Everfree Village

Lodestone laughed and waved a wing in farewell as he and Granite exited the room. He'd decided he liked Rohan. The human was gruff and straightforward, but only spoke when necessary, never saying more than was needed, and had a surprisingly witty sense of humor.

As they stepped out onto the crowded street, Lodestone turned to Granite.

"So... I guess we can make our way to the Castle? If Barbara didn't come here, that's my best guess where we'll find her. We could stop at a shop or two on the way and see if there's anything you like?" He smirked and bumped her with a hip. "Ooor you could hop on my back and we can go relax in the clouds for an hour or so. After all, if Barbara's with the Princess, she's fine, and if she isn't with her, we won't find her at the Castle."

"Clouds," Granite said instantly and quickly. "Cloud thing. Flying. Come on, come on, giddyup!" The mare stopped, blushed and then lowered her gaze. "Sorry," she said and giggled. "I got excited."

She still expected to go and pranced from hoof to hoof in excitement. "I promise I won't moo this time when we start going up!"

He loved seeing her all excited and giddy and his muzzle split into a wide grin. He gave her a quick nuzzle and laid down beside her. "You wanna save time and go up right here, or would you rather find someplace where we won't get funny looks as we take off?"

"Bah! Buck funny looks, I already have your feather. They can assume whatever they like!" In truth, Granite was acutely aware of several ponies glancing their way and was blushing intently under their scrutiny, but her excitement to be going let her push past it. She all but jumped on poor, unfortunate Lodestone, then kicked his flanks for good measure. "Come on, go!"

It was a joke, so the mare lowered her muzzle down to his ear and gave it a lick. "I'm joking. You know I'm joking, right? Whenever you're ready, fly boy."

Lodestone knew it was a joke, but he gave her a mischievous grin over his shoulder. "You wanna go, huh? Well let's go!"

He launched into the air and flew almost straight up, then, spying a fast current, leveled out suddenly and angled to join it. There was a sudden buffeting wind at their tails and his wings instantly angled to catch it, making them lunge forward far faster than he could fly with his lumbering wings alone. Almost immediately the current brought them near a dark outcrop of rock and he tilted slightly to join the thermal instead. When they left the current, it seemed as if a sudden wind blasted in their face but he was already streamlining his body to minimize the drag, and then they were in the updraft, billowing powerfully up and up into the wide cloudless blue sky. Lodestone bubbled over with laughter and joy at the thrill of such a wonderful take off. Only then did he turn back to check on the poor earth mare clutching his back.

Granite started out by giggling in joy - having gotten used to this part of the journey. She still gripped the stallion tightly, afraid of the height and of falling off, but by this time she trusted him not to drop her. The sudden acceleration and lift made her squeal - it sounded as if she was terrified at first, but as they leveled off and began circling it changed to excited laughing. By the time they were high enough for Lodestone to look, the mare had relaxed her grip a tiny bit and was grinning.

"Hey!" she yelled over the wind her muzzle, "I guess I'm starting to understand why you guys love this so much. The pegasi, I mean!"

With a happy whinny, he squeezed her forelegs around his neck and tilted his head as far back as it would go to nuzzle the side of her head. "To tell the truth, I got caught up in the moment and when we leveled out I thought that must have terrified you. I'm thrilled you're beginning to enjoy this properly now."

The sky was clear today, but Lodestone spotted a small cluster of clouds some ways off, just past Sweet Apple Acres, and pointed that way with a hoof. "We've got some ways to go. Care to try a little more fancy flying on the way, or have you had enough of the air for now?"

"Um," Granite sounded a bit uncertain at 'fancy flying'. "Nothing too crazy, okay? I like this, but my stomach isn't quite there yet!" She still giggled when she saw the ground, far below. "Look how small everypony is! I can see all of Ponyville!"

The mare remembered Lodestone's question and brought her muzzle to his ear again. "Oh, and if you go too fancy, I might widdle myself, okay? Just a warning." She was sorry she hadn't thought of the joke threat before, though.

Lodestone grinned and patted her forehoof. "I'll start out gentle and you just shout when you've had enough and I'll tone it down."

He drifted slowly to the side, then angled back the other way, curving a lazy S through the air. After a couple of these, he swooped more vigorously, angling his body almost completely sideways at sharpest part of the turn. He heard Granite giggling behind him and he straightened out, angled gently upward, then curved back down in a slow arc. His belly lifted slightly and he repeated the movement, a little faster. She made odd, happy noises at the peak and laughed at the bottom.

