The ceiling was — unremarkable. My gaze wandered across the wooden boards, lingering occasionally on the lamps with a peculiar design. I was at that for some time already, having kicked back my head onto the sofa’s back. Sapphira was dozing off, leaning on my side, and I didn’t want to wake her up unnecessarily. I’d gladly do the same, but the sleep just didn’t come and my mind was inundated by random flickering thoughts.

“That’s it, finally. We are here, in the town, but what next?” I was a little nervous because of all the uncertainty. I closed my eyes. “That’s funny. After all that shit with manticores and other troubles, I’m still nervous about these insignificant things… The primary goal, our survival, is achieved, so, by all logic, I should be happy instead.”

I heard the knocking on the door, prompting my eyes to open. Before I could answer anything, the door opened and Lily came in. She skillfully shut the door behind her with her wing, not even turning around, and walked to us.

“Sorry if I woke you up,” said Lily.

“That’s alright, Lily,” said Sapphira in a sleepy voice, yawning.

“Silver Mist is still working somewhere in the town. Seems he dug up something substantial, otherwise he would never let the situation where Princess have to wait for him. We will have to meet later.” Lily sighed.

“That’s fine, I guess. The incident was quite serious, if anything,” I said.

“I’m tired, and need a shower, too. I see you’ve already finished with it...” Lily paused, looked at me and made puppy eyes, drawing circles with her hoof on the floor. “Ray… Could you… You know… Help me with my armor — and — washing my mane?” Seems Lily got quite accustomed to the advantage of having my hands around.

“Damn, how can anyone refuse her?” I thought. “Of course I will help, Lily… But this is a forbidden technique.” The corners of my mouth lifted all by themselves.

“Oh, come on, Ray, just go.” Sapphira nudged me with her hoof. “I’ll take a nap for a while.” Some lack of sleep over several days straight affected her.

Lily smiled and made a cute noise reminiscent of something in-between a quiet squeal and a whinny, tapping her hooves on the floor alternately, then happily trotted into the shower room. This is the first time she asked me to do something like that on her own, dispelling my doubts about whether she really likes me. I didn’t tarry and followed her.

“So, Lily,” I asked while unstrapping her armor, “will you be busy with all this chaos happening about?”

“Yeah, most likely.” Lily sighed with a distraught look. “The only time I really wanted to have some vacation, something like that had to happen… This place is understaffed, so, most likely, I’ll be busy most of the time until more personnel arrive. The good thing is that it should not last for more than a week, I hope.”

“We’d offer you our help, but I’m afraid we will be more trouble than help.” I smiled wryly.

“That’s true.” Lily laughed as I removed the last piece of her light armor, revealing the matted fur underneath. She flexed her webby wings, spreading them wide. “Ah, at last I got rid of this tight thing!”

I could not resist sliding my hand along the rim of her wing. It felt soft and velvety. I heard Lily squeak quietly. Her body shuddered almost imperceptibly.

“What… Sorry, Lily.” I pulled my hand back.

“Ah, no, no, it’s nothing.” Lily made an awkward smile.

“Does your wing hurt?”

“No, that’s… not it.”

I mentally slapped myself. Right, I already know how Sapphira reacts when I stroke her wings, and other ponies must be the same.

“Should I avoid your wings when washing you?”

“No!” Lily answered a bit too quickly and loud. “Um… I mean, why would you avoid them?” Her eyes blinked rapidly, her fluffy ears twitching. “Alright, let’s stop wasting time!” She changed the topic and entered the shower cabin, her tail wagging left and right. “What are you waiting for? Come in.”

I must admit, thoroughly washing a regular pony with a coat is much more troublesome than washing a changeling! But I’m not complaining. Washing a cute pony is a sort of special pleasure in itself.

“How do you do this by yourself, huh?” I asked, while rubbing her.

“You can guess… Not as good as your hands can do. That’s troublesome in some places…”

“Now the wings.” I took a soft brush and got to business.

Lily, with her eyes closed, looked happy at this moment and I could only guess the real reason for this happiness. Her wet tail slapped her sides loudly from time to time as she made occasional snorts. Her ears also did this cute little flick every time I brushed over more sensitive spots. Feeling my hand gliding over her wing membrane once, she shivered as she let out a broken moan. I just stayed silent throughout it, enjoying the sweet sounds of hers as she relished under my ministrations.

After that was a turn to wash her thick mane and tail. I put quite an effort into it, the same as I did for Sapphira. It’s the most conspicuous part of their looks, after all. A sloppy work just won’t do.

Lily laughed. “You know Ray, I’m sure you can make a living just bathing ponies. You are doing it better than any ‘pro’ in this business.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Lily.” I hummed with a smile.

“I mean it! Nopony ever washed my mane and tail this thoroughly before.”

“I’m just doing it properly. Can’t leave your fabulous manes without a proper treatment. If I can, that is. There was no way to do that in the jungle. Naturally, your manes require a proper wash after our misadventures.”

“Fabulous? You really like our manes, don’t you?” Lily said with a coy smile.

“Of course. Oh, want to hear all the truth?” I smirked.

“Truth about what?” Lily made a puzzled look.

“About what I like about you two.” Ponies seem to be rather blunt about many things, so why don’t I just play along? I already feel kinda guilty for keeping her at a distance all this time. My hand never stopped brushing her mane, though.

“Oh tell me, tell me!” Her ears rapidly twitched again, and she started shifting from one hoof to the other.

“I didn’t know you for a long time, but… I like everything about you two. It’s as simple as that.” I grinned. “Yeah, I’ve said it. Sapphira knows it even without me saying anything, but for you, I’m saying it out aloud.”

“I… I…” Lily became flustered and her ears drooped while her tail twitched nervously. “Even… Even with my bad temper and manners?” She looked at me with an almost pleading look, her yellow eyes staring right into mine.

“What bad temper and manners? Are you serious? Can’t see those anywhere. And what about Sapphira’s sharp tongue and manners? I find those to my liking.”

Lily’s ears instantly straightened up, her damp tassels made an arc in the air. “That… Oh yeah, most stallions would just run away from her even if she was a regular pony.” Lily chuckled. “You are a weird stallion, but I like it too.”

“See? There is no problem at all! Alright, that’s it. Time to dry you up.” I said, after finishing with her tail.

Drying up a pony is not a simple task either. The coat was still damp no matter how much I wiped it. Lily said to just leave it be, and now I’m drying and brushing her mane. This little piece of magi-tech is almost a copy of our electric hair dryer and it made my job so much easier. I liked that steampunk-ish design of metal and wood.

Still sitting on the rug, after finishing with her mane and tail, I marveled at the sight. Seeing them going from matted with hairs sticking out in places to voluminous and silky was a wonder. Her coat had a certain shine to it as well, under the light it shone with nearly a sparkling effect. It stuck to her tightly compared to her dry self, extenuating her form, but without the bumps of her post-armor fur. Altogether, she was a sight for sore eyes.

“Perfect.” I said as I was looking at Lily, rubbing my chin, acting like some expert in arts.

Lily stared at me with a strange, captivating gaze. My heart skipped a beat. A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes. Her wings spread open in a flash and she flapped them, coming at me. Lily bumped into my chest, grabbing me tightly with her forehooves. We toppled down onto the rug, and before I could say anything, I felt Lily’s lips pressing into mine greedily. Her silvery mane streamed down by the sides of my head. “There is no going back anymore.”

I reciprocated her kiss, my hands grabbing her supple and toned body. Our tongues became intertwined in an erotic dance. Lily’s dam of suppressed feelings and aspirations have finally broken down, and I was on the receiving end of it all, not that I minded it at the least. Lily’s closed eyes half-opened, her bright yellow irises with vertical pupils stared at me with an unfocused gaze. She had a very seductive look at the moment.

Lily broke our kiss, panting for air. It was quite a long one. She became flustered, probably afraid of my reaction to her brash actions, but I hugged her more tightly, softly stroking her damp body. That soothed her quickly.

“You know Lily, you could just say you wanted a hug or kiss…” I said, chuckling.

“I… I’m just bad… With words…” Lily said, almost in a whisper.

“I can see that, but it’s not like I’ll bite you if you just ask.”

“Okay! I’ll try next time.” Lily smiled and made a pause. “But it means that you…” — Her ears drooped again — “you… agree to be my… coltfriend?”

“Oh, silly, of course I do! Wasn’t it obvious for some time already? Oh… I’m saying stupid things again.”

“You’re funny, Ray.” Lily almost literally beamed.

“I know.” I shrugged. “This situation is very unusual for me too, Lily, so I act funny and do stupid things from time to time. If somebody told me I’ll have two pony girlfriends a week ago, I’d just call him sick. Now look at me.” I laughed while scratching Lily behind her fluffy ears. “I mean nothing bad by that, and everything I said before stands true.”

