Pappy-go-lucky
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Spice of Life

Pappy-go-lucky

Blue picked his way carefully over the scree of the Huacaya Mountains as he neared the alpaca camp. Saddlebags heavy on his back, he panted from effort as he crested a ridge, spying the first real sign of civilization he had seen in nearly two days. A smile came to him as he trotted closer.

Two large alpaca guards spotted him and approached him, wearing stern scowls. Their drab pale-yellow wool hung in knotted clumps from their thin frames.

"Who goes there?" one asked gruffly, with a surprising amount of strength and life in his voice.

"The name's Blue," the cobalt earth pony said, "I'm a paranormal detective here on orders from Princess Celestia to investigate a unicorn named Oleander. I was told that an alpaca named Paprika might b-"

Blue was cut off as one guard flung himself forward with startling speed and agility. Seconds later, he found himself helplessly held in a headlock by powerful forelegs. He choked, unable to speak as his windpipe was compressed tightly.

"What do you want with her?" the guard not presently holding him asked.

Blue choked out a gasp of air, prompting his captor to lighten his grip. He gulped in a sweet helping of air before responding breathily. "I just want to see if she knows where I can find Oleander! I won't hurt her, I swear!"

The two guards laughed heartily at that.

"Oh, we're not concerned about you hurting her. We're concerned about you bringing her here."

Blue was confused, but quickly said what he thought they wanted to hear. "I won't! I just want to ask her some questions, that's all!"

"And why should we trust or help you?"

"I..." Blue trailed off, thinking. "I can give you something in return for helping me find her. I-it's in my bag."

The guard who had been speaking nodded to the other, and the pony was thrust forward onto his belly. He stood up with a cough and reached into his bag slowly as the guards watched, tense and ready for trouble. He produced a small brown satchel tied with a thin red cord and pulled it open. Golden light shone from inside the satchel, brightening up the two alpacas' faces as they leaned forward to look inside.

"These," Blue said, "are golden oats. Magical food from Rein. Eating a single one will give you the power to fly for a short amount of time. They also have some, uh, other... effects."

The two didn't seem to hear the last part as they stared wide-eyed, almost hungrily, at the magical snack.

One shook his head, composing himself. "Very well," he said. "We will take you to see Adobo. He will decide what to do with you. Follow me, and don't try anything. We're watching you."

Blue nodded and followed silently. He sighed internally with relief, mentally thanking Velvet for her surprise gift. He hadn't found the golden oats until the day after he had left her hidden cave home. She didn't seem like the type to give gifts, but perhaps she had given them to him with some selfish goal in mind. Probably just assumed he would need any help he could get to track down Oleander. She was a powerful unicorn who wielded dark magic granted by a demon living in a book. When he thought of it that way, he agreed; he did need any help he could get. The oats were already saving his life.

The alpaca encampment was a depressing place. Every face he saw looked either grim or depressed. They all appeared to be struggling with starvation and exposure. Every single one bore visible scars on their cracked, dry faces. He couldn't imagine life in such conditions, spending every day on the edge of death, constantly packing up and moving from place to place to follow the meager portions of dry grass and dead leafy plants. He had a lot of respect for these creatures, and was surprised they had not simply killed and robbed him. He assumed there was some kind of code of honor they followed.

The elder's tent was no different from the rest except that it had a guard posted outside of it, holding a short wooden spear. The two Blue was accompanying explained the situation and the tent's guard stepped aside, but kept a watchful eye on the untrusted pony as they entered. The inside of the tent was cramped with four creatures occupying it, but being out of the cold, dry wind made him feel a little better.

The two guards took up positions to his left and right, while he sat directly across from Adobo. The four were sitting around a large, flat stone that seemed to serve as a table in the small circular tent. Above it hung a small oil lamp, casting an equal measure of light and shadows onto the creatures and walls. The floor was covered with a thin wool mat that did little to keep the chill in the ground at bay.

"Speak," Adobo said to Blue. He looked even more ragged than the rest of them. His wool clung to sagging and wrinkled skin, bald in numerous patches that were marred by scar tissue. Blue supposed that, being older, he had more time to be ravaged by the harsh conditions.