After that he combined the two motions, flying in a sort of horizontal spiral through the air. She actually whooped a little in her excitement, so he decided to try one step further and as he reached the side of the spiral, he sharpened the curve and spun them in a quick upside down corkscrew, careful to make it tight enough that she would still be firmly pressed into his back. Still, he felt her tense with alarm and was already leveling out before she even shouted for him to stop.

He grinned back over his shoulder at her.

"Yeeaah I thought that might be a little much, but I wanted you to try it at least once."

"Ugh!" The mare said, a little green around the muzzle. "Yeah, fun, but I'm an earth pony. The important word there is 'earth'!"

She smiled and leaned in to give the stallion a quick kiss on his ear. "It'll take some time to get used to, don't worry," she told him. "But for now... um, straight please."

It sounded as if she was beginning to be unsure about holding on to the few pieces of fruit she'd eaten in Rohan's room.

The pony was silent for a while, then she squeezed Lodestone tightly with all four hooves and whispered right into his ear: "I love you, fly boy!"

Though it wasn't the first time she'd said it, it had caught him off guard and it was novel enough to make his heart skip a beat. His wings faltered and they lurched awkwardly, falling a foot or two before he steadied himself again. Almost immediately, his muzzle turned bright red, partly from her words and partly from embarrassment at stalling like some inexperienced filly.

"S-Sorry!" he said, knowing that would have been horribly uncomfortable for her, "I... wasn't expecting it." She was a little green around the muzzle and didn't seem able to respond just yet. After a moment's consideration, he tilted his head back and murmured, "I love you too, cowpoke."

The green turned to pink and Granite splayed her ears, only slightly embarrassed by now. She grinned and opened her mouth to say something, but her expression turned to one of absolute terror and she unclasped the stallion to point a trembling hoof. "Cloooooud!" Granite yelled.

Her terrified expression startled him more than her words and he flared his wings automatically, his body angling almost vertical to keep her planted to his back as he strained to stop them as fast as possible. Then his brain caught up to what was happening and he barked a short, sudden laugh and tilted back into a glide as they 'PUFF'd harmlessly through the small cloud. He flapped a bit to regain some speed and angled up and out of the cloud before settling gently into a bowl-like depression, white billowing up on all sides. He said nothing, just turned his head and smirked at her, waiting for her to explain why flying into a cloud had so horrified her.

The mare coughed a little and wiped at her muzzle with a foreleg to clear the fog out. "Ugh!" she yelled, then opened her eyes. It took her some seconds to realize that clouds weren't dangerous at all, and then she turned a very nice, warm shade of red. "Umm..."

She gave the stallion a crooked grin and shrugged a little, at a loss for words. It looked like that was the best he was going to get, until she lowered her gaze and her ears and admitted: "I thought we were going to crash into it."

Rather than laugh, his expression softened when he saw her embarrassment. He nuzzled her gently, then took flight again, heading toward a larger cloud nearby that had a thick, puffy tower in the middle where they would have a nice view of everything around them. He landed again and rolled slowly onto his side, helping Granite to shuffle over him as he had their first time up here.

"Unfortunately we have no blanket, so spinning you some cloudcrete won't be much use. Grounded ponies can stand on cloudcrete, but only for a minute or two before it starts to dissipate under the direct force of hooves."

"Oh," Granite said, but she wasn't really disappointed as it meant more cuddle time. She easily stayed on top. "This feels a bit like I'm walking all over you, you know?" she said with a bit of a smirk. "They say stallions shouldn't allow that." The grin went full mischievous. "So, you gonna do anything about it, fly boy?"

The mare wasn't technically 'walking', but she was lying on Lodestone and she could stand up of she wanted.

"Hmm..." he responded with a miscevious grin of his own, "I guess I should, huh?" He suddenly twisted onto his back then latched all four legs around her and squeezed tight. Before she could even blush, he rolled over onto his belly so she was plunged into the cloud and hung upside down beneath him, pressed tight against his body.

Lodestone hadn't thought further ahead than the joke and immediately realized exactly which parts of her were pressed against exactly which parts of him and instantly he began to swell. Realizing this, and also realizing that she easily could feel every inch of it, he blushed intensely and began to stammer an apology as he spread his wings to flip them back around again.

