'iintarint.” He looked at Night Light and Velvet with a wide, beaming smile.“Hello, my friends! Equestrians?”

“Hi! Yes, we’re Equestrian,” said Velvet with a hesitant smile. “We’re trying to get to Atlantrot. Do you have any balloons going that way?”

“Flying across the desert, hmm?” The pony—Sharif, apparently—nodded. “This, we can do. Even past the border!”

Night Light raised an eyebrow. “Is that… legal, exactly?”

“Yes, yes, very legal!”

Velvet gave Night Light a side-eyed look. “Well, honey, we are in a rush.”

“Yeah, but… maybe we should land at Trottingham, instead. It’s on the wrong side of the mountains, but they’re a little less strict about… surprise flights.” He sighed. “All right, how much is this going to cost us?”

Sharif clapped his hooves happily, sitting and bringing them up to his chest. “For you, my friends, very cheap. One hundred bits.”

“Oh!” Night Light’s gloomy expression lightened. “That’s not so bad.”

“… each.”

“Ah. Well, still doable.” They’d brought quite a lot of spending money with them for this vacation, though he’d been hoping not to spend it until they landed in Griffrance.

Sharif beamed. “Excellent! Come back in eight days, I will have your balloon ready.”

“Wait, eight days?” Night Light grimaced. “We need to be there in four. And the tram crossing over the mountains from Trottingham to Atlantrot could take a while, so… two days travel, max.”

“Oh, I see.” Sharif frowned. “Well, our balloon could take you there in time… but it will cost more.”

Gritting his teeth, Night Light nodded. “How much more?”

Sharif named a figure.

“What?!”

“I am sorry, sir! But the only balloon available is already reserved. If you want to take it, you must give me enough to refund the customer who has already paid. He is a very nice stallion—good customer! I am sure he would not mind waiting for the next flight; but I will have to repay him.”

Night Light gave a little whine of despair. That would blow their entire trip fund; they’d have nothing left for when they reached their destination. “We… need to discuss it.”

Sharif shrugged, uncertainly. “As you wish, my friend. But my other customer should be arriving soon. You must decide quickly.”

“We’ll be right back.” Night Light and Velvet hurried back down the stairs and left the building. Standing outside the door, they bent their heads to confer.

“That’s a lot of money, Velvet.”

“Do we have any other options?”

Night Light frowned. “Not that I saw on the map… We could keep asking around the city, but you heard him. Either we take the offer now, or we’re out of luck on this opportunity.”

A new, distressingly familiar voice suddenly called out from the street, and Night Light felt his stomach fall. “Heyyy, look who it is! Night Light, Velvet, what are the chances?”

Both unicorns looked up with shared dismay to see an orange pony in a burgundy suit. There, walking toward them with a chipper grin, was Don Candy. He was still hauling that enormous trunk behind him, trundling along the dusty road on squeaking wheels.

Candy trotted up, coming to a stop and setting his trunk down with a thud. “Guess I caught up to you sooner than I thought I would!”

“Hello, Candy,” said Night Light. He put a hoof to his forehead to stave off an oncoming headache. “When it rains, it pours,” he muttered.

“Ha, not much rain out here, though, eh?” Candy clapped him on the shoulder. “You two taking a balloon ride, too?”

Velvet blinked in surprise. “Oh, so you’re the customer he mentioned.”

“Yep! I’m heading south to pick up some more piping. I’m nearly out of it after that stop in San Palomino.” Candy lightly kicked his trunk. “Sold a whole set this morning. Didn’t get full price for them, but now the San Palomino mayor owes me a favor.” He winked.

Night Light bit his lip. “Candy, I know this is asking a lot, but we need your balloon.”

Candy tilted his head. “I thought you guys were taking the train?”

“They made a mistake. We’re supposed to be in Atlantrot by the end of the week, but we can’t get there on the train now. This balloon’s our only shot.”

“Hmm…” Candy raised an eyebrow. “End of the week? You sure you want to take a balloon for that?”

“The owner said it would get us there in time…” Velvet’s brows drew together in concern.

“Ha, that Sharif! What a kidder. The only way a balloon will get you across the continent in less than a week is if you get blown there by a storm, and you don’t want that, trust me.”

