I wake up in the arms of two mares, and the liquid grasp of a third. Snuggling closer to them, not wanting to wake up, I clench my eyes tightly shut. However, I knew it couldn’t last forever; there was work to be done. So I open my eyes to look around.

The warm embrace of Breeze and Rose tickles my nostrils as some of Breeze’s fluffy mane drifts across my nose. Goo is draped across all three of us, warm and soft.

I look over at Breeze and give her a light kiss on her nose. She scrunches her face up adorably, her brilliant blue eyes fluttering open at me. She smiles and gives me a kiss on the nose, too. Afterwards, she gives me a true hug, yawns, and carefully begins waking up.

The movement disturbs Goo and Rose Quartz, causing them to start wake up, as well.

“I see everypony is awake. Good, we need to keep moving. I really want to see this Goddess for myself and learn more... if she talks to us of course.”

Rose nods, and Breeze just smiles at you. Goo, as usual, is already chipper. Rose yawns and stretches, reaching into her bag for that ominous brown bottle again.

“Well, drink up everypony, let’s make sure we’re all fueled up for the day!”

Everyone groans, except for Goo, who accepts it eagerly. After everyone has their drink (and Goo tries for a second one) we begin to pack up the tent, the cool morning air brisk and refreshing. The fields of grass are coated in dewdrops, a shining, shimmering sea of rainbows.

From behind me, Breeze speaks up.

“It’s beautiful down here. I- I’d never have known how beautiful it was without you, Zach. Thank you.”

I feel a blush rise in my cheeks and I nod to her.

“When I first came down to the ground, I was a little afraid as well. Being in a whole new world is terrifying! But, you’ve been with me the whole way, my beautiful Breeze. I love you.”

I lean to her as I feel her press against me, and we just sit for a few minutes, looking out over the dew-covered fields in silence. I feel her tail wrap around mine as she nuzzles me, and we watch the sun rise over the mountains in the distance.

On some kind of instinct, I find my wing wrapping around her back, pulling her close. We sit together for several minutes, until Rose finally gets our attention.

“Hey... uhm, if we’re going to reach Rubeum’s domain, we need to get moving. Otherwise, we won’t get there by nightfall, and that supposedly when the bat-monsters come out to hunt in that area.”

My wing lifts off of Breeze’s shoulders as I turn to look at Rose.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. We should keep moving forward. Problem is, I forgot where Rubeum’s hive is.”

“Just along the path, remember? C’mon, then, we should get moving.”

Sighing and following, the group and I start along the path again. Around noon, we stopped, and drank lunch. Getting up and continuing along, we walk for many hours. After so much practice, I’ve gotten the hang of trotting along, without tripping or stumbling.

Along the way, we come across another group. It’s an Earth Pony stallion and two mares, one an Earth pony and the other a unicorn.

The earth pony mare is the first to greet us, stepping forwards from the small group.

“Hello, it’s rare to see a pegasus on the ground, even a scout.”

Breeze takes the initiative, oddly, stepping forward to look at the earth pony mare.

“H-hello, we’re just travelling to Lady Rubeum’s realm.”

“Oh, alright. Well, have a nice day, dears.”

Breeze nods firmly, and the trio continues on. It was an odd exchange, but it proved that there was other ponies in this world, rather than just in the towns.

“They just allow us to enter into there just like that? I thought they would protect this Lady Rubeum with everything they got!”

“Honey, I think they were just travellers.”

Rose is looking at me a bit weird.

“Well, I thought after what Breeze told me, they would all be defending the six divine beings.”

“That would be the army of each domain, master Zach, not the random ponies just travelling around.”

Breeze sounds a bit admonishing, and I feel my ears go flat in embarrassment.

“Sorry...”

Breeze and Rose nuzzle my neck to make me feel better, and it lifts my spirits considerably. We continue walking along the road, the four of us merrily following the path towards Rubeum’s lands.