"My name is Blue. I'm looking for a unicorn named Oleander, and I was told that, uh..." Blue said, pausing with worry about saying her name again. He swallowed before continuing. "Uh, Paprika might know where she is. And that you might know where I can find her."

Adobo didn't visibly react, just sitting still in the dim lamp light. His jaw moved, and for a split second, Blue thought he was going to speak. Instead, he just seemed to slowly chew on something, then stopped. Blue realized he was leaning forward in anticipation, and had to lean himself back into an upright position. One interminable silence later (during which Blue stopped himself from speaking several times), Adobo finally spoke.

"Very well," was all he said.

Blue didn't know what to say, so he just looked around anxiously at the stone-faced guards, and remained quiet. The awkward silence was nearly deafening.

"What will you give us in return for her whereabouts?" Adobo finally asked.

"Oh!" Blue said as much in surprise as affirmation that he had heard. He pulled the small sack from his saddlebag and loosened the string, opening it and tilting it forward to allow Adobo to see inside. "I have these golden oats from Rein."

Adobo nodded. "Yes, I am familiar with these," he said and paused briefly as he inspected them more closely. "We will take half of them in exchange for telling you the location of Paprika. And you must also not tell her where we are."

Blue nodded, his short light blue mane bouncing softly. He placed the sack onto the stone table and pressed it forward to Adobo. The old alpaca dumped the contents out and, with impressive agility, split the pile into two equal portions, then swept one mound back into the small satchel, even tying it off. He held it out and Blue took it with a grateful nod.

"What is on this stone table now belongs to the Alpake of Huacaya. In exchange for this boon, we offer you information. We shall now share what we know about the whereabouts of the one called Paprika," Adobo said. He seemed to be speaking for the herd as a whole rather than himself, as if the trade involved more than just himself. "Paprika has taken shelter in a cave to the west of here. We will draw you a map."

Immediately, one guard stood up and brushed past Blue to exit the tent.

"He is going to get the herd's cartographer," Adobo explained when he noticed Blue's confusion.

While they waited in silence, Adobo swept the rest of the golden oats into a small bag of his own. Blue busied himself by looking at the glittery dust on the stone table where the two piles had been sitting. Flickering lamp light danced across the invisibly small flakes, creating a small light show that was actually rather delightful.

It was only a couple of silent minutes later that the guard returned with another alpaca carrying a large rolled up piece of canvas. The guard waited outside to give the cartographer room to sit. He unrolled the canvas, revealing a giant, extremely detailed map, presumably of the Huacaya Mountains.

"Okay, we aaaare right here," he said, pointing a pointy two-toed hoof at a section of the map. "And Paprika iiiiis here." He pointed at another spot.

"I, uh... don't think I'll be able to remember th-"

"Yes, yes, I'm making you a copy," the cartographer said. He produced a thin sheet of parchment and a quill, then pressed the parchment firmly against the canvas. The dark lines of the map were dimly visible underneath. He began quickly tracing lines, his deft hooves working swiftly and accurately. Blue watched in amazement as a seemingly perfect copy appeared before his eyes. "Aaaand... done."

The cartographer slid the copy over to Blue, whose eyes were still wide in amazement at what he had just seen. "Uh, wow. Thank you," he said.

"Yeah, good luck and all. I gotta get back."

And with that, he was out the tent flap and gone.

"Our transaction is complete. You are welcome to stay and take shelter in my tent if needed, but we have nothing more to offer you," Adobo said. "You are free to wander among the tents if you wish, but nopaca will give you anything for free, even answers to questions, as you are still an outsider. Also, do not eat anything within the confines of the camp, as it belongs to the Alpake of Huacaya. I see you brought your own provisions, however, so I doubt that will be an issue."

"Thank you, Adobo," Blue said with an appreciative nod.

"Is there anything else you wish to know about Paprika before you go?" he asked.

"Yes, actually. I heard she can't talk. Is that true?" Blue asked. Adobo simply nodded. "I see. Is there some way she would be able to tell me about Oleander? Like some kind of sign language? Or does she write or anything?"