“So, it was difficult for you too?” Lily paused in thought for a moment. “A bunch of weirdos, that’s who we are!” Lily giggled, closing her eyes in pleasure from my scratching.

“Can’t deny that!” I laughed back. “You know, Lily, I just can’t leave you without a proper drying. You can catch a cold and your coat will get ruffled if I just leave it like that.”

Lily smiled slyly. “You jest, Ray, won’t it be as easy for you as flicking your … finger to rid us of a mere cold?”

“Okay, you got me on this, but you can’t argue with the second part.” I crossed my hands before my chest. Lily, too, is fast at adopting my phrases.

“Alri-i-ight,” Lily drawled.

The drying process was going faster than I thought it would, and soon enough, almost all of her body was dry. I started working on her chest. Her coat there seemed more thick and puffy. After being dried and brushed, it had transformed into a cute tuft, soft and puffy.

“Look, I know you like it when I wash and brush you. So, why were you reluctant?”

“Um… You’ve already spent so much time on me…” Lily lowered her eyes.

“And I’ll gladly spend even more. You surprise me, aren’t you my, er, marefriend now? Isn’t it natural?” I said in a calming voice. Her reaction seemed strange to me.

Lily looked at me again with bewildered eyes.

“Really?” she asked quietly.

“I won’t be a man if I do otherwise.” I paused, remembering I used the wrong word. “Ah, yes, ‘man’ means ‘stallion’ in your language, I guess.”

Lily reared on her hind legs and hugged my head, pressing it into her soft chest.

“You must be one of the best stallions a mare can ever have! Even if you aren’t a pony. It’s rare for a stallion to give his mares so much attention and care. Other mares can even look down on you if you demand too much attention to yourself from your stallion.”

“Mmmm… Lily… You are so fluffy and soft…” I said, rubbing my face on her chest. “I’ll give you as much attention as I can. Ponies are weird…”

“And so are you, Ray.” Lily giggled happily as she wrapped her hooves around my head in a comforting motion.

“Oh, remember the first words I said to you when we first met?” I asked, with my face still buried in her fluffy chest.

“Something like ‘Sapphira come here’, maybe?”

“That must have been me dreamtalking. The thing I said when I woke up.”

“Umm…” Lily fell silent, her brows slowly creased, but then shot back up. “... fluffy?”

“Fluffy. Yes, fluffy. You are so, so fluffy!” I laughed, grabbed her and stood up, holding her in my arms.

Sapphira met us with a look of a content cat who just ate a sizable piece of meat. Her head resting upon her crossed forehooves with her tail swishing back and forth behind her. Letting out a sigh of contentment, she finally opened her eyes and looked at us with a half lidded gaze.

“So, my dear love birds,” — Sapphira chuckled — “it was a long road, but you are finally there, aren’t you?”

“Nothing can go unnoticed by you, Sapphi,” I said jokingly.

“Even without being a changeling, seeing her in your arms like that…” Sapphira trailed off with a wry grin.

“Hey!” Lily pretended to be grumpy, resting comfortably in my arms. “What’s so funny? I’m no changeling. It wasn’t so easy … for me, and for Ray too,” — she put her hoof to her lower lip — “probably.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Lily. I’m just happy for you two. A-a-and also for myself, too.” Sapphira giggled.

Gently putting the now squirming Lily on the sofa, I watched on in enjoyment at the quickly escalating scene. She turned her head to Sapphira with her pupils narrowed and quickly darted across the couch before wrapping her in a tight hug.

“Hey, hey! I’m having a rest here, you know,” Sapphira exclaimed in protest as she flailed her hooves in mock defiance.

“Serves you right for making fun of me!” said Lily, nuzzling Sapphira’s cheek whilst also tickling her with the tuft of her ears.

Seeing the girls cuddling with each other, a rather strange feeling appeared inside me. I gulped nervously. It’s not like I never felt affection and love towards women, that would be just strange, but this feeling… It has so much more depth to it. It felt like something had filled a hole within my soul, a hole I didn’t even know existed. Is it the magic in the air, or perhaps I have changed? Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Oh, that damn habit of mine to think too much…

I threw my thoughts to the back of my head and joined the girls on the sofa. Lily did not waste any time and moved to my lap nonchalantly whilst Sapphira settled into my side. Lily appears to be a very affectionate girl, although she is trying to keep a reputation of harsh and strict professional to everyone else. For some reason, she never really tried to show that attitude towards us from the very start, and I’m not sure why, but glad she didn’t. Overall, all she needed was a little nudge and acceptance from my side, just like Sapphira had hinted to me before. I guess being a changeling really gives you an edge in the area of emotions, not that I’d tell her that. She’s smug enough as is.

I chuckled, already knowing what Lily wanted — some petting and scratching is due, or, perhaps, I should try belly rubs?

“Ray, if you continue like that, you’ll get me high on love again!” Sapphira joked, or maybe she didn’t.

“It’s better than seeing a poor hungry changeling,” I replied in a jokingly mocking voice as Sapphira rolled her eyes. Smiling, I had let my hands free all over Lily’s fluffy body, eliciting cute and content noises from her. Well, judging by Sapphira’s reaction, it wasn’t just my imagination about my feelings.

Sitting myself more comfortable, I relaxed as I busied myself with fiddling Lily’s ear tassels. Sapphira lazily watched on as my fingers danced lightly along the length of Lily’s fluffy ears. They flicked from time to time as my fingers went across some sensitive spots, making her utter quiet contented moans. “A little more and she would resemble a purring cat. Well, quite a big purring cat,” I thought to myself as I gave her a quick nuzzle.

As I did, however, I caught Sapphira’s look. She was grinning at me. “Ah, I must have a very weird expression on my face at the moment…”

“What is it, Sapphi?”

“Next time… Next time you’ll be spoiling me the same way!”

“As you say, my dear, as you say…” I said calmly, smiling, while my fingers continued their shenanigans with Lily. “I can do it right now, if you want.”

“No, Lily deserves it, you ignored her too much, you ‘wooden head’… Didn’t listen to me at all.” She nudged the side of my head lightly.

I chuckled. “Sorry about that.”

Lily opened her eyes unhurriedly. “I don’t blame him, everything was too fast, and our crazy journey in particular… We hardly had any time for it. I… I can’t even say since when I took a liking to you, Ray. After the manticores, perhaps? Or was it earlier?” Lily sighed, but a smile adorned her pretty face. “Not that it matters now.” She paused for a moment, once more keeping her eyes closed as she hummed to my gentle pampering. As she opened them, however, they had a certain playful glint to them. “Though… if you really wish to atone, I have a few demands.”

Leaning with her back on my chest, Lily held up her forehooves, looking me in the eye. “More hugs!” she demanded, and with the flick of her ears added almost inaudibly, “And belly rubs too…”

I was only too happy to oblige with such cute demands as I felt the warmth of their love envelop me.

Eyes flickering, I slowly woke up from my little slumber to the sound of a banging door. Feeling a little groggy, I yawned as I shook Lily awake, prompting her to slide back to the sofa from my lap, pretending nothing was happening a moment before.

“Come in.” I replied.

The door opened with a little creak, revealing a young blue coated mare with a violet mane. She was an earth pony. Giving a curt bow, she walked in whilst pushing a small trolley with food on it. I couldn’t help but to smile at how comedic the small cutlery looked, though I later spotted a few which were more or less fitting my size.

“Good afternoon, sorry for the delay! The kitchen is usually either on break or doing prep around this time.” Giving us a sheepish look as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment before pushing forward the trolley to us. Giving a glance at Lily and Sapphira as she started arranging the dishes in front of us, I couldn’t help but notice a small smile upon her muzzle.

Looking down at the mares beside me, I blinked… That is before I broke out in laughter at the sight of Sapphira having a trail of drool on her muzzle and Lily sporting what looked like a bird’s nest upon her head. Evidently, I had played a little too much with her mane before falling asleep.

Shaking themselves fully awake from their half asleep stupor, they looked at me quizzically.

“Wha- what’s so funny?” Sapphira asked.

Calming myself down to a gentle chuckle, I merely lifted one of the silver plates from the cart and directed it towards them. The sight of their eyes expanding to their fullest before they went about fixing their appearances even brought a snort to the waitress as she tried her hardest not to laugh.

“Stop laughing!” Lily exclaimed as she playfully hit my arm. I didn’t abide.

“Y-you should’ve seen your face!” I wheezed.

Now thoroughly flushed, she just lifted one of the blankets and buried her face underneath. Sapphira, too, sported a small blush, but had erased the source of her embarrassment within a second.

Petting the back of my fluffy little Dullahan, I passed the platter back to the waitress as she finished setting up.

