Airships, Sandskiffs, and Locomotives

Night Light stared dully at the fan blades, his horn flickering as they spun. It had been nearly an hour since he’d last taken over for Velvet. They were splitting propulsion and steering duties, but keeping the fan going was utterly exhausting. Night Light’s stomach growled, craving energy to replace that which he’d lost to keep them in motion.

They didn’t dare slow down, though. Any time Night Light thought about pulling over to take a break, he just had to remember those head-sized teeth coming up out of the sand to get his second wind. Candy had been keeping a lookout all around them for more sharks, and though he said that the coast had been clear all morning, Night Light wasn’t convinced enough to call a halt.

It was beginning to seem like they’d have no other choice, however. Night Light could feel how drained he was. His horn was running on fumes; his forehead ached from all the magic he’d been pouring through it since their narrow escape.

Candy, still self-exiled to the front of the skiff away from the tired and angry couple, cleared his throat. “Guys, I really do think we’re clear of sand shark territory. You want me to give the engine another look yet?”

“You said we’d be clear of sand shark territory at the start of this,” said Velvet crossly, keeping a steady hoof on the keel.

“Okay, okay, I goofed, I admit it.”

Night Light made a grunt of agreement.

Candy rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. “Look, I had no idea Sal would do that to us. He’s always been a great guy to me.”

Velvet rolled her eyes. “Let’s just hope we don’t run into any other old friends of yours.”

Night Light broke his gaze away from the fan for a moment, looking eastward toward the end of the mountain range, where it tailed off to sink into the ocean. They’d crossed a considerable amount of distance in just two days, he had to admit. “How much further to Trottingham?”

“Oh, not long. We should be there just another hour or two, I think.”

Night Light groaned internally. He wasn’t sure he could keep this up for another two hours. “Fine,” he surrendered. “Let’s break.”

Velvet nodded warily. “Keep an eye out for fins…”

“Great! I’ll have the engine up and running again in no time, guarantee you.”

Night Light let his horn’s light die, and the fan blades immediately began to slow. Slumping against the side of the skiff, he gave his wife a tired, questioning look. She shook her head, rolling her eyes toward Candy.

Well, if you think it’s a good idea to let him mess around with it… thought Night Light, shrugging.

The skiff slid to a halt, and the ponies all remained seated for a few moments, recuperating. At last, Night Light stood, cracking his neck, and hoisted their luggage out of the skiff into the sand with a flash of magic. He tumbled over the side of the skiff into the sand, barely staying on his hooves, as he dragged himself away to rest. Velvet followed, stifling a yawn. She took the unfortunate carpet with her.

They unrolled it and sat down a few dozen meters away from the skiff, up the side of a large sand dune, and took out their bottles of springwater to nurse in sullen silence. Below them in the skiff, Candy had already set to work on the engine, his burgundy suit draped over the side of the hull beside the morass of pipework. His tail bobbed in the air over his head as he bent over, hooves fiddling.

“Honey,” said Velvet, her voice hoarse and weary, “we have got to lose him once we get to Trottingham.”

“Can we? He sticks to us like glue,” said Night Light, rubbing his eyes and wincing as his sandy hoof scraped his skin. “He’s more persistent than Twilight in second grade, asking for more math homework.”

“Ugh. That wasn’t a fun school year.” Velvet took a long slurp from her bottle. “We’ll just tell him to go back to his wife once we hit the town. Let her deal with him.”

“He can’t, remember? No money.” Night Light scowled.

“I have no idea why he can’t buy a train ticket back into Equestria, they’re not that expensive. Or do you think he’s from the Empire?”

“He’s definitely not a crystal pony.” Night Light shook his head. “Who cares? I just want to see the back of him as he walks out of our lives.” He muttered darkly to himself, “Stranded in the desert with the world’s most annoying plumbing salespony…”

“At least we’ve got each other,” she said, smiling tiredly and giving him a little nuzzle.

He patted her shoulder, hugging her to his side. “That we do. If we had to deal with all the nonsense we’ve been through this week without all this excellent sex, I think I’d have gone mad days ago.”

With a slight pink tinge to her cheeks, Velvet nodded. “It sounds so… embarrassing when you say it like that.”

“Embarrassing?” Night Light grinned, poking her side with a hoof. “What happened to 'Oh, fuck, Nighty, as hard as you can?' I forgot how foul-mouthed you get when you’re that... excited.”

“You love it,” she said archly, trying and failing to keep a smile from playing across her lips.

“Oh, I do,” he admitted, kissing her on the cheek. “Now we just need to get back to being alone together.”

“Well, once we hit the town…” Velvet’s eyes widened. “Oh, sweet Celestia, please, no.”

Night Light turned his gaze back down the dune to see Candy dancing backward from the engine, yelping in panic as flames burst upward from the piping. He flapped his suit coat at it in vain, merely fanning the fire. Giving it up for a lost cause, Candy grabbed his trunk’s handle in his mouth and vaulted over the side of the skiff.

The two unicorns were too tired to even move. They simply stared in appalled dismay as the fire spread. The oil that the camels had put all over the skids was flammable, apparently, Night Light noted with vacant despair as the fire hit the wooden slats and streaked instantly across the entire boat.

Candy raced around the skiff, throwing scooped hoof-fulls of sand at it, to no avail. Velvet was the first to stand, dragging her hooves down the sides of the dune toward the skiff. Night Light took a sour drink from his bottle before moving to follow.

“Five minutes!” croaked Night Light, waving a hoof vaguely beside his head as he strode up to the blazing pyre. “Can't you go five minutes without causing some new catastrophe!?”

“I-I’m sorry,” blathered Candy, sweating profusely. “I hit the magicarburetor, I think, and it sparked up and, well, there must have been some oil on the piping, or something… Oh, jeez!”

There was a little boom as the fire hit the fuel compartment, and the fan exploded. Fragments of the metal blades rained down around the skiff. Velvet looked like she was struggling not to cry.

Night Light was so far beyond angry that he found a sort of tranquil calm. He stood there with a glassy stare, as Candy stammered more apologies.

“Better get our bags, honey,” said Velvet, turning wearily toward the eastern horizon. “Looks like we’re walking.”

