Barnon & Twilight
1 Week, 6 Days from Handelgrohba Station

The Ship-Post is cruising through space at Blipspeed, stars veering past as the Ship moves at incredible speeds. Inside the Ship, however, it felt like it was completely still. The wonders of fake gravity.

It would take one week, and six days to reach Handelgrohba Station. They'd already been flying for one; a fact Twilight didn't realize until she got a chance to stare out the window. Which, she was now doing.

Twilight wasn't sure how long she was going to stay for. She had a general idea of how to re-open the portal and return... but she kept putting it off.

"Still torn on when to go back?" Barnon asks, tearing the little pony from her thoughts.

Barnon was kicked back in the Pilots chair, feet up on the console, wearing one of his usual jumpsuits, halfway through one of his Macrowavable Meals. Yet another meal with vague, supplemented mixtures of any percentage of meat and vegetable, spiced to taste good no matter what.

Beside him, front hooves up on one of the lightly blinking machines, Twilight stares out into space; her thoughts kept at bay as whole worlds, stars, whole star systems, rolled by as nothing more than the streaking blink of light. She was probably the first Pony to ever see such a thing. Second, only to Luna, to see the stars from somewhere other than Equestria.

"How could you tell?" Twilight asks, head tilting, glancing out of the corner of her eye -- still hard for her to tear her eyes away from it.

"You get this little face-scrunch when you think about stuff for too long." Barnon demonstrates, over-scrunching his own face and puckering his lips, finger waggling in his own face.

"I do not! Do I? Is it bad?" She weakly protests, realizing she just scrunched her face in retort. Barnon chuckles, and Twilight sighs, shaking her head. "...I'm feeling better about the whole thing, but I'm still unsure."

"Well..." Barnon dramatically taps his chin. "What about, you stick around until after we hit the Station? It's actually one of the decently-sized ones, not just one of the refueling kinds, so you might get to see some neat stuff." Barnon offers, helping himself to another bite. "Then you can head home. Little space-age vacation, and back."

The weight of his offer finally loops Twilight. She had the chance, to visit a 'Space Station', a giant version of his ship, floating in space, filled with other sentient space creatures like him? That... she couldn't refuse that. There was no way she could. She'd be crazy not to. The scientific community demanded it!
"OKAY!" She shouts suddenly, brimming with excitement; startling Barnon, who nearly drops his food.

"Oh, sorry!" Twilight sheepishly grins. "I think that's a great idea. If, you uh... are good with hosting me. Until then. If that's --" Twilight starts to ramble, but finds her flank poked by Barnon's foot.

"Already said you can stay as long as you want. Mi casa su casa; I think that's the wordplay." Barnon scratches his chin. A fair amount of Old-Earths saying's had survived, but not all of them survived unscathed.

"Su casa?" Twilight asks, tilting her head.

"My people have like, a bazillion different sayings that melted together over the years. Its supposed to be; What's mine is yours."

Twilight makes a little 'Ohh' face. She turns, hopping down off the console she'd been leaning on, turning to face him. She smiles, nuzzling his leg and looking up at him through her bangs.
"Thank you, Barnon."

Thing was too damn cute for it's own good. It'd put him in the grave, the strain on his heart. Those big-ass eyes didn't help, either. They were... really bright. Sparkling. Ha. Sparkle. Like Twil--okay.
"...You have really pretty eyes." Barnon finds himself muttering. A little louder than he thought.

A small blush takes Twilight's cheeks, glancing away.

Barnon is finding out just how much Twilight is reliant on her magic. She does almost everything using it; and in in-between moments, he can see she's easily capable of doing some of these things herself.

The moment her magic had a day to refresh, or recharge, or however Pony horn magic worked; there was always something glowing a soft purple on the ship.

Actually, the moment she got comfortable, and was assured that she wasn't overstepping -- Barnon noticed she got settled very, very quickly.

Poking in and around his ship, reading the manuals for every piece and part that kept it running, every installation manual for every piece of furniture or appliance he had; she was ferociously just devouring any and all information, digging through drawers and unscrewing flaps to stare at machinery. He got her to promise not to actually start pressing buttons or taking things apart; but as if enacting the monkey paw, the Spamazon cart on the Holopad swelled with items she wanted.