“Nothing extraordinary here, just the things our chef could arrange from the ingredients present in our kitchen. A simple vegetable soup, salad, and… Oh, yes, the Princess hinted to us it would be better to make something with… meat. This is a ragout made of vegetables and chicken. Tastes good, as far as I can tell.” She looked at us. “What? We, kitchen workers, should always know what we are cooking and if it’s good or not.”

“Ah, no, no, we mean nothing of the sorts, just a little surprised, maybe.” I said awkwardly. “Please relay my sincere gratitude to the Princess, and, of course, thank you all for making such a sumptuous dinner for us!” I smiled at her.

“Oh, it’s nothing, just doing our job,” she said, but her smile gave her away. Properly thanking people for their good work is always nice to them. “I’ll excuse myself, then. Bon appétit!”

We bid her our farewell, and she walked out with a trolley. Our attention was drawn to the food. The smell was fantastic, but, well, as they say, hunger is the best seasoning.

“I’m definitely trying it!” said Sapphira, pointing at the ragout.

“And I’m not trying, I’m eating it,” said Lily. “After our misadventures, it’s only right to have some meat to keep in shape.”

“Not before the soup, girls. Eat properly.” I chuckled, as I started pouring it for everyone.

Among various items on the table, I noticed a little envelope.

“Lily, looks like we have a message for you here.” I shook the envelope and handed it to her.

Lily opened it and read it briefly. “That’s from the Princess. She says our stay in the HQ might attract unnecessary attention, and I totally agree with her on that. There seem to be a few places secretly under the control of Shadow Guard here. None of those are very good or luxurious, but that’s natural. I mean, the clientele is often rather dubious.” Lily furrowed her brows.

“That’s no problem. It’s nothing compared to living in the jungle, after all. Moreover, we’re getting it for free, so no complaints.” I said with little care, already almost finished with the first plate of soup, and I’m definitely going for a second. The hunger struck back with even more force ever since I smelled the food.

“Nightowl House…” Lily drawled thoughtfully.

“Why such a strange name? Doesn’t sound like something a regular pony would like.”

Lily’s eyes skimmed over the lines once more. “It doubles as a night bar and restaurant. Rowdy place, but it’s quite popular among the travelers, mercenaries, traders and other public seeking more thrills all around the clock.”

“Ha! Now I want to see it with my own eyes.”

“Oh, I guess you will see it soon enough. The other variants are” — she scowled lightly — “much less decent,” she said dismissively.

Lily put away the letter and returned to her soup. I couldn’t help but look at her from the corner of my eye. These dexterous moves of her hooves as she eats with a spoon… It will still take some time before I get used to it.

“I’m fine with any place,” Sapphira said, smiling at me.

I marveled at my appetite. Not only did I eat three servings of soup but also a whole plate of salad and all the remaining ragout, and I still did not feel like I overeat.

“Just where did all this food go, huh?” Sapphira laughed, looking at me.

“Beats me!” I replied in kind, shrugging. “Your human is not in a perfect shape yet and needs a lot of food.”

“And what will be your perfect shape?” Asked Lily, already munching on a big red apple.

Yeah, it is an apple. I’ll never understand why this world has so many similarities to Earth, including plants and animals. It can’t be a coincidence, it just can’t.

“My perfect shape… You’ll see after some time, if everything goes well.” I smiled mysteriously at her, sipping greenish juice from the glass. I could not discern the taste, but it was good.

“Now you have us intrigued, honey,” said Sapphira, with her trademark predatory smile and sly eyes.

“I’ll also make sure you get into your perfect shape, too. We both need a healthy diet for a time. Remembering your state at the moment I found you still brings me pain…”

“Aw, that’s nice of you, but I’m sure I’ll be fine now, even without a special diet, since we are together.”

“Even so, it won’t bring any harm.”

We talked while relaxing after the meal for some more time, but Lily had little free time for today. She still needs to return here later, so we started packing up.

“So, do you know where we should go?” I asked, closing the door behind us.

“Exit through the staff entrance, and then…” — Lily fiddled with her bag, trying to take something out.

“Here,” said Sapphira, her horn engulfed in a dark-blue magic aura. A folded map floated out of Lily’s bag into her hooves.

“Thanks.” Lily unfolded the map. “It must be somewhere… somewhere… here!” She pointed with her hoof at the southern area of the town, not too far from the train station. “And we are here.” She tapped her hoof on the far eastern part of the town. “In the warehouse area. Most cargo trains arrive here if not going further.”

Out of the corner of my eyes I’ve spotted a peculiar trio, sauntering towards the building Luna was residing in. It comprised of two unicorn mares. One had some sort of brown baggy cape over her body, accompanied by a little bipedal purple lizard, which was talking and gesticulating without stopping.

“Lily?” I whispered. “What is that species? I mean, the lizard.”

Lily moved her gaze from the map and looked around. “Oh, my goodness, don’t look at them, lest they will decide to talk to us,” she said conspiratorially in a quiet voice, returning her gaze to the map.

“Why?” I moved my eyes away and looked at Lily.

“That’s Twilight Sparkle, mind you.”

“Wait, what? A princess? Then why is she wearing that awful brown cape?”

“Who knows? She is strange, somewhat.”

“Seems you don’t like dealing with her. Did you have any unpleasant experiences with her before?”

“Yeah, and last time my workload tripled with no good reason, other than ‘I need to check this two more times’, can you believe it? I’m confident in doing my job properly the first time I do it. Come on, let’s go.”

As it seems, we still attracted the attention of a troublesome princess, as we moved towards the exit. They were going in the opposite direction, quite some distance away from us on the other side of the yard, so we should not meet. Ever since noticing our group, the princess was blatantly staring at us the whole time. She even bumped into a wooden lamp post on the way. Thankfully, her companions dragged her away, almost with force, pulling her into the door.

“Phew, we are saved,” I said, laughing. Lily and Sapphira could not hold their laughter too, remembering how the princess bumped into the pole, meeting it with the side of her head.

“She is really something,” said Sapphira through her laughter. “It is good nobody heard us here, lest they would arrest us for badmouthing royalty.”

“Oh, yes, the question you asked before, this was a dragon,” said Lily, leading us out of the door.

“… … What? No, really!” I had an incredulous look right now. “Why is the dragon so small?”

“He must be very young. He doesn’t even have wings yet.”

“So it’s like that… I see. Do they breathe fire?”

“They do. If not for their laziness and simple-minded greed, they would have taken over the Equis long ago with their prominent size and abilities, though they reproduce rather slowly, despite the rumors of their promiscuity.”

“Oh, they seem like a dangerous kind.”

“Naturally. Never underestimate dragons and their bad temper,” said Lily with a smart look, pointing with her hoof upwards.

“I’ll remember that.”

We were walking along the dusty street made of compressed mud and sand. The entire region was literally covered in reddish mud and sand, and then sprinkled with even more sand on top.

“The roads here must be horrible during rain…”

“Most likely, but I’m sure the weather here is scheduled and controlled by pegasi,” said Lily.

The farther we walked, the more lively the street became. Lots of carts and vans moving back and forth, varying from regular food vans to heavy iron carts loaded with steel ingots. Those were pulled by pairs of huge bull-like creatures. At first I took them for cattle used for heavy labor, until I saw their faces and… yeah, they talked.

“Are these guys bisons?”

“Bisons? What’s that? They are buffalos. Their tribes lived in this region even before ponies came here to settle. There were some tensions before between us and them, but those are mostly resolved by now.”

“Seems they found jobs suitable for them here.”

“Most are still living as tribes all over these lands, deeming life in the settlements unsuitable for them.”

Other than numerous ponyfolk, I could also see griffons and some diamond dogs, equipped with armor and cold weapons, escorting cargo or standing guard around the warehouses. It was the first time I took a proper look at those ‘dogs’. Not the most appealing kind, if you ask me, but their sizable claws and jaws did not allow me to look down on them. Among those dogs I could not discern any females, or perhaps there was not much difference between them, I can’t say for sure, but I saw quite a number of female griffon mercenaries, perhaps even more than there were male ones. They were throwing sharp looks at us when we passed by.

Going further to the southwest, the cargo traffic eventually dispersed and more pedestrians walked the streets. The street we switched to was also much broader and paved with stone bricks.

“Hey girls, does your hooves ache walking on those rough stones?”

“Nope, but we’ll need some hoof care later if we do that often,” answered Lily. “By the way, can’t you walk without your boots?”

“I can, but that will be uncomfortable and often painful. Our kind stopped going barefoot thousands of years ago. Getting new boots is gonna be a difficult task for me here.” I sighed.

“Don’t worry, while boots here are mostly for utility and fashion, there are enough craftsponies who might be up for that job, though that might cost us…”

A raspy yell from the side interrupted our talk. “Those pesky foreigners! It was so much better here in Appleloosa without that darn railroad! Now look, son, they even let changelings and, I even don’t know what, to walk freely in our town!”

