> Archery > by Maple Sunset > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Attack > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You had fired a few arrows on that fateful night, with your friends packing up their equipment as they prepared to go home. Several of them give you a pat on the back, which inadvertently corrected your aim. They were already headed out the door just as you scored a bullseye. Normally a bullseye would occur, in your hands, after about a dozen arrows. You didn’t care, and resumed firing four of your remaining arrows. Sweat was beginning to leak out of the bottom of your arm guard after your last arrow. You set the bow down upon its stand gently, and walked over to the target. The target was just a huge circle that consisted of eleven rings; two white rings, two black rings, two blue rings, two red rings, and the final three yellow rings. You weren’t sure if getting an arrow through the outermost yellow ring counted as a bullseye, but you were happy enough with the results. Out of the eight arrows you fired, three arrows had hit the yellow rings, forming an isosceles triangle around the second and third yellow ring, and the other five scattered among the red rings. You grinned, and took off your finger tab. You took the arrows out by the neck slowly, careful not to bend the arrow. Having taken out all eight, you kept it in what you called an arrow holster, hooked onto the side of your pants by the waist. You turned, and walked the seventy-five metres back to the firing line. You put your finger tab on, noting the sweat that had accumulated for some reason when it was off. You picked your bow up and put the nock of the arrow in place. Pulling the string back, you took aim before pulling the anchor to your lips. You shut your left eye, and let go. You had been told that an arrow could go at least ninety metres an second, but you knew that the arrow would strike the target before you could even blink. The sound of an arrow striking the target informed you that the arrow’s flight has ended, and you slide another arrow in place. This process continued for the next seven arrows, and by the time you were done, your chest was aching. You hadn’t fired any arrows for a week, and the sudden exercise was acting on your body. You set your bow down again and left your finger tab hanging by the stand. You walked over to the target, wiping your sweat with the collar of your shirt as you went. Halfway there, the fluorescent lights hanging ten metres above you start flashing. Being afraid of the dark, you turned around, and ran a full sprint towards your archery bag, which you had left a torchlight should anything happen. The lights went out completely as you reached your torchlight and flicked it on. You didn’t really hate the dark, but you hated the fear you got whenever you feel there’s something unknown lurking. You found it humorous even though you were practically sweating a waterfall right there and then. Humans feared what they do not know, and yet they still try to discover, and push beyond the boundaries just to learn something new. You didn’t know that until now. You picked your bow up, and put a couple of spare carbon arrows in your arrow holster. You took one out, and put the nock in the nocking point. You stood still, and aimed the bow and arrow at the double door entrance into the room. You pulled the bowstring back, and carefully waited for whoever it might be who was playing this trick on you. You knew that no one could possibly be behind you, but you didn’t want to say it was impossible. The sound of the door creaking as it opened sent a chill of fear down your spine. You held the arrow, cursing at yourself for not putting the arrow tab back on. The bowstring hurt your fingers, but you held the arrow and the bowstring steady. The lights started flashing again, and the first thing you saw had you frozen for half a second. A bulky man, no doubt at least a couple of inches taller than you was standing in the door frame, a Glock 17 in his hand. He was wearing a black windbreaker about one size too big and black slacks, and was wearing a ski mask. You were no weapons enthusiast. You knew that your two arrows versus seventeen rounds of ammunition was useless, but you had an advantage at the time. You had already aimed your weapon, and he had to aim his and fire. You didn’t hesitate. You let the bowstring go and the sound of your bowstring lashing caught the attention of the intruder. You were already putting the nock of your last arrow in the nocking point by the time the arrow had pierced his throat. You were impressed. From your bench to the double door entrance was a distance of about 30 metres, but to be able to do such fatal damage was quite a surprise for you. You didn’t have time to congratulate yourself as a second intruder came barging in through the other door. The first man thudded against the floor as you pulled back the bowstring and let loose another arrow. You were sure it was going to miss. The flashing lights disorientated you, and made aiming close to impossible. You were aiming for the torso of the bulky guy, but the arrow had gone further up. This time you fired further down, toward the abdomen area, hoping for the arrow to go up again. It didn’t. It was going to strike the door. You quickly realized this, and ran straight for the intruder. The arrow struck the door, causing the second intruder to turn around and inspect the noise, before realizing there was another noise, your sneakers thudding against the wooden floorboards. He lifted his Glock, and let loose a flurry of bullets as you charged towards him. A sudden warmness filled the center of your stomach, and you knew you were hit. You didn’t stop nevertheless. He let loose a couple more rounds before you swung your bow in a wide arch. The bow struck his head with a sickening crunch and he dropped to the ground. You tried your best to avoid his last shot, but the twitching finger of the dying intruder seemed to be faster. His final round went through your ankle, and you dropped down, writhing in pain. You brought your bow up, and proceeded to smash the bow down on the dying man’s skull. You could feel blood running freely now, this time soaking the bottom part of your shirt and part of your slacks as you went through your pockets, trying to achieve your phone as the lights came back on. The lights had turned back off by the time you had gotten your phone. Your phone screen lit up like a candle in a dark room, and you dialled 911. You cursed when there was no network coverage and your vision started dimming. You crawled over to the bulky corpse and took his Glock 17. You kept it in the arrow holster and crawled out the door. You turned around for a short moment to get your bow, and you sling it over your shoulder like hunters did in movies. You paused a moment, listening for any more potential intruders. The only sound you hear is the final breath of the man you just killed. Your dimming vision gets worse as your crawled down the dark