Adobo laughed. "She has her ways," was all he said. It didn't sound very helpful, but it did ignite a spark of optimism in the pony. He suspected whatever he needed to know, Paprika would find a way to tell him, if she so desired.

"And... is she dangerous?" Blue asked.

"Extremely."

The spark of optimism died like a match at the bottom of the ocean.

Blue sighed, knowing that was still not going to stop him.

"Okay. Well... thanks again. I'll be heading out now."

Adobo nodded. "Farewell, Blue, and may the winds blow softly on your journey."

Blue stood and exited the tent with a new goal in sight. He checked his compass and traveled due west. He passed some more tents and curious alpacas who eyed him with plenty of suspicion. They almost looked more like features of the dead land than living creatures. He now knew, however, that beneath the seeming dead husks were very hardy individuals. At the edge of the camp, a new guard approached him to ask his business. When Blue said he had seen Adobo, the guard simply nodded and let him pass unmolested. And then, just like that, he was back in the harsh Huacaya wilderness.

Most of the scenery was an endless series of large rocks and dead trees as he carefully wound his way over rough mountain terrain. The freezing wind relentlessly buffeted him, kicking up small bits of rock and dust that stung his eyes. He felt he had an appreciation and understanding for Adobo's parting words about the wind blowing softly.

When he had first set out for the alpaca camp, the journey there had been much the same as it was now. Despite already having spent a day and a night in these conditions, the present going wasn't made any easier. With only a few hours of daylight left, he hoped he could find Paprika before nightfall, as his night spent shivering in his small tent had been one of the most miserable he had ever experienced. She was apparently in a cave, which sounded like a guest room in Canterlot Castle compared to another sleepless night in the tent being pounded by wind.

Blue checked the map frequently, and was amazed to see how accurately it had been made. He was able to identify landmarks with relative ease, making him confident that he was going the right direction. A look at his progress made him uncertain about whether he would reach Paprika by night time, so he picked up his pace where he could. Breaking a leg out here would be certain death, however, so he made sure to prioritize safety over speed.

He decided not to stop for dinner as the sun sank lower in the sky. The mountain's features were beginning to cast long, deep shadows, making it slightly difficult to see in some areas, but he pressed on even as the sky darkened to twilight. Just as he considered setting up his tent (before it became too dark to see), he saw Paprika's cave up ahead and below him. He knew it was her cave, because there was cheery yellow light spilling from it, looking to Blue like an inviting, warm embrace in a winter storm.

So much for setting up the tent.

He moved faster, spurred on by the prospect of shelter, stepping down from boulder to boulder and sliding down a steep rocky hill. With just a short, easy walk separating him from the cave entrance, he was panting from a mix of physical exertion, excitement, and fear. He had heard she was very dangerous, and possibly difficult to communicate with, but he hoped that, just as with Velvet, having a common enemy would be enough to win her trust.

Taking small steps, Blue neared the brightly lit opening, unable to see inside from the angle he had. He didn't want to be sneaky in case she saw him and assumed he was there to cause trouble, but his creeping fear of the unknown screamed at him to be slow and cautious.

A blue ear twitched as he picked up a very unexpected sound. He thought he heard... humming? Was it just a trick of the wind? His mind making up sounds? His own terrified whimpers? He strained to listen as he stepped closer, and the sound became clearer. It was indeed humming; but not the idle hums of a bored mare doing housework, using music to pass the time. This sounded like pure happiness leaking from an inflated balloon. For a moment, Blue thought he was going mad, as there was certainly more than a hint of madness in the notes he was hearing. His hooves moved, driven by curiosity, carrying him toward that siren song of a tune, pure elation made audible. He reached the entrance and rounded the corner, looking inside. His first thought was that the cave looked very fuzzy and yellow. His second was dread as he saw her standing in the middle of the soft yellow room.

She saw him instantly.

She gasped. He gasped. She squealed. He screamed.

His vision was immediately filled with yellow wool and smiling face. Paprika continued to squee as she picked up the terrified and confused pony in a tight, loving hug. She swung him back and forth, her screeching increasing in pitch and volume like a boiling teakettle as she danced.