Night Light and Velvet both groaned. Night Light shook his head. “I guess we’re screwed, then.”

“Maybe not.” Candy tapped his chin. “I think I can help you two out.”

Both unicorns looked at each other uncertainly. Velvet shrugged as if to say it couldn’t hurt. Night Light returned the shrug. “Uh… sure, Candy,” said Night Light, turning back to him. “What’d you have in mind?”

The plump earth pony leaned in close, and whispered conspiratorially, “I know a guy. Name’s Sal. He runs a little business on the outskirts of the city. Owes me a favor or two. I think I can get you two a ride to Trottingham from here—you’ll make it in just two days, even! But it’ll take me a while to get it set up. Can you wait until tomorrow morning?”

“As long as we get there in time.” Night Light nodded hesitantly. “We can stay at the Quality Inn overnight.”

“Swell!” Candy bobbed his head. “I’ll meet you out front of the hotel in the morning, then. Good seeing you!” He waved, then suddenly swerved and cantered off into the city, trunk rumbling along behind.

Velvet tapped a hoof pensively on the ground. “Can we trust him?”

“Well, he does seem to know his way around. And it’s getting pretty late.” Night Light looked up at the sky, which was already tinged with the pink of twilight. He gave a long sigh. “I say we give it a shot.”

“All right,” said Velvet. She smiled. “And this way, maybe we’ll still have money for that exceptional item we’re after.”

Night Light snickered. In all the frustration he’d nearly forgotten about their ultimate objective. “After this fiasco I think we could certainly use it.”

“Let’s go see what kind of accommodations Mareathon has set up for us,” said Velvet, pulling out the map. She pointed a dramatic hoof down the road. “Tally-ho!”

* * *

The Quality Inn… wasn’t.

Night Light chewed his lip, looking around the lobby with dismay. Calling the place ramshackle might be a bit harsh, but calling it clean would be going too far in the other direction. Dust covered every surface, even the cushion stuffing poking out of the decrepit furniture. The peeling wallpaper looked like it had been put up about forty years ago, and the carpet was positively prehistoric. Velvet followed him into the lobby, stepping gingerly over some unidentifiable stain.

The front desk had only one pony attending it, a supremely bored-looking pegasus mare who was absorbed in her crossword.

“Erm… hello?” said Night Light.

“Mm?” The mare didn’t look up.

Night Light coughed. “We’d like a room for the night. Mareathon said these would be valid at this hotel.” He tossed the vouchers onto the desk.

“Mhm.” She scanned them briefly. “Mr. and Mrs. Sporkle?”

Unbelievable. She wrote down the wrong—!

“Actually, we’re—” He sighed. It wasn’t worth it. “Yes. One room for the Sporkles, please.”

“Key.” Still not looking up, the pegasus reached under the desk and slapped a key onto the counter. She stabbed a wing in the direction of the stairs, scratching a new word into her puzzle with the pencil in her mouth. “Fourth room on the third floor. Just head on up.”

Tentatively taking the key with magic, Night Light left the counter and headed for the stairs with his wife in tow. As they plodded up the creaking, groaning stairs, he clenched his teeth, hoping desperately that the ancient steps wouldn’t collapse under the weight of two ponies.

They survived to reach the third floor, and quickly found their room. Night Light’s horn glowed, and the key slipped into the doorknob lock. The doorknob twisted, creaked, and fell out of the door.

Both unicorns stared at it. Velvet made a sound in the back of her throat. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

“It’s only one night,” said Night Light, shrugging. “We brought sleeping bags for camping up north, we don’t have to actually touch the beds.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

They entered the room. Night Light lifted the doorknob and slid it back into place, though it remained unsecured, and closed the door. He turned around to inspect the place they’d be sleeping and was pleasantly surprised to find merely a seedy-looking hotel room, rather than a forest of health-code violations.

“Two beds, even,” said Velvet, nodding with surprise. “Wonder which one’s cleaner…”

“I, for one, am very glad we don’t have a black light.” He lugged his bag up onto the nearest bed, and Velvet followed suit with her luggage.