hallway. Your heart started pounding faster as a light started dancing around the corner of the hall, and you stopped moving. You eyed the light. Maybe the security guard had heard the bullet barrage earlier and was coming to investigate. The light disappeared and you heard a couple of inconsistent footsteps round the corner. The last thing you remember was a flash of bright light that would have stung had you not blacked out right then and there. > Recovery and practice > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You awoke to the sound of thunder. You open your eyes only to shut them immediately after doing so. The white lights stung your eyes. Even with your eyes closed, you could see the flash of lightning through your eyelids, and realized it was useless shutting your eyes. You let your eyes open slowly, letting your pupils adjust to the light. You opened them completely half a minute later, only to realize you’re in a hospital. You glance around your room, noting the downpour outside your hospital window. Your bow and arrow holster (quiver), leaning against the wall by the side of your bed, but you wonder where the gun could have gone to. You shrug it off. You didn’t need a gun anyway. There was a heart rate monitor hooked up, along with IV drips that channelled the saline solution into your bloodstream. The door opened, and you were greeted by the strangest thing you had ever seen. A white horse, no no, a white pony with a pink mane came in, a clipboard in its mouth. It was wearing one of those nurses cap that you saw the nurses in the local hospital wearing. She had what seems to be a tattoo on her thigh. You stared and mumbled out a few unintelligible words, as the nurse set the clipboard down on a side table meant for putting lamps. She glanced over to the heart rate monitor for a couple of seconds before checking the clipboard again. What happened next scared the living shit out of you. The white pony opened its mouth, and spoke. Had it not been for the blanket, the pony would have noticed you shivering in fear, though you knew she could tell by the sudden incline of beeps coming from the heart rate monitor. Nevertheless she spoke anyway. “Somepony found you lying in the streets a couple of nights back, and you were bleeding out. You’re very lucky that somepony found you out in that rain.” Somepony... You heard that line and immediately went Somepony that I used to know! in your mind. You would have laughed really loud had you not wondered what the white pony meant by somepony. That song was hot on the radio. The white nurse notices your confusion and arches an eyebrow herself, as if she were confused as well. “I’ve never seen a creature like you around here before. In fact, neither of the doctors here have seen a creature like you before!” It exclaimed. Feeling some of your mental abilities come back, you form a question in your mind that you pop a second later, “What do you mean creature? And what the hell are you?” The white pony stepped a few paces back, as if surprised that you could talk, before answering. “Uhm.. We normally refer to living things without names as creatures when we have absolutely no record of said creature’s existence.” She scrunched her face and answered your second question, “And I’m a pony.” The first thing that forms in your mind was a simple word, yet it summed up what you felt. “What.” You stare at the white pony again, and the pony stares back. The staring continues for a few seconds before you blink. “Anyway,” The pony starts again. “The one who found you a couple of nights back, apparently, came back from archery practice, which, judging by your equipment, was what you were doing before you got to where you were. Mind me asking what happened?” You think through what happened, mentally sifting your flour of thoughts, hoping to retell everything chronologically so as not to confuse the pony. But first you ask the pony a question, “Are you a boy or a girl? I don’t feel comfortable calling things ‘it’.” It nods and says, “I’m a mare.” You nod, and begin with your story. What was supposed to be a night of practice ended with you defending yourself against two armed men. Her face went from awe to disgusted when you told her about the dirty deed but then went to surprise when you said a bright light was the last thing you saw before waking up here in hospital. “Well that would explain the blood on your bow then.” You suddenly remember that you had used your bow as a melee weapon back at the firing range and glance over at your bow. It had a few penny-sized dried blood stains, much to your surprise, considering how you had practically bashed the poor man into oblivion. “We took the liberty of wiping down your bow so as not to spread any diseases that could be in the blood. If we didn’t clean the blood off, somepony would have to burn your bow, you know, biological hazards and such.” You nod. “You said something about the uh....pony...? The one that found me a couple of nights back? You said it just came back from archery practice?” “She came back from archery practice.” The mare corrected you. “Indeed she did. She’s the only archer in the whole of Ponyville, which would probably be fitting with her name, Archer.” So this place is called Ponyville, huh. And there’s a mare that goes by the name of Archer. You weren’t sure if you were still unconscious or just hallucinating and are still lying down back at the firing range, or both. “Archer, huh....” You mutter. “What’s your name then?” “Nurse Redheart.” She smiled. You smile back. These ponies all have weird names. It must be equally weird if I told her your name as well. As if she read your mind, she asked you what your name was. You tell her, and she nodded. “Well, anyway, you’re doing rather well and should be out somewhere within the next three days.” A dull pain in your ankle and your stomach quickly reminded you how close you were to not being here right now. “Whatever it was that struck you, we managed to extract it, but we’ve never seen anything like it before either. The researchers down in the bio lab are currently checking into whatever it might be.” You shrug. “Wait, did you take my gun?” When Nurse Redheart looked confused, you mimicked the shape of a gun with your fingers. She nodded. “We had to take it to prevent any other unfortunate incidents should anypony get their hooves on it. So it’s with us for the time being.” You sigh, even though you were expecting this. “Anyway, I’ll be at the infirmary should you need me.” She gestured a hoof at a controller with two buttons dangling by the side of your bed. One was labelled help, and the other was labelled with a question mark. “Press the question mark if you have any inquires, and if you need any help, press the help button.” Nurse Redheart took her clipboard, and was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something. She set her clipboard down once more, and turned to face you. “By the way, Archer will be visiting you later. It would make sense that she would since she found you out there and all, and she’s concerned of your well being. Either that or she’s just happy to find another archer just like her.” She giggled, picked the clipboard up, and left, waving a hoof as she closing the door. You wave back, and rested your head on your pillow, wondering how this was all logically possible. You dozed off, but woke up when there was a knock on the door. You were going to say ‘come in’, but the phlegm in your throat was making it sound cracked up for some reason. You clear your throat, and say, “Come in.” The door opened, and a mare walked in, albeit a bit smaller than Nurse Redheart. The mare had a coat of blue, and a mane of blue that was darker than her coat and grayish purple eyes. She had her own quiver on her back as she nodded to me. You estimate her age to be a couple or so years under Nurse Redheart’s age considering how the two almost had the same body size. The mare grinned and said, “Hi there. I’m Archer.” You smile and tell her your name. “I just want to thank you for getting me here safely. