Light hadn't started spilling in the windows yet. It was a chill night, which had meant even ponies with nice warm coats could snuggle close without getting too hot. The covers of the bed were pulled up around Dustin's neck, and she was comfortable.

Pressed to Dustin's belly, facing her, was Twilight Velvet. Dustin could have snuggled with Twilight all day long, if neither of them had a job to do. She leaned just a touch closer and kissed the tip of the other mare's nose.

Dustin blushed a little. It was the second night she had put herself between Night and Twilight with the deliberate intent to let Night Light have some fun with her. Her blush intensified when she felt something press against her croup. It wasn't soft, at least not completely.

It was morning, and Night Light was a happy and content stallion, which meant that on occasion he was going to have "morning wood." More of him slipped free of his sheath, growing hard against Dustin's back until he was completely out.

As a human, Dustin had been with guys bigger than she was, but there was something more real about the moment because it wasn't her normal body. Nonetheless, part of her started warming right up at the feel of Night against her, and without thinking she slid her body down, then up. Her motion, repeated a few times, began to stroke soft fur and firm flesh against Night's stallionhood.

Dustin felt Night shift a little, pressing himself more firmly against her, and she felt a spike of bliss at causing him such pleasure while she was firmly in control of things. With her eyes closed, Dustin was surprised when Twilight's lips pressed to her own. A happy little moan left her throat, and she opened her eyes to gaze at Twilight Velvet.

"You're intent on working him up in the morning? You know he is going to want something after this." Twilight stroked a hoof gently down Dustin's barrel, stroking all the way down to her belly. "I can slake him if—"

"No." Dustin had made up her mind. "We have a deal." She kept up the pace, rocking her body against Night Light until, finally, she felt one of his forelegs curl around her shoulders. He was bigger than her, and it showed quite obviously when he hugged her against him and Dustin nestled against him easily.

"Good morning." Night kept his tone even, but couldn't help betraying how happy he felt. Dipping his head down to Dustin's neck, he nibbled the tenderest parts. "What was this about a deal?"

"Today. Now." Her body singing, Dustin's back leg worked as if she were on a pushbike, cycling in the air and messing up the covers. "I trust you."

Night Light was gentle. He didn't even move until he had kissed Dustin's neck so much she sighed in delight. Dustin titled her head up, however, when Twilight slipped out of the bed.

"You two have fun, I'm going to make breakfast." Winking to the pair, the last thing Twilight saw as she left the bedroom was Night using his magic to slather himself and Dustin's tail-hole in lubricant. Stepping down the stairs, her heart thudded in time with the noise now coming from the bedroom.

Mixing up some pancake batter, Twilight Velvet began to hum happily. She might not be getting her morning wake up from Night, but she wasn't so greedy she couldn't settle for a nooner instead. Just as she began to cook the pancakes, an urgent knocking came from the door.

In an instant, Twilight Velvet's attention strayed to the sounds of pleasure coming from upstairs. A sound-wall quickly cast against the ceiling put a stop to that, and she walked toward the doorway leading to the front room.

Opening the front door, her mind partly focused on flipping a pancake in the kitchen, Twilight Velvet blinked up at Belay. "Hello. You're a bit early to catch Dustin. She and Night are still in bed." No more needed saying, or so Twilight hoped.

"That's alright, my news can wait awhile. But it's exciting nonetheless." Belay followed Twilight's lead, and closed the door behind him as he entered the house. Glancing around, he saw two large couches in the living room, while two walls were covered by bookshelves.

Twilight got back to her stove, leaving Belay to sit or stand as per his preference. "Exciting news? Did something happen with the mission Kiera and Princess Luna had planned?"

"Oh. No. Their mission went ahead perfectly, and although they didn't get as much moon-rock as they wanted, they still got some." Belay almost melted at the sight and smell of cooking pancakes. Synth food wasn't terrible, but the real thing had—thus far—proved to be superior.

Turning to see why her guest hadn't continued, Twilight Velvet saw Belay staring at the fry pan. "Would you like some breakfast, dear?"

The question snapped Belay out of his stupor. "Wha—? Oh! Yes please!" He walked to the table and took a seat.