Night Light tossed the carpet into the fire as they left, grumbling.

* * *

If Trottingham could be described in a single word, most would choose cozy. It was a tiny hamlet, about the size of Ponyville, tucked under the shadow of Mount Er and Mount Ardlinoer. The two bulky giants of rock were nearly at the end of the natural border of Equestria and Saddle Arabia, with only a tiny pass between them leading to the other side. The town rested in a tiny bubble of pony territory on the south face of the mountains that had been won in some war fought five centuries ago.

Those origins were long-irrelevant to the town, now. Snow-dusted rooftops and smoking chimneys ruled the town’s landscape, even in the summer. These mountains were perpetually cold, sitting right at the border and providing an excellent natural cloud-catching zone for the border pegasi. Plenty of raw weather was forged into rains and snows from down here, before being spread north into the rest of Equestria.

Night Light had never been less in a mood to be cozy. Though they'd left the desert behind some time ago to cross the scrubland between it and the foothills, his skin still burned all over from the blowing sand. His eyes and lips were dry beyond belief, his throat completely parched despite the springwater. His mane felt almost crusty with how much sand had wound up trapped in it, and every time one of his sand-coated limbs rubbed against his raw skin he wanted to scream. They’d walked for three straight hours, baking under the sun and being scoured by the wind. At some point, he’d started imagining little images of Candy’s face in the sand, stepping on them with vindictive glee as he walked.

To his right, Velvet looked ready to curl up and die. She’d stopped dragging her luggage with magic, clearly exhausted, and the grip she had on her bag with her teeth looked so tight Night Light thought he might have to disentangle her from it with a crowbar. Her eyes had none of their customary sparkle left.

A nap on the tram will do us good, thought Night Light, brushing sand from his shoulder with a wince. Goddesses, he was looking forward to a rest. A real one, even, without any sexy distractions.

Candy, meanwhile, had that same crestfallen look he’d worn since lighting their ride on fire. Neither unicorn had spoken to him much in the past few hours. After an inexplicable attempt to joke about how they were making blazingly fast progress, he’d fallen blessedly silent and remained so.

Night Light glanced upward with concern as they reached the beginning of the cobblestone-paved road that ran into town. The sky above was darker than it should have been at this hour of the day. High above, he thought he could spy the faint blurs of darting pegasi in the gathering clouds.

Extremely hungry, the trio’s first stop was a café right on the edge of town. Night Light was the first one to enter, pushing the door open with a faint ringing of a bell. The café was mostly empty, but a waitress in a light blue smock cheerfully trotted up to meet them.

“Welcome, welcome,” she said, gesturing for them to follow, cringing a bit as sand crumbled onto the floor. “Plenty of tables available, as you can see. Are you three new in town?”

“Uh huh,” mumbled Velvet, looking sanguine at the thought of sitting down for a minute.

The waitress led them to a window seat, a large round table with three seating cushions around it. The weary ponies sat, dropping their various articles of luggage beside them. There were menus already available on a little display set at the table’s center.

“Awfully brave, coming out here this weekend,” said the waitress, pulling out a notepad from her smock’s front pocket. Clenching a pencil in her teeth, she scribbled something on it. “What can I get you?”

“Water,” said Velvet, her voice dry and hoarse.

“I’ll have some wine, if you have any.” Night Light rubbed his forehead.

The waitress coughed. “Wine…? Sir, it’s about two-thirty in the afternoon.”

Yes, but it’s also day four of our journey into purgatory. “So that’s a no?”

“Well, we have some cheap stuff, but I can’t really recommend it. We’re more of a luncheon place.”

“Fine, I’ll just have water, then.” He let his head rest on the table.

Candy gave the waitress a wide smile. “I’ll get some Dr. Peg if you have any.”

“Sure thing.” The waitress made to leave the table, but Velvet cleared her throat.

“What exactly did you mean about us being brave to come here?”

“Oh,” said the waitress, her eyes widening. “You didn’t know? There’s a severe weather advisory out for this entire weekend. The Ponytomac’s practically dried up this summer, so the weather council decided to whip up a snowstorm to feed the river at the source, up in the mountains. We’re gonna have the biggest blizzard Trottingham’s seen in ten years over the next few days. They’re shutting the trams down and everything.”

Night Light’s head shot up off the table. “What!?”

“Er…” The waitress looked around at the three of them. “Were you planning on taking one?”

“Yes!”

“Well, you’d better hurry, I think the last one leaves at three o'clock, on the hour. That’s roughly… twenty minutes from now,” she said, checking her watch.

Candy’s trunk scraped along the floor as the three jumped to their hooves. “Forget the water,” gasped Velvet, as they dashed for the exit.

“Tram station’s just up the road!” yelled the waitress after them.

Candy, panting with the effort of dragging his trunk, spoke up as they ran. “At least we’re getting some exercise today, huh?”

“Oh, shut up,” they both groaned in unison.

The tram station was packed when they arrived. It seemed that the last tram from Atlantrot had just pulled in, and all the new arrivals were hustling to leave the station and get to their destinations in town before the snow hit. Night Light and Velvet pushed against the crowd, fighting their way through the masses of ponies.

Ahead, the line to board the tram was long. They reached the end of it at last, only to be greeted by a harried-looking unicorn mare in a tram service uniform. “Look,” she said without preamble, “we’ve got a limited number of spots on this last hop over the mountain, so I can’t guarantee we’ll fit you on.”

“We’ll pay,” said Night Light, panting for breath.

“It’s not a matter of money, sir, it’s a matter of space.” The mare winced as the tram whistle blew, casting a glance toward the big red vehicle sitting on the tracks. It was only three cars long, to Night Light’s dismay. “We’ll get as many on as we can, and sort the payment out in Atlantrot. We can’t delay even an hour. The weather teams have already started the storm off by now. If we don’t leave on time, we’ll get stuck in the pass.”

She left them to carry on up the line, repeating her message. The Sparkles sighed, leaning in to speak to each other under the rustling noise of the crowd. “Think we’ll get on?” asked Velvet.

“If not, then… I don’t know what we’ll do,” muttered Night Light.