She stretched, yawning. “Well, that was quite a day. I’m going to wash up, assuming the shower isn’t caked in mold.”

“Good luck. Yell for help if a slime monster attacks you.”

She gave him a wry salute, and marched off into the bathroom. After a few moments, Night Light heard a valve creak and the sound of rushing water from a showerhead spilled out into the room.

Night Light sat on the bed, unzipping his bag and rifling through his belongings. He was certain he’d brought another bottle of water with him. Coat… boots... thermal underwear… won’t be needing any of that, he thought sourly. His hoof brushed against the plastic bag he’d snuck into his luggage before leaving, and his mood instantly lifted.

Grinning, he ran a hoof along it. Hmm… time to break these out? He gave the room a cursory, apprehensive examination. Maybe not. We’re liable to get infected with something if we try making love in here.

Re-zipping the bag, he lay back on the bed, over the covers. He tapped his hooves together on his chest nervously. Would Candy come through for them? It seemed like the only chance they had to get back to their scheduled safe, sexy vacation, but they barely knew the pony. Nothing for it, now.

Night Light heard a faint moan come from the bathroom, and raised an eyebrow. Oho! Had some ulterior motives for that shower, did she? He slipped off of the bed, stealthily making his way over to the bathroom door.

He opened it as quietly as he could manage, slipping inside. The room contained a sink and a standing bath that looked as old as the rest of the building, but in better condition than any other furniture he’d seen. A shower curtain on an oval rod was drawn completely around the bath, but he could see the silhouette of Velvet’s head leaning back over the end of it.

Another little noise of pleasure rumbled up from within the curtain. Night Light sidled up to the end of the shower, smiling coyly. Velvet was breathing hard, her head rolling slowly from side to side. “Ahh… mm…”

Night Light bit his lip eagerly, reaching his right forehoof up under his chest to touch his hardening dick. He rubbed his shaft once absently, taking another step toward the shower.

“Oh… Nighty…” moaned Velvet, softly. Night Light paused, tilting his head expectantly, but she hadn’t noticed him—it was just part of whatever she was fantasizing.

Night Light grinned. She thinks about me while she’s getting off in the shower? Now that’s romantic. He swung past the counter on his way over and snagged the bottle of liquid soap that Velvet had clearly forgotten to bring with her into the bath.

“Mm… that’s it, Flash…”

His eyebrow rose sharply. Flash? As in Flash Sentry? That airheaded royal guard they’d run into on their last trip to the Empire?

“Oh, you two… mmmmmf,” she murmured, and Night Light’s other eyebrow jumped up to meet the first. Oh, my, he thought. I guess that hard veto doesn’t apply to her imagination… Well, considering that he was included, he could hardly feel put out about her fantasizing about another stallion in the mix. He rubbed himself a little faster, feeling the head of his cock twitch with excitement.

The sound of the shower had taken on a rhythmic splashing. Velvet’s little gasps of breath were starting to ramp up. He was going to miss out if he didn’t make his move now. Inhaling and grinning with anticipation, Night Light poked his head through the curtain above hers.

Velvet lay within, her legs spread as wide as the tub allowed. She had the detachable showerhead down from its holder, held with magic over her belly. Her horn flickered as she rapidly jerked it over and off of her puffy pussy lips. Each time, she gave a little gasp.

Night Light nearly swooned at the sight. He smacked his lips once in anticipation. “Having fun without me?”

Her eyes opened, and she sat up with a jolt. “Oh!” Blushing, she smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, honey. I wasn’t really planning on it; I just started washing up from last night, and… well, to be honest, I’ve had that train ride on my mind all day long. The water felt so good that I—”

Night Light’s horn flickered and the showerhead jerked downward. Velvet’s chest shot up as if yanked, and she gave a little gasp. “Oh, Nighty—”

“Mind if I join?”

“Please do,” she said, panting. “Not much room, though…”

“I’ll sit behind you,” he said, gently pushing on her shoulder. Velvet scooted forward, keeping the showerhead pointed down, and Night Light stepped into the tub.