"Well?" Twilight was almost getting to the point where she would prod the stallion with a wooden spoon if he didn't spill the news.

"Well what?" Belay blinked in confusion for nearly two seconds. "Oh! The news! Twi—" He broke off, realizing who he was speaking to. "Princess Twilight Sparkle has come up with a way to undo the magic changes and turn us human again!"

Twilight Velvet almost cursed, and she would have if she had been twenty years younger. It was a watershed moment, of course, but she held her feelings in check as best she could.

Looking at Twilight, Belay could pick up emotional distress, and it wasn't hard to put two and two together. "You got close to Dust, didn't you?" Twilight nodded. "We may not leave immediately, of course. We have—"

"But you are going to leave." Twilight looked down at the pancakes, her excitement for the day waning.

"If I remember rightly, that was how you snagged Dust. Is it really growing to be more?" Belay used his magic to help, preparing a pot of tea. He waited for Twilight to nod again before sighing. "We are employed by Kiera, and she is under contract to Exploration and Evaluation corps. I don't like the idea of her flying back to regulation space alone."

The meaning of Belay's words took a few moments to percolate through Twilight's thoughts. She lifted her head and stared at Belay. "You want to stay? You can do that?"

"It's more like abandoning my life." Belay had seen Twilight work the teapot before, and assembled the tray of accompanying items to how he remembered it. "All my pay, all my possessions—the ones that aren't with me—are gone. Not like I can withdraw credit chips here."

"Would Dustin?" Hope was a powerful thing to any being, and for Twilight Velvet it was the smallest flame of the dying fire her new relationship had been. She looked at Belay closely, trying to read his emotions.

"I don't know." Belay shook his head. Pouring out two cups of tea, he took one for himself.

"But you want to stay regardless?" Twilight lifted her own cup up and took a sip. The hot brew was perfect, but the situation she was in was less so.

Belay just nodded.

A knocking sound broke the conversation, and Twilight Velvet made her way through the house again, fearful of more bad news. Reaching the door, she opened it with her magic. "Twily?" She blinked at the sight of her daughter. In the weeks Belay and Dustin had been in Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle had been sequestered nearly day and night.

"Hi mom!" Despite obvious excitement to meet with her mother on her first free day in weeks, Twilight Sparkle had worked through the night, and had a bed presented itself, she would have had no willpower to resist its pull.

"Sweetie, come on in." Twilight Velvet ushered her daughter inside. "I have another visitor."

No matter how many times a pony moves around, or how many homes they live in, being back under the roof of the house they grew up in was always a coming home moment. Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, had her own castle to live in, but this little (compared to a castle) house in Canterlot was always her home.

What Twilight Sparkle hadn't expected, however, was to find her new coltfriend sitting at the family dinner table sipping tea. She froze in place and looked from Belay to her mother. "Why is Belay here?!"

Twilight Velvet sighed and turned around. "Twily, dear, you are doing the mane thing." She gestured to the first telltale sign that Twilight Sparkle (or Shining Armor for that matter) was losing their glass beads at an alarming rate: her mane had frizzed up. "Calm down. Belay came here to tell Dusty about your good news."

Freezing in place, Twilight Sparkle looked from Belay to Twilight Velvet and back again. "Okay." She stopped and counted to ten in her head, slowly, in base three. She got as far as twelve before her nose shot a nerve message to her brain that struck with the force of a torpedo. "Are those blueberry pancakes?"

The sound of hooves coming down the stairs was too much for Twilight Velvet's simple spell of silence to stop, and so everypony at the dinner table watched Night Light and Dustin enter the kitchen, nuzzling each other's cheek.

"We have some visitors." Twilight Velvet gestured to Belay and Twilight Sparkle.

Dustin smiled towards Belay, and looked at the Princess. "Good morning." She hoped nopony noticed she was walking a bit stiff. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, Belay."

"Belay was just telling me there is some good news." Gesturing to her daughter, Twilight Velvet tried to soldier on with the best smile she could.

"Well, I may have worked out a way to turn you both back to human and suck all the magic out of your bodies. It's complicated, but…" She trailed off, getting odd vibes from everypony—and she really wasn't the best at interpreting complex social cues.