“We’ll be fine,” assured Candy, poking his head in beside theirs. “We can squeeze in, I’m sure of it. Heck, I’ve been in tighter spots. Why, one time…”

Night Light was growing adept at blocking Don’s voice out on a whim. He traded a grim glance with Velvet. They shuffled on as the line moved.

The intercom buzzed. “Last tram to Atlantrot leaving in one minute. All passengers, please secure your belongings and prepare for departure.”

With a chorus of panicked yelps, the remaining line dissolved into a mob of twenty-or-so ponies rushing to board the tram. Night Light and Velvet leaped over the turnstiles, dragging their luggage with them into the press of frantic travelers. Night Light shoved aside a unicorn in a tracksuit, reaching out a hoof in desperation toward the open tram door.

The doors slammed shut. A whistle blew, and the tram jerked into motion. All those left standing on the platform groaned as one.

After a few crestfallen moments, the crowd began to disperse. Velvet and Night Light remained at the edge of the platform, staring after the tram as it raced away from the station.

“Well, shit,” said Night Light.

“Language, dear; we’re in public.” Velvet sighed. “I suppose that’s it, then.”

“Oh, no it’s not. We aren’t giving up now. Not when we’re this close.” Night Light whipped around, his eyes focusing on Candy like lasers. “Don!”

Glumly, he strode up beside them, his trunk rumbling. “Sorry, guys. I really thought you two were going to make it on. Good try!”

Velvet ground her teeth. “If we’d been able to ride the skiff all the way, we could have—” She bowed her head and sighed, apparently deciding that there wasn’t any point in castigating Candy now.

Night Light didn’t agree. “Candy, you’re the reason we missed the tram, so you’re going to fix it.”

“Uh—” Candy’s eyes flicked between the two of them nervously. “How…?”

“I don’t care,” he said tartly. “Think of something.”

Velvet cleared her throat, patting his shoulder with a calming hoof. “Don, is there anyone in town who might be able to help? I’m sure you’ve been through here before, there’s bound to be somepony here who owes you a favor…”

“Um, well, it’s been a while,” said Candy, tapping a hoof. His face scrunched up, deep in thought. “I mean, the last pipes I sold in Trottingham were to a group of fellas making some sort of distillery, but I don’t think they’re still in town. Said they were going up into the mountains. It was some pretty heavy piping, too, so that it could survive the cold and the dampness up there.”

“Into the—” Velvet blinked, cringing. “Moonshiners? Don, just how many criminals do you know?”

“They’re not criminals! It’s completely legal to make your own whiskey for personal use.”

“Yes,” said Night Light dryly, “I’m sure they needed industrial-grade piping for a small personal still.” He hefted his bag. “But you said they went into the mountains. Does that mean there’s a hoof-path through?”

“Oh, yeah!” Candy’s eyes brightened. “It’s pretty twisty, but it roughly follows the tram line. Takes you all the way through the pass and ends up down near the edge of the river, flowing right into Atlantrot.”

Velvet made an apprehensive noise. “Night Light, honey, I don’t think that’s a very good idea… remember the blizzard?”

“It’s a good thing we packed warm clothes, then,” said Night Light, unzipping his bag and yanking out the thick winter coat he’d brought for their Crystal Empire visit. “Time to suit up, everypony.”

* * *

“This is crazy!” yelled Velvet over the howling wind.

Night Light, shielding his face from the endless flurries of freezing snow with a hoof, squinted into the distance. It was impossible to see more than two meters ahead in the endless white curtains falling from the dark clouds above.

His horn glowed bright yellow, the only visible light anywhere. The three ponies forged onward, crunching through the ever-deepening snow. It was already past his fetlocks, and they’d run into at least one shoulder-height snowdrift they’d had to shovel through with magic.

There was no sign of the blizzard letting up. The wind shrieked through the mountain rocks, screaming warnings to turn around. Night Light pressed on regardless, more from stubbornness at this point than determination. They were still trudging upward, following the path that Candy had led them to. It was half-buried by snow in most places, but by hugging the face of the rock to their left, they were still on course and making progress. The cliff to their right was a dangerous drop, but the path thus far had been wide enough for it not to be an issue.

Candy, who of course had a winter coat he’d pulled out of that trunk, was close behind him and Velvet. The earth pony’s teeth were chattering, but even that wasn’t enough to shut him up. “I think a song would warm us up, don’t you guys? Come on! Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety—”

“Candy, so help me goddess, if you start singing I will throw that trunk off this cliff.”

“Er, okay. How about a story to pass the time, then? How’d you and Velvet meet? I bet that’s a good one.”

“CANDY!”

“Sorry! Personal business, gotcha. If you want me to be quiet, just ask! Last thing I want to be is an annoying blabbermouth. Like my old man always said, if you can’t keep your mouth closed you might as well—”

Night Light whirled around, livid. “Candy, just shut up for ten seconds!”

Candy’s rambling words instantly paused, his hooves slowing to a halt as well. “I… sorry, I—”

His mouth twitched into a forced smile, but his eyes were filled with hurt. Night Light knew he ought to stop now, but it was too late; the dam had burst. “I’ve had it with you.”

Velvet cringed, lifting a hesitant hoof. Candy’s eyes narrowed, and he frowned. “You’re not a very patient person, are you?”

“Screw you,” said Night Light, jabbing a hoof at him. “You barged into our cabin on the train, drooled all over my shoulder, dragged us into some mugging racket, burned down our vehicle, and stranded us in the desert!”

“Honey, please,” begged Velvet, putting her hoof on his shoulder, brushing aside the piling snow on his coat. “Not so loud! With all this loose new snow, you could set off an avalanche.”

Candy scowled. “Well who got you a ride out of the border city? A free ride? And showed you where to get some water in the middle of a continental desert, so that you didn’t dehydrate to death out there? Sisters, you’re an ungrateful jerk.”

“Oh, please,” growled Night Light, “like you’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart. You’re just hoping that we can get you back home, wherever the hell that is. That’s why you’ve been stuck to us like glue from the moment we met.”

He nodded furiously to himself, stepping toward Candy and poking his chest. “Yes, I’ve figured it out. That’s why you won’t leave us alone. You want us to owe you one of those favors, don’t you? What, you think if you pester us across the whole continent, we’ll buy you an airship ticket?”