Blue's screams died down to uncomfortable groans as he was tossed about like a ragdoll. When the motions finally stopped, he was dizzy and perplexed about just what was going on. The extremely fluffy alpaca set him down gently and stared at him with a wild grin.

"Ahh!" she said in excited wonder. Blue blinked rapidly and shook his head to recover.

"Wha...?" he managed.

Paprika leaned forward and gave him a big, wet lick with a happy "mleeeeemmm!"

"Ah! Eewww," Blue said, then, worried he might offend her, quickly continued. "I-I mean uh, ee-you... must be Paprika." He didn't feel very convincing. She didn't seem to react. Blue decided to get to the point. "So... I'm looking for a unicorn named Oleander. Can you tell me where I can find her?"

"Ohh! Hm hm hmm!" she hummed, putting a hoof on her forehead and sticking it out like a horn. He nodded vigorously. She put on a devious grin and let out an excited "hehhh!" as she dashed off faster than Blue's eyes could even follow, then was back in an instant with a book. She held it near her chest and her wool seemed to move on its own, twisting into long thin shapes that were thicker against the book's pages and tapered off as they rose upward, wriggling about. Blue realized what she meant.

"Yes! Oleander the unicorn! And the Unicornomicon with her demon friend living in it!" he said with building excitement. Paprika nodded and tossed the book away. "So, can you help me find her?" Paprika shook her head, still wearing the exact same cheerful expression. Blue's heart sank. Paprika frowned as if she could feel his sadness directly, and moved in to hug him yet again. He instinctively took a step back, but he was already smooshed against her wool before he knew it. "Fnnkf nnvh." His face was buried in soft, warm wool that seemed to be hugging him.

"Mmmmmm," she hummed gently and comfortingly. Blue had not expected this after hearing about how dangerous she was. It seemed to him to all be some kind of misunderstanding. After all, he couldn't deny that the embrace and songlike hum were actually making him feel much better. It almost made him forget about the inevitable miserable trek back out of the wilderness. Almost. He shivered at the thought and Paprika responded by pressing him somehow deeper into her wool. And though he couldn't talk clearly, he found that his breathing itself wasn't impeded much by the thick, soft material surrounding his face and the front half of his head. He instinctively nuzzled deeper into it with a sigh, feeling a bit like a colt getting comforted by his mommy, but he didn't mind. He wrapped his forelegs around her and squeezed, only to find them buried in softness as well. It was like she was sucking him in, but in a very pleasant way that made him feel safe from the dangers and cruelty of the world. She was shelter and love.

Paprika licked his head gently and peppered it with kisses as she held him. She suddenly tilted and lay on her back, acting like a makeshift bed made of warm alpaca. Blue whimpered as his dissonant thoughts seemed to clash, caught between disappointment that he had wasted his time coming here and the extremely comforting softness surrounding him. The positivity won out though, as her presence seemed to just suck all doubt and fear out of him. Everything began to feel right. His entire body just felt... good.

He almost yelped when he finally noticed he was erect. How long had that been like that? Just as a stab of guilt threatened to make the situation awkward, he realized her wool was lightly massaging him there. Almost as if... she wanted it? He tried not to move just in case he was mistaken, but his member twitched of its own accord, sending a pleasurable shock through his body. Her warmth enveloped his cock completely and he could not escape from it. He moaned softly into her wool as it writhed against his sensitive length. He tried to say something, to object just in case it wasn't intended, but the sound died in the jungle of fuzz the moment it left his mouth. Seeming to sense his worry, she kissed his head again and her body undulated gently against him. He moaned again at the sensation and whimpered happily as she continued to reassure him and melt away his worries while simultaneously pleasing him intimately.

His breathing picked up and he wiggled helplessly as the pleasure overtook his mind. He began to feel himself approaching his climax, nestled deep within her loving wool. Paprika seemed to understand this as well, her oddly soft strands stroking his stallionhood as if milking it. She kissed the top of his head again as though to say "yes, it's okay." The earth pony's whimper became a whine, then a groan as he reached the point of no return. A fluttery feeling settled deep in his core as he tensed up. His firm member jumped as a rope of liquid bliss spilled from its tip, splashing against her strangely quivering wool. Instinct made him buck lightly as more of his seed spurted out onto her, and she responded by nuzzling and kissing at his head in silent encouragement. He twitched and vocalized his enjoyment, muffled against her thick fluff, as a last few leaky bursts came from him. Spent, he once again pressed himself close to her, smiling and feeling none of the world's weight on his shoulders. This strange alpaca had somehow made it all just... go away.