"So we can go home?" Dustin's voice held excitement. She actually started bouncing up and down before her hips and rear reminded her of what had just happened. "Belay! We get to go home!" In her excitement, Dustin swapped back to Galactic Standard.

Looking up at his friend, Belay tried to put on a supportive face. "Yeah. Going home." The delivery wasn't flat, but it was close to it. He stole a look from his fellow brawn to Twilight Sparkle.

Seeing her friend frown, despite trying to hide it, halted Dustin's excitement before it got far. She looked at Belay closely, then followed Belay's gaze to Twilight Sparkle. Realization dawned, brighter than the sun had not long ago. "Y-Y-You and Princess Twilight?" Her voice was hesitant, and still in Gal. Standard.

A mother's instinct hit Twilight Velvet like a hammer. She had been about to welcome her husband and their lover to the kitchen in as warm a way as she could with company present, but she got a vibe something important was just said. She turned, and looked at her daughter and Belay sitting beside each other.

"They make a cute couple, don't they?" Night Light kissed Twilight Velvet on the cheek and made his way towards his daughter. "Good morning dear. Congratulations on your project." He leaned down and kissed Twilight Sparkle's cheek.

Twilight Sparkle took the paternal kiss with aplomb, but stopped and turned to her mother. Twilight Velvet was staring at her daughter with a huge smile on her face. "Mom, wai—"

"Congratulations!" Twilight Velvet's sadness at possibly losing Dustin was set aside. She practically bounced across the kitchen and then froze beside Belay. Turning her most stern gaze upon Belay, Twilight Velvet tried to keep her voice mostly neutral. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Belay was suddenly on the defense. He shrank back, and tried to hide (which was impossible, of course). "I didn't… I mean we haven't… It's not—"

"We have been on two dates, mom." Twilight Sparkle used her magic to start dishing up pancakes, claiming one for herself. "Belay and I are just…" She took a breath and smiled. "We are just testing things out."

Night Light got close enough to lean in and kiss Twilight Velvet on the nose. "Darling, leave them be. You already have a grandfilly."

A wash of motherly emotions flooded Twilight Velvet from being reminded about Shining, Cadance, and Flurry Heart. Taking the easy way out, she started working with Twilight Sparkle's magic, preparing more pancake batter and cooking the last of the first batch. "How soon until you do—until you do the thing and become your old selves?"

Belay and Dustin could both feel the chill from Twilight Velvet's question. Belay looked to his fellow brawn. "We have a bit of time, Twilight—Sparkle—will need to set things up. I am going to help, but it will take a few days at least."

Now she was a little more steady—and not remembering Night Light's body quite so vividly—Dustin could see what the problem was. Belay had set down some roots, and his dreams of finding another sapient species was fulfilled.

Then it hit Dustin. She looked to Twilight Velvet, and to Night Light, and realized that the little "thing" she had with them would end if they returned. She didn't realize how stricken she looked until Night Light nuzzled her cheek. Without hesitation, Dustin pressed her snout into Night Light's mane and inhaled is warm, strong scent.

"It's okay, Dusty, we'll work something out." Night Light didn't know exactly what he could do, but he could give Dustin somepony to lean on.

Author's Note

Kiera: how much longer can you really stand to have the mission on hold in this extended vacation?

"In absolute values? I have nearly four-hundred Galactic-Standard year's of nutrient, and enough fuel to keep my fins like this for over a thousand. Rules and Reg's state that no more than two months be spent in the most extreme situations, on a single planet. We are out of wiggle room, as the saying goes." Kiera ran her numbers again, and a third time for good measure, before most people would even register she had finished talking. "I worry about my brawns, though."

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and ~~I~~ they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, ~~I~~ they will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! ~~I~~ They will pick one question per chapter.

Support me on Patreon or fuel my writing on Ko-Fi!

Join me on Discord. Warning, said chat may contain NSFW material and should be considered adult in nature.

Awesome ponies who are already helping to keep me in keyboards and rum:
A.P.O.N.I.
Boulder
Canary in the Coal Mine
Daremo
Dio-Drogynous
Javarod
Nils
Shaushka
Sirion123
Tanis

And special thanks to the following, for careful eyes and friendly words:
Airy Words
Cross Lament
Vutava