I turned my head and saw an old stallion in the middle of a ranting fit, looking at us. My brows furrowed, but I didn’t have any desire to get entangled with the old moron. He had already attracted enough attention for the entire street to gawk at us. “Great, just great…” I mumbled through my teeth.

“Come on, gramps, stop shoutin’ in the middle of the street! That’s embarrassing.” A young colt tried to put some sense into his grandparent. Good kid.

The old geezer finally snorted loudly and walked away. “What’d ya know, lad! You’re too young,” he grumbled, walking away.

I shrugged, raising my brows. “No comments. Let’s go. This ‘what’ does not feels like arguing with old fools today.”

Sapphira nodded and stayed silent throughout the whole incident. Lily wanted to say something back, and her brow was twitching. I put my hand on her head and gently stroked her, calming her down.

“Come on, Lily, that’s nothing.”

She raised her eyes at me and exhaled. “If you say so… but that… That! U-ugh!” she fumed, leading us further.

I and Sapphira were already expecting such a reaction to appear eventually, but this attitude obviously irritated Lily quite a lot.

After everyone around stopped staring at us, I finally paid some attention to the architecture of houses and stores around, which finally replaced the never-ending unremarkable warehouses and solid wooden fences. Hell! This looks like wild west decorations all around. Are you kidding me?

“Lily? What’s wrong with the architecture of this place? Is that a common style for the entire country?” Rows of square fake facades and low-rise rustic-looking buildings built along the road created a sense like I was visiting a site full of props where westerns were filmed. It’s just… the colors were too bright and inconsistent. It seems like ponies just love bright colors.

“Oh, that… You can say it’s a local peculiarity. The style was left from the expansion era, and Appleloosa is one of the last frontier towns through Equestria. This style was already a history at the moment this town was founded, but they made it their town style, like a tradition, and it still stays the same till this day, attracting tourists from all across the country. Though… nobles disdain it, deeming it below their high standards, so you can rarely see any of them here.”

“What a strange place…” said Sapphira.

“You’ll get used to it, I hope,” said Lily with a wry smile. “Oh, we are almost there. That Nightowl House must be around the corner.”

Turning the corner, we appeared on another, more narrow, but still paved street. Nightowl House appeared to be a four-storey, comparatively large building, with a conspicuous sign. It did not conform to the overall design of the town. The mere fact it did not have saloon doors somewhat raised my hopes, as I saw some shabby drinking establishments made in that style along the way, and those left a rather poor impression. Opposite of it was a small square with some big trees growing there. Perhaps the square was made with the purpose of saving those old trees. Wooden benches were scattered here and there in the shadow of the trees, and the square itself was surrounded by smaller establishments and shops. Everything seemed rather nice here.

The place had many folks coming and going, from ponies to minotaurs and even buffalos. The latter were scary guys. I wouldn’t risk agitating them unnecessarily, for they are natural bulldozers on four legs, and nobody in their right mind would wrestle with a bulldozer.

The doors were large enough for any species I’ve seen so far to enter freely. They had two pairs of long horizontal handles, made this way to allow the comfortable use to visitors of different height and limb types. I pulled the massive door by the handle and held it for the girls to enter, getting some curious glances from passersby in the process.

I looked around the place. The inside was — cozy, and entire interior was made of matte dark wood. Larger part of the entire floor on the left side was dedicated to a bar with tables of different sizes and heights. It must be enough to provide a needed amount of places for the customers renting the rooms, with some spare. Ceiling lamps with a matted glass were pouring down a soft light, adding to the warm atmosphere.

The counter with the keys was absent as is. It seems we’ll have to ask a bar–pony if we want to rent a room. The said pony was busy polishing his bar counter, looking at us impassively from the corner of his eye. There were very few customers at this moment and he seemed bored. The most peculiar part about his otherwise unremarkable appearance was the fact he had a mustache. A damn mustache on a damn pony, can you believe it? And a black bowtie… the only accessory he had on him. Lily led us to the barpony.

“Good day! Welcome to Nightowl House. How may I be of assistance?” asked barpony with a faint smile.

“Hello. I’d like to see the owner.” Lily cut straight to the chase.

“You must be new here. I am the owner. I work at the counter sometimes.”

“Oh, that makes things simpler. I have a message for you.” Lily yanked a badge out of the pocket of her bag and presented it to the owner.

The owner fiddled with the badge on his hoof for a short while before giving it back. His smile became more natural as his eyes were inspecting me and Sapphira with interest. “So, do you require lodging?”

“Indeed, for an undefined period, but it won’t be short.”

“That’s not a problem at all. So, do you need a room for a single person, for two persons or,” — he looked our trio over — “on the last floor we have a few apartments for he-”

“The one on the last floor.” Lily interrupted him with a patter, hitting the counter with her hoof, her eyes serious.

“Uh… Sure.” The owner smirked, throwing me an amused look, and took the key from under the counter, putting it onto it, then added in a whisper: “The meals are not included, we don’t have an extra budget for those.” Lily nodded in response.

‘407’ was engraved on the key. Lily grabbed it and hid it in her bag, then leaned closer to the counter. “I’ll need a copy later,” she said in a low voice.

“Will be ready by tomorrow,” the owner answered in kind.

“Good, thanks for your help.”

“Have a pleasant stay,” the owner said, loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear us.

The clients present in the bar didn’t notice any irregularities with our conduct, it seems. Just a pair of earth ponies and a lone griffoness having a meal. We unhurriedly proceeded to the staircase.

Walking up the broad stairs, my attention was drawn to their hooves, smoothly stepping up the stairs in perfect motions. What seemed so hard for me, they didn’t even pay any attention. Their movements were natural. I always thought they might have trouble using stairs and wondered what they made for themselves as a replacement. I was wrong. Then my gaze slid a bit higher, allowing me to relish in a different sight, which made the corners of my mouth arch. Turning to take another flight of stairs, Sapphira smiled at me with knowing eyes. Her silky iridescent tail began swinging from side to side.

The hall of the fourth floor was empty and silent. The stairs were at the end of the hall, and our room was second on the left, counting from the far end. It was a single room, but it was big enough to accommodate a giant bed, enough for four humans to sleep on comfortably. There was also a table with several chairs, decent enough for us three to have dinner with no trouble. Most importantly, this apartment had its own bathroom with a toilet.

Quickly settled in with our meager belongings, tucking most of those into the closet, we were sitting on the bed silently, each of us thinking about their own things. Lily jumped down from the bed with a small sigh.

“I need to return. Silver Mist must be back already.” Lily grabbed her saddlebag from the floor and rummaged inside it. “Here,” — she placed a pouch on the table. It made the sound of clinking coins — “this is the allowance meant for you. Deem it as a gift from Princess Luna. She will be upset if you refuse to take it.” Lily turned around to look at us with a smile.

“Alright, we will not refuse.” I and Sapphira smiled back.

“Great! Now, if you plan to go out to the town, please don’t get lost and avoid getting into trouble. I’ll be… late, most likely.” She trotted to the window and opened it. “Take care! And don’t forget to lock the door and the window if you leave!”

“Is she — leaving through the window? That’s something new.” I thought jokingly. She also left her armor in the closet, taking only her bag.

“Bye, Lily!” Sapphira waved her hoof.

“See you later. Good luck sorting out that mess.”

Lily lifted her wings and jumped out of the window, spreading them wide, and quickly disappeared from our sight with a flash of her silvery tail. Warm breeze from the open window touched my face as I turned towards Sapphira.

“So,” — I started — “do you want to go outside?”

“No, not right now,” Sapphira answered in a lazy tone.

“Me neither. I’m tired of all that chaos and just want some peace of mind, with no occasional ponies pestering me or staring like I’m some sort of attraction.”

“Oh, yeah, that old stallion drew a lot of attention to us, right?”

“Yep, the unwanted attention of the entire street.” I lay down on the bed, closing my eyes. “A little nap might be just what I need now.”

“Agreed,” Sapphira said quietly, snuggling to my side. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep.

I was woken up by some noise and clamor coming from the open window. “We shouldn’t have slept for too long.” I thought as I stood up and went to look out of the window, but saw nothing unusual.

Sapphira rolled on the bed to her side, looking at me. “Ray?” She intoned charmingly.

“Mmm? What?” I said, eyeing Sapphira, who was busy stretching on the bed in a cat-like manner. A searing primal flame of desire I had to douse in the morning emerged back with renewed force.

“Come here.” Sapphira tapped the place beside her with her hoof. She reached out to me as I moved closer and sat beside her. “Hug me!”

I said nothing, just smiled and took her into a gentle embrace, lifting her up. Our lips connected in a fiery kiss as my hands slid slowly across her supple skin, exploring her exotic body bit by bit.