I start to think of what we should expect when we reach Rubeum’s domain. The vision I got from the pond gave no hints. Would it be more giant spiders? I feel myself shiver upon remembering that moment. The size, Breeze ready to give her life, I didn’t want to go through that again. But what was to be expected? Zombie ponies! No, no, that’s impossible... right?

As I think, a song begins invading my mind, and I find myself humming out loud. A few moments later, Breeze picks up the tune as well. Barely a second after that, Rose is providing three-part harmony for the song, as all three of us burst into spontaneous song.

Just an old fashioned love song

Playing in the concert ha~all...

And wrapped around the music, is the

sound of someone promising

“they'll never go~oo”.

You'll swear you've heard it before,

as it slowly rambles on and on.

No need in bringing 'em back,

cause they're never really gone

Just an old fashioned lo~ove song,

coming down in three part harmony.

That's just an old fashioned lo~ove song,

one I'm sure they wrote for you and me,

to weave our dreams upon.

And listen to each evening,

when the lights are lo~ow...

To underscore our love affair,

with tenderness and feeling,

that we've come to kno~ow.

You'll swear you've heard it before,

as it slowly rambles on and on.

No need in bringing 'em back,

they've never really gone!

Just an old fashioned lo~ove song,

coming down in three part harmony.

That's just an old fashioned lo~ove song,

one I'm sure they wrote for you and me!

Just an old fashioned lo~ove song,

coming down in three part harmony.

That's just an old fashioned lo~ove song,

one I'm sure they wrote for you and me...

My eyes shut as I enjoy the harmonious sounds filling my ears. My mind shuts out the rest of the world, simply reveling in the moment. Somehow, the music helped guide all three of us along the path, the music carrying and bolstering us and our spirits.

As the song slowly faded away, I realize that I had actually heard the music, not simply imagined it. And the day, in spite of the sun being further down in the sky, was a little brighter, somehow.

“H-how did you girls know that? I was just humming random stuff and, it turned into a song.”

I look at each mare, confusion along with a little bit of shock is etched on my face. Rose looks at me, looking slightly puzzled, but still smiling. It’s Breeze, interestingly, who responds.

“All ponies have songs in their hearts, and it’s that music which binds us together, and promotes the harmony within us.”

Breeze’s voice is confident as she says this, all of us still walking along (except for Goo, who has transformed into a saddlebag-like blob on my back)

“But... I just made it up and you two just seemed to know it off the top of your heads.”

“It wouldn’t be very harmonious if we couldn’t all share the music together.”

That makes no sense at all. However, I’m not going to press the issue.

“I see... well, it certainly is interesting like the rest of this world. How far are we from Rubeum’s?”

“Actually, we’re here.”

Rose Quartz points up at a cave part way up the mountainside. The entrance has a pair of glowing lights embedded in the walls, making it easy to see.

“Okay, well, who’s first to enter into the freaky cave that has a bunch of glowing lights and is owned by a god that hates the Flutterkin?”

I look at each mare and smile, hoping one of them goes first. They each look at me, however, obviously expecting me to go first. Sometimes, it sucks being the guy in charge...

With a gulp, I step up to the cave, clambering over rocks and up the steep incline, only noticing the path up that the mares are taking when I reach the top. Sighing, I look into the cave itself, and steel my resolve.

“Hello?”

I hear my voice reverberate off the walls when I finish saying my formal introduction to the occupant. I also poke my head in closer, along with pushing my legs forward to head into the cave.

The cave is well-light at first, pale green orbs lighting the way deeper into the tunnel. A soft breeze pours out from the cave mouth, carrying the scents of stone dust and water.

I nearly jump out of my skin when a hoof is placed on my shoulder, and I only even begin to calm down when I see it’s Breeze, Rose and Goo behind her.

I feel a little bit of comfort knowing I’m not alone, but it doesn’t help my nerves in the slightest. I turn my head to view the brightly lit cave. Each step I take sounds like a freaking jet engine within the cramped walls. There was no doubt that Miss Rubeum knew we were here, so why wasn’t she or her apparent ‘army’ coming out already?