He sat with a little yelp as his skin touched the cold ceramic, but it quickly warmed. With a little effort, he settled down with his hind legs squeezed around hers. It was tight. Their bodies were pressed together so firmly that he couldn’t move his legs at all. His shaft squeezed between his belly and the small of her back, and he inhaled sharply at the feeling of her skin.

Velvet wiggled her butt a little as they settled in. She leaned back into him, lifting her hind legs up over his and resting her hooves on the edges of the bath. Her forelegs pulled up to her chest as she leaned her head onto his shoulder, smiling. “Comfy?”

“Mhm,” he managed, pushing his pelvis up and grinding his cock against her warm, wet back. “Now, let’s have some good, clean fun…” His horn glowed, and the bottle of soap settled upside down into his hooves, held up above Velvet. He flicked open the cap, and squeezed. A drizzle of blue soap ran out over his wife’s chest and hooves.

Resealing the cap and tossing the bottle aside, he wrapped his forelegs around her and began rubbing the soap into her coat. Velvet sighed happily, closing her eyes. Night Light hummed an old tune as he massaged her, feeling the slick soap spread under his hooves.

With a little magical nudge, he took hold of the showerhead from her. It lifted up above her chest, twisting to a low intensity setting. The water and soap quickly mixed, streaming down her sides onto his thighs. Night light ground up against her again, his shaft sliding in the slick, runny foam.

“Mmm,” Velvet murmured, pushing her butt into his lap. “Better get all the cracks, Nighty. You made quite a mess of me on the train.”

Night Light slid his hooves down her chest, rubbing them in the crook of her legs. He slid them out across both of her thighs, drawing a little sigh of pleasure. Giving her shoulder a gentle nip and getting a delighted squeal in return, he began to lower the showerhead back down to join his hooves.

Velvet twisted a little under the water as he cranked it back up a setting, her chest rising and falling with renewed energy. The stream of water sank lower… lower… Velvet put her forelegs out to steady herself on the side of the tub as the showerhead reached her pussy at last. She clenched her teeth and released a long moan.

His wife was turning to butter in his hooves. Night Light grinned triumphantly, increasing the pace of his massage. Twilight, alternating every moment between tense and limp, continued to squeak and tremble beneath his touch. The slippery soap all over them meant that every tiny writhing motion she made was amplified, squeezing his cock between the two of them and sending a little jolt of pleasure through him.

With another flick of magic, the showerhead cranked to maximum blast. Velvet instantly jerked backward into his cock, gasping. “Oh—!”

The showerhead floated closer to her, water raining into her puffy, rosy lips. Night Light whispered into her ear, “So… what were you getting up to with me and ‘Flash’?”

Velvet quivered, her chest heaving. “Oh, y-you… ahhhh… heard that?”

“Yep.” Night Light brought the showerhead closer, drawing a thin whine from her. He kept massaging her inner thighs, feeling the suds foaming up around his hooves. “Just curious, why Flash?”

“First other stallion who… mmf! Came to mind…”

“I’m really curious what you needed two whole stallions for…” He ground the showerhead into her pussy, and she took a jerky breath.

“W-well,” she said, her eyes flickering open and closed as she panted for air. “It’s… are you sure you want to… oh… want to… ah…”

“Of course,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “Anything that gets you this excited sounds like something I’d love.” He made a little nnn sound as his cock mashed against her back with her latest wriggling under the pressure of the water.

“We… we were… oh, Nighty…” Her tongue lolled out as her head fell back onto his shoulder. “We… oh…” Her forehooves clapped down to press the showerhead deeper into her crotch. “Ffffffffffuck,” she managed.

“I thought you weren’t into taking two at once?” said Night Light, grinning at the intense state of aroused distress his wife was in.

“That’s not… that’s…” her eyes rolled up into her head and she squealed again, “that’s not what we were doing…”

“Oh?”

“You were… on top of me… in… ah! In—inside me, and—oh, Night Light—”

He pulled a hoof up to trace the curve of her neck. “Mhm?”

“And Flash was…” She brought her eyes back into some semblance of focus, catching his gaze. Even through her labored breathing and pleasure-soaked expression, Night Light detected a flutter of anxiety. “You… you sure you want to know?”

He nodded, eyebrows raised in curious anticipation.

“Well, you were in me, and he was… ahhhh… in you.”

