The Nowhere King

Gallus shifted uncomfortably. He was perched on a tree branch, and it was neither as smooth nor as flat as it had seemed as he was flying towards it. He stilled his wings and nestled quietly behind a leafy bough, keeping his eyes on the ground. There, a quick flight from the tree, stood two earth ponies and a unicorn. He didn’t recognize any of them, which was a relief. He didn’t know why, but he would have hated to learn that one of his friends was in that group.

His friendship circle had grown tremendously during his time at the School of Friendship. He paused for a moment, reflecting on all the joys he had experienced since coming to Ponyville. He touched his chest, where a small, jade turtle hung from a finely-woven chain.

He turned his attention back to the gathering below. All three wore long capes that covered their cutie marks and draped down nearly to the ground. They looked ominous. Gallus felt a chill looking at the patterned cloth.

The chill was quickly replaced by warmth. Warm fur pressed into his back, along his wings, and down towards his tail.

“Gallllus,” a familiar voice whined. The griffon suddenly felt the warmth not just on his back, but in his chest, too. His beak split in a smile at hearing his boyfriend’s voice and feeling the stallion’s body pressed up against his own. “You let us oversleep,” Sandbar complained.

Gallus shook his head, confused. How was Sandbar up in tree with him? Why was the stallion talking about sleeping?

Gallus turned his attention back to the gathering on the ground.

All three ponies stared at Gallus, their eyes wide.

Gallus jerked back in alarm, and he fell from the tree. He cried out in surprise, and tried to flap his wings. His wings, though, were still bound in the earth pony’s warm embrace. There was also something firm pressing against his tail.

Gallus fell, the ground racing to meet him. He screamed in terror, unable to wing his way to safety.

The blue griffon’s body jerked in Sandbar’s arms. One wing slapped outward and clipped the pony’s nose.

“Ow!” Sandbar complained. He pulled one hoof free from the hug and rubbed the sore spot.

Gallus sucked in a deep breath, his chest heaving. “Oh! Oh. Thank goodness. Just a dream. A terrible dream.”

Sandbar nuzzled back into his now-awake boyfriend. He breathed in the smell of him, appreciating the rich muskiness. His staff twitched, showing its own appreciation.

“Good morning to you, too,” Gallus said. The griffon rolled over. “What was that about me letting us oversleep?”

Sandbar fought to avoid getting lost in the griffon’s deep blue eyes. “You were supposed to set the alarm,” he said.

The griffon huffed. “I’d like to see you remember to set an alarm after getting sucked off like that.”

Sandbar felt his face go warm and another part of himself go firm.

The griffon’s claw massaged the stiffening flesh that lay between them. “Heck, I’d be willing to test it right now.” The claw squeezed gently, the pressure making Sandbar shudder in delight. “See if you remember some stupid alarm clock afterward.”

Sandbar groaned, the sound of pleasure quickly transforming into regret. “Nooo,” he said pulling his shaft away from the griffon. He wanted desperately to stay there in bed, but they couldn’t. “We’re going to be late!”

Gallus gave him an evil look. “What’s another 10 minutes, huh?” Sandbar felt his resolve melt.

The sound of repeated pounding caused the earth pony and griffon to flinch. “Yo, dweebs!” Smolder’s voice yelled through the door. “Get a move on or we’ll miss the train!”

Sandbar shrugged regretfully at Gallus. He rolled to the side, letting his hooves hang off the side of the bed.

More pounding. “You can fuck each other later!” Smolder yelled. “Let’s go!”

Sandbar blushed.

“Keep your wings on!” Gallus yelled back. “We’re coming!” Sandbar felt a wingtip slap his flank, just behind his cutie mark. The griffon muttered in a low voice, “or I wish we were.”

“Gallus!” Sandbar whined. “Stop teasing. I don’t want to walk out there half hard.”

“Spoilsport,” the griffon harrumphed. “Maybe after we get to Canterlot?”