Cautiously stepping further in, I walk down the gradual slope, the twisting, turning tunnel lit along only one path, but dozens of off-shoot dot the walls every once in awhile. Fearing for the safety of both myself and my girls along the way, I walk with almost exaggerated care, peering cautiously around every hairpin turn and sudden curve, watching every dark side-tunnel with suspicion.

At last, though, we find ourselves at what seems like the exit to the tunnel. It’s dark outside, and I can’t hear any insects or night animals moving, but that might simply be because of the location. Looking up, I can see incredible constellations, thousands of tiny, flickering points of light in the sky, clustered together.

In the gloom, I can see a ways ahead of me, a tall, pointed spire rising from the ground in the distance. Oddly, I find myself whistling in the near-dark, wishing I had a flashlight or something.

I note that my breathing turns a little harder with each step I take. The combination of darkness, creepy surroundings, and the fact I was whistling for no reason set up a perfect combo to produce fear within me. I look to my mares to see their reactions, hoping they were faring better than me.

[Area Theme]

From what little I could see of them in the gloom, They both looks a bit scared, though it was hard to tell with Goo, who was still stuck to my back.

I rotate my head around to look at the spire again. My thoughts were mixed with where we ended up, along with the obelisk in the distance. There is it, just standing there. What was it for?

“U-uhm, R-r-rose? Do y-you have anything for lights? I-I’m afraid of the dark!”

Breeze sounds almost paralytic in her fear. I walk myself closer to Breeze to comfort her, even though I’m feeling the same fear.

“Breeze, nothing has happened, but do you have light Rose? I want to see what’s up with that spire along with be able to view the rest of the room.”

Rose murmurs something, then holds up a faintly glowing, dark purple bottle.

“I have a few of these, but they only last about eight minutes. They’re night-vision potions.”

Seriously? Night-vision potions? What’s next, X-ray vision potions? Potions that make you grow wings? Oh wait, I already have some...

Rose passes one of the potion bottles to me, and I drink it. It tastes bitter, then it turns sweet, then it becomes tangy. Suddenly, all the world is bright, but it’s not hurting my eyes. Looking around, everything is fairly uniformly lit, but it’s a dismal view. Rocks and broken bits of stone litter the ground, and wavy ridges of stone, like something liquefied it and turned it solid again later, cover the land. Chancing a look up, I realize those aren’t constellations up above... those are tiny lights on stalactites.

“Okay, artificial lighting on the roof of stalactites that is inside a cave. Just great...”

My vision turns towards the spire, seeing it for what it is: a massive tower of stone, rising to a point. Far, far above it is another spire, inverted, with its point facing down. As I watch, tiny green lights dot into view on the massive stalagmite.

“And now lights on the spire! What’s next!?”

“You must flee.”

The voice is soft, like an autumn breeze down an empty street. The lights on the spire begin to lift from it, streams of pale green light slowly rising into the air and beginning to move in my general direction.

I stop in my place, locking up completely as a shiver runs through my spine.

“Please, flee! Anywhere but here!”

The voice is quiet, but insistent. I hear a squeak from behind, and it sounds like Breeze.

“Z-z-zach! Th-there’s a g-g-g-g-ghost behind you!”

Now I normally don’t believe in ghosts, but I never believed in magical talking ponies either until I came here, so, knowing how honest Breeze is, there was a ghost right behind me. I take a deep breath and slowly turn my head behind me.

Floating in mid-air is a pale green mare, glowing softly as she bobs in the air. I can mostly see through her, as basically all of her, except her bones, is translucent. A slowly waving mane, composed of vapour or ethereal magic, floats out from her head, a calm, soothing pale blue, like Breeze’s eyes.

“Please, follow me, I will lead you away from them.”

Wait for green lights to get me or run with a ghost pony? Yeah, I think I’ll run.

“Go!”