Candy’s lip trembled. Velvet, pressing a hoof against Night Light’s chest and separating the two stallions, stammered in the cold, “Let’s n-not fight, please. Nighty, honey, just take a deep breath and—”

“You’re half-right,” said Candy quietly, his gaze falling to the snow. “I was hoping that you guys might help me out. But I wasn’t going to ask for any money, I swear! Maybe just a lift somewhere on your way back. And that’s not why I helped you in the first place. I thought… I thought we could be friends.” He looked back up at Night Light, swallowing. “I know I talk too much. I know ponies find me annoying. I just… I just wanted to get to know some new faces, maybe make the trip less lonely for all of us.”

The heat of Night Light’s anger sizzled down in the snow, extinguishing with a silent, mental hiss. He set his hoof back on the freezing ground, unable to hold Candy’s gaze. “I…”

Candy kicked the snow glumly. “I won’t bother you anymore. Once we get through the pass, that’ll be the last you see of me. I’m sorry I messed up your vacation.”

There was a long silence, aside from the piercing wind that whipped against their coat hoods. Night Light struggled to find appropriate words. “Don, I didn’t mean to… you’re not… our trip got messed up before we even met you.”

Velvet, biting her lip, remained silent. She glared expectantly at Night Light. This was his mess to fix, her eyes warned.

He gave her a small, guilty nod. “I’m sorry, Don. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have yelled. I know you’re just trying to help. I’m just very… very stressed this week.”

Candy’s face lightened a touch. “It’s okay, Night Light. I know how that feels. Apology accepted.”

“Look, when we get through the mountains…” Night Light rubbed his left fetlock. “Well, let me and Velvet talk about helping you out. Maybe there’s something we can do for you. We do owe you for the skiff ride.”

Don managed a smile, waving this off. “Don’t worry about it. Friends help friends for free, right? You don’t owe me anything.”

Velvet, shivering, gave an abrupt clap of her forehooves. “Well, that’s settled, then. Why don’t we all get moving before we freeze to death?”

Sheepishly, Night Light nodded. He turned to carry on up the path. His first hoofstep crunched down into the snow, and he heard a faint, distant rumbling from above.

All three of them craned their heads upward. “Thunder?” asked Velvet with evident apprehension.

“No…” Night Light’s eyes widened. “Avalanche!”

The rumbling grew louder. The shining light of his horn revealed the first skittering waves of snow as they came tumbling down toward the ponies. “Run!” yelled Velvet. All three of them raced forward, hoping to get far enough uphill to avoid the snowfall.

Giant chunks of compacted snow rained down around them. “Oh, Sisters, we’re not going to make it,” shouted Night Light. “Velvet! Get ready, I’ll have to make a shield—”

“Look!” called Candy around the handle of his trunk, pointing ahead. “A cave!”

“Go, go!” Velvet was the first inside, racing into the mouth of the cave and whirling her hoof for them to follow.

Night Light made it inside, turning to see a massive wave of snow sliding down toward them. “Oh, sweet Sisters—Candy, hurry!”

Don wasn’t going to make it in time. With the handle of that enormous trunk still clenched in his mouth, he was too slow to outpace the tremendous mass of ice and rock coming down at him.

“Get Don!” Night Light’s horn burst to life, and the trunk ripped out of Candy’s mouth into the cave. Candy had a moment to pause in shock before a violet aura enveloped him, and he was yanked after his luggage by Velvet’s more powerful pull.

The entrance vanished as ten thousand tons of snow and stone buried it in a thunderous cavalcade. The ponies recoiled, avoiding the snow that spilled into the cave. Night Light threw up a magical barrier, straining to keep the snow from pushing deeper into the cave and smothering them. The cacophony continued for a solid minute, as the three sat together in terrified stillness, lit only by the light from the unicorns’ horns.

At last, the rumbling faded. Night Light exhaled, finally releasing some of the tension in his spine and chest. “Well… we’re alive.” He let his shield down.

Velvet cautiously approached the wall of snow blocking them inside. “You think it’s safe to move?”

Night Light took a deep breath, rubbing his forehead. “Even if it is, the path outside has to be completely buried.”

“Hang on…” Candy looked around. “Can we get a little more light?”

The unicorns obliged him. The glow of their horns revealed that the cave went deeper into the mountain, a small tunnel leading off into unknown depths. Candy walked toward the beginning of the tunnel, peering at the rock wall. “Ha! I knew it.”

Velvet raised an eyebrow. “Yes…?”

“Check it out.” Candy pointed to a series of scratches on the rock. Night Light tilted his head, trying to make sense of the symbol, but it looked completely random to him. Candy seemed cheered, however. “Remember those guys I sold pipes to? This is their company logo!”

“Uh… huh,” said Night Light, slowly. “So you think they’re inside this cave, somewhere?”

“They might be, unless they got out before the blizzard hit. Come on, let’s go check it out! Maybe we can find another way out of here.” Candy started off down the tunnel, pausing when he reached the limits of their magical light. “You guys coming?”

Velvet sighed. “Well, honey?”

“If we try getting through that snow, we might trigger another avalanche…” Night Light hung his head. “Lead on, Candy.”

* * *

The caves appeared to go on for miles, splitting into innumerable forks every few minutes. They followed the twisting tunnels at Candy’s direction, always taking the path marked by the distillers' symbol. Night Light’s bag felt leaden on his back. He wasn’t sure how much more of this his hooves could take, but they didn’t have time to stop and rest—their flight left tomorrow morning. He was starting to give up hope of making it in time—by now, he’d simply be happy to escape this cavern with all their lives still intact. His sanity would be a nice, optional bonus.

At last, they came to a wide cavern. The chamber stretched out around them, lit not just by the horn light but by countless green gems, glittering on the domed rock ceiling. The light revealed a chasm, carved by a coursing river that sliced through the rocky floor from a waterfall above and to the right. After a short run through the cave, the river disappeared into a black pit on the far left. There was a natural stone bridge over the water, rocky but smooth from the erosion of the waterfall’s spray.

“We really should have brought a camera,” whispered Velvet.

“Careful, now,” said Night Light as they reached the bridge. “Looks pretty slippery.”