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.” She merely blushed and shrugged it off. “Oh it was nothing. Miss Cherilee always said that we should help those in need, even though I’ve already graduated from her class for a couple of years.” You think she looks cute when she blushes. It was really obvious on that blue face of hers. She pulled up a stool and set it down near the foot of your bed. She sat on it, and you could already feel the flood of questions awaiting you. You hope that she wouldn’t ask about you did before you came here, but you know that question will be inevitable. She looked around for awhile, most likely wondering what sort of questions she should be asking you. You didn’t mind, so you let her continue. After what seemed like to be a few minutes, she finally spoke. “So what were you doing before you got out there in the rain?” Surprise gripped you, and evidently showed on your face as she analyzed your shocked state. You tensed up a bit, took a deep breath, and relaxed. You knew that there was probably nothing wrong with Archer knowing what really happened. After all, she seems to be old enough to know about murders and things, right? You start telling her about what happened during practice. You left out the part where you smashed your bow into the intruder on purpose as not to indicate you were too violent, but you didn’t cover it that well. “After you were shot in the ankle, what did you do? I mean it’s not like you wouldn’t have done anything else to the man anyway.” You keep your mouth shut, slowly thinking through what she had just said. She expected you to have done something after you were down on the ground, but you still weren’t sure if you should tell her. “You don’t have to say anything if you did something really bad. I’m not forcing or anything.” You stared at her, dumbstruck. It was as if she was reading your mind. Her eyes seemed to penetrate your brain, going through every single thought happening in your head. You shrug, and winced a bit at a sudden sting in the bullet wound your abdomen suffered. You cough a bit, and reach over to a small table to your side, grabbing a glass of water and drank it, leaving roughly half the amount of water there was earlier. You set it back down on the table and turn to face Archer, who was staring at the glass of water. You looked at her before you opened your mouth. “May I ask you a question, Archer?” Archer’s line of sight went from the glass to your face. “Hmm..?” “Are you an optimist or a pessimist?” You said, a finger pointing at the glass of water that was, in your perspective, half-full. She blinked, and said nothing for a short period. After what seemed like a few minutes, she spoke. “I’d say that the glass has water inside it. I wouldn’t say it is half-full, nor will I say it is half-empty. The glass of water, either half-full or half-empty, would still be enough to quench one’s thirst.” What. You weren’t sure what she was, but the word that seemed to flash in your mind at the moment was ‘realist’. You aren’t sure what it means, but you think it’s something related being realistic or something. “But I don’t really know the word for something like that, so I’ll just go with optimist.” The mare grinned wide. You couldn’t help but just smile. The mare’s grin was just so adorable, that had you not been in such a terrible condition to move, you’d hug her tightly. You refrained yourself however, not wanting to injure your already screwed-up ankle. “Why do you ask?” You stretched your neck a little and cracked it, feeling the stiffness melt away. You sighed, and put on a smile. “Because I want to see how you would see an archery match between the two of us.” She leaves the room half an hour later, waving a goodbye before shutting the door behind her. You lay back down, wondering what happens next. Archer had denied your request, and said she’d consider it when you were well again, much to your disappointment. She had instead invited you to a competition that would she would participate in by the end of the month. Glancing over to the calendar on the side of your table, you note that the competition will be next week. You sighed. You pulled the blanket up to your neck and laid on your right side. When you pulled it up, your toes peeked out because the blanket wasn’t long enough to accommodate your size. The storm outside had ceased, leaving behind some mist and really cool air. You drifted off to sleep, content with nature’s air conditioning. While you slept, you went about in your dreams with a tingling feeling in your injured ankle. You could feel the tingling coming from inside your injured ankle, but you knew that this has happened before and it would actually be useless for you to try and scratch the feeling away. You were wearing a robe, something like a bathrobe, only a bit more baggier. You were walking barefoot on soft ground, a mixture of gravel and sand. The feeling of the tiny, discrete particles between your toes made you feel happy somehow. High above your head, you could see clouds, being molded into whatever shape you want them to be. The sun was up and you could feel its rays warming you up, most notably around the bullet wound in your abdomen. This time, there was no pain from the wound, but rather a tingle like the one in your foot now. You take a deep breath, and continue walking, head still looking up at the clouds. This continues for a few moments before you felt warm water against the soles of your feet, albeit the feeling doesn’t overcome the tingle in your ankle. The warm water washed over your feet, giving you chills unlike anything else you’ve gotten chills from so far. The sound of a bowstring releasing made you turn around. Archer was there, with her bow and arrows, and was peppering the sandy soil with arrows. You try your best to make some sense out of that, but you just sat down on the ground, and looked back at the sky. The clouds didn’t seem to be moving. What was weird was that the sun was high above