The glowing mare nods, and I wait to make sure that Breeze, Rose, and Goo are safely on their way (or on my back, in Goo’s case) before dashing after the ghostly pony. The lights from the spire are getting closer, and I can see that they are actually dozens, or maybe hundreds of ghost ponies, each one with a different mane, but the same green bodies and visible bones.

Unlike the mare I follow, however, these all bear angry expressions, their jaws distended into fanged maws. Her face was normal, even beautiful.

Did I just call a ghost beautiful? Who cares!? Keep running on Zach! That’s what my hooves do, always trying to keep pace with the transparent pony.

As we run, my vision begins flickering. The potion must be wearing off!

We run through what appears to be a boneyard, acres of discarded bones laying on the ground. Suddenly, the ghostly pony stops in front of a smaller stalagmite, only the size of a large house, and gestures to me and the girls.

Hoping we can trust her, I follow, and see a concealed door that the ghostly mare opens. I, being the last one in line, barely get in before she closes it, and my vision returns fully to normal. What I had expected to be a cramped cave, is instead a cozy little home, decorated with furniture and even a carved fireplace (though there doesn’t seem to be a chimney) and other such things.

The ghostly mare is hovering in the center of the room, her glowing aura illuminating things quite nicely.

“W-what are you? And why is there a fireplace in here?”

“I am a Spectral Pony, and I made the fireplace because I wanted this to look like a real house. I- I’ve never been in a real house though.’

“A s-specter? Like a ghost?! She’s going to eeeaat uusss!”

Breeze is crying and curled up in a corner, sobbing her eyes out as she rocks on her side in the fetal position.

“Uhm... I- I’m not going to eat you... and I’m not a ghost. I- I’m sorry if I’m scaring you, but I didn’t want the others to hurt you. They’re really territorial, but I- I warded the walls here, w- with special minerals, that Spectral Ponies can’t phase through, so we’re safe here. You’re safe here, I mean.”

I find myself trotting over to Breeze and sitting next to her. My thoughts were centered around comforting Breeze, but part of me wanted to know more about these Spectral Ponies. They look like ghosts, but they talked! And interacted with us! As I sat down to ask questions, I was able to figure out how to wrap my wing around Breeze. Rose, though seems to be taking this all in stride.

“What’s your name?”

My first question is answered immediately.

“Restful Slumber, though the colony just knows me as 17 of 50.”

That name doesn’t sound inviting at all. Next question!

“How are you, um, there?”

I gesture to her position, floating in mid-air.

“Oh, I’m just levitating. All Spectral Ponies can. I read once, from a book that fell from the roof, that pegasi can, too. You’re a pegasus, right?”

“Yes, I am a pegasus. What I meant by that was, how do you exist? And what is your history?”

“Well, when a Spectral mare is in heat, she puts out pheromones that makes the nearest male find her, and then they have sex, until she conceives. Then, a few months later, a Spectral foal is born.

“As for history, I don’t really know, Spectral ponies don’t really keep history. I had to teach myself how to read, once I realized what writing is.”

Slumber shrugs, obviously not understanding the first part of the question. Rose is looking at you with a bemused look, as if to say, ‘What were you expecting to happen?’

“What do you like to do Restful Slumber?”

“W-well, I like talking, since I can’t very often, and I like reading, but I only have a few books. I... I also like dreaming. I read about it. It’s where you rest, and you think about things. I like to think about the sky. It- it must be so beautiful.”

Her quiet voice is full of longing, and lone, ethereal tear rolling down her cheek.

A tear. No tears shall be shed on this day. I get to my fee-hooves, walk over to her, then place my hooves around her neck to hug her.

“Hey, you will be able to see the sky. I promise. Do you wish to come along with me on a journey?”

Breeze sniffles along with Slumber, and I feel her hooves join mine in hugging the spectral pony, Rose’s and Goo following suit.

“Th-that would be lovely! Oh, thank you!”

The glowing hooves of the spectral mare embrace me and the girls, and another pony enters my herd.

“We should all get some rest. Are you sure we are safe within these walls Slumber?”