Candy went first, hauling his trunk. Night Light was reassured to see that the bridge took the combined weight easily. He and Velvet moved to follow.

“Hold it!” shouted an unfamiliar voice.

All three of them froze, looking around for the source. Night Light’s eyes landed on a light green earth pony standing up at the top of the waterfall on a tiny spit of rock that extended backward along with the river.

The newcomer glared down at them all. “Thought you’d sneak up on us, did you? Well, we’ve got that whole bridge rigged up with dynamite and ready to blow. So you’d better turn right around and head back to wherever you came from. The fuzz ain’t gonna get into our territory.”

Candy blinked in shock. “Gus, is that you?”

A pause ensued. “Don? Don Candy?”

“It is you! How are you, you old devil? Still making that crazy brew?”

“Yeah,” said Gus, sounding confused and wary. “We’ve been branching out into mining, too. What the hell are you doing here, Don?”

“Ah, well,” began Candy, gesturing toward Night Light and Velvet.

Night Light cleared his throat. “We’re trying to get through the mountains. We got trapped in a cave by an avalanche.”

“Oh.” Gus appeared to relax. “So, you didn’t know we were down here?”

“No, and we’ll forget all about you the second we’re out of these caves,” said Night Light. “Let us pass, please?”

“Hmmm…” Gus pointed to the opposite side of the cavern from them, where another tunnel waited. “Go through there. We’ll meet on the other side and talk.”

With a grateful wave, Night Light and Velvet continued on after Candy, passing the bridge and entering the tunnel.

After a few minutes’ walk, they exited the tunnel into another huge cavern. This one dwarfed the last, stretching out far into the distance. The ceiling far above them was speckled like the night sky, only with multicolored gemstones instead of stars. The floor of the cavern was split by half a dozen flowing cave rivers, all winding around small islands of rock to join together far at the left side of the cavern, disappearing into a low tunnel.

To the right of the tunnel exit was a camp of sorts. A number of tents, campfires, and various pieces of industrial equipment sat by the riverside, the metal piping on the machines reflecting the gemlight like kaleidoscopes.

A group of ponies approached the three of them from the camp, led by Gus. The earth pony gave them all a skeptical looking-over. “So, you’re trying to get to Trottingham?”

“Other way,” said Night Light. “We’ve got a flight to catch in Atlantrot at nine tomorrow morning.”

Gus whistled. “Got a tight schedule, don’t you? It’s already midnight.”

Night Light rubbed his eyes. Well, that explains why I’m so tired. It hadn’t felt like they’d been walking through the pass for that long, but he supposed it was easy to lose track of time without being able to see the sun.

“It’ll take you a good six hours to walk from here down the mountain pass,” continued Gus. “Assuming you don’t take a wrong turn in the tunnels.”

“Shit,” mumbled Night Light.

“Language, honey…”

He rolled his eyes. After all that cursing she’d done last night—or last last night, by now—he couldn’t believe Velvet was insisting on propriety. “Fine. So we’re walking straight through the night, then. Unless you know a faster way?”

“I… might.” Gus gave the river a side-eyed glance. “But it won’t be free.”

Candy made a little ahem. “Gus, buddy, come on. I kept quiet about this place for you, just like I promised. Skip the charge, why don’tcha?”

“For you, sure,” said Gus. “Hey, Blueberry, get Don a boat, would you?”

“Sure thing,” said one of the moonshiners. He jerked a hoof at Don to follow him.

Candy blinked, looking at his traveling companions. “Um…”

“It’s fine, Don,” muttered Velvet. “Go ahead.”

“I’ll wait for you,” he promised, hefting his trunk and heading after the moonshiner.

The rest of the moonshiners began to drift away. Night Light could see a huge still in the camp, vibrating slightly as it pumped liquid. These ponies didn’t even stop business for a blizzard, it seemed.

Gus gave the two of them a greasy grin. “So, you two ready to… pony up some cash?”

Ugh, he thinks he’s witty. Night Light gritted his teeth. “How much?”

“A hundred bits.”

“Done.”

Gus laughed. “Anypony who’d agree that easily would definitely pay two hundred.”

Night Light’s cheek twitched. “Fine. Two hundred, but no more. Now what’s this about a boat?”

Gus pointed down the river at the exit tunnel. “That channel feeds right into the Ponytomac at the base of the mountains. The river can carry you down there in an hour, tops. We use it to, uh, deliver our goods into the city. Helps to avoid all those nosy customs officers.”

“Fine with me,” said Night Light. “I’d rather not get entangled with any police right now myself.” After all, they technically hadn’t crossed through border customs on their way back into Equestria. Probably nothing to worry about, but with their luck this week, he wasn’t going to take the chance.

“Good.” Gus started walking toward the river shore. The unicorns followed. “We’ll lend you a little rowboat. Make sure you park it on the bank of the river when you reach the city, I want it back. I’ll send someone to pick it up on our next trip to the city.”

“Not a problem.”

“And this is important: keep right at all times. There’s a fork in the river about half a mile from this cavern, and you don’t want to take the wrong branch.”

Velvet nodded. “Noted.”

He showed them to their boat, and gave Velvet a brief primer on good rowing technique while Night Light fished out the payment. A minute later, and they were situated in the boat, their bags stowed at the front.

Candy drifted up beside them in another boat. “All right! We’re back on track again, huh?”

Gus knocked on the side of the boat once before pressing his hooves against it and shoving them into the water. “Have fun. And remember: stay to the right!”

Side-by-side, the boats set off into the river tunnel, the Sparkles’ oars propelled by magic. Night Light watched behind them as the camp vanished into the darkness, shaking his head. “I swear, we’re going to end up smuggling something by the time this is all done.”

Candy, huffing and puffing at his oars, rolled up beside them. “Hey, guys, mind doing me a favor?”

Velvet’s horn winked, and his oars began to slice through the water on their own. Candy gave a sigh of relief. “You’re the best, Velv.”

Her nose twitched a little at the awful nickname. Night Light coughed, hiding his amusement. She shot him an acerbic look.

Candy tapped a hoof on his trunk. “So…”

Night Light sighed, preparing for more droning, but Candy bit his lip thoughtfully. “Do you two have any plans, once you get to Griffrance?”