your head a moment ago, but now it seemed to be sinking into the horizon. The tingle in your abdomen and ankle intensify with every single degree the sun descends. An arrow landed right next to you, just shy of the water. You were going to pick it up when a flash of light filled your eyes. The sun’s rays were still visible, but the sun had already sunk. The flash of light returned again, and you shielded your eyes. You couldn’t tell what was happening, but you sure as hell know that it stung your eyes terribly. You awoke, the tingly feeling gone, and your face bathed in sweat. The lights in your room had been dimmed, and the curtains had been pulled. You tried moving, and much to your surprise, you could actually move your injured ankle without feeling much pain. You took your blanket off and stared at your injured ankle and your jaw dropped. It was like nothing happened at all to your ankle. It was close to the condition it was before your archery practice three nights back. You got off the bed, bringing along the IV post as you went, and moved a bit of the curtain. It was night time. Outside, several ponies were still going about, but you could many buildings with their lights on, I shouldn’t even be surprised. It was the same story back at home anyway. Nurse Redheart entered your room the next morning. You had slept the night away, but somehow still feel tired. You reach over to the glass on the side table and finish up the water inside. “You’ll be glad to know that several of our unicorn doctors paid you a visit last night.” A look of surprise crossed your face. Since when did they visit me? “Around that time, you were already asleep of course, but that only made the procedure all the more easier. Your ankle and abdominal injury should be about ninety percent fixed by now, with the other ten percent coming from just a little bit more of rest.” “Would that explain the tingle in my ankle and stomach last night? You asked. Nurse Redheart pulled a face. “Oh my, you actually felt it?” You nod. “Well the tingle should be part of the doctors’ healing process last night. If you feel better, you’re free to discharge. Once you do so, I’ll contact Archer to come pick you up.” She disconnected the IV drips and heart rate monitor and nodded at you before leaving. You got out of bed and stretched a bit. Glancing over at your bow and the arrow holster, you finally realize your arrows had run out, even though you had fired the last one three nights back. You didn’t care. Archer would have more. You picked your bow up, and savour the heaviness of the ancient weapon. It was forty-two pounds, but it felt lighter than a brick. You set it back down and decided to check out of the hospital. You open the door, and find Nurse Redheart at a counter, going through some files. You wave at her, but she doesn’t seem to notice. You approached the counter and poked her in the mane, right below the nurses cap. She let out a yelp and looked up. You couldn’t help but grin at how silly she was not to notice you. “I’d like to check out, please.” Nurse Redheart merely nodded, trying best not to blush even though you could see she was on that white coat of hers. She handed you a release form and a pen, and you sign the paper. You set the pen down and make one more request. “Would you please ask Archer to bring some arrows as well?” She nodded, and added your request to a scroll she was writing on, informing the Archers that you were fit to leave and are checking out. You head on back to your ward and went through your belongings. Your clothes were pretty much a lost cause since the hospital officials incinerated them prevent any viruses from your world to get into the pony universe. Archer had given you a brief rundown on Equestria yesterday. She expected you to be surprised when she said this was a universe of ponies and several other non-earthly creatures. You didn’t really mind that fact considering you were being taken care of by such kind hearted creatures. You couldn’t hook the arrow holster on since the hospital gowns made it rather impossible to do so, so instead you just left it on your bed along with your bow. You opened a mini fridge right next to your bed and took out a bottle of water. It was funny how ponies made items that require fingers to open. Either that or they made this specially for me. Either way, you were going to have to adjust to the ways of life here, with or without help from others. You unscrew the cap and down the contents of the bottle. You were about to set the bottle back down on the side table when you finally notice a figure standing in the doorway. Surprised, you almost did a spit-take, but managed to swallow all the fluids down, coughing when finished. The figure at the door collapsed in a fit of laughter. By the time you finished, the blue earth pony was wiping the tears away. You pout at Archer, who was still giggling a bit. You got off the bed and poked her in the cheek, snapping her from her laughing stupor. You glare at her, who was trying her best not to break out into a laugh again. She had an arrow holster on her back, separated into two sections; one with carbon arrows, another with steel arrows. She got back up, and cleared her throat. She took her holster off, and gestured a hoof at the carbon arrows. “These will be yours to use since I don’t use these that much. They’re pretty much too long for me.” She put the holster on the bed and went over to the seat she sat on yesterday. You nodded and took seven carbon arrows out, and put it into your own arrow holster. Archer grinned as she spoke, “When you feel well enough, we can start practicing for the tournament. The competition may not be that soon, but procrastination won’t help us out if we embrace it.” You shrug, “Hey, I’m good to go now if you want me to start.” Archer’s grin widened, “Excellent.” The day went by with a blur. You had left the hospital at around afternoon time and by the time the training was nearly over, it was already evening and your muscles were aching. Your ankle and abdomen pain had ceased before the training, but the pain seemed to come back slowly for every arrow you fired. Nurse Redheart had told you to get some rest, but you know that resting won’t bring progress. Besides, she probably knows how much a pony should rest anyway. Humans are a different matter. You had done well, but when it was Archer’s turn, your jaw dropped. The first two arrows she had fired hit red, which gave you some relief, before she fired her remaining five arrows, which grouped around the centre yellow. You, on the other hand, had scored a couple of bullseyes, with the rest sprayed across the target in an inconsistent sweep. You didn’t even expect yourself to score a bullseye, let alone two, since you lacked practice. You walked quickly towards the target, set at an impressive ninety metres, down the field. Archer told you that she had informed Rarity, the town fashionista/tailor, would be done with your clothes by tomorrow, which means the ninety metres of walking was with you