Sandbar stood up and offered a hoof to the griffon. A claw gripped around the fetlocks, and Sandbar easily pulled the griffon to a sitting position. He nuzzled the side of the griffon’s beak. “I can’t wait.”

“That’s it!” the dragon’s voice announced, “I’m burning down the door!”

Sandbar raced to open the door.

Little puffs of black smoke wafted out of the orange dragon’s mouth as she kept clearing her throat. Some ponies at the back of the train car were giving the group of students concerned looks.

“Yak thought dragons breathe fire all the time. Why this so bad?”

Smolder gave a small cough and a tiny burst of flame roared into the air. “Sorry,” she said hoarsely. “Fire supposed to go out, not in,” she explained.

Sandbar glared at her. “You could have just, you know, not tried to burn down our door.” He touched a bandaged shoulder gently with one hoof. He’d nearly gotten away from the flames as he pulled the door open, catching just a bit before Smolder had somehow sucked it all back in. It had singed the fur off his shoulder, though, and left the skin tender.

“It worked, didn’t it?” Smolder replied with a guilty grin.

Ocellus laid a hoof on the dragon’s shoulder and shook her head.

“Ugh, fine,” she said, fighting off a cough and expelling a black cloud of smoke. “Sorry.”

Sandbar nodded in forgiveness.

“OOH You guys LOOK!” Silverstream yelped. “a waterfall!”

Gallus sighed. “We literally have those at school.”

Silverstream floated over in front of the griffon and squeezed his cheeks, turning his face towards the windows. “But not falling from a MOUNTAIN!”

Sandbar chuckled. “You mean like the ones right behind the school?”

The hippogriff released Gallus’s face. “Huh,” she said quietly. She hovered in place for a moment in blessed silence. “It’s just like being at school! That’s so cool!”

Beside him, Sandbar heard Gallus yawn and stretch. “I don’t know what it is about train rides that makes me so tired.” He laid his head on Sandbar’s uninjured shoulder. The earth pony blushed from the public display of affection. “I’m just gonna,” a yawn interrupted his thought, “take a nap.”

Sandbar heard Gallus whisper “love you” softly as he settled down. The stallion leaned his head to the side, careful not to dislodge the griffon, and kissed him on the forehead.

Gallus was walking in an ancient castle, his claws clacking lightly on the stones below. The sun shone overhead, sending streaks of light through the occasional gaps in the ceiling. He turned a corner and approached a wide foyer. He realized then where he was: The Castle of the Two Sisters. He had fond memories of the ruined castle. He and his newly-made friends had hidden there, avoiding their families and responsibilities and the new school’s temporarily-terrible curriculum. They had become friends there, playing and bonding, enjoying the supplies Sandbar was able to collect from the town. The griffon smiled, thinking about his boyfriend and the effort he had taken to keep his friends well fed and supplied.

“Careful, you’ll break something,” a stern, female voice whispered. Gallus looked around, trying to find the source of the speaker.

“Come off it,” a second, deeper voice replied. Gallus located the source of the sound down another hall. “It’s only a dream anyway.”

Gallus blinked. Was he dreaming? He pinched his arm with two talons. He felt real enough. But then, how had he gotten to the castle? His memory felt fuzzy and unreliable. Something about a train? But no trains went into the Everfree forest.

“Let him hear you say that about dreams,” the first voice said. Gallus walked slowly, almost unconsciously, toward the voices.

“Oy!” the second voice replied, “no need to threaten.”

“Then be careful,” the first voice replied.

The voices were getting louder as Gallus approached a stone arch. He figured the voices had to be coming from the next room. He peeked around one corner of the arch. His breath froze as he spotted two ponies in dark capes. Up close, he could see the geometric patterns on the capes twisting and slurring together before breaking back apart. It made his eyes and stomach hurt just looking at it.

The unicorn was holding a dusty gray tome with one hoof. She set it gently on a stone dais.