“Well, we’re going to make some… purchases, first, I think,” said Velvet, smiling at him. “Then a day or two at the beaches.”

“Purchases…?”

Night Light coughed. “Um. Entertainment… stuff.”

“Oh!” Candy’s eyes brightened. “You know, my wife works for an entertainment retailer. She sells magazines and other doodads.”

Trying not to blush, Night Light nodded politely. What we’re after isn’t exactly a ‘doodad’, he thought, stifling another cough. “To be honest, what I’m looking forward to the most right now is our airship ride. I want some sleep in the worst way.”

“You and me both,” said Candy, yawning.

“Oh, I’m looking forward to some other things,” said Velvet, sitting upright. “Hey, you two had better keep an eye out for that fork the moonshiners mentioned.”

“Right!” said Candy, looking forward with alertness.

Night Light peered into the dim tunnel ahead of them. He didn’t see anything but more gently curving tunnel. He was about to tell Candy to relax, when he felt a twitch on the inseam of his snow pants.

Raising an eyebrow, he turned his head ever-so-slightly to Velvet, who had a devilish grin on her face under the pulsing light of her horn. “Don’t get distracted now,” she whispered. “You’ve got to keep our little boat on course.”

Night Light nearly choked as he felt a brush over his crotch. Normally, magic didn’t feel like much of anything—you could push someone around, and one of his favorite moves was tweaking various elements of his wife’s anatomy, but it wasn’t the same as being touched. There wasn’t a sensation of pressure or texture, just movement. Now, though, with his sensitive bits surrounded by cloth, Velvet had plenty of material to rub against them. “Is this… really the best time?” he murmured quietly. “Candy’s right there…”

“Better not react, then,” she whispered, before giving a theatrical yawn. “Payback for nearly getting us caught by that mare on the train.”

Swallowing, Night Light sat up straighter, fixing his gaze forward. Between this and her reactions on the train ride, he was starting to think his wife had a thing for stealthy exhibitionism. He lifted an eyebrow thoughtfully. I suppose learning that is why we’re on this trip in the first place, hm? With a mental shrug, he decided to simply enjoy the attention.

The fabric of his pants stroked the tip of his member, which he could feel peeking out of its sheath. He pressed his forehooves into the deck of the boat, inhaling sharply as his hind legs twitched apart. He shot a glance toward Candy, but the other stallion either hadn’t noticed or was being politely oblivious.

Night Light let a smile creep onto his face as a slow, feathery touch drifted down the length of his shaft, coming down to hold at the base with gentle pressure. There, it began to rub in tiny circles, drawing another leg twitch.

He was hard, now. Every little movement he made brushed the whole length of his cock against the soft inner fabric of the snow pants. Trying to control his breathing, he wiggled his hips back and forth, burying a satisfied noise. Gotta be quiet, he thought, glancing again at Candy. Fortunately, he and his wife had gotten very good at that with two children in the house.

More tendrils of magical touch traced lines across his skin, on his inner thighs, his chest, and his back. Night Light closed his eyes, feeling his skin tingle under the feel of the stroking cloth. The pressure on the base of his shaft suddenly increased, still moving in small circles, and went lower, pressing down between his cock and his balls. They ached with tension as they were pressed down upon, and his shaft began to twitch of its own accord. Night Light set a hoof on the side of the boat to steady himself, glorying in the fingers of magic stroking him all over.

He hoped she wasn’t planning to take him all the way like this. Getting cum out of these clothes would be a nightmare. No, Velvet was good at thinking ahead; she’d have something else planned.

Unless that’s part of her revenge, he thought nervously.

Night Light nearly jumped as his entire shaft was suddenly seized in a magical grip, as much as the fabric allowed. It began pumping up and down, slowly at first, and he let out a shaky, quiet breath. The cloth was silky-smooth inside, sliding across the loose skin of his cock with pleasurable slipperiness. Another touch rested on his flared tip, pressing right over the hole and moving in slow, heavy rotations. It felt damp, likely smearing a drop of pre-cum all over the head.

“Hey,” said Candy, “I think that might be the fork up ahead.”

With a hint of sultry deviousness, Velvet said, “Ah, good. Keep to the right, now…”

Night Light’s brow furrowed. “Hang on. Are we sure that’s a good idea?”

The other two looked at him in confusion. Night Light frowned. “Remember what happened with Candy’s last old friend. I’m worried that Gus and his buddies might be trying to get rid of us so we don’t tell anyone about this place.”

Candy gasped. “No! He wouldn’t. Gus is—”

“A great guy, right,” said Night Light, his frown deepening. “I don’t buy it. Honey, we’re going left.”

Velvet bit her lip nervously under the purple light of her horn, and the rubbing on his nether regions paused. “Dear, are you sure that’s…”

Candy shook his head frantically. “We’ve gotta go right, Night Light. Who knows where the other path goes? It might not even head out into the Ponytomac at all. You could end up somewhere deep under the earth, with no way out!”

“Strand me in the desert once, shame on me. Strand me under the mountain after that…” Night Light shook his head. “Left we go!” His horn glowed, and their boat jerked to the side.

The pillar of rock dividing the two courses of the river loomed ahead. With a squeal of terror, Candy lurched over the side of his boat and grabbed ahold of theirs. “No! You can’t!”

Night Light kept the boat on course, the left oar still rowing, the right locked to the boat’s side by Candy’s own craft. “Let go, Candy, before you fall ou—”

Candy toppled. His boat slipped out from under him, and he went plunging into the river. Night Light sat forward in disbelief, stretching out a reflexive hoof. Candy surfaced with splashing hooves. “Whooooaah!” he yelled, “That’s cold!”

Velvet, her face filled with alarm, lit her horn with blazing violet and yanked Candy up out of the water to drop him back in his boat. He had just a moment to look up and stretch out a hoof, calling “Wait!” before the pillar swept between them. Then the river split, and Candy was gone.

“Honey, we’ve got to—”

“I know, I know,” said Night Light, reversing the rotation of the oars. “We can’t let him go off on his own, he’ll get…” He paused. The oars were moving, but their boat was still heading forward. “Uh… I think the current’s picking up.”