Night Light did the smallest of double-takes. “Oh!”

“Sorry… is that too… weird?”

He shrugged. “Nah.” With a grin, he began to rotate the showerhead. “I mean, I’ve imagined you with other mares plenty of times.”

She gave a relieved laugh that was suddenly overtaken by a loud moan. Night Light slipped his hoof between them, running it down her slippery back. “So…” he whispered, “describe it for me.”

“You’re—you’re fucking me, nice and slow, and F-Flash is on top, just…” Velvet shuddered, “thrusting his hips… You’re making these adorable little noises…”

Night Light couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her this worked up. He slid his cock up against her back, releasing a muffled groan. “Like th-that?”

“Mhm,” she said, her voice dripping with lust. “And then you—ah!—you seize up, the way you do when you’re about to come… and Flash grunts, and bends his head over your shoulder… He—he thrusts hard, and you moan, and then a big, hot load of cum comes trickling down from the two of you, all… all over me…”

That was apparently the last straw. Velvet’s horn blazed and she threw her head back. “Ahhhh!”

Her entire body shook and quivered, her legs squeezing around the showerhead. Night Light held her steady while she came, clenching his teeth and groaning with pleasure as her soapy back and butt rubbed against his cock.

Gently pulling the showerhead up to her stomach as the trembling subsided, he let her recover. Velvet felt completely boneless in his hooves, her face filled with blissful oblivion. “Ohhh… Night Light…”

“Well, honey,” he said, grinning. “That was pretty… detailed. Not the first time you’ve thought about this, is it?”

“A lot,” she said, rubbing his chin with a hoof. “Sorry. I know you’re not into stallions.”

“Really, it’s fine,” he said, kissing her. “Besides… maybe I’ve just never met the right one,” he teased.

She placed a hoof on his cheek and lightly shoved, grinning. “Oh, stop it.”

“Although—Flash Sentry? That colt couldn’t tell you the day of the week without looking it up on a calendar.”

“Like I said, he was the first one who came to mind. Better him than Candy,” she said, dryly.

“Oh, Sisters,” said Night Light, laughing. “You’d have to listen to an hour of blather about pipes afterwards.”

Velvet shifted away from him. “Lie down a bit more.”

Night Light slid down the back of the tub, resting his head on the edge. “Yes…?”

Velvet pressed her hooves to the sides, lifting herself up and back to sit on his lap. His cock was now in front of her, poking up between her legs. “Now, you sit back and let me have some fun.”

Grinning, he nodded. He let his hooves dangle over the sides of the tub as Velvet took back control of the showerhead. She gently ran a hoof down his shaft, drawing a delighted moan from him.

“Hmm… so, Nighty, what’s your favorite fantasy?”

“I don’t know if I have a favorite…” Night Light closed his eyes, resting his head and licking his lips. Her hoof rubbed his cock slowly, sliding along the soap-slicked skin. “You mean one with you and another mare?”

“Sure,” said Velvet, drawing the showerhead across the inside of his thigh. It felt tantalizing, his skin suffused with heat from the steaming water, the sensation of a hundred gentle needles on his skin so close to the nexus of pleasure, but just out of reach. Velvet rolled her hoof around his medial ring, cooing softly. “Who do you like to watch eating me out?”

“Ah… well…” Night Light winced in anticipation. “If you though Flash was awkward…”

She laughed. “Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“Erm… sometimes, I think about you and… um…” He took a deep breath. “Cadance.”

Velvet paused, jerking upright and twisting to look at him. “Night Light!”

Sheepishly, he shrugged. “Told you it was bad.”

“Oh, my goodness, that’s dirty,” she said, shaking her head with a disbelieving grin. She turned back to continue her ministrations. As she pushed his cock back against her, he could feel the lips of her pussy squeeze around his shaft, and his head fell back to the tub with a gasp. “Your own daughter-in-law, my, my. Such a filthy, naughty stallion you are.”

Her hoof rested on the flared head of his cock, holding it steady. Night Light felt the stream of water trail lower, and inhaled eagerly. It didn’t go to his cock, though, or even to his balls—instead, Velvet drew the shaft down even lower, sending the water shooting at his taint.