I was having the most passionate kiss of my life at the moment. Words cannot describe how profoundly sensual Sapphira’s movements were. Her nimble and long azure tongue dominated mine with burning enthusiasm. Sapphira’s eyes were locked onto mine, her big slightly enlarged vertical pupils hypnotized me. She was clinging to my body with all four hooves, showcasing phenomenal flexibility. Her body, albeit being slim and light from all the hard life she had in her hive before, still had all the proper curves in all the right places. I’m sure she will turn into a real temptress mare given some more time.

As she pressed her whole body to mine, I felt something wet against the lower part of my belly. It wasn’t hard to guess what it was, instantly igniting a lustful fire in my nether parts.

She must have felt my outburst of arousal, as she purred throatily without breaking our kiss, her tongue gone completely wild inside my mouth. My hands slid downwards, caressing her tush from both sides and exploring the base of her tail with my naughty fingers. She wiggled, reacting to my indecent acts. The amount of moisture I had on my lower body part has increased, but that only fanned the flames of my desire.

Sapphira finally broke our kiss. We were panting from the lack of breath. This kiss was the longest I ever had, I’m sure of that. As she regained her breathing, Sapphira leaned her head on my shoulder. Her nimble and long tongue touched my neck. I had a sense of déjà vu. Our situation was reminiscent of our first morning together. She moved her wriggling tongue upwards until she reached my ear and softly trailed her tongue by its edge, lightly blowing into it with her hot breath.

“Oh, yes, Ray! This is incredible; your hands are pure magic!” she cooed in my ear, her naughty tongue ran along its edge.

“Then,” — I pressed my cheek against her neck and deeply inhaled the pleasant, subtle fragrance emanated from her oh so desired body — “we will make some magic love!” I replied while caressing her hair and sliding my fingers along her neck, following the outlines of her shoulders and down by her sides. Her dense, but soft, black skin, with a tender feel of satin when my hands glided over it, was ineffably pleasant to the touch. I laughed mentally. “What an idiot I was to have doubts about her because she is not a human! She is infinitely better than any girl I met before, at least for me!”

She pulled herself back a little to regain our eye contact. “Then get rid of these irritating clothes right away!” She patted my leg with her hoof, making a cute and slightly discontented expression. Because we left the bed covered, I was still wearing my jeans.

“Oh, damn, she is so hot when she expresses her desires in this straightforward way and tries to act both cute and uncompromising. She is indeed a unique girl!” I slowly stood up from the bed and undid my belt under Sapphira’s attentive gaze. She interrupted me as I switched to my button and zipper.

“Hmmmm… I think you better do it slowly, Ray!” she said with a content smile, devil sparks in her eyes. “Looking at you as you undress makes me hot — somewhat, and I like what I see! This feeling of anticipation — fascinates me!” she said in an ingratiating voice.

“So, Sapphi… You want some striptease? Fine! I’ll try to perform something decent for you!” I replied, quite amused by her request. “But expect nothing spectacular… I have no experience in stuff like that.” I said, with a little confused countenance.

“So this kind of thing has a name? Interesting!” She was a bit surprised by this. “And don’t worry, I just like to look at you, not your performance!” she giggled, amused by my slight embarrassment.

“Ha! Never thought she’d have such kinks.” I was trying to imitate something which would not seem too shameful from a human perspective. My heightened body flexibility helped me a bit. I have finished with my jeans decently, more or less, judging by her captivated look, as she was even nibbling on her lower lip by now. Her ears also twitched from time to time. When I finally got rid of my jeans, my tool was already aching from the tightness it suffered inside my pants, and now my boxers could hardly contain it.

“Yeah, that should be a norm when your mind spends years seeing no girls!” I thought.

Sapphira licked her lips when I continued and started pulling down the last item left on my body. When I finished, she was already quite worked up. Her tongue ran along her teeth, staring at my swollen manhood.

“I… I have never… never craved a stallion this badly!” She said with some difficulty, slightly panting, her eyelids partially closed as she looked into my eyes. “Take me, Ray! Take me right now! I can’t wait anymore…” she said with a heavy blush on her cheeks, which looked like her cheeks became even darker with a slight red tint.

Sapphira spun around on the bed, lowering her chest down, her rear raised up high and tail turned aside. Her marehood was laid bare before my eyes. It was of vivid sky azure color, which already had some pink tint, since her blood circulated around her sex, readying her for coitus. A little stream of translucent liquid left a glistening trail on her body, rolling down her leg. “My girl is craving for love, and I won’t make her wait for long! But we will take a little longer road, Sapphi!” I’ve said in a deep voice.

I got onto the bed and moved up to her, putting my hand on top of her rear, gently stroking it. She shivered slightly in anticipation.

“Sapphi! We should not be too hasty. This is just the beginning! Stay like that for a moment…” My hands ran along her flanks, descending down her legs. I caressed the inner side of her thighs before slowly sliding back up with my hands to the premises of her already engorged sex.

“Ray…” she whimpered, “s-s-s… s-s-stop teas-s-sing me!” Her unique hissing sounds appeared in her voice again. “She seems to be seriously aroused already.”

“Alright, no more teasing! Prepare yourself!” I finally closed in my face to her needy sex and ran my tongue along her wet slit, firmly and slowly. Yes, she definitely wanted it to be a bit more forceful, as her body started shuddering and I could hear quiet moans escaping her mouth. “Sapphi, I’ll make you the happiest changeling mare today. It’s a promise!” My hands started on their mission while I lapped her treasure cave meticulously. Her tart and somewhat piquant flavor, with a hint of ocean freshness, assaulted my senses. I found her love juice to be irresistibly pleasant and arousing.

I slowly explored her underside with my left hand, as I reached with my right one to her sex and moistened my fingers in her love nectar. After a little search, my left hand found something interesting. Followed by a quick investigation with my fingers, accompanied by a few yelps from Sapphi, I understood that I’ve found her teats near her crotch. They were there, surrounded by noticeable cushions of her mammary glands. Her arousal made them more pronounced than they usually were. The presence of her teats gave me an opportunity to fondle with these supple treasures of hers, so I gently caressed her there, mildly playing with her nipples, while my right hand found a way to her clit. My fingers ran around it, intermittently massaging it lightly.

Sapphira had a strong reaction to this stimulation in multiple places at once. Her legs had become wobbly and I could hear her moan throatily.

“R-r-ray! S-str-ronger! Almos-s-st… there!” she growled at me through the clenched teeth, obviously close to her edge.

I hastened my actions with my tongue as I heard her. Now I was reaching much deeper inside her azure marehood, while it was erratically spasming and winking around my tongue. My nose was blowing the air right at her pretty pucker; I could not help but notice it was spotlessly clean, to my delight. I continued to work on her engorged clit rather aggressively, while my left hand was lightly pinching her nipples.

I didn’t have to wait for long. Sapphira furiously climaxed, washing my face in her heavenly nectar. Her whole body was shuddering, and I had to support her. I carefully laid Sapphi on her side while she was still in the grip of the orgasm, stroking her hair and body lightly while she was overwhelmed by powerful sensations. She finally steadied her breath and opened her eyes slowly. An expression of genuine shock was plastered on her face. I was smiling, being very content with my performance. “It could be even better, as she seems to have much more erogenous zones than I thought, but not this time, she is already overwhelmed by the new sensations. She did not have a good sex for a long while, it seems, if she ever had any decent sex at all before today!” She finally steadied her breath and opened her eyes. “One more time, my love?” I asked with a sly smile.

“Ray! Just… give me a little break…” she managed to say. “That’s crazy!” She was still breathing with her mouth. Weak strokes of breeze from the open window were swaying her hair lightly. “But this time we’re doing it for real! I’m afraid I won’t be able to last for long, not with this amount of emotions you’re pouring into me along with this mind-blowing pleasure!” She slowly got up and moved closer to me. Our lips got locked in another kiss. This time, she was not too impatient with it, unhurriedly indulging in our sensations.

Sapphira giggled happily. I felt she was… yeah, in a little groggy state, but still a far cry from the one she had on that morning.

“Ray, if you can endure for this long with your real… ‘tool’, then I will be truly shocked!” She caressed my chest with her hoof, nuzzling me.

“Come on, Sapphi, what do you mean by ‘if’? I’d say it was rather fast.”

“Oh you braggart!” Sapphira giggled. “But I like that.”

“Say, want to try doing it while being on top? I’m a little concerned. What if I accidentally hurt you with my… tool? I’m not familiar with local ‘standards’ of it, you know.” I spoke out my mind after we broke our kiss. Surely ponies back on Earth are quite sizable, but here they are smaller, and, most importantly, have much shorter bodies.