The mare came out of the cloud gasping for breath, then glared at the stallion before turning red. "I thought I couldn't breathe under there," she mumbled by way of explanation.

It seemed he had reacted quickly enough that Granite didn't realize what was happening between them, or maybe she had been preoccupied with her other senses. She gave the pegasus a reluctant smile. "Okay, you win this one. I promise I won't walk over you, okay?" She even went as far as to stick her tongue out at him - Granite was obviously a sore loser. "I'll forgive you for a kiss, okay? A proper one."

She was still straddling his belly as he lay on his back and he couldn't tell if she hadn't noticed or just didn't care about his rapidly hardening member pressing against her hips. Still, he wasn't going to refuse a request like that and, ignoring his better judgement, simply pulled her head down for a long, satisfying kiss. By the time it finished he was fully erect and he was certain she must have noticed the firm lump underneath her.

Granite didn't mention it, but the red in her muzzle and her splayed ears told the whole story. She was also starting to breathe more quickly and every now and then she shifted, ever so slightly. "Want me to move?" she asked at long last. She didn't have to say why exactly. "I didn't mean to- to cause you to..."

Just to show willing, Granite shuffled forward a bit which would put her straddling Lodestone's belly, although it wasn't far enough to give him all the room he needed. "Or- m-maybe you turn around? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." She didn't finish the sentence.

She'd shuffled forward in an attempt to get off of him, seemingly unaware that she had simply brought her own body into perfect alignment. One small thrust of his hips and he'd be inside her. He could almost feel the warmth of her, pulling at his tip like a magnet pulls at a lodestone. He could only stare up at her, his mouth half open, his chest heaving despite not feeling winded. Somehow he grew even harder, his member swelling almost to the point of being painful. It grew just one more inch and, even though neither of them had moved a muscle, the tip just barely pressed against her marehood... then it throbbed.

"Oh!" Granite squeaked and tried to shuffle some more, but that just caused her to fall forward and mush her chestfluff right into Lodestone's muzzle. "Sorry!" the mare said as she clung to the stallion. "What do I do?" There was an edge of panic in her voice. Granite was worried she'd slip off if she stayed like that for any longer, but if she lowered herself they'd be doing it, which was something she was in no way ready for. Her tail clamped down as best it could, but it wasn't a good barrier. "Help!" Granite gasped. "Moo!" That last one was completely involuntary in a moment of panic.

Lodestone recoiled, arching his back to pull his hips as far back away from her as he could manage and grabbing her hips with both hooves, pulling them slightly up and away. The contact had been a surprise for both of them to be sure, but her reaction immediately filled him with the absolute certainty that this was not the right time.

She was not ready.

"Shhh..." he soothed, "It's okay, Granite. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear. Look, just slide onto my side again and everything will be fine."

He gently pressed into her side to reinforce the idea. He was careful not to just slide her over - he wanted her to do it, so she felt like she was still in control of what was happening.

Granite did so, still breathing heavily. Once she was firmly situated, she started to relax and even managed a slight, ears-down smile. "Sorry," she said. "I got worried we were gonna..." she gulped, "and then I panicked I'd fall off. Sorry."

The pony took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Truth time?" she proposed, but then just went ahead. "I thought I wanted it for a moment, but then I got scared. M-Maybe a cloud isn't the best place to... y'know. For the first time."

She was obviously very worried about something and leaned down to give Lodestone's muzzle a few kisses. "Please don't think I'm a tease!" Granite begged, real fear in her voice. "I didn't mean to come off like that! It was an accident! Oh, moo..."

The mare felt secure enough that she was able to put both forehooves on her eyes to block out the world. "I'm making this so complicated... Maybe we should just- get it over with? It's not a big deal. Why am I making it a big deal? All the fillies in my school have done it..."

"Hush now, none of that." Lodestone hugged her tight to his side, trying to ignore the almost painful sensation of pressure in his groin. "You're not a tease, Granite. That was entirely my fault, I'm sorry. It's okay."

He turned pressed a hoof into her cheek and made her meet his eye. "And I would never let you fall. You'd be terrified of coming up here again and I won't ever let that happen. I love bringing you up here... and I love you, Granite."