in a hospital gown. You didn’t mind. The moon was just about to rise above the horizon, and a breeze had started flowing like fluids through the air. The short walk passed rather quickly, you looking up at the moon and savouring the early-night breeze, and you reach the target. You pulled your arrows out by the neck first, surprised how deep the carbon arrows had penetrated. About a foot and a half had entered the target, at the very least, for each of your arrows. You turn to take Archer’s arrows, which only had the fletching showing out of the target. Though her steel arrows were shorter than your carbon arrows, you couldn’t believe how she had penetrated the target all the way to the fletching. A carbon arrow was about two feet long, and the steel arrows was just about three quarters of that. You shudder. You finished taking the arrows out and turned to go back to the firing point. You didn’t mind walking the distance, even if it made your ankle sore. The moon was slowly rising up behind you, like your cat that used to stalk your feet every time you walk past the living room. Archer was adjusting the sight on her bow, which you had no idea how considering how she had no fingers, and looked up when you came back. “I think we should just call it a night. We’ve probably had enough training for today.” You nodded, not wanting to argue. She went over to a shed nearby and stowed the bows and the arrows, carefully separating them so as not to cause confusion for the next practice. You yawned, and stretched out a bit as she closed the shed door. She nodded, and the two of you head back into her house, where she had offered you to stay in since you had nowhere to go. You sit down on her couch, and crack your stiff neck. “Hey Archer, can you get me a glass of water?” She nodded, and left for the kitchen. How long am I going to have to stay here? You weren’t even clear as to how you got here in the first place. One moment you’re crawling away from attempt on your life, and the next you’re in hospital. You sighed, worrying on whether or not you will ever get to leave Equestria. Archer came back with a mug of cold chrysanthemum tea, which, though not what you wanted, was a great thing for her to do for you. Not only were you bumming in, she was also catering to your extra demands. You aren’t sure whether or not you should feel bad. She sets the mug on the glass coffee table and nods at you. “You’re going to have to sleep on the couch. I mean, there aren’t any extra bedrooms or guest bedrooms for you to use, so I hope you’re fine with the living room couch.” She said. You knew this was going to be the case from the start, so you just nodded. She smiled, and turned off the lights. Archer trotted up the stairs, and you could hear the sound of her door closing shut. You decide that it really should be time to sleep and finish up the cold tea on the coffee table. It tasted sweet, despite only having several little chrysanthemums inside the mug of cold tea. You wonder if there was any sugar, but dismissed it when you realized that without sugar, there wouldn’t be the cake that everypony seems to have. You chuckled, and lay down on the sofa. You stare up at the ceiling, wondering how the week is going to go. The next few days went by in a blur as slowly, but surely, the two of you made the best of improvements as the days before the tournament get shorter. Three days before the tournament, you and Archer were training in the morning and were just warming up with a few shots when Archer scored a bullseye. This was not really that surprising considering her skills, but her second arrow broke the ice for the both of us. A pony like her, who probably had half or three quarters of your strength, fired an arrow strong enough to split another arrow in half. You really couldn’t bring your jaw up for the best of five minutes, thinking over the probabilities of an arrow splitting another arrow clean through the middle, moreover when it was a steel arrow splitting another one. More often than not, you’d wonder if such a scenario was possible. She had just proven it right in front of your very eyes. You were stuttering words like you had when you first woke up in the hospital. She squealed with delight. Before you could finish processing what I had just seen, she had dropped her bow and threw her hooves around you, still squealing with glee. It’s weird getting a hug from a pony. The feeling of another warm being against your body, for some reason made you feel happy and good at the same time. But just as soon as the hug had begun, it stopped. She let go, and turned back towards her befallen bow, trying her best to conceal the furious blush surfacing on her all across her face. You chuckled silently as she picked her bow up, but you could see her hoof trembling as she tried to steady her aim. It was a rather adorable thing to see, a pony like her blushing while trying hard to focus on something even though she had done something embarrassing. “I understand you’re happy with your achievement now, but take it easy. The tournament’s not started yet.” You said. Somewhat at ease, she loosened a bit, and her hoof stopped trembling. She pulled the bowstring back, and made sure the nock was in the nocking point before she readjusted her aim. She took in a deep breath, and let go. The arrow was slightly off to the right of the split arrow, but nevertheless it was close enough to be considered yellow. She let out a sigh, and took another arrow from her holster before nock-ing it into place and firing. This process repeated for another two times before she finally ran out of arrows. She put the arrow on its stand and sat on the soil behind her bow. It was your turn, and you had been training for several days already with Archer. You couldn’t let confidence get to you yet, because you know that whenever there’s a chance, confidence will become arrogance, and that will be the end. You nock-ed the arrow into the nocking point and pulled on the bowstring, You focus on the target which was, this time, a hundred metres. You closed your left eye and focused your right on the target. Mentally counting to four, you let go of the arrow with enough force to rip the tires off a car back in your world. The arrow thundered down the field, and before you could drop your bow, the carbon arrow had struck the target, right between the split arrows and Archer’s last shot. It was in the yellow zone, which made you grin. Already getting close to a bullseye near the beginning now am I? You liked challenging yourself, as if the other you wasn’t sure if the other could do what he wanted. It didn’t matter as you inserted another arrow into the nocking point.You took a deep breath and aim your bow. Pulling back on the bowstring, you count to four before you release the bowstring. Once more the arrow zipped through the hundred metres quickly and struck a red. You grunt. You fire five more, which all scatter near the red zone of the target. It wasn’t that good, but this was your first time at a hundred