“So, what do you think? You can experiment without hurry, remaining in control. I know your body is very flexible, so this should be easy for you.” I honestly did not know how ponies or changelings do it usually.

She raised her brow at my offer, but her smile instantly became a wide one. “Ray, you don’t have to worry too much about that. Oh, you know,” — she put her hoof on her lower lip cutely — “pony stallions are not very comfortable with this pose, as for changelings… They would never let a weak mare, like I was back in my hive, to mount them… Changeling problems, don’t think about it too much.” She said her last sentence with a wry smile. “So, of course I want such a gift from you!” Her smile transformed into a satisfied predatory one, as she added, “Oh, and your size is pur-r-rfect, if you weren’t sure about it,” she quietly added with a purr, her voice raspy and seductive.

Sapphira pushed me gently on my chest with her front hooves, prompting me to lie down. The holes and cavities in her legs had long disappeared, making them smooth and elegant. She had a little longer legs than her pony counterparts, slightly adding to her height. I looked at her horn, that got much thicker, smoother and glossy. It starts with a straight line from the base going upwards, slanted to the back of her head, and then abruptly turns forward, creating a sharp angle, and afterwards it continues in its original direction. It resembles an inverted icon of high voltage from my old world, maybe a bit more thin and stretched. That’s very symbolic, I’d say, and I like it. Sapphira drew my attention back from admiring her body.

My mind was filled with chaotic and lustful thoughts. “Ray just offered me to do it on top of him! Such a wonderful position, and we can kiss while we’re doing it! Oh, I’m so excited! I don’t even want to compare the thing that just happened between us with those shameful performances I had before… Some even had an audacity to call those sex? How pathetic! But now, I’ll get the most prized reward for a changeling mare!” I laughed internally.

“Even queens would be jealous of me if they knew!” I gently pushed Ray down onto the bed while I had these thoughts. “Is he looking at my… horn? Whatever, he likes a lot of things about my body, the things other species will find repulsive, most likely. He can look however much he wants!” I thought and pressed my lips onto his, starting another kiss. I can never get enough of this!

After some wiggling with my tush, I’ve finally positioned his love rod under my marehood, moistening his length, slowly shifting my rear back and forth. Ray is a natural volcano of lust right now!

“M-m-mph!” I could not help but moan without breaking our kiss. “How intoxicating!” We parted our lips, but I was still coiling my tongue around his, as if I wanted to milk it. Slowly retracting my tongue back, I saw a thin string of our saliva stretched between his lips and my tongue. I licked my fangs with a seductive look. He enjoys this little show of mine every time I do it!

“No, Ray, I can’t endure it any longer!” I said in a breathy voice and raised my rear, gliding with my nether lips along his love tool upwards, until I reached his exotic glans, leaving his rod covered in my mare juices. While pressing my rear down slowly, his decent size did not create any trouble for me. That slightly sharpened shape allowed him an easy entrance, and I was already aroused to my limits, ready to accept him in full. I did not stop my movement until I sheathed his entire length. I could not restrain myself from letting out a contented, predatory growl.

“Ray! You… Are… Mine!” I said defiantly, looking him in the eyes, my upper body raised above him. My forehooves were on the sides of his chest as I started moving my hips. “Of course I won’t be able to keep such a prominent stallion all to myself, but this time, he is mine, and mine alone! Can’t I be greedy for a little while? Oh, my head is going to explode from all this pleasure!” I felt his hands doing all sorts of things around my body. “Ah, he found that place around the wings!” I let out a little moan as he did that, and straightened myself more, so he couldn’t reach there and distract me from what I’m doing. My wings fluttered and my tail was already swinging wildly in excitement.

“Oh, come on, Sapphi, don’t run away!” he joked with a light laugh while I rode him.

“Nope! You are distracting me! You know, I’m doing something important here!” I answered with a nonchalant voice, but my face gave me out, because I panted with my mouth open. Having nothing else to do, he grabbed my flanks and started rocking his waist under me in sync with my movements. Plopping sounds have filled the room, as we hastened our pace, our bodies hitting against each other with force. For now, I did not want to play around too much. I want to see this ride to the end with no stops, like a crazy mare in heat!

“I need a satisfaction from my stallion, and I need it right now!” My voice was quiet and raspy. “Oh hay! I’ve actually said my thoughts aloud!” Small beads of perspiration appeared on my black skin while I was wildly riding on top of Ray. His face was already contorted slightly. He is trying to hold on persistently, but it is already surprising he held out for so long! I’m not too far from the edge either. A sensation of impending climax filled my lower body with heat and tension, while my mind was already intoxicated by the sheer inflow of love and lust.

I’ve increased my pace even more before the climax came to me like an explosion, my sex contracted tightly, bringing Ray over the edge with me, strong splashes of his seed hit the entrance of my womb as I pressed my rear against him with force. My back arched. I was holding my forehooves before my chest with closed eyes. My wings fluttered and buzzed. Ray’s stallionhood throbbed inside me rhythmically, bringing me even higher.

After some time, I plopped back onto Ray’s chest, both of us panting heavily. He stroked my cheek and moved away my mane, which fell onto my face, brushing it with his fingers softly. We reached each other for a light kiss and stayed like that for a while, riding off our bliss, as the grip of our climax was still gripping me tightly. “Yeah, I can call it my first time. First time making true love with someone!” My head was very airy. These blissful feelings, along with all this magic power he charged me with, were completely new sensations for me. So I lay like that on top of Ray for a while, inhaling his smell that I like so much!

We were lying on this huge bed in bliss, affectionately clinging to each other with occasional light kisses. I’ve never felt such closeness to anyone in my life. It’s like Sapphira was made for me. I hope she feels the same way, but I guess she does. It’s strange, but I can slightly feel her emotions and mood ever since that day, and unusual feelings resonating inside my heart. My thoughts shifted to our lovemaking.

That was something! That timid ‘Blue’ whom I met several days ago was nowhere to be seen. I must have frightened her too much when we first met. I never thought she would be this fiery in bed, but her wild and unrestrained demeanor and gushing enthusiasm turns me on. Yet she still stays sensual through the entire process, showing no violent sides, like a natural geyser of passion.

Our blissful lull did not last for too long, as my love-deprived body and mind demanded continuation without asking for my consent. My tool got hard again, still submerged in Sapphira’s azure depths. I heard a gentle moan as she raised her upper body from my chest.

“M-m-mh… Ray! You are a monster… In a good way,” said Sapphira in a soft voice with a contented smile, laughing. “I’m a bit out of breath now, but I won’t refuse another round! This time you must properly take me like a stallion takes his mare!” She stood up, releasing my manhood from the clutch of her azure walls, letting out a mix of our love juices as my tool slipped out.

“A stallion, huh? Then I’m ready to satisfy my mare!” I answered assertively, playing along.

This term amused me, but Equestrian does not have any equivalent for ‘man’, albeit they have one for ‘girl’. “Oh… we’ve made quite a mess…” I thought, looking down at the stained covers, but said nothing, standing up from the bed.

Sapphira shifted her position a little, turned her rear towards me and stood on the floor with her hind legs. She held her tail to the side as it twitched occasionally, waving its vivid hair in the air. She turned her flexible neck to look back at me playfully and took a pose similar to her initial one, pressing her chest to the bed. I guess she tried to adapt to my height this way, but her transformation had already made her legs longer, so my tool was only slightly higher from the perfect position, making this issue irrelevant. But I’ll have to do it while standing. “Challenge accepted!” I thought jokingly to myself. My lust was ignited again, as I saw this view.

I moved closer to Sapphira, leaned over her and started fiddling with the area of her tail and wings. The areas between and under her wings were her weak place, as well as wings themselves, but the base of her tail was an even more explosive erogenous zone, especially from the underside where her skin was much softer. I was playing around her wings at first, getting some occasional yelps and moans as a reward, but then moved back to concentrate around her tail and flanks. A little later, I’ve tried using my tongue to tickle the backside of her tail. She was already dripping wet and winking uncontrollably.

“Ray! You are overdoing it again!” She said impatiently with a slight growl in her voice, as she bobbed her tush up and down to stimulate me for some more vigorous actions.

“Alright! I got too carried away!” I chuckled and stood up, leaning over her, stroking her back and flanks, and aimed my manhood at the entrance of her eager and swollen sex. As my glans made a small dive inside, Sapphira suddenly rocked back, taking my entire length in one move.

“Yes-s-s! Now pleas-se your mare, s-stallion!” Her deep hissing voice with this specific changeling sounds excited me for further actions.

So, with no further ado, I’ve moved my hips unhurriedly in wide swings, sliding my full length in and out. Sapphi reciprocated by moving back and forth in sync with me. Her contented whimpers were escaping her mouth occasionally. After some time, she hinted to me to increase our pace. My strengthened body could easily handle our long love session, so I just did as she wished, pistoning her love cave even faster and harder, my sack producing lewd plopping noises, hitting her wet underside and lightly teasing her clit. Her breathing became rugged and movements slackened. In the end, she could not endure and surrendered before the pleasure she was receiving.