That last made the mare smile again, and her ears lifted up. "I'm just worried..." she began, but got choked up and had to cough before trying again. "I'm worried I'll keep working myself up like it's this big, important thing, and we'll never end up actually moving forward because every time I'll be afraid that it isn't the right time, or the right place, or whatever."

Granite closed her eyes while turning something around in her mind and slowly she began smiling. "I think I want it," she said at last, quietly. "Yes," this was more certain. "It's beautiful up here, we're alone, I love you, you love me. I don't care if it's fast, or if it's not perfect." She leaned down and gently nibbled Lodestone's ear. "Hurry before I get all chickenshit again and change my mind."

As if to prove it, She ground against the stallion a bit, which made her gasp, then let her breath out. It was very hot against Lodestone's ear. "Please..."

Still thinking of her panicked reaction, Lodestone almost said no, but she was so warm and soft against him... and if this wasn't consent, he didn't know what was. Even so, he turned to meet her eye first, his ears turning down nervously. "Well... if you're sure..."

He slowly reached down with a forehoof, stroking down her side until he stopped at her flanks. She seemed to quiver slightly and at the look in her eye he quickly slid the rest of the way down and gently began to stroke her. She was nearly dripping wet already and he nuzzled up her cheek to nip at her ear. "Yes," Granite breathed, barely audibly. "Now."

She ground a little, which made her moan in pleasure. "Yes," she repeated after getting her breath back. "Yes yes yes..."

Her eyes were closed and her ears went flat and the mare leaned down so that Lodestone didn't have to hold his head up. She kissed him, messily but passionately. "Oooh, what do I do?" she asked. "How do we...?"

He silenced her with another kiss, slower and deeper than her messy attempts, then pressed his hoof into her flank, spreading her just a bit wider. Her tail was trembling high in the air already but he grabbed it with a wing anyways and gently tugged it further up her back, knowing from past experience the kind of sensations that gave a mare's dock.

Remembering this was her first time, he eased up on the kiss and laid his head alongside hers to murmur in her ear.

"Okay cowpoke, now be a good girl and relax for me..."

Then, listening for the slightest hint of fear or discomfort from the little mare, his hips slowly curled forward and her pressed against her again. There was a tiny pause, half a breath of tension, then her body gave and warmth enveloped his tip. He gasped sharply and every fiber of his being screamed to thrust deeper, but he held himself back, waiting for her reaction.

Granite bit her lip as she waited for pain - she'd heard stories about the 'first time' - but there was none. After a moment she smiled tentatively. "Ah," she squeaked and froze as Lodestone hit a sensitive spot, but then the smile was back and the mare firmly pushed herself down, until she was basically sitting on the stallion.

"Oh..."

The cowpoke didn't know what exactly to say, or do. She was concentrating inward. As nothing bad happened, she let her breath out, but to her own surprise it came as a moan. "Yes..." she whispered to no one in particular. "Don't stop..."

As she slid down, he shuddered and laid his head back on the cloud with a low groan. Her hips pressed against his, he stared up at her straddling him, and framed against the clear sky behind her all he could see was her brilliant blue eyes. He gazed into them, squished his muzzle against hers, wrapped his other hoof around her withers and pulled her up and nearly off. Her breath was like fire in his nostrils and he couldn't hold back any longer - he thrust deep into her with a loud smack that nearly drowned out her high, startled 'moo' and let out a long, blissful groan deep in his throat.

It took Granite a few false starts before she was able to move smoothly with the rhythm. A few times they very nearly parted and the mare squeaked in alarm and slammed back down urgently. It was pure luck Lodestone wasn't hurt.

She'd given up on words and simply alternated between gasping, squeaking and mooing as they went. Every now and again those were muffled when she remembered to share a kiss with the stallion.

Very soon the moos became more urgent and Granite drove herself down with more force, as if wanting as much of Lodestone insider her as she could get. It didn't seem she would last very long like that, but the pony showed no signs of wanting to stop.

Lodestone was hardly even aware of his own movements. Everything he knew was her warmth, her moans, her muzzle, her eyes. Their bodies slammed together with such intensity and passion that it was mere moments before he felt a shudder overwhelm him.

"Ohh... Granite..." he moaned involuntarily and his wings sprang out and wrapped around her. He was pressing her so close he thought he could feel her heart in his own chest. His torso convulsed and he slammed into her, locking them together as a powerful orgasm racked his body.