The earth pony yawned loudly, causing the unicorn to flinch. The unicorn mare glared at the stallion. “What?” the earth pony stallion objected. “I’m bloody tired. Sleeping in the middle of the blight-forsaken day is ruddy awful, innit?”

The unicorn glared for another few moments before returning her attention to the book. “Now, let’s see if this little adventure has paid off.”

The earth pony stallion shrugged and turned away. Until he was facing Gallus.

Gallus drew a sharp breath and jumped back.

“Shade? Shade!” the stallion’s voice yelled.

Gallus turned and ran, his claws sounding to him like hammers on the tough floor.

“It’s that griffon again!”

Gallus took flight, his wings flapping hard to give him instant lift. That turned out to be a poor decision, as one wing clipped a suit of armor and the griffon went spiraling down to the ground.

Gallus started awake. That was getting old, fast. He was still leaning against Sandbar, but the pony had shifted so Gallus was on his flank instead of his shoulder. Gallus blew out a shaky breath. When Sandbar looked down in concern, Gallus shook his head. It was nothing.

Why would he have a weird nightmare about shadowy ponies twice in one day?

The train cleared the final turn in the mountain, giving the students a clear view of Canterlot. Gallus was floored. It was like a glamorous version of Griffonstone: instead of rundown huts and broken towers, there were spires and turrets, every building tall and proud and gleaming, soaring above the ground. The others seemed similarly impressed.

“It’s magnificent!” Ocellus said, her voice shaking with awe.

“It’s so shiny!” Silverstream agreed.

Smolder leaned past Ocellus and stared hungrily at the gemstones adorning the various buildings.

“City… very tall,” Yona added in a begrudging tone. “Too tall. Yak short hut best,” she amended. Gallus rolled his eyes at the predictable backtrack.

His boyfriend beamed with pony pride. “Welcome to the center of Equestrian culture, every creature!”

Gallus was impressed at the grandeur and the scale of the place. And he was generally a pretty tough griffon to impress. He leaned over and whispered in his stallion’s ear. “I hope the hotel beds are as nice as the rest of the city.” He stroked the pony’s flank with a claw and grinned as he saw the muscles underneath shiver.

A few minutes later, the train pulled into the station, and Gallus stooped to collect the small duffel bag from under his seat. He grabbed Sandbar’s saddle bag and helped the pony sling it over his back. He may have also let one wing subtly brush from stifle to sheath on his boyfriend’s underside. The green pony blushed as the griffon stepped away. Gallus put on his best innocent face.

Ocellus slid past him, the usually periwinkle-colored skin of her face sporting a deep purplish hue. “I can feel that, you know,” she whispered.

Gallus quickly stepped further away from Sandbar and laughed nervously.

The hotel was nice. Far nicer than anyplace Gallus had ever seen. He was very, very glad that Headmare Twilight was footing the bill for this little expedition. He had a feeling even paying for a small room would have cost him a wing and a claw. He led the way up several flights of stairs and found the room number matching his key. He turned the door and gasped. The room sported large windows with an uninterrupted view of the valley to the west. The sun hovered just over the horizon, painting the fields and forests below in a vibrant, warm light. It was beautiful. Gallus stepped slowly into the room, his eyes fixed on the vista before him. As he watched, the sun slipped out of sight and darkness rushed across the valley and up the Canterlot mountain. Just almost out of view to the south, a small collection of lights dotted the valley floor. He realized that must be Ponyville. The bustling little pony village looked so small from up here. “What a sight,” he said in awe.

Gallus lost in the sight of the lights, never saw Sandbar move until he was tackled from behind. He cried out as he was thrown onto a soft bed, Sandbar’s body slamming into his. “Almost as good as the one I’ve got right here,” the stallion said mischievously.

“Excited much?” the griffon responded dryly.