Their boat shot forward as the tunnel suddenly narrowed. The water was coursing fast now, far faster than their oars could counteract. Velvet gritted her teeth. “Oh, honey, we should’ve just gone right.”

“We’ll be fine,” said Night Light, swallowing. “Just hang on.”

The current was getting swifter by the second. Their boat rocked in the river as water splashed up against the sides. Night Light gave up on the oars and stowed them in the boat. Pressing his hooves to the sides of the boat to steady himself, he braced.

“Turn!” said Velvet. A wall flashed up at them, and Night Light’s horn flared. The boat yanked to the left, tilting so much that the unicorns nearly spilled out, and they followed the course of the river onward.

“Do you hear that?” asked Night Light faintly. In the distance, he could hear a rumbling sound. He looked over his wife’s shoulder and swallowed again.

From her seat in front of him, Velvet gave him a very dry look. “That’s a waterfall.”

“Yep.”

“A twenty meter drop?”

“At least.”

Velvet took a deep breath. “If we survive this, I’m going to slap you.”

“Fair enough.” Night Light clenched his teeth. “Just close your eyes and hang on tight.” His horn flashed to life, a yellow sphere encircling them. His shields were nearly as good as their son’s, though he wasn’t sure it was going to be enough. His heart was pumping hard, that familiar spike of adrenaline making him feel delightfully alive.

Velvet turned slowly over her shoulder, dread etched in her face. “Oh, Goddesses, I hate heights…”

The river shot out of the tunnel, and the rumble rose to a roar. Night Light’s eyes widened as he saw the water spread out to join a dozen other tunnel mouths, all feeding into the widest waterfall he’d ever seen. It had to be half a hundred meters across, and so loud that he could barely hear himself think.

Their boat raced toward the edge, and Velvet suddenly grabbed him with her forelegs. Even through their thick clothing, he could feel her trembling. They reached the drop, and hurtled over.

“Night Liiiiiiiiiiiiight!”

His stomach leaped up somewhere in his throat as their boat tipped. Twenty meters down, the water crashed into another river, but it only stretched on for two meters before dissolving into another series of waterfalls that seemed to stretch out under them forever.

The unicorns screamed; Velvet in terror, Night Light in a kind of exhilaration. Their boat, surrounded by a bubble of yellow magic, plummeted down. They crashed into the water, splashing it all around, some seeping through the shield to spray them both. It was freezing cold, enough to take his breath away.

They rocketed over the next fall, tumbling upside down. Velvet kept screaming, clinging to him, but Night Light grinned. “Ha-ha! Hang on!” They smashed into the water, plunging in, but held inside the boat by his shield. His face smashed up against the magical barrier for a moment and his bag hit him in the back of the head, before their boat flipped over again to right itself.

Then they were going over again. Crashing into the next river, their boat rocked violently. The unicorns, soaked by the water, were knocked against the side. They rolled over the next drop, then again, and again, a constant rhythm of falling and crashing and splashing that left Night Light dizzy. Their boat smashed against at least a dozen rocks with enough force to make his teeth ache, but the magical shield held.

The final waterfall loomed ahead of them at last, rushing toward their boat like a freight train. Night Light gave a gleeful holler as they shot off the edge. “Oh, Sisters!” The drop was almost forty meters, the river rushing up at them in the light of his horn. Velvet, her face buried in his chest, clutched him tighter.

They fell for what seemed like an eternity, the wind rushing past his face. The water loomed large, and they crashed into it like a cannonball. The boat and the bubble submerged completely in the frigid water, whirling around in the angry currents. It surfaced after a moment, Night Light spitting water out of his mouth.

The boat swayed, but they were no longer falling and twisting, just rocketing along in the grip of the river. With another adrenaline-soaked laugh, Night Light let his shield splinter apart, the light fragmenting and fading.

Velvet, quivering, lifted her head to look into his eyes. He beamed at her. “Now that was fun.”

She slapped him so hard his head spun around. Night Light blinked, grinning, before whipping his head back and planting a kiss on her lips.

“Mmf!” she managed, before he thrust his tongue into her mouth. After a moment of surprise, she grabbed his head and pulled him closer. Through their touching chests, Night Light could feel her heart thudding just as hard as his own.

She closed her eyes, her own tongue entwining with his, slamming her forehooves against his chest and pushing him down into the boat. Night Light yanked out of the kiss, gasping for air. His hooves flicked up, fumbling with the zipper on her coat. Velvet’s horn glowed, and his own coat unzipped in a single, swift motion. He wriggled free of it, dumping the sodden garment in the back of the boat. A moment and a few flashes of magic later and Velvet’s boots, coat, and pants were thrust aside to join it.

Velvet dove for his pants, yanking on them and popping the button open with her mouth. Night Light groaned as his erection popped free, then again more loudly as the wet heat of Velvet’s mouth enveloped him. The contrast between her warmth and the freezing water drenching his skin sent electric shocks running through his body.

He toppled down into the boat, drawing a little urk from her as she adjusted. Night Light plunged his head upside-down between her own legs, licking her delicious pussy lips, which were already flushed pink with arousal. He pressed the flat of his tongue against that triangle of soft, pink flesh between her clit and her pussy entrance, rubbing his head back and forth with frantic need.

Velvet moaned around his cock, sucking on him desperately. He felt her tongue roll around his shaft, and his breath escaped him with a hiss. His hips thrust forward, drawing another noise of surprise from her. She took it like a champ, as always. Night Light’s face collapsed into bliss as his wife deep throated his entire cock, her most incredible talent.

The damp, wet heat of her throat surrounded his shaft, squeezing it on all sides, tighter than her pussy could ever be. He groaned, licking her again. Lifting his chin, he thrust his tongue into her pussy proper, going as deep as he could. Velvet’s legs clenched the sides of his head, making him shiver under the touch of the cold water on her skin, and her tongue rolled along the top of his cock as she pulled back off of it to give the head some attention.

The incredible scent of her pussy filled his nose, his other senses blasted away under the explosion of lust bursting in his brain. With a hoof resting on her clit, he began to rub in time with the pulsing motion of his tongue.