Seconds or hours later, he relaxed into a throbbing, twitching heap beneath her, wings still wrapped tenderly around her barrel and forehooves resting on her shoulders. He smiled weakly and stared up at her in awe, and all he could whisper was, "You're so beautiful..."

"Mmh..." Granite managed, a drop of saliva escaping her muzzle before she could lick it up. "Wow..." She smiled, gave the stallion a kiss, then repeated: "Just... wow." She shuddered as a last remnant of a powerful orgasm shook her and the motion made her aware. "Um," the mare said, blushing and averting her eyes, "I may have... leaked." Having his thoughts drawn to it, Lodestone would feel his midriff and legs soaked in warm, but rapidly cooling fluid.

"It feels so much better this way!" Granite suddenly burst out and started peppering the stallion's muzzle with small kisses. After a short while she began giggling, but didn't stop the kisses for quite some time. It seemed, for now, Granite was content to just lie there on Lodestone, still... connected.

He just lay there under her relentless pecks for some time but eventually he wrapped a hoof around her mane and pressed her solidly into a long, slow kiss. His muzzle tingled as she moaned again and she wiggled eagerly against him, pulling away only to squish his rapidly softening member between them. He broke the kiss with a short laugh and pulled away slightly.

"Easy, mare, we gotta wait on the recharge now!"

He chuckled and touched his nose to hers, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I might be able to go again in a few minutes though, if you really want."

A slow grin spread across Granite's muzzle. "Yes! Again." She froze thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugged a little. "Why didn't I try this before?! I'm glad I didn't wait any longer..."

The mare gave a self-deprecating chuckle as she brought a hoof up to stroke Lodestone's muzzle. "I would have just kept working myself up for no reason. I'm glad that's over." She wanted to say another thing, but it made her blush a little, even now. "I love you," she finally managed. "I mean- if it isn't obvious."

"Maybe it is obvious, but it's still nice to hear." He gave her a wide smile and leaned closer, "And of course I love you too."

They simply held each other for a time, content to relax in each other's hooves, but too soon Lodestone had to break their embrace and shifted uncomfortably.

"Well... I know I said I could go again, but I'm starting to feel kind of crusty now. Don't feel bad," he added quickly, seeing her nervous frown, "It's totally normal for mares, I promise. I'd just rather get back to the hotel and wash up."

He hesitated for a moment, then grinned and added, "How about round two under the stars later tonight?"

Granite got an idea and it was a bad one, judging from her suddenly mischievous smile and deep blush. "How about round two in the shower?" she proposed, a bit timidly, but managing to keep Lodestone's gaze. "I need to wash up, too. Your- um, stuff is dribbling out. Does that always happen?" The pony obviously wasn't too experienced with stallions, although she looked eager to learn now. "Oh..."

Her ears went flat and Granite gave the pegasus a rueful smile. "I'm gonna mess up your back, too..." A quick glance down and he realized they were even messier than he'd realized.

"Okay, there's no chance in hay we're making it to the hotel without half of everypony in town realizing what we did. Let's just swing by a lake on the way into town."

There was no real alternative so she nodded and, after one more long kiss, they twisted around until she was on his back again. He glided off the cloud and immediately spotted a lake just off the path about a minute's trot from Sweet Apple Acres. He looked back at Granite and patted her hoof around his neck.

"Alright, now for some real fun flying. Keep your head low and pressed alongside mine, squint your eyes against the wind, and wrap your tail around my hindleg so it doesn't whip around and hurt your cute little dock."

While she situated herself, he stretched his primaries and prepared to dive. Granite obeyed immediately, but she did give Lodestone's ear a quick nibble. "Hee hee, sorry."

She seemed a lot more relaxed, even about fancy flying. Just as he ordered, though, the mare managed to get her tail around the pegasus' hind leg. "I think I'm ready," she whispered, then gave Lodestone another light peck as best as she could reach.

He knew she wasn't really, nopony was ever ready for their first dive. Still, he shifted his wings, twisted in the air and his belly lurched as they pitched straight down and began to freefall. In under a minute they were approaching the trees at an incredible rate and he grinned with exhilaration as the wind howled around him. His wings twitched delicately to slowly pull them out of the dive and they angled up at a painfully slow rate, but any faster and he could flip into a wild tumble or even tear the wings from his back - every pegasus knew the dangers of dive shear.