After several minutes of silent post-coital bliss, he stirred. Pulling his head out of the depths of her floof, he looked up and saw she was looking at him with a warm smile. She immediately kissed him, a short and happy kiss that left his lips tingling and his heart racing. She purred, seemingly content to have made him happy and he widened his already-present smile to show he appreciated her efforts.

"Wow... that was... wow. Thank you," he said with a swelling warmth in his heart.

"Brrrr!" Paprika trilled happily.

Her fluff seemed to harden under him and push at him slowly from below until he popped out of it like a toy from plastic clamshell packaging. She picked him up and rolled herself upright, placing the blue pony on the soft cave floor in a sitting position. When he made a move to stand up, she placed a hoof on his chest. "Mm-mm!" she vocalized, shaking her head. When he opened his mouth to speak, her hoof moved up to it and shushed him with a firm press. She bounced away and around a corner, only for her head to slide out from around it a second later. Her foreleg followed, beneath her head, and pointed at him then pointed down. Stay there. Blue nodded dumbly and she disappeared again.

Alone at last, the pony finally had a chance to look closely at his surroundings. The cave was decorated with a myriad of yellow things. The walls were covered with embroidered blankets, needlepoint artwork, and decorative knitted clothing. Socks, boots, hats, sweaters, scarves, t-shirts, leg warmers, face masks, aprons, and even a large full-body suit all adorned the otherwise drab brown rock... all the same color as her wool. A couple tables held lively green plants in clay pots, with one large center table displaying a row of beautiful flowers that Blue did not recognize. The floor was covered with soft yellow blankets, making it quite pleasant to sit on. Several lamps hung from the ceiling, giving the place a warm and welcoming glow, a far cry from the unforgiving and deadly conditions just outside. And despite the lack of a door, the cave was pleasantly balmy, somehow keeping the biting cold at bay, as if the atmosphere simply implied that it wasn't welcome here, and it was working.

Paprika came back carrying a picnic basket decorated with a single red heart on the side. He noticed she was also wearing a rectangular rug on her back, red around the edges and pink in the middle, with teal fringes hanging down from two ends. She leaned forward and bucked the rug off her back, making it sail through the air in a tangle, yet it somehow landed on the floor perfectly neatly in front of an impressed Blue. One happy hop later, she set the picnic basket in the center of the cheery red mat and lay down opposite Blue.

"Are we... having a picnic?" he asked.

She nodded, mouth open like an excited dog, and lifted the lid of the basket. "Ehhhh-hehhh!" she said, pulling a shiny red apple from inside. She held it out to Blue and waited expectantly.

"O-oh, thanks!" he said, taking the apple.

Where did she even get an apple from? I haven't seen a single living tree in nearly two days, he thought. And how does it look so fresh? It looks like it was just picked. Is she growing apples in the cave somehow?

She was still watching. Shrugging internally, he took a bite and his eyes widened as he tasted one of the most delicious apples he had ever had. The skin, taut and smooth, gave way with the perfect crunch, revealing a cool, crispy sweetness that seemed to have just a hint of tartness that struck a flawless balance. He melted into a puddle of pleased pony, enchanted by the flavor he was experiencing.

"Ehehehehhh!" Paprika laughed with a tinge of madness in her enjoyment of his bliss. With a swift motion, she produced a second apple from the basket and tossed it up into her mouth, eating and swallowing the entire thing before Blue had even finished chewing his first bite.

He ate slowly, savoring each bite as though it might be his last. By the time his apple was reduced to a core, she had eaten a dozen herself. Not sure what to do with the apple's remnants, he set the core on the rug. Paprika immediately fell forward onto it and ate it in one messy bite, making pleased sounds as she did, then sat up. With a large circular sweep of her tongue, she cleared off bits that had stuck to her face. Blue smiled.