Night Light let out a surprised mmmm. It felt good, shockingly good. He hadn’t realized how sensitive he was down there. His cock throbbed beneath her hoof as the hot water barraged the skin below his balls.

“And just what do Cadance and I get up to?” asked Velvet, shifting her seat on his stomach. “Which of us gets to have your cock stuffed inside them?”

“It—ooh, Velvet,” he groaned, his hips twitching under the stream. “It varies.” He took a deep breath. “Although I think my favorite… Cadance on her belly, wings spread out, butt thrust up in the air… I’m inside her, thrusting away. You’re sitting in front of her, facing me so I can see your eyes… with her muzzle shoved into your pussy, just like you did with that showerhead…”

“Go on,” purred Velvet, moving the stream upward. Night Light gasped as his balls were assaulted by a rush of hot water, jerking his forelegs forward instinctively. Velvet slapped them away with a hoof. “Ah-ah! No hooves. This is mine right now.”

With a half-laugh, half-moan, he let his hooves droop over the bathtub again. “She’s… she’s going at you hard, sticking her tongue way, way deep inside, and you’re… leaning over—ahhh… leaning over her, and we’re kissing…”

Velvet shifted. The showerhead remained steady on his balls, but she moved back a bit to sit further up his chest. Her legs closed around his cock, and Night Light felt the breath woosh from his lungs. She squeezed her legs together, drawing an irresistible moan from deep inside him.

Flashing him a quick grin over her shoulder, she suddenly lifted her legs, still pressed together around his cock. Night Light slapped his hooves helplessly against the sides of the tub. “Oh, Sisters, Velvet.”

“Keep going, honey… or I won’t let you finish,” she said, pulling the showerhead up closer to him.

His senses under assault from the combined stream of hot water and the slippery, foamy thigh-fucking she was giving, Night Light struggled to pull coherent details together. “While w-we’re making out, you… you start coming, making all those little moans you do, and then…”

He thrust his cock up between her legs, gasping. “And then I pull away, we’re both practically drooling, and I grab Cadance’s tail with my teeth…”

“Oh, Nighty…” Velvet turned to give him an amused—yet also aroused—look.

“Then she clenches down on my cock, hard, and she’s coming, coming all over me, it’s just dripping onto the bed… and you lie down on your back beside us, and put your hoof on her belly… and I can feel it while I’m fucking her…”

He was thrusting between her thighs with wild abandon, now. They were as slippery and warm as any pussy, and the harsh stream still blasting away at his balls was driving him berserk. “And then you lean up and kiss me, and I start coming right there, just filling her up, big wads of it squeezing out the sides of her pussy… and then…”

The pace of their fucking had reached a fever pitch. Night gasped the words between thrusts. “And then—you lean down—and lick—around the shaft—all the cum—licking it up—Velvet!”

He didn’t tip over the edge so much as fly off it like a cannonball. His cock erupted, releasing a huge jet of cum into the air, higher than the edge of the tub. It fell back in a short arc, splashing across Velvet’s belly. Night Light grunted and groaned, jerking helplessly as another shot followed it, then another, and another…

Eventually the haze of incredible pleasure in his head thinned enough for him to see Velvet settling back down into a more comfortable lying position on his chest. She twisted her head and kissed him. “I have to admit, honey… that sounds pretty hot.”

“Heh… th…” he let his head roll along the edge of the tub. “Thanks…”

They lay there, resting, as Velvet rinsed his cum away with the showerhead. “Well, dear,” she said sleepily, “we might be in the wrong country, but I have to say, I’m enjoying this vacation so far.”

“Me too,” he said with a tired grin. “I’m just gonna… take a little nap, I think.” His eyes closed. He felt utterly exhausted.

“Okay,” she said, yawning. “I’ll finish cleaning… up…”

The world dimmed. The last thing he felt was the warm stream of water running down the sides of the tub.

* * *

Night Light had to pee. He grumbled a little, keeping his eyes shut tight. The room lights were on, he could tell, and he wasn’t ready to wake up just yet. His body was insisting he get up and use the bathroom, but he was still completely out of energy. It felt like there was a large weight on his chest, keeping him pinned to the bathtub. If only that sound of running water would stop, he’d be able to hold it in for another hour, easy…

Running water?