Lodestone had pulled up a little early so they wouldn't get too close to the trees and they were still a fair way up when he finally leveled out into a gentle downward spiral to bleed away the speed. Finally he skimmed the surface of the lake with his hooves and flared his wings, gently dropping them into the shallow water near the bank with hardly a splash. He turned to check on Granite with a playful wink. "So. Were you ready?"

All the stallion got in reply was a terrified moo and four legs trying to squeeze him into three pieces. It took some time after they'd slowed down for Granite to be able to talk again: "You're crazy! Totally bonkers! Fly boy trying to get me killed..." Grumbling meant she was feeling better, but just then the mare fell silent as she tought of something. Her voice, when it returned, was lower and barely holding back laughter.

"Well, at least you gave me a good romping before I die," she said and giggled. "Warn me next time, okay? I almost wet myself!"

Lodestone chuckled and lowered himself into the water, getting the mare on his back wet again. "Warnings don't work for dives. Next time I can say 'prepare to dive' and you'll know what to expect, but nothing I could say would have prepared you for it - you just have to experience it for yourself."

Granite seemed content to stay on his back in the lake, or in such a state of shock she was unable to climb off. Either way, Lodestone pushed off deeper into the lake, his head just barely above the surface due to her extra weight, and paddled gently with his wings, letting the simple flow of water rinse the gunk from their coats.

The mare really was content to relax there for a while. She did, however, keep giving the stallion little kisses and nuzzles. "I actually love this. Swimming, but effortless..."

She wiggled a little and ran her hooves down her belly to clean it up some, but for the most part she didn't seem inclined to leave her perch. "So... that's sex?" she finally asked.

He gave her an inquisitive look over his shoulder, then nodded. "Yep, that's sex. At least, that was intense, urgent sex from ignoring your burning desire for me for too long."

She blushed and he chuckled before continuing, "It doesn't have to be so fast and crazy... sometimes it's slow and tender, like a cuddle but infinitely more intimate... though it's pretty much always that messy."

He felt reasonably clean now and headed for the shore. It was possible to take flight directly from the water, but it was very difficult.

"Mmmm, I think I wanna try it that way," Granite said dreamily. "Actually, I wanna try it every way."

That made her giggle and the mare was glad Lodestone wasn't looking back to see her blushing. On their way back she even helped paddle some and when they were finally on the bank she climbed off the stallion.

"Aww," she complained softly, "now I'm gonna miss touching you." She stepped back and pressed herself against Lodestone to alleviate the pain of that.

"Who says you have to miss it?"

He leaned into her and pressed their barrels together, then a thought occurred to him and he stepped back again and smirked, casually laying a foreleg across her withers.

"Besides, the pegasus carried you through the air, shouldn't the earth pony carry me across land?"

The mare giggled at the preposterous idea, but she acquiesced. "Sure!" she said and happily accepted the weight. Lodestone shouldn't too much trouble keeping his balance with the mare helping.

"Which way?" she asked, but headed off towards the town.

She lifted up her head for a quick nuzzle every now and then, but otherwise stayed quite focused on her task.

"Feels nice, actually," she commented, "big, strong stallion on my back. Doesn't it?"

He spread his wings out to either side as if he were gliding, stretching his neck forward so his head was under her muzzle. She giggled and snorted in his face and he pulled back, laughing merrily.

"So it feels nice, huh?" He wiggled against the base of her tail, "Wait 'till we're back at the hotel and I'll ride you for real."

Without waiting for a response, he slid from her back and trotted alongside her. It was a nice gesture but they were nearing the path now and Ponyville was still a fair distance. They definitely would have attracted some funny looks.

"Aww, you were so warm!" Granite said in mock-disappointment. She didn't act glum for long - the promise of 'more' back at the hotel had her unconsciously lifting her tail up again. "Since you mention that," she asked, voice all businesslike and innocent, "would you like to grab some lunch before that? You know you gotta romance a mare first, right?"

It wasn't a real proposition, she just wanted to know what Lodestone would say. Granite kept looking ahead as she trotted at a leisurely pace, but every now and then she glanced at the stallion from the corner of her eye.

"Oh sure. I don't think the company will mind buying you lunch." He chuckled and they trotted down the path, talking about nothing and frequently stopping to kiss or nuzzle, hardly even aware of the world around them. It would take a long time to get to Ponyville but to them, engrossed in each other's company, it would seem no time at all.