I was stimulated by the fact I could melt a girl I love, metaphorically, drowning her senses in utter pleasure. I’ve quickened my movements as I was hammering my love tool inside the girl I loved. My power activated spontaneously inside me, enveloping both my and Sapphira’s body, elevating our endurance and sensitivity even higher. My mind was almost melting under the influx of sensations, as I was receiving back Sapphi’s feelings through our bond.

“Is this how changelings feel? My mind will explode any second now!” My thoughts, nevertheless, did not distract me from what I was doing, as my body was already acting on instinct, continuing our wild ride.

Feeling the impending coming of our peak, I lifted the weakened Sapphira’s body, as I proceeded with our deed while holding her in the air. She turned her head back to me, her heavily lidded eyes looking up. She was panting, almost reaching her edge. Her eyes suddenly opened wide, looking straight into my eyes. There, I saw the same obsessed and a bit crazed look she had that morning. Her moans turned to growls. Exhibiting her phenomenal flexibility, Sapphira turned around, still sitting on my rod, shocking me with this acrobatic. She clenched my body with all her hooves from the sides and now we faced each other. Her horn was glowing with her trademark dark sapphire aura, and her eyes had a somewhat glazed look. She rode my love tool stubbornly, so I resumed my actions too.

“Breed me, my — KING!” Her throaty voice gradually turned into a shout as she spoke the last word. Her eyes were glowing with the billowing blue magic fire around them.

Instantly, we reached the highest top. Sapphira arched her back, and I discharged powerfully inside her, pressing her soft rear to my body with force. My power surged into her wildly with the flow of my juices. Sapphira’s body jerked abruptly, and lightning bolts ran along the length of her horn, which, too, was raging with strong magical flame. Her eyes were glowing brightly. For a moment, I was blinded by an azure flash as a deafening boom resounded in the room. I felt ash and small splinters of wood falling on my body from the ceiling afterwards, but my brain could process none of this, as we just stood in place, tightly pressed to each other in our enrapturing climax.

It continued for some time, as our minds went blank temporarily. I carried us to the bed as soon as I could so we could lie down together and relax in our heavenly bliss. I heard some shouts from behind the door, but I couldn’t care less. I finally understood what had happened and chuckled at realization. It seems she could not contain all the magical power she had accumulated during our sex, and in the end, she discharged powerfully at our highest moment. But damn, she literally destroyed a chunk of a wooden ceiling! Good thing it did not ignite. My own energy was acting strangely. Now it freely floats into and circulates inside Sapphi’s body, and I have yet to have any idea why. Sapphira came to her regular self at last and squirmed in my embrace, trying to get more comfortable. She reached for my lips with hers. So, for the next ten minutes, we were quite busy kissing and gently caressing our bodies silently.

Sapphira spoke first. “I… I’ve said something weird, Ray… And I could have injured you with my magic outburst!” She said in a rather timid voice. Her eyes expressed a feeling of remorse, a stark contrast to her demeanor just a few minutes ago.

“Don’t think about it too much. I’m the main reason for it in the first place, Sapphi.” I reassured her as I placed my palm upon her cheek, using my other hand to scratch behind her ear as she sunk into my embrace. “You surely will be able to handle that lightning given some time, as for what you’ve said…” I trailed off as I glanced around. “You called me a king? Is that something from your changeling culture? Not that I mind, my queen!” I laughed jokingly, but there was something strange in her eyes. Blinking, she shook her head free from my hands and regained her composure, opening her mouth to reply.

Her words, however, were interrupted as we heard the knock on our door and a concerned female voice from behind it.

“Are you alright there? What happened?”

I scratched my head before answering. “We are fine. Thanks for your concern. It was just a minor accident with our — magic.”

There was a brief silence before she spoke again. “Please refrain from magic experiments during your stay. I’ll have to tell the boss about it.”

“Fine, I’ll talk to him later myself.”

“That’s good. Have a nice day,” said from behind the door. We heard soft clopping of her hooves on a carpeted floor fading away.

I chuckled, looking at the still smoking hole in the ceiling. Luckily, the hole led to the attic. It would be much worse if we’ve seen blue sky through it. “Seems we’ve already created some trouble for ourselves.”

Sapphira’s eyes turned sad. “Lily will be disappointed when she returns and we will have to compensate this place for this damage… Sorry.”

I ruffled her mane between her ears. “We’ll figure something out. I’m not going to just freeload on Princess’ goodwill. We can also sell one of our ‘findings’ from the ruins if need be. Smile, Sapphi, I don’t like seeing you sad. That’s just a few boards to be replaced. Also, we’ll have to do some cleaning.” I looked at the dusty mess around us, smiling wryly.

I was returning to the Nightowl House earlier than expected and the sun has yet to set down. Contrary to my expectations, I was not deployed right after reporting every detail I found out about the incident with the tunnel. Silver Mist just sent me ‘home’, as he called it. Certainly, Nightowl will be a home for us for a while. Considering Ray and Sapphira’s unusual appearance, it is one of the best places to stay without attracting too much attention.

I don’t even have to report there tomorrow. They promised to send somepony to call me if my help is needed. Having some free time to spend with my — no, they are no longer just friends — with my herd, has put me in a good mood. The air was still hot and even flying did not bring that much desired cool breeze, only jarring my coat with even more heat. Luckily, it will be sunset soon, and we can have some fresh air outside together.

I was descending towards the frontal side of the Night Owl when I saw something suspicious that caught my attention. Two griffonesses, probably mercenaries judging by their leather gear and straps, were perched on a thick branch of one of the old trees, growing on the square across the street. They were in a tug of war over the binoculars, looking inside one of the hotel windows every so often while they were not busy wrestling over it.

The one which was looking at this moment had the end part of her lion tail twitch uncontrollably and she was sliding with her bird tongue on the edge of her beak. As the patience of the other one ran short, she had yanked the binoculars from the claws of the first one and started looking through the binoculars herself with a smug and somewhat creepy smile.

“They are up to no good,” — I thought, and decided to sneak up on them, — “and I just can’t let any crime happen in my presence!” I’ve made a detour and slowly closed in on them from the back, making sure that my shadow didn’t attract their attention. It wasn’t too difficult for me, as they were too focused on something inside one of the hotel rooms. I landed softly on one of the thick branches above them and tried to discern which room they were looking into, but my eyesight can’t be compared to their eagle sight. I can’t see anything that far.

“Oh, fuck, would you look at that? This guy knows how to please a girl properly! If only our idiots did the same,” said the one looking through the binoculars.

“Bollocks! You kidd, with them claws? Lad’s quite a rare specimen... worth trying.”

“Yah! Oh, they are going for the real deal. Just look at the girth!”

“Gimme those!” she grabbed binoculars from other griffoness’ claws. “Fuck! She took it whole in one go! That crazy bughorse bitch!”

“Hey give ‘em back!” She tugged on the binoculars, taking them back.

I glided down to them, landing behind them. Their talk was strange.

“Griffons, by the order of her majesty’s Lunar Guard, identify yourselves!” I said in a strict voice.

The griffoness holding the binoculars yelped and jumped in fright; the binoculars falling out of her claws. Luckily enough, however, she managed to grab them by the strap with her left claw before they fell down.

“Oi! The fuck you think you’re doing? Sneaking up on people like that!” She said as she inspected the binoculars for any damages. “Cost me half a contract this did, cheeky fucker.” She grumbled that last bit, though I still heard her as I eyed the second griffoness.

“You little shit!” The second griffoness turned around and stepped closer to me. “Lunar Guard my arse! I’ve seen more steel on me granddad’s cat! So who the fuck d’ya think you are? Me mum? Piss off!” She poked me in the chest with the blunt side of her clawed finger, looming over me threateningly. “What, cat caught your tongue?” Griffoness laughed, while the one with the binoculars just continued to watch, no longer paying attention. My anger awoke and quickly broke through the roof of my patience. With brows furrowed, the fur on my chest puffed out and I bared my fangs.

“You! Shut your blabbering beak and listen here, you feathered bitch! Nobody talks to me like that, and the last moron who did is now rotting behind bars in the Canterlot dungeon with half an ear missing!” I growled through my teeth, then yanked out the Lunar Guard badge from the special pocket of my bag and stuck it into her beak with force. She squinted her eyes at it before making two steps back, no longer that full of herself.

Griffoness coughed awkwardly, covering her beak. “Officer? We… We don’t mean any trouble, promise!”

“Officer?” The second one finally paid me some attention. “Oh cock, here comes the fun police…” she muttered.