"You are really something," he said. She held up a hoof in a just-one-moment gesture then reached into her fluffy chest wool and somehow it came back out holding a pristine bouquet of flowers. She promptly held them out to him. "These are for me?" Despite all of the strange things that had happened in the short time he had been there, he was still caught off guard and found himself wondering whether this relatively simple gesture was sincere. It seemed to be, as she nodded and pressed the colorful clutch of roses and tulips closer. He took them and held them in front of his face, taking a deep sniff of them. They smelled absolutely delightful. His smile faded as a thought came to him.

"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth..." he said as he held the flowers close, "but why are you doing this? All the other alpacas were strictly business, but you just seem to be... giving."

Paprika pointed at her chest. "Mmm," she hummed.

"You?" Blue guessed. She shook her head. Then she reconsidered and nodded, pointing at the little red heart on the side of the picnic basket. "Heart?" She shook her head and pointed at the same heart as if telling him to try again. "Heart, um... oh, love?" She nodded vigorously then pointed at him. "Me?" She nodded again, excited. "You... you love me?"

"Brrrr!" she trilled.

His heart melted. "Uh- b- g- I..." he sputtered. "Awww." He put the flowers down and shuffled forward, falling against her in a grateful hug. She hummed and squealed happily and hugged him back. "How anyone could be scared of you is beyond me."

She giggled and tenderly stroked his mane with a hoof. Her giggle grew in intensity to a full on laugh that seemed to have no end in sight. He began to worry he was about to find out why everyone he had talked to was scared of her. And she pulled him closer, again falling back so that he was on top of her. As he was sinking into her wool, his uncertainty briefly made him consider pulling back from the hug. Part of him noted that he didn't feel any wet spots where he had deposited his messy load earlier and wondered if she had somehow cleaned it, or more worryingly, if she had just absorbed it like some kind of hungry sponge. He sank deeper. His stallionhood slipped from its sheath as arousal involuntarily came upon him again. Paprika's insane laughter had not died down. If anything, it was more intense.

This time, instead of stroking and hugging him, her fluff seemed to push him down her body until his head was near her belly and his hind legs were on the picnic rug. He gasped as his cock's tip brushed against a warm and wet spot. He soon realized it wasn't his seed from earlier, however, when she pulled his hips closer and he found himself slowly being buried between her warm and slick nether lips. With half of his now-turgid member enveloped by her heated depths and the other half surrounded by soft fluff, he moaned aloud, not even audible above her cacophonous laughter.

Her soft folds were like warm, wet velvet embracing and massaging his eager length. He writhed and found he had more freedom of movement than he expected. Perhaps to let him...

Blue thrust gently forward, burying the rest of his member inside her. The feeling of her rippling soft-ridged tunnel caressing him was divine. Still chuckling seemingly helplessly, she let what might have been a moan slip into her laugh. Blue grunted deep into her fuzz as he pulled back, then thrust into her, this time earning him a definite moan and very slight break in her giggle fit. Had he not cum fifteen minutes prior, he would already be on the edge again, but as it stood, he had some stamina to try to make her enjoy it too. He began to thrust into her repeatedly, picking up speed and pounding her with more force.

"HahahaHAhahahahaHAhahahaHAhahahahahaHA," she laughed, as he repeatedly buried himself inside her tunnel. She twitched and shivered under him in sheer delight. Her laughter was infectious and Blue found himself letting out a chortle of his own between short grunts, as the sex became less like pleasurable work and more like enjoyable play. It felt pure and innocent, just enjoyment for its own sake. As unsettling as her less than sane giggles might be to others, Blue began to find joy in them, a childlike glee in simply loving the moment and nothing more. That feeling took root in his mind and his laughter matched hers as he continued thrusting into her.

Heart racing and breath raspy and quick, he approached his orgasm with enthusiasm, looking forward to the simple elation of feeling good. And when he came, he laughed. Tip flared, his blue pony shaft fired jets of his seed deep inside the fun-loving alpaca. She orgasmed too, cackling like a madmare whose well-laid plans had come to glorious fruition as her nethers leaked more warm fluid and clenched around the very welcome stranger. She milked him, coaxed every drop of cum from his twitching length, as if hungrily feeding on his very happiness. As Blue's climax passed and died down, he slumped over her and his giggles came quietly and intermittently. Hers were still as strong and joyful as when they had started. She seemed to be a bottomless pit of happiness and love.