His eyes snapped open. Velvet was out cold on his chest, snoring softly. The two of them were still in the tub, and the showerhead was still pouring out water, but that wasn’t the source of the sound.

Night Light gasped loudly as he saw the tub, now completely filled, overflowing on all sides. Water poured out onto the floor, which was already covered with a full inch of liquid. “Ahhh!”

Velvet jolted awake. “Wha?!” Her bleary eyes focused, then widened in terror. “Oh, sweet Sisters!”

Both of them scrambled up and out of the tub, spilling at least another gallon of water out onto the floor. It barely made a difference, Night Light noted with bottomless dismay. “Oh, gods, no…”

His wife’s horn glowed, and the shower switched off. The two of them stared around with growing horror. Night Light rushed for the door, his hooves splashing with every step. He pulled it open with a little effort, and revealed the rest of their room, also flooded.

Velvet, tight-lipped, pressed past him, levitating her luggage off of the still-dry mattress. “Night Light, get your things. We’re leaving.”

“But—”

“This place should have been condemned years ago; if they try to pin it on us we’ll just blame the piping. But we are leaving.”

Night Light grabbed his bag and hoisted it over his back. They quickly escaped the room, hearing a splash as the doorknob fell out of the socket once again.

The water was streaming out into the hallway, flowing down over the carpet like an insidious river. This is probably the first cleaning this poor carpet has ever had, thought Night Light in a daze as the two of them hurried toward the stairs.

The stairs themselves had turned into a cascade. The unicorns carefully descended, wary of slipping on the creaking wood. We are dead, thought Night Light. So very, very dead.

They reached the lobby to find that nopony was there. The bored-looking mare must have gone home for the day. “How long were we asleep?” asked Velvet.

“Uh…” Night Light looked out through the window. “I think it’s morning.”

They left quickly, shutting the door behind them, and flashing guilty looks in all directions. “Do you see Candy?” asked Night Light. “He’s supposed to be meeting us here…”

“Oh, no,” said Velvet, freezing still. “Here comes that pegasus.”

The lobby attendant was strolling toward them. She nodded at the two unicorns with a bored expression. “Morning, Mr. and Mrs… what was it, Sporkle? Sleep well?”

“We, uh—” Night Light licked his lips.

“Like babies,” said Velvet, grinning queasily. “Come on, honey, let’s go find our friend.” She hooked a foreleg in his and dragged him away at a swift trot.

They heard the door opening behind them. Night Light turned to catch a final glimpse of the pegasus staring into the hotel, that bored look finally replaced with one of absolute shock. “Run!” he hissed.

The two of them had only gone about half a block when Velvet let out a gasp. “Look, it’s him!”

Ahead, Night Light spotted that familiar burgundy suit and sighed in relief; the first time he’d associated that emotion with Don Candy.

Candy was walking toward them with that huge trunk in tow, whistling. He saw them at last, waving cheerfully.

The unicorns trotted up to him, still casting guilty looks over their shoulders. “Hey, Candy… any luck with that ride out of here? We, uh, we’d like to leave as soon as possible.”

“Sure did,” said Candy, winking. “Just follow me! We’re gonna have a great trip to Trottingham, let me tell ya.”

“Excellent. We’ll—” Night Light blinked. “Wait, did you say we?”

“Yep! You two look like you could use some help, so I figured I’d come with you.” Don nudged him with an elbow. “Good thing you ran into me on the train, huh?”

Night Light bit his lip, looking at Velvet. She jerked her head pointedly in the direction of the hotel. Night Light sighed, turning back to Candy. “Yeah… good thing. Glad to have you along.” He took a deep, sorrowful breath. “So… let’s get going.”

“Follow me,” said Candy, and he cantered off toward the outskirts of the city.

“If they charge us for those repairs…” said Night Light, feeling a looming sense of disaster.

“Ah, but why would they charge us?” said Velvet, laughing nervously. “Those vouchers were for the Sporkle couple, remember?”

They cantered after Candy, Night Light shaking his head. “And you called me naughty…”