She figured out how the Computer's Voice works, after Barnon set her as a Guest-Account. She's constantly calling out to it, asking questions or requesting for things to be added to the ever growing list. Every single time the AI asked if she wanted a new service that was tied to her questions, she'd look at Barnon expectantly. Currently, only 1 of 33 expectant-looks got the go-ahead.

And despite coming from, what Barnon assumed was a less technologically advanced society... she was clicking onto this stuff really, really quickly. Like, fiendishly quickly.

Obsessive disorder type shit. He even had to remind her to eat, which he had to pull her from underneath one of his machines in the back.

She might be a lot, and a little boundary-pushy (okay a lot actually), but she didn't overstep. Yet. But he'd give her that chance, because she kept checking with him. Trust, for trust.

Worst comes to worst, after all, they both only die horrifically in a violent explosion while succumbing to the vast, airless and frigid expanse of space.

Could Ponies suffocate? He didn't really wanna know.

Barnon & Twilight
1 Week, 5 Days from Handelgrohba Station

Barnon dangles from the bed, upper body entirely half off of it, head upside-down and near the floor. He's watching Twilight investigate the fridge. And every item in the fridge, get organized into piles based on what she can and cannot eat. Mostly meat v non meat.

The sleeping arrangement... they figured it out pretty quickly. 'Scientifically speaking', Twilight found it most optimal that rather than order another bed or other comfortable setup, Barnon's sizable bed would serve them both. At the same time.

When asked if it was because he was warm to cuddle with, no further questions were to be answered regarding the topic, Twilight declared. While blushing. And looking away.

... Barnon frowns, watching Twilight. This angle feels dirty. He's basically just staring up at her ass while she rummages around. Or is it flank? And like, sure, he did that sometimes. But this felt a little too blatant.

He was here first, though; she went over to the fridge while he was mid-dangle. So that clears him of fault.

But that didn't make it better. She wasn't even wearing clothes. He still wondered about that. Not yet, anyway; he may have bought here something. But that one was a secret. Shh.

Internal debate over morality and stubbornness rattles in Barnons brain. Its a bloody, ruthless battle. Outside of his brain, he nearly goes cross-eyed from disassociating so hard.

Barnon pushes himself off the floor, fully back onto the bed. Not upsetting the purple pony won out.

"...They operate on remarkably similar systems, but Magic seems to supplement or outright replace several options..." Twilight mumbles, none the wiser.

Barnon & Twilight
1 Week, 4 Days from Handelgrohba Station

Twilight stares at the Spamazon package sat on the coffee table, trotting excitedly in place only a foot from it; forced to wait, while Barnon dug around for something to open it with.

"You said this is the first one for me?" She asks excitedly -- when she gets excited, she speaks very quickly. Words have been launching out of her mouth the last few days, eyes almost bulging as they stare at the package.

The first bulk of her variety of orders had come in, all stacked in one Spamazon package. She was ready and raring to rip into it.

"Yep, your first cart order. Some funky stuff in here; and something from me." Barnon notes, finally popping up with a knife. Only to find she's already peeling it apart with her magic. Huh. He flicks the knife closed, tossing it back... somewhere. He'd find it again whenever he needed it.

"Isn't this all from you?" Twilight corrects; her magic rummages out the first couple of items. A... surprising amount of it was cheap toy-like knick knacks that had caught her attention. Actually, most of this looks like things she'd get off an infomercial. Classic; a true victim to capitalism.

Then she gets to the bottom of the box, and her eyes widen.

Her magic slowly pulls it out; revealing a bulky, bright-orange space suit fit for a quadruped. She slowly looks it over, turning her gaze to Barnon.
"This is... like your suit?"

He nods, grinning.
"Surprise. It's a... space suit for a dog, actually, but after checking your measurements, it was a really close fit. Even has a helmet; it's a big of a... big, bulky one on account of your horn, but y'know."

"...Big dog." Twilight muses; Winona was the biggest dog she knew, and this suit was her size?

But then she gets excited.
"Wait--is this so I can go into space?!"