“Now tell me, what are you two doing here?” I demanded.

“Mhm… Nothing. Nothing illegal. Just” — her eyes darted around — “watching?” answered the sassy one, spinning her claw in the air.

“Watching what, exactly?” I pressed her.

The second one passed me her binoculars with a grin. “See for yourself. Fourth floor.” She looked at me as I took the binoculars into my hooves and moved them to my eyes.

I wanted to tell her something, but my words stuck in my throat as I coughed from the sheer surprise. What I saw was completely out of my expectations. It was Ray and Sapphira doing… doing THAT. Now I felt a strange mix of rage towards the two bitches and a peculiar excitement from seeing the scene. I grit my teeth.

“Take your stuff and scram out of here before I cite you both for breaching the public order!” I shoved the binoculars into her claws.

“Oh come now, luv, let’s make a deal. We’ll give you the binoculars until everything ends and… we will enjoy the show together. How is it? Town’s boring as fuck! At least we’ll watch something interesting today.”

“Ye, just look at his thing! I’m already dripping,” the second one said as she squinted her eagle eyes, looking at the window in the distance.

“No. Deal. Now scram!” I roared at them. I kicked the closest one with my hoof. The winged bitches flew up and disappeared from my sight behind the foliage. “They dare to peek. At my herd! My! Herd!” I seethed with anger, but curiosity was quickly winning over it and soon replaced it almost completely, and I was already moving towards the certain window. “Only I can peek at them…” I whispered. I looked around before peeking in, and, to my dismay, still spotted those griffons on another tree doing the exact same thing. “Whatever, I’m not in the mood to chase after them,” I thought as I carefully peeked into the window.

After a fast shower, I was standing in the middle of our room, hands crossed, thinking if I should first go and talk to the ‘boss’ or clean the room, though the latter was complicated with the total absence of cleaning tools. I heard some noise coming from outside the window and saw Lily flying in as I turned my head. She seemed flustered.

“Oh, Lily, you returned earlier, how did things go?”

“I–I… everything went fine. They won’t need my help today.” Lily was nervous and stuttered for some reason.

“That’s great! At least you can have some rest.” I looked around at the dusty mess in the room, raising my eyes to the ceiling afterwards. Lily followed my gaze with her eyes. “We had a little — accident here, Lily. Sorry, it wasn’t even a day, and we had already created trouble for you.” I smiled wryly at her.

“I’m sure she already knows, Ray,” Sapphira interjected.

I raised my brow in a silent question.

“Well, when we have… um… finished, I faintly felt someone behind the window… So…”

I turned back to Lily, only to see her blush profusely. The red tint somehow managed to go through her coat miraculously. But that means…

Sapphira sighed. “Lily, since when have you been hiding there?”

“I… I… When I returned, I… found… two griffon bitches peeking at you, so I chased them off, and… then…” Lily’s voice became sharp when she mentioned griffonesses, but then it quietened back down.

“Then you hid behind the window?” asked Sapphira.

“Y-yes.” Lily’s eyes darted about.

Sapphira sighed again. “Then why didn’t you just enter?”

“What? I… I didn’t want to ruin it for you two…”

“Ruin?” Sapphira walked closer to Lily, then hugged her tightly. “You will never ruin anything for us. Silly girl.”

I nodded in agreement with Sapphira.

Lily hugged Sapphira back. “I… wasn’t ready for it today. Next time… wait for me,” she said almost inaudibly.

“We certainly will,” I said, smiling lightly.

“I… I need a light shower, again…” Lily was still nervous.

“I’ll help. Ray, perhaps you go downstairs, take a table and check the menu?”

“Good idea. Come down when you’re done.” I took the hint, grabbed the pouch with coins from the table, putting it in my pocket, and walked out. At the same time, the door opposite of ours opened and a large potbellied minotaur walked out. One of his horns was covered with a golden sheen, or perhaps it was a kind of metal replacement for a broken one. His bullish face broke into a toothy smile, as he showed me a thumb up with his barrel-like arm, winking at me. He then smugly proceeded to the stairs, saying nothing. Strange guy, but it seems we had made too much noise. I stood there for a bit longer, scratching my head in thought.

“I wonder how many people already know about our ‘activities’, huh? That’s a bit embarrassing.” I thought as I followed him downstairs. “Damn, I need a drink or two.”

When I stepped out into the dining hall, the minotaur was already nowhere to be seen. There were more people at the tables this time, but all of them were earth ponies. I could see nobody behind the bar counter, but I spotted a light grayish-brown pegasi waitress running back and forth between the tables, dexterously using her wings to carry trays.

I chose an inconspicuous table, which was not too high and not too low either, at the far end of the hall, with comfortable couches by its sides. I was observing my surroundings calmly, kicked back on the couch. The serene atmosphere was pleasant, though I still felt a few suspicious looks on my back when I passed by. I didn’t have to wait for long before the waitress appeared before me. Her long pale-platinum mane had a wide ginger lock, going down all the length through her mane, making her appearance quite memorable.

“Good evening, sir! Do you need a menu, or would you like to make an order right away?” She beamed at me. The smile was rather genuine.

“Hello, I’ll take a menu and also make an order.” I thought for a second. Most of the ponies seem to have cider as their drinks, so why don’t I order some too? That one we drank at the supply station was rather good. If I remember correctly, it was considered ‘strong’, so anything ‘mild’ is out of my scope as I don’t want to drink apple juice.

“What would you like to order, sir?”

“Cider, strong cider.”

“Any particular one?”

I scratched at my stubble. “I liked the strong one made of green apples. Don’t remember the exact name, though. Bring me two if you have it.”

“Ah, that’s ‘Green Apple Special’. Sir, are you sure about that one?”

“Anything wrong with it?” I raised my brows.

“Oh, no. It’s just — a little stronger than regular strong cider.” Her smile became wider.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. You won’t have to carry me out of the table.” I chuckled.

“Alrighty then!” She laughed too. “Is that all?”

“Yes, for now. I’ll shuffle through the menu before ordering anything else.”

“I’ll be right back!” The waitress briskly trotted away.

This girl has a somewhat bubbly, easygoing attitude. She didn’t even bat an eye at my unusual appearance. “Perhaps she’s seen a lot of different people here already to be surprised by some bald bipedal ape,” I thought jokingly.

While I was waiting, I shuffled through the drinks menu, and didn’t find any strong spirits, albeit I’ve seen something like that in the bar, which is not working at the moment. The prices… I can’t say if those are expensive or not, at least yet. A mug of regular cider, and it is quite a sizable mug, I must say, judging by the ponies at the table on the other side of the dining hall, costs two coins… bits, to be more precise. The one I’ve ordered costs three. Does not seem expensive, but I can still be wrong. The mug handles were excessively large for our human standards, but I guess those were designed this way with hooves in mind. Not that it’d stop me, though. Opposable thumbs are once again proving themselves to be one of humanity’s greatest gifts. Sapphira and Lily seemed to think so as well, if their moaning was any indication.

As I was lazily thinking about such things, I noticed the waitress was already returning to me from the kitchen in the same energetic pace, a tray with two mugs on her right wing.

“Your order, sir.” She smiled again.

The tray on her wing did not shake or slide in the least, but she had to use her teeth to put it down on the table. It would be rude to ask her if such an action is inconvenient or painful, so I better ask Lily later. Then she used her hooves to move the mugs from the tray to the table.

“Many thanks!” I said, as my mood went up after the potent sweet aroma hit my nose. “Yeah, that’s the stuff,” a content smile crept up my face, “the smell is superb.”

“I’m glad you like it. Do you need anything else, sir?”

“Not right now, I’m still waiting for someone.”

The waitress nodded. “Then call me if you need anything,” she said joyfully.

“I sure will, sweetie.”

She turned around and left, and I’m sure I heard a muffled giggling as she did so. Ponies are indeed reacting a bit strangely to even minor flattery or compliments. I busied myself with unhurriedly inspecting the menu and looking at the passing customers going in and out of the hotel. Many of those were foreigners, quite in line with what I was told. Mainly griffons and minotaurs, though I’ve seen some of those dogs, too. Damn, I’ve even seen a cat! Not a domestic cat, but a sentient bipedal cat. I could not discern the gender, but they sure looked prettier than certain ‘sugar lovers’.

I was sipping my cider with gusto while having those funny thoughts, listening to an unobtrusive quiet music which was playing through some hidden device. A pleasant warmth spread out from my stomach across my body while my mind relaxed, expelling bit by bit the stress and nervousness accumulated through the past week. I nonchalantly sprawled on the couch, with my left hand on its back, as my right hand held the mug, a contented smile on my face.

“Life — is — good,” I said to myself quietly and took another sip.

Author's Note

My special thanks for this chapter goes to my friend and fellow writer ericson03, who offered me his assistance making it.