metres. Archer got up and went over to take the arrows. The two of you would often take turns going out into the field to collect the arrows. It seemed fair, so you didn’t mind. You set your bow down on the stand and watched her go. You had no idea how long this had been going on now, but every time Archer would go to take the arrows you found yourself staring after her figure as she trotted down the field. You weren’t sure why, but you just found her figure somewhat alluring. You only barely manage to glance away when she turns around and trots back. You grabbed a bottle of water from the table by the chairs and take a quick sip. Archer didn’t take a break. She left your carbon arrows on the table and went back to firing more arrows. Since the chairs were a couple of metres back, though no difference from the hundred metre distance, it was a bit harder for you to see the arrows striking the target. At least you knew the arrows did strike the target, made obvious by the sounds of cardboard and hay being penetrated. You found yourself looking at her figure again instead of her firing. The curves of her flank were like magnets for your eyes. You stared a bit too long, because when you were looking back at to see if she were firing anymore arrows, she was finished and was looking back at you. It was a look of confusion, which washed you with a wave of relief, rather than a look of anger. You put the arrows in your holster and go up to your stand to fire the last seven arrows of the day. > Carriage to Canterlot > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The day before the tournament, the two of you prepare to disembark to Canterlot. Archer had gotten more clothes from Rarity for you, which was actually good-quality considering how she had never heard of humans before. You had no idea how she had learned to make clothes so well, but one day, you vow to go to her boutique and thank her personally. Archer had an extra case for your bow, luckily, considering how big your bow was compared to hers. You had told her at first that it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted. “Besides, it’ll be troublesome if you actually carrying your bow around on your back but with your arrows in your luggage bag. It just doesn’t look practical.” She shrugged. You thought walking around with an bow on your back made you look like Legolas from Lord of The Rings, but decided that Archer was right. It wouldn’t look right if a human were to go around with a deadly weapon, even if it has no arrows. Chances are, you would scare the Canterlot patrons with your Lord of The Rings act and might bring some shame to Archer, so you packed your bow into the case. ‘Hey, Archer.” “Hm...?” “Are you nervous about the tournament? I mean, have you entered a tournament before?” Archer thought over it for a moment, “Maybe a biiiiiiit nervous, and yes I’ve entered tournaments before. Won the first tournament I joined, but there was this one group that was really a pain in the flank.” “Group? I thought they only allowed pairs into the tournament?” “My mistake, it’s just that, the pair are so good that I often forget that they’re just a couple of unicorns. Unicorns have it a bit easier when it comes to Archery, so I’m expecting some of them to actually take it easy a bit, what with how their spells work and such.” You blinked, and asked, “Well who went with you during the last tournament? Sounds like they were good enough to make you win the tournament.” She grimaced. “Well, about that.... I actually participated alone the first time. The fact that I still managed to stay in the tournament was shocking enough, let alone me winning. Didn’t really expect to even beat the Canterlot Elite Archers.” You actually felt a bit guilty, knowing that she had to participate alone. “Why didn’t you go with another archer? I mean, if must have been rather tough going solo, don’t you think?” Archer’s ears drooped, and she frowned. You realize too late that the question shouldn’t have been asked. “Well, it is rather tough going solo, but then again at the time there wasn’t any other archer in Ponyville, just me.” She cleared her throat, “I’ve lost for the past couple of years, either because being alone and making good results isn’t good enough, or I did really poor. I didn’t even think of standing a chance this year when I was invited to join the competition.” Then something struck you. There was no other archer in Ponyville, but the moment she found you and brought you to hospital, she had registered you and herself for the tournament. She must have been really happy to find someone else to go with her to the tournament. You feel even guiltier, the fact that she had gone solo three years in a row burdening you. “When I found you those many nights ago, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. I mean, there has never been any record of a creature like you before as far as I know, but when I saw you with your bow, I felt happy. Happy that there was somepony else like me, who shares the same passion, and happy that I wouldn’t be the only archer in Ponyville.” She grinned. You grinned as well. You didn’t realize how much of an impact you had set on someone’s life, but that wasn’t by your choice. Had it not been for the bright flash of light while you were crawling through the hallway that night, you wouldn’t even be here, and she would have had to go alone again this year. You reached out a hand and ruffled her mane playfully, which went back to its original un-ruffled form, and she pouted. You grinned, “Well that’s good to know Archer. That’s good to know.” The train ride to Canterlot was rather uneventful so far as you stare blankly out the window for the best part of the trip, and Archer just sat there, reading a book. You used to bring a little book wherever you went, but the slacks Rarity made for you had pockets too small for any little book. There was a library in the centre of Ponyville, but the librarian was out for a month researching something about oneirology. Throughout the trip there, you would occasionally glance at Archer, who almost seemed to be trying too hard to read. You would look away a moment after that so as not to arouse suspicion that you were watching her. Several times, the eyes of the both of you would meet, which would result in either of you looking away in another direction blushing. Princess Luna’s moon was hanging high in the sky, with multiple other stars hanging about in the night sky. Archer had told you about Nightmare Moon and what had happened, but you didn’t really worry that much. After all, what has passed has passed. Princess Luna’s now just another princess in a castle administering her country. Constellations became clear the further away you got from Ponyville. You could see the stars better without so many lights around. The train isn’t due in Canterlot for another hour, and you feef hungry. “I’m gonna head to the dining carriage for a meal. You’re free to join me if you want to.” She nodded, and set her book down by her bag. The dining