"I've gotta spend the day calibrating it, making sure it's sealed and and that it fits; but yeah. Tomorrow, we can stop for an hour or two, and we could do a space walk. How's that sound?" Barnon offers, proudly. Good gift, Barnon. Smart lad.

His answer is nearly being tackled over by an extremely excited, borderline vibrating Purple Pony. She's wrapped around his midsection, holding him tight.
"Yes! Yesyesyesyesyesyes!" She repeats, before trotting and hopping around the ship. Someone was very, very excited at the prospect of being the first pony in space.
"Wait -- when did you get my measurements?"

Oop.

Barnon & Twilight
1 Week, 3 Days from Handelgrohba Station

Barnon had spent a good chunk of the day fiddling with the suit. He got it from one of those reseller sites; someone's seeing-eye dog needed a suit, apparently, but they'd resettled somewhere where they didn't need it anymore. Got a good deal on it.

Twilight fidgets while she stands still, Barnon tugging at the suit, making sure it covers everything. Her hooves shouldn't tear through it, they aren't very sharp; the helmet had been made big, for a big dog skull, so thankfully her horn fit. So far, it all fit well. Just calibrations for the technical side, attaching an air canister, and she'd be ready to roll.

"Remember. It's super important that you can't take it off. The pressurization between inside and outside is vital too. I'll be with you, and I'll make sure nothing happens to you; but just be cautious, yeah?"

"Of course! I'm not an amateur, Barnon. Though, for the sake of... scientific curiosity, say I were to teleport out of my suit. What duress might I undergo?" She fields, curiously.

"...You can Teleport?"

"Yes! I've been avoiding it since we are moving at 'Blipspeed' as you call it, since I don't want to cause an issue with our travel by incorrectly calculating the momentum or another variable, but yes, I am capable of short-to-medium-range teleportation." Twilight grins proudly.

"Oh, that's pretty cool. Uh... you'd freeze to death and some of your organs would explode, I think. Unless your magic affects that, which could make it worse, like you detonate, or better, where you survive but aimlessly drift among the stars until you suffocate." Barnon helpfully offers with a shrug.

"...Noted. No teleporting." Twilight softly affirms, audibly swallowing hard. That was a mood killer.

Barnon clasps the air tank to her back, making sure it's snug.
"Hold this." He says, offering her the helmet. Her magic grasps it, and Barnon clasps a hose into its base.

"...Alright, Purple. You're all set." He nods, rising to his feet.

"Can we?! Now?!" Twilight beams, horrors of death promptly forgotten.

"Computer? Pause journey."

The ship Bings softly.
"Fuckin' done, ya slag." The voice affirms. Twilight and Barnon snort. They'd been using a new voice every day.

"Let me just get suited up, and we'll go." Barnon says, stepping around her for the airlock.

Twilight watches Barnon open the large double doors, stepping inside to dress. The moment he's out if sight, she trots in place, trying to silently contain the excitement as she paces around in a circle.

It's only a few moments, Barnon well used to throwing on his gear in a few short moments, before she's waved inside.

Twilight steadies her breathing as she joins Barnon inside the airlock. The door shuts behind her, Twilight glancing back at it.

"Ready? We've got Comms, so we'll be able to talk to each-other. Helmets on." He explains, sliding and clasping his own on. Barnon had explained the technical side of it yesterday, and she absorbed it like a sponge.

Using her magic, Twilight slides hers over her own head. Barnon had showed her a few times; on, twist, seal, clasp. The suit hisses, the purple Pony now protected in a suit that smelt oddly similar to Winona. But she could ignore that.

They stand side by side, each staring forward at the exit door. She'd only seen it through the cameras and the front window. Twilight was going to get to see space, herself. The airlock room pulses softly with that familiar orange glow, as the muffled sounds of hissing air pressure drain away.

Barnon leans down, clipping one of the tethers to her belt.

"You won't have my propulsion pack, but that's a bit complex for your first space walk. Just... feel things out, and have fun. If you get worried, talk to me, okay? I'll be right there with you." He says warmly, voice partially distorted as she hears it through her helmet. He pats her side before standing straight again.