Blue stopped giggling himself and clung to her, enjoying her presence, listening to her musical laughter. His softening member was still inside her, and she was still tensing. Was she just orgasming from emotions, and not even because of the sex part at all? He decided to worry about that later, nuzzling deep into her tummy fluff as she writhed happily.

He had not expected to get hard again, but several peaceful minutes later, without ever having pulled out of her still-twitching depths, he felt himself stiffening anew, filling her with his arousal. With a smile, he began slowly pumping in and out of her yet again. He realized he loved the way she felt. Not just the physical feeling of her loving and warm tunnel, but the way she felt. How her positive emotions were so strong that even now, many minutes later, she was somehow still laughing in playful joy. He loved how simple and beautiful that was. He loved how easygoing she was about all this, how casual she was about seeking good things, not tied down by worries about morality or offending sensibilities. He loved that. He loved... her.

His heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't say he was in love with her, as that was something that could only come with time. But as he thought about it, he realized he did love her. A simple love of who she had shown herself to be. Perhaps that was what she had meant when she said she loved him; not a romantic commitment, but a simple expression of how she felt. She seemed like perhaps she loved everyone like that. Was he simply reciprocating her own feelings? And if so, did it even matter? He knew he was enjoying her company, and that she was enjoying his. He knew that, in the future, he would not say no to spending more time with her, and felt she would feel the same. So, he decided that he did indeed love her. And he let that fuel his passion as he pressed in and out of her.

He saw his thrusts against her delightful inner ridges in a new light. It wasn't just sex anymore. As cheesy as the term had always seemed to him, he felt that what he was doing was making love. It was emotional, beyond bestial rutting for release. He realized he felt attached to her, wanted her as much more than just a way to empty his aching balls. The thrusts into her became the physical manifestation of his longing to be closer to her. To know her on another level and become more intimately familiar with her. He wanted to say it, but doubt and anxiety worked to keep the words at bay. Every second spent loving her, physically and otherwise, tore away at the barriers. And eventually his feelings liquefied deep in his heart, and as it pumped, they were forged into words and sent to his lungs to solidify; then they emerged with his next breathy exhale.

"I love you," he said. Paprika's laughter immediately ceased and she gasped. Blue's heart sank and a cold hard stone of dread fell into his stomach as he worried he had made a grave mistake. His doubt was short-lived, however, as the biggest smile he had seen yet (which is saying a lot) spread across her face. She squealed.

"Mm-hm, mm-hm, mm-hm, mm-hm, mm-hm!" she hummed in her lovely singsong melody. His impression of her reaction was something like now you know how I feel! But who knows what was really going through her mind.

The pony's heart soared and he almost felt like he could just float away any second. The moment felt surreal. He stopped thrusting and just hugged her. The moment didn't last long, however, as yet another orgasm ran through her, causing her walls to convulse pleasantly around his member. He began moving again, a dorky smile plastered on his face. His own orgasm felt nearby, and she continued milking him to coax it out of him. He leaned forward, unable to get his face close to hers until she noticed and leaned her head forward as well. He nuzzled at her cheek and kissed her as he hilted himself inside her, twitching all over as electricity ran through his body. After only a few more loving thrusts, lips locked to hers, he climaxed once again.

Blue's cock spasmed as it painted her already-messy depths with his essence yet again. His kiss with her felt special, as they shared the intimate moment with their mouths pressed together. He emptied his load against her walls, this time feeling more like he was depositing love directly inside her rather than simply quenching a simple desire.

"Mmmmhh," he moaned against her mouth as he rode out his pleasurable high, mind full of warm thoughts and giddiness. Once it passed, he slowly broke the kiss, eyes half-lidded in dreamy bliss. A silvery strand of saliva stretched from his lip to hers, thinned, and broke.