“O-oh course! Uhm, there’s only one bed with a real mattress, though. I- uhm, had to carve the others. Those aren’t too uncomfortable, but I don’t know how well more... corporeal beings care about stone beds.”

“I don’t care much for comfort, I’ve grown use to sleeping on the grass. I’ll sleep on the stone bed. Breeze? Rose? Goo? Could you three please sleep on the regular bed while I take care of Slumber for the night?”

This is getting to be regular, but I wasn’t complaining. I am actually blushing already. Breeze smiles and nods, giving me a deep kiss on the way to the bedroom that Slumber points out. Rose kisses me on the cheek, and Goo just gives me a hug.

“Uhm, the... the couch is probably softer than the stone bed... I-if that’s alright with you, that is.”

There was a couch?

“Uh, yeah sure, that sounds a lot nicer than a stone cold bed!”

A calm smile alights on her face, and she hugs me, the force of her tackle-hug pushing me backwards onto something soft and comfortable: a worn-in couch, covered in most of a quilt. The feather-light feeling of her near-invisible coat pressing against mine alights a fire within, as Slumber nuzzles my chin.

“So soft you are.”

It is surprising considering she was made out of... something! I place a kiss onto her forehead and steadily work my kisses down to her muzzle. She moans softly as she brings her face up to mine, and I feel a hunger to her that the other girls didn’t have.

“I- I’ve only been taken once, during my first heat. I... I don’t know much, I’ve always hidden here when the heat takes me... Please... Will you teach me?”

“S-sure... I-I think I can.”

I feel my wings unfold, and envelop her, their feathery embrace a good trick that I’d have to figure out how to do on command at some point.

She moans softly again, her voice barely audible. Her ethereal mane wafts past my face, cool and soothing like an ocean breeze, as she presses her lips to mine, and her tongue flicks into my mouth.

My tongue pushes up to fight against her own, and hers wraps around mine. I feel her hooves grasp me, pulling me hard against her as my member snakes out of its sheath, brushing up against her soft belly.

A short gasp escapes from my lips at the sudden pull she makes, but it’s followed by my lips pressing against hers again in a deeper kiss than before. As she holds me against her body, I feel myself beginning to lift from the couch, and I open my eyes to see that she’s pulled me into the air, and is now under me.

Even the bones visible through her body sparkle softly in the glow from her transparent flesh, glimmering like jewels as I run kisses down her neck. She gasps and arches her back, and my hooves scramble to find a purchase on her. As she curls back towards me, my throbbing tip finds her entrance. Pressing against the tight walls of her cleft, I slide slowly into her, and she gasps in pleasure.

Looking down, I realize with a start that I can see myself in her, my hard shaft embedded in her flesh as I begin to thrust, slowly at first, but building to a greater tempo.

Not wanting to view myself work on her, I gaze my eyes back into her own, finally being able to differentiate between the natural green glow of her body and the bright, sparkling yellow of her eyes.

My own groans of pleasure rise to a crescendo, as her match mine, but quieter. Her mouth clamps down on mine, before letting go and moaning as loud as she can, which isn’t very loud. I feel myself beginning to spasm, and my gaze returns to her belly as I begin to fill her, and I watch in fascination as my seed defines her walls as they clamp down on my shaft, her own climax bringing my second, and we shudder as we lay together, floating in mid air.

We begin moving again mere moments later, the second round going much as the first, and I watch again as I pour into her, the seed beginning to spill from her as the rest sits inside the cradle of her hip bones, her second climax of our second bout forcing even more to spill from her.

Finally, we collapse back onto the couch, weary, but happy. She snuggles close to me as my member slides from her, slowly retreating back into my sheath. I slowly fall asleep in the gentle glow of her body, laying across her on the couch.

Author's Note

Yet again, thanks to Hunterz263, starring as Zach!
Also, sorry for the upload being a day late, I totally forgot it until I was crashing for the night. Blegh, won't happen again, and my deepest apologies.

Once more, please tell me of any issues, I want to fix them ASAP.