Twilight nods.
"Okay. I'm ready."

The Airlock light flicks green. Barnon presses a button on the wall; and silently, the doors to outside open.

Infinity stares back at her. Endless black, speckled by distant lights and stars. Here, there's a single, hoof-sized planet floating... whoever knows how actually far away. She's... there's no words for this.

Twilight watches as Barnon coasts into her view, past the doors. He's turned to face her, watching. His arms wide, waiting.

She takes a tentative step forward; and realizes that there's no gravity whatsoever. It's an entirely new feeling, which gets her legs kicking rampantly; and she starts to float off the floor of the airlock, and out the doors. She's already tilting, about to go upside-down.
"B-Barnon, I'm--"

"There's no up in space, Twilight. Motion is continued. There's no friction." He explains; she can't see him, but she can tell he's smiling by his tone. That... calms her, a little. This is supposed to be fun.

She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. The oddest thing is how... quiet it is. The only thing she can hear is Barnon breathing through the comms, and her own suits rustling. Her own breathing. Everything outside is... completely dead silent.

She continues to rotate, until she feels Barnon grasp her sides. She's slowed, and slowly turned to face the ship.

Barnon then slowly drifts past her, pulling a relaxed pose. He's upside down.

"...There really is no up?" Twilight asks, looking around.

"Up is relative to a planets gravity. You, me, the ship; the only thing up becomes relative to what's up, in space, is to you." Barnon explains. Now he's flying past her view, mock-swimming. She stifles a giggle, trying to wiggle her own hooves around. Without a surface to push off of, she just sits there.

When he comes around again, this time he softly bumps her side; and there she goes, drifting and tilting. She watches as the Ship-Post slowly rotates in her view, until it's upside down to herself. And she keeps going, slowly. He was right; there's no loss to her momentum whatsoever.

"How is this possible?" She mutters.

"No air. Nothing for your movements to drag against. There is, quite literally, nothing between you, me, or the Ship-Post." Barnon explains. "...Well, some might argue there's something like light or whatever, but I'm not up to date on my Bill Kry the Science Bhoktie. You can probably look it up when we're back inside. Whenever you want to go back in, of course."

"...Wow." Twilight hums.

She feels his hands again, and he sends her softly in another direction.

"Barnon... what's it like on a moon?" She asks softly. How could Princess Luna not come to mind? She was probably the first Pony to ever leave their own world.

"...Kind of like this, but with a small amount of gravity, depending on the moons size." Barnin explains; he's posed like the thinking man, floating past her view again.

"...Oh." Twilight hums softly.

"Thinking about that Princess you told me about?" He asks softly.

"...Yeah, Princess Luna. She spent a thousand years on the moon, alone." Twilight whispers.

"...Damn."

"Yeah."

Barnon slowly drifts back into her view; now he's looking like he's laid on his stomach. He slowly floats towards Twilight head-on.

"Barnon?" Twilight asks.

"What's up, Purple?" He responds. Same volume, no matter how far away he was.

"...Thank you. This is..."

"Anytime, Purple. Thanks, too."

"For what?" Twilight asks. Their helmets are close enough to touch, but Twilight can see his belt slowly stabilize him, matching her movement, her slow rotation. She can barely see his face through the haze of his visor; but she's pretty sure he's smiling.

"Dunno. Eating my burrito? Been a pretty fun last few weeks thanks to you." Barnon states.

Twilight can feel a small blush creep across her face.

Barnon feels her helmet tap against his -- he swears he can see a kissy face through her visor; this is reinforced by the startled noise she just made.

"Did you just--?" Barnon snorts.

"N-no! Did I what? I didn't --" Twilight stutters.

"Save it for the Ship, purple." Barnon teases; he suddenly drifts backwards, belt propelling him into a spiral.

Twilight stews in her suit, unable to do anything more than shamefully float in place, embarrassed.

Barnon & Twilight
1 Week, 2 Days from Handelgrohba Station

Twilight has gotten very, very comfortable with using her magic again, back to full magical strength.

On Barnon, especially.