Blue was exhausted. He pulled his length out of her and did a lazy crawl forward until he was lying fully on top of her once again. Paprika let out happy squeaks and peeps as she stroked his sky blue mane softly. It wasn't long before he was asleep, wrapped lovingly in her forelegs.

When he awoke, Blue was smiling. He vaguely remembered sweet dreams of apples and warm blankets. Those memories clashed hard with the freezing cold he felt on the back of his head. Blinking, he opened his eyes and lifted his head as the fog of sleep slowly cleared. Dim daylight was visible on the horizon where the sun was partly hidden behind the nearby mountains.

"Wha... huh?" he said.

He heard a happy trill and then a large alpaca face filled his vision. "Hoh!" Paprika said as she saw that he was awake.

"Where am I?" he asked with a shake of his head. He noticed he was riding on her back and was covered by her picnic rug from the neck down, keeping most of the harsh chill away. He was surprised to see green trees not far away. The valley he was in looked familiar, actually. It looked like a place he had traveled through on his initial journey to the alpaca camp. But that didn't make any sense, as that was nearly two full days' travel away. "Paprika, did you... carry me all the way out of the Huacaya Mountains?" She twisted her head around and nodded wildly. He was utterly shocked. Had she really gone that far in a single night while carrying him? "But how did you...?"

"Eh-heh!" was her simple and useless reply.

Feeling awake enough to walk on his own, Blue slid off the warm fuzzy back and they stopped as he grabbed his saddlebags that had been hanging from her neck. Paprika put a hoof on her head, sticking it straight out, clearly indicating Oleander. "Oleander? What about her?" Blue asked. She pulled out a very familiar-looking piece of parchment that had a map drawn on it. His heart nearly stopped cold as he realized she might have seen where the alpaca camp was located. But she flipped it around to the other side, where there was a rather well made drawing of a cow next to another map. This map seemed to have less detail, and showed a much larger scale. He saw what he assumed were the Huacaya Mountains.

"Hoh!" she vocalized as she pointed at the cow, then to the map where there was a large red X far to the southwest of the mountain range.

"Wait... is that... Arizona? The cow that Velvet mentioned?" Paprika nodded and again pointed at the X. "Arizona is there?" She nodded again. "Do you think she can help me find Oleander?" The alpaca nodded once more, smiling confidently. "Look, about the map on the other side. I met your tribe, and they helped me find you. But... they asked me not to tell you where they are. If you go back, I don't know if they'll send an assassin after me or find out where m-"

A hoof on his lips silenced him. She shook her head.

"They won't come after me, then?" Blue asked. Paprika rolled her eyes and shook her head, bringing up a hoof and swiping it to the side as if telling him he was on the wrong track. "Are you saying... you're just not going back?" For the first time, her smile looked sad. She nodded slowly. "Ah... I'm sorry, Paprika..."

"Hmm!" she half-growled, waving a hoof in a forget-about-it gesture then hugged him and chirped happily.

"Okay. I think I get it," he said, smiling. "In that case, I wish you the best of luck. And about what I said last night... I really did mean it. That I love you, I mean. We didn't spend much time together, but I'm really glad I came here. I think you've actually taught me a lot. So, uh... thank you. When this is over, I'll come find you again."

"Brrrrrr!" she trilled as she pulled him into a hug, then left a foreleg draped over him as they both looked to the southeast.

Somewhere out there was a cow named Arizona.

Author's Note

As with the previous story, nothing important to the plot will happen in the next chapter. It's bonus smut, kept separate for those who don't like the content in it.

In case you want to be surprised, I'll mention what is again here in spoiler tags.

The next chapter contains a magical temporary futa alpaca having her way with a hesitant but willing pony. If that's not your cup of tea, the next chapter is skippable.

Whether you read on or stop here, I hope you've enjoyed the story. The somewhat negative rating the first story got was rather offputting, especially since it got no comments, and I kind of wish I knew why it did so poorly. My best guess is the cropped porn cover art (which was the only image with both characters in it). If you liked this story, you may like the previous one as well if you can get past the cover page. Or if you didn't like the story, please feel free to let me know! I really do want to improve, but the lack of feedback makes it difficult to know how.

That aside, whatever your thoughts, thank you for reading. I still love you all just for giving my story a chance.