carriage was just two carriages away from your rooms, so you were sure that if anyone wanted to break into your rooms, you and Archer would know. The dining carriage wasn’t that full, considering how it was nearing midnight. The two of you sit down at a table for two by the window side with a magnificent view of Princess Luna’s night. As you go over the menu of pastries, salads and sandwiches they had on the list, you take a peek over the top of your menu, and catch Archer doing the same. She raised her menu higher to block your line of sight, and tried unsuccessfully to hide that adorable blush of hers. You try your best not to chuckle, but you were sure she must have heard it seeing as to how her menu was shaking a bit. A waiter came by and offered to take your orders. You order chocolate cheese pie and a caesar salad with salmon while Archer ordered a daisy sandwich with a serving of rose petals, a slice of cheesecake and some wine. Though you did not drink much, you haven’t had any wine in a while so you didn’t argue. After the waiter left with the menus levitated behind him, Archer looked over to you. When your eyes met hers however, she didn’t look away. Rather, she held her gaze and you debate with yourself whether or not you should stare back. When you look away, she raised a hoof to your chin and asked, “So how is the world you’re from? It must be an interesting place.” You weren’t sure how to respond to this. You were expecting this question while you were in hospital and had forgotten all about it when she hadn’t asked. You think over her question for a moment. “Define ‘interesting’ in your way.” That made her pause for a short while. “Well... like how’s the life of the world treating you? Your job, your family, and do tell me about your life.” She grinned. You stare back, thinking over the question again. “I took Archery up as a hobby and entered tournaments whenever I could. I work as a pilot for a local aviation company that concentrates primarily on commercial aircraft.” “Aircraft?” You smiled inward, you knew she was going to ask what an aircraft was. “An aircraft, to keep it simple, is like a huge tube of metal used to transport people, that flies. Pretty much like the pegasi here. My job is to help transport people from one point of the world to another.” “Sounds exciting! But, does it feel like what those pegasi feel like when flying?” You shake your head. “Pegasi have wings to help them fly, but they can feel what they are doing. Likewise for aircraft, but we use more technology than human power to actually work an aircraft. I mean, it really doesn’t feel as invigorating as it would be to be a pegasus, but hey, I get to travel to places everyday and meet new people.” She nodded, apparently understanding what you just said. Normal people wouldn’t even understand what you mean if you changed the word ‘pegasi’ to ‘birds’. Humans were weird, but that’s just how life was. “So what about your family?” You shrug, “There really isn’t much to talk about my family. My dad used to be an avionics engineer while my mother was only a housewife. I live alone now with my cat since I’ve moved out of my parent’s house. I visit them from time to time to check up on them, and they seem to be doing fine every time I do.” You paused a moment, and then continued. “I give financial support as well, since my dad retired.” She nodded again, but you noticed some sort of glimmer in her eyes. You decide not to press her about it. Just then, your food arrived. The wine was white and chilled well, like it had been taken out half an hour or less prior to your arrival, which was most likely the case. Since earth ponies couldn’t use utensils that well, they tended to use their hooves more. Such was the case for Archer and her sandwich. She just used her hooves to pick the sandwich up and dug in. You could use the utensils prepared like a unicorn could, but for some reason, it felt weird doing so. The two of you ate silently, occasionally chatting back up again before continuing the meal. You didn’t mind that the ponies didn’t eat meat. There was tofu as a meat substitute, which was delicious as well. They did, however, eat fish, which is a relief for you. You like eating fish. The pastry in Equestria is not bad either. You pause a bit to savour the first bite of your chocolate cheesecake. If only they made pastry that good back where you came from. Archer seemed to be enjoying her meal as well, judging by the look of satisfaction on her face. You leave some of your cheesecake, feeling that eating all of it at once would be a waste. Your salad, though, was cleaned out to the point that it could be said the plate wasn’t even used. As you set your fork down, you glance up, and Archer was looking at you. She grinned as she asked, “You want some cheesecake?” There was roughly half a cheesecake left on her plate, and judging by the look of content when she was eating it earlier, it must have been good. You nod, and she picks some of the cake up. “Open up,” Her grin turned into devilish smile. You were liking where this was going. You take a nibble of the cheesecake as she held it out. It tasted a tad tangy and crunchy, which was weird for a cheesecake, however, you didn’t know what sort of cheesecake it was so you savoured it. You took a bigger bite since she continued holding the cake in place. “Hm...this is good.” “I know right?” She grinned. That adorable little grin of hers, but this time she grinned with her eyes closed, which made her all the more cuter. You decide to give her some of yours, so you pick it up with your right hand and hold it out to her. She opened her eyes and frowned, confused for a moment before grinning again. She set the remains of her cake on her plate. What she did made your nibble seem like a huge bite as she took a small bite of the cake. It wasn’t much, but it still had its desired effect. Her eyes shot up and you could see a sudden change of expression in them, though you couldn’t tell. It was as if the taste of the cake was startling for her, like she hadn’t expected it to taste that way. You didn’t realize she was close to finishing the cake until she licked your thumb. A jolt of surprise went through your body as she did so, snapping you out of your reverie. You glance at her, who wore that devilish grin from earlier. She finished the cake in one swift bite, and beamed. Apparently the cake was more delicious for her than for you, so you didn’t really mind. She held her cake out one more time, and you look at it, before looking at her face. She was blushing with a grin. You took a bigger bite than before and savour the taste. You taste it like it was your last cake, hoping that the tangy taste of the cheesecake would stay in your mouth for the next few hours. You slowly take another bite, revealing part of Archer’s outstretched hoof. You decide to ignore it for now, and take another bite. You observe the disappointment on her face, and you realize she wanted you to lick her hoof, like she had to your fingers just now. You slowly