He finds himself yanked around, floated, nudged -- that familiar purple glow is becoming a constant sight, and feel. She'll pick him up and move him over so she can walk through, yank his jumpsuit to stop him; he'd be a little more upset about it if she wasn't so damn efficient with it. There wasn't a rudeness or a sassiness to it; she was just fucking good at magic.

Right now, she's verbally recording research notes on the Holopad. Talking about her findings and experiences during the trip so far, her first space walk -- Barnon -- the whole shebang.

Of course, she's doing this on his bed, so he's got his feet kicked up in the pilot seat, listening to music on some headphones. A new song just got released from his favorite new-neo-funk-house-indie-phonk band, Blabbo-2. Another great track.

His eyes are closed, head tilted back as he bobs around, air-drumming (horribly and entirely off-time) to the beat.

Something pokes his leg. His eyes open, looking to the purple pony stood beside him. She says something; her lips move, but the music is too loud. Barbon shrugs, pointing to the headphones, grinning.

She rolls her eyes, turning away, mumbling something. Barnon lifts the headphones from his ears --

" -- such a foal, sometimes; I can't even begin to understand why I'm so fond of you." Twilight mutters to herself, aloud.

Barnons lips purse. The music plays loudly from his now-lifted headphones across the quiet ship.

Twilights head slowly turns, eyes wide, locking stares with Barnon.

"...Fond of you too, Spunkle." He grins.

Barnon slowly lowers the headphones back onto his ears, watching the blush take Twilights face. He leans back, closing his eyes, resuming his air-drumming.

Ignoring the frustrated hoof-pokes and taps against his leg.

Just keep on air drumming. Damn, they were serving it at this part of the song.

Oop, the poking stopped; but he feels her still leaning on his leg.

Barnon slowly creeps open a single eye, hands frozen midair.

Twilight is staring at him, pouting, stood on her back-hooves against his leg.

He slowly lifts the headphones again.

"...Fond how?" Twilight asks firmly.

...Yeah, cheeky answer.

"I mean... we showered together. We sleep in the same bed. Mashed faces nasty style. By Human accounts, we're dating." Barnon shrugs.

"...Oh." Twilights face softens, cheeks warming. "Do you have to say it like that?"

"Maybe. What do you Ponies call your relationship partners?" Barnon asks, still holding the headphones in the air. The music trails off as the next track begins to load in.

"...Marefriend. Coltfriend." She answers simply.

"So, according to the purely checklist manner of what constitutes a relationship; you would be my Marefriend?" Barnon asks, headset lowering to sit on his chest.

Twilight purses her lips, glancing away.

"And I would be your Coltfriend? My, my, Sparkle. Relations with an Alien. How forward thinking." Barnon teases. "You ever have one of those before?"

He watches her flinch.

"...I haven't had one either, honestly. An any-friend. We call them Girl and Boyfriends, funny enough." Barnon continues; a little nervous himself, now.

She slowly turns to look back at him.

"...and how do your people... handle, relationships?" Twilight asks.

"For life, typically." Barnon informs.

Twilight nods. "If... I was able to open the portal again. Would you come with me?" She asks softly.

Barnon's response is to lean forward, and gently kiss her nose.
"...Think this is more than an exotic, alien fascination?" He whispers into her fur.

She stares at him, nose still pressed to his lips.
"...I've never crossed worlds through a portal for a crush, before. I might have to say a hard, yes-leaning maybe." She retorts.

"Yours sounds cooler, I'm just lending you my shower. Let's work the answer out together, after we visit the station. Maybe if we're lucky, your world is a little less interdimensional than we thought. Might even be able to fly back." Barnon softly says, hopeful. Twilight seems to brim with excitement at the idea; probably wanting to show off the technology.

"I think that's a suitable arrangement." Twilight affirms, pulling her nose back to plant a kiss on his, in turn.

"...How do you always smell like lavender?" Barnon asks quietly.

"Magic."

"Ah. That tracks."

Barnon & Twilight
1 Week, 1 Day from Handelgrohba Station

Barnon is having trouble sleeping. Not the most unusual thing. No, this is something new.

It's not even that he's sharing his bed with a snoring Pony, whose nestled against his stomach while he sleeps on his side. No, he got used to that. It was pleasant.