Velvet’s tongue pressed down on the head of his cock, lathering him with saliva. He felt her hoof touch his balls, pressing up under them to touch his shaft through them, and he nearly lost it right there. Night Light thrusted, trying to resist the urge to let loose and full-on fuck her face, managing at least to keep his jerky motions slow enough for her to handle.

She slurped on his cockhead, before inhaling through her nose and letting him thrust deep inside her. Slap slip plop went his cock as it slid into and out of her throat, matched by the wet slaps of his tongue on and in her pussy.

Velvet was dripping everywhere, trickles of her pussy juice dribbling down Night Light’s chin. The musky smell of her soaking vagina obliterated all thought. He circled her midsection with his forelegs, pulling her hindquarters into his face as hard as he could. She squealed as he flicked his tongue down for a moment to brush against her clit.

A hoof joined her mouth on his shaft, the gentle pressure sliding over his slippery, spit-covered cock as he thrusted. Night Light pumped faster, unable to hold back. The hoof lifted, and without warning, he felt something warm and wet wedge itself between his butt cheeks. His eyebrows shot up. Velvet poked his asshole with the hoof, covered in her juicy spit, and rubbed in a tiny circle around it.

His eyes fluttered closed, unable to remain open under the pleasure wracking his body, and he began to suckle her clit. Velvet thrusted her own hips, mashing them into his face.

Little tingles ran through him from his ass to the tip of his cock, so good he couldn’t stop himself from moaning. Velvet dived down on him, as deep as she could physically go, her nose pushing into his balls and his head sliding deep into her hot, slick throat.

He felt cum boiling up from the base of his cock, trying to hold it back as long as he could. He ought to warn her, but he couldn’t string the words together, couldn’t pull his head away from his own efforts to pleasure her. Instead, very gently, he nibbled on the hood of her clitoris.

Velvet let out a whimper of agonized ecstasy, and that was more than he could resist. The cum came pulsing up in a sudden wave, mind-meltingly good, bursting from his cock inside her throat. She stayed deep, massaging his asshole with one hoof, and the bottom of his balls with the other. As his hips quivered and he spilled himself deep inside her, Night Light bucked violently. Velvet rode it out, her tender touch never leaving his body.

He slumped bonelessly to the bottom of the boat, feeling the aftershocks and the last reluctant dribbles of cum seep from his cock. Velvet’s throat pulsed around him as she swallowed, and Night Light jerked a hoof up to rub her pussy in the absence of his mouth.

His cock, soft and spent, flopped out of her mouth at last. Velvet coughed, wiping her lips. “Ah… ah…” she panted, letting her head fall between his legs to rest.

It was a struggle not to immediately crash into an exhausted snooze. Can’t… leave her… hanging… he thought, remembering the dreadful night that had started all this. That’s not happening again if I can help it. Night Light returned his mouth to her pussy, devouring it with his tongue.

The equally tired mare just rested against him, holding his pelvis with her hooves and letting out little satisfied murmurs. The water had begun to dry off of their bodies in the warming air, but her pussy and his face were still drenched with natural lubricant.

At last, Velvet’s hips gave a familiar tremble. Night Light smiled tiredly as he coaxed her to the edge, exulting in the sudden flood of fluid from her pussy. It splashed across his face, dripping down onto the wood. He licked her through her climax, her quiet nonsensical mumbles sounding like music to his ears.

They lay there for a solid minute, breathing heavily. Gradually, he became aware that the gentle rocking of the boat had calmed greatly, the current having steadied some time ago. He lifted his head and inhaled in surprise. Above them were stars, not rock. They’d passed out of the caves.

“Honey…” murmured Velvet, shifting to a more comfortable position. “Did we make it?”

“I think so,” he breathed, turning to look ahead of them and smiling.

The nighttime countryside was broken by the spread of an enormous city. Huge buildings and innumerable twinkling lights shone radiantly through the night, announcing to the surrounding countryside that newcomers were entering the grand metropolis of Atlantrot.

He yawned, letting his head rest on the side of the boat. Velvet dragged herself upright, chest heaving. “Don’t fall asleep, honey… we could miss our flight.”

“I’ll wait till we reach the terminal,” he assured her, rubbing his eyes. A grin spread on his face. “You’ve got a little, uh…” he pointed to the corner of her mouth, where a streak of white liquid remained splattered on her skin.

Smiling coyly, she stretched her tongue out and slowly licked the area, pulling the little droplets of cum back into her mouth and swallowing loudly.

Night Light leaned forward and kissed her, tasting the slight tang of his sweat still lingering on her tongue. They stayed pressed together that way for a long time, floating gently down the river, enjoying the warm summer air as it welcomed them back from the mountains.

* * *

The Ponytomac split Atlantrot nearly in half, before running down to join the sea on the nearby eastern coastline. As the winding river passed through the city, it was criss-crossed with hundreds of bridges, but the banks of the river were mostly vertical concrete walls. It took Velvet and Night Light nearly half an hour to find a good spot to land their boat.

There was a gap in the concrete by the side of a particularly large bridge. The embankment was taken up by a dirt trail that led down to a small pier, where a large garbage tanker waited to take the city’s trash away to other climes.

Wrinkling his nose, Night Light steered them toward it. They pulled up to the side of the pier, hopping out and pulling all their belongings with them. Thanks to his shield bubble, their bags had survived the waterfalls and even stayed in the boat. Their wet clothing was quickly stuffed inside the luggage, to be dried after they got on the airship.

“Hey, look,” said Velvet, pointing. Night Light glanced after her hoof and smiled. A second boat, identical to theirs, already rested by the pier, tied with a rope to one of the poles.

“So Candy made it. Maybe we’ll run into him on our way to catch our flight.” Night Light hefted his bag. “No time to go looking for him, though.”

“He’ll be fine on his own,” said Velvet. “I’m sure he has some seedy underworld connection here who’ll help him out…”

The two ponies, weary, hungry, and still very satisfied, left the boat tied at the pier and made their way up into the city streets. They had at least a few hours to find the airport, Night Light reflected, as he took a swig from his water bottle. He smacked his lips at the refreshing taste of the cool oasis water. They were so close, now. He wasn’t going to let anything stop them from getting on that flight.