Sandbar nipped his neck, making Gallus squawk. “You’ve been teasing me all day.” Gallus noticed he could feel his favorite pony part poking him. “You’re lucky I don’t just turn you over and have my way with you now.”

Gallus’ heartbeat increased. He grinned. “Ooh, I like that idea. It’s been too long.”

Sandbar’s staff twitched upward. “We didn’t bring the lube,” he said in consternation.

Gallus grimaced. “Yeah, okay, not going with that plan, then.” He recalled the single time he had tried to take the pony without proper preparation. Never again. He nuzzled the green pony. “Note to self, though, next time I want my rear pillaged, tease Sandbar mercilessly for an entire day.”

The pony glared at him. “You wouldn’t.”

Gallus felt his own erection stir in his sheath. “I might,” he suggested evilly.

Sandbar laughed. “You know how Headmare Twilight feels about ‘the ends justify the means.’”

Gallus pushed the pony playfully. “One, would it surprise you to hear that I don’t recall that lecture?” At a wry look from the pony, Gallus sighed. “Don’t answer that. Two, don’t talk about mares when we’re about to have sex.”

“Oh!” Sandbar feigned innocence. “Is that what we’re doing?”

The two kissed. Gallus loved feeling the stallion’s body pressed up against his. Feeling the pony’s wide tongue entering his beak and exploring his mouth. Loved the warmth and connection and… Swift Winds, he was super hard already. He felt a surge of blood, his knot starting to form at the base of his dick.

“Ugh, Sandy,” Gallus moaned, his tough demeanor fading away in the comforting hooves of his earth pony. “I need it.”

Sandbar pushed the griffon gently backward. As Gallus fell into the very soft bedding (seriously, a small part of his mind had time to wonder, who makes blankets that feel like clouds?), Sandbar straddled him, laying his thick, blunt staff on top of Gallus’ tapered one. Wetness streamed from both dicks.

The pony moaned. “Geez, you’re as worked up as I am. All that teasing good for you too, then, huh?”

“Y-yeah,” Gallus gasped as Sandbar shifted his hips, causing their shafts to rub together. “Gaw, that feels good.”

Sandbar’s face was flushed. “Just like our first time.”

The memory caused Gallus’ knot to swell. A stream of precum was thrown onto the cream fur of his stomach.

“Unless we count you jerking off while you thought I was asleep.”

Gallus groaned, only in part due to the amazing feeling of their wet cocks playing against each other. “You gonna hold that against me forever?”

The stallion moved one hoof over and squeezed their shafts together. Gallus whined. “I-I’d rather this against you.” The head of the pony’s dick flared.

“Yes!” Gallus promised eagerly. “Oh fuck, Sandy, that feels good.”

“Y-yeah,” the earth pony said, his voice strained. The green pony shifted his hips, causing his long, dark shaft to push down against Gallus’ red shaft. The pony’s flared glans dribbled precum onto the griffon’s belly. Gallus heard himself whine in pleasure and anticipation.

His pony’s eyes squeezed shut suddenly. Sandbar whinnied. “I think I-I’m, oh Light-“

Gallus thrust his hips several times in quick succession, shoving his slick, knotted dick against the underside of the pony’s flared head.

Sandbar cried out and shuddered and bucked his hips. Gallus watched in excitement as the flared flesh throbbed. In a rush, a huge eruption of stallion seed splashed against his beak. Gallus cried out, feeling his own orgasm building. Cum landed on his chest, his stomach. Sandbar shot his loads with a ferocity Gallus loved. He watched his pony empty himself and screeched in ecstasy as his own orgasm hit. His own eruptions were mostly contained under the pony’s larger organ, making a rough mess of his own tawny stomach fur, but Sandbar’s staff shrunk away and the last few bursts joined the mess the pony had made on the griffon’s chest.

Gallus gasped for breath and felt like he was sinking even farther into the plush bedding. He sighed contentedly. “I hope they gave us enough towels.”