Their affection towards each-other had been... ramping up, to say the least.

They've been kissing more. They shower together, Barnon washing her with his hands, and Twilight washing him with her magic. They sit beside each other, or make physical contact, all the time.

Even when Twilight wants to record things on the Holopad, some part of her desires to be touching Barnon. A hoof, a flank, anything.

He wasn't complaining, of course. It was... fun. Adorable. He was enjoying every second of it.

The problem was... him. Him Jr. The Barnon Below.

All this... affection. Close contact. Time together.

He was a little strained.

Would she mind if he...?

Barnon goes to slowly creep out of the bed, to head to the bathroom. To take care of... things.

Twilight grumbles it protest; he finds her swirling purple magic twist around him, and firmly pull him back to bed.

She even tucks him back in, snoring all the while, her magic fizzling away. He squints, lifting her bangs. She's dead asleep.

Fuck.

Barnon stews for another hour, tenting the sheets, staring at the ceiling.

"...Computer. What's the time?" He whispers.

The usual Computer ping, switched to Night Mode, makes a very soft Pong noise.
"1:34 AM, Galactic Time."

He groans. Twilight doesn't wake up until six.

Barnon purses his lips. A devious thought, brewed primarily by Barnon Jr.

Twilight is curled against his stomach, her head softly pressed to his chest. Hooves pulled in close, she's in a little ball.

Normally, he holds her in a hug when they sleep together. This time... his hand slowly traces her side, along her back.

She makes a small noise, but doesn't stir beyond her ears flicking.

Nervously, his hand roams lower. It traces over the back of her rear, close to the base of the tail, and down the side, finger dragging through the fur of her cutie mark.

Another small noise, but no reaction.

Barnon swallows, before taking her flank in his hand, and squeezing.

"Mm..." She hums, nuzzling against him.

Another squeeze, a little harder. Another content hum.

One of her hooves lifts, tracing over his chest. She's a very... active, sleeper, Barnon is finding out.

He starts to knead her rear, squeezing softly, digging into her butt-flesh with his fingers.

Twilight begins to stretch out of her sleep-ball, straddling his side, draping her hooves overtop of him, tucking in against him.

Oh.

Twilight's grinding against his leg, biting her lip; her hoof is pressed against his chest, her head nuzzling against his neck.

Barnon grips her ass tighter, giving her rear a hard couple of squeezes.

"Mmf." She gasps softly, pausing for a second.

Barnon slips his fingers against the lower section of her rear, giving it a few testing jiggles. He didn't know where she fell on the scale of Pony rears, considering she's the only Pony he's seen so far.

Damn, if it didn't have some wobble to it though.

She's clamped pretty tightly against his thigh with her back legs, pressed against him, gyrating. Her breathing is getting heavier, as his roaming hand gets... a little further.

Emboldened, Barnon makes a grave mistake, and lightly smacks her ass.

"G-oh!" Twilight gasps, eyes opening. She freezes.

Barnon is dead still, lips pursed, white as a sheet.

"...Sorry." He whispers softly, praying to whatever benevolent God may save him.

"...Not so rough." He hears whispered directly into his ear.

Slowly, he turns to look.

Twilight staring at him through half-lidded eyes, barely visible under her bangs. Her breathing is heavy, chest rising and falling, the fur brushing his bare skin.

"...Did I overstep?" He asks softly.

"...If I admit I've poked you over a few times when you sleep, can we be even?" She returns.

"...Yeah, that works for me." Barnon subtly nods. A quiet, long, tension-filled silence falls between the two.

"...What now?" Barnon whispers.

"...I have until after the Station to convince you... that you should come back with me, if I can re-open the portal, right?" She asks softly, those vibrant eyes dead-still, locked on his own. Barnon has a feeling she's not looking for an actual answer.

Instead, he gives her plush rear another squeeze. A surprisingly throaty purr escapes Twilight, pressing against him harder; a needy smile forms on her face. She starts to grind against him again, but this time, he sees her horn glow softly, lighting the dark room.

He feels something rustle in his underwear, as his hard member is suddenly grasped by -- did she just grab his dick with her magic?

The face she's making at him tells him yes. It's... a much odder feeling, compared to when she drags the whole him around. He had no idea she could refine her magic to such a dexterous degree.

Well, he can't be the only one left startled. In turn, Barnons hand slips up from her rear, traces along her side; then down her stomach, underneath the overlaid leg, until his fingers meet --

"Mmph!" Twilight suddenly bites her lip, stifling a gasp and clenching up against him.

"You wanna see what opposable thumbs can do?" Barnon whispers.

The magical grip around his member tightens, tracing up to the tip. It's Barnons turn to stifle a surprised noise.

"Thumbs versus Magic?" Twilight softly challenges, giving him a coy look.

"You're on. But be warned; I play dirty." Barnon grins, before nibbling her ear.

Twilight's face goes wide, making a soft squeak.

Barnon & Twilight
1 Week from Handelgrohba Station

Two tired, sweaty, soggy nerds currently sit in the shower, letting the warm water pelt their faces. Barnon is leant forward on the stool, as usual, and Twilight sits between his legs, on her haunches.

Outside the bathroom, it looks like someone set off a bomb in the middle of the bed. Sheets are everywhere, except on the mattress, and the pillows have followed a similar mantra; not to mention the large sweat stain.

Both are exhausted. A very... mutual situation played out last night, limited to Twilight's hooves and magic, versus Barnon's fingers and tongue.

Both let out a long, content sigh as the small bathroom fills with steam. Words... and complex thought are difficult approaches at the moment, but the pair seem to have found another step to their relationship.

The ambient sprinkling of the shower is broken by the Computer softly crackling over the ships comms, detecting the room they're both in.
"Sector 52 Entered. Traffic: Average. Distance to Destination: One Galactic Week." It pings, falling silent again.

"...One more week." Barnon echoes, getting a mouthful of water for his trouble. He feels Twilight shift, leaning against his leg. His hand idly combs through her wet mane.

"I'm excited to see the station." Twilight states simply.

"You've been looking it up on the Holopad, right?"

"Not Handelgrohba, but other ships. And other stations. You have a... Labor Class Privateer Vessel?"

"Mmhm. Standard size for solo. Any bigger, that's a team, and usually bankrolled by a company or benefactor. Go even bigger... that's company dollar, for sure. Only MegaCorporations can afford bigger vessels." Barnon explains. It takes him a while, between content sighs, and remembering to continue to comb through Twilight's mane, her ears flicking him when his attention lapses.

"...I like your ship." Twilight hums simply.

"I do too. Took me a long time to get her paid off, but she's mine." He nods to himself.

Twilight hears Barnon groan softly as he leans, pressing his lips against the wet fur on her head.

"...She can be yours, too, of course. If you ever want to stay."

Twilight hums softly, leaning into the affection.
"I... can't stay, Barnon. You know that."

"Not what I mean. I mean... figure a way to open a proper portal. One that isn't my Macrowave, and... come by, whenever you want."

"...Princess Celestia won't allow that, Barnon. Unless I could prove that our Portals do not cause any ill rifts, alterations or fragments to reality... but I can't here. I'd need my labratory. I've been looking. There is no trace, whatsoever, of Ponies in your... Universe. Which means, since we aren't on the same dimension... both of ours are at risk of my continued stay here." She explains, sighing softly.

Barnon mirrors that sigh, into her fur.
"...Which means I probably can't follow you, huh."

He can hear her sniffle softly, through the sprinkling shower.

"...Would you wait for me, Barnon? If I... did my best, to find a way to stabilize the portals. Or stabilize our presence. Through magic, or technology, or... anything. Whatever it might take, however long it might take. Would... you wait? I don't know how long, but..." She mumbles.

"Of course." Barnon interrupts, wrapping his arms around the purple pony. Not even a split second of hesitation, he's already sliding off the stool, sitting behind her and pulling her close. "As long as you need me to, I'll wait as long as it takes; until the sun burns out, waiting as I watch as the universe forges a new one. For you, I'd find a way to wait forever." Barnon whispers.

It's a good thing they were both in the shower. Showers are very helpful at hiding tear-ridden emotions.

Author's Note