move your mouth over to another section of cake, before switching over to lick her hoof. You felt her shiver as you did so, and see the blush on her face deepening. You act quickly again, and lick her near the base of her hoof, which was holding what was left of the cheesecake she ordered. She went from a shiver to a tremble as you licked her again near the base of her hoof. She was so adorable when she was blushing so hard, moreover when she was trembling with that blush. She pulls her hoof back and fakes a cough, looking away in another direction, a goofy grin on her face as she blushed up a storm. You weren’t sure whether you were blushing either, but the heat on your face seemed to prove so. “Anyway...” she starts saying, “Do you enjoy doing what you do on this... ‘Earth’?” She starts taking the cork out of the top of the bottle of white wine. You have no idea how she does it, but it seems to just happen. You think over it. The fact that she had started up a topic from something that was rather awkward earlier proved she had a quick mind. You were liking her more. Your thoughts snap back to her question. “Life on Earth is rather boring I’d say.” You said, “The people on Earth are okay to say the least. My neighbours are rather decent people, and so are most of the crew I work with when I fly.” You think further over it. “My cat’s always there for me whenever I need it, and when I’m not around, usually my neighbours will take care of it.” You missed your cat, sad to say. But with the great neighbours you have, your cat was the least of your worries. You wonder if the police have checked on the two dead bodies near the indoor field you were practicing in the other night. “A cat? So you’re an animal type of person?” She poured some of the wine into her glass before pouring some into yours. She seemed to still be blushing from earlier, albeit not as heavy. You shrug. “I’d prefer to own a cat over a dog. I’m not that much of a dog person, considering how loud they usually are at night. But any other pet, I guess I’m okay with it. I could own a few hamsters or rabbits, but I might not have the time to take care of them.” You take a sip of the white wine, and feel the cool fluid flow down your throat. You look at her, as if anticipating another question. But instead of asking another question, which you could clearly see she was itching to by the looks on her face, she just shrugged and finished her glass of wine. She pours herself another glass and returns her attention back to you. She gazes at you like it was your turn to ask a question. You give in, and ask ahead. “So, when and how did you get into archery?” She took a sip, and gave it a thought, swirling around the contents of the glass as she did so. “Well... I was young, I used to live near a big field. Not saying that I don’t now, but you get what I mean. My bedroom was facing the field, and often times, I would glance outside the window to see other ponies firing arrows. I used to stop doing what I was doing just to watch them do so, but then my mother would catch me.” She finished her wine before topping it up and continuing. “Anyway, I snuck out one night to give it a try. We had a beginner bow inside the shed for foals to use, but I didn’t really get the chance to use it since I was busy most of the time with studies.” She sipped her wine, and you finished yours. She continued as you poured another glass. “At the time, I didn’t really have a cutie mark yet considering how I spent most of my time indoors studying. It wasn’t actually my wish to study anyway, I was more of an outdoor pony. I tried my first arrow from what I’ve observed from some of the ponies outside my room window, but it sorta backfired. I almost got whipped across the forehoof because I didn’t position it properly.” She sipped her wine, “I corrected my error and tried again. There was this target that was about 20 metres away, and I hit it dead center. I was jumping with glee that my second arrow actually hit a bullseye!” She beamed and finished her wine. She cleared her throat, and topped up her glass with more wine before finishing her story, “However, the joy was somewhat short lived when I saw my mother’s shadow fall on me. I expected a glare and a scolding from her, but apparently that wasn’t the case.” She beamed even wider, “She gave me a big hug, which was rare considering how I don’t really mingle around the house that much, and told me I had done a great job. Had she not pointed it out, I wouldn’t have noticed the cutie mark appearing on my flank.” You drain the sweet liquid in your glass as you awaited any other sentence that might come out next, but nothing else was said. You smiled, “That sounds rather...rebellious I’d say.” You chuckle. You could feel your face heating up as she giggles and you pour yourself another glass. The wine bottle was already half-empty. Or what you and Archer would say, half-full. You glance over at Archer, whose red was almost full red from the wine (or blushing, you couldn’t tell), and decided against asking her what she thought of the contents of the bottle. Her face forms another one of those adorable grins, but the grin seemed to be amplified by her blushing, making her all the more adorable than she was before. It was then that you concluded, that she had a little too much to drink. You recall Archer filling her glass three times, as did you yourself. You finish your wine, and help pour some more for Archer and yourself. Archer seemed to be itching to ask another question, to which you nodded your approval. “What’s it like living alone with such great neighbours and a cat?” You chuckle. A silly question. You had stayed single for the entire while because you were certain you would find someone when you were ready, and at the time, you weren’t at all ready. “Well, it’s like I said, kinda boring. Sure I have a lot of time to myself, but somehow, there’s like this hollow shell that needs to be filled to make everything complete.” You drank half of your glass before continuing, “I’m still not sure if I want that hollow shell to be filled too early, while I’m not ready. But since I’ve been here, I’ve been wondering why I thought it was too early anyway.” You grin. Archer finished her glass and nodded. The grin that had formed earlier, amplified by a further intensified shade of red on her face, returned as the train pulled into the station. “Say, want to get some more of that cheesecake? The chocolate cheesecake was gooooooooddd...” She giggled. Your grin widened and you nodded. After packing the cake, the waiter that had taken your orders earlier gave you the cake, and you struggle to get back to your carriage. Archer kept her book in her bag and went out first, with you following behind with your archery case and luggage. Luckily for the both of you, there was a hotel not far from the station. You led the way, knowing that the alcohol probably wasn’t effective yet, but you could see the obvious drunkenness of Archer. The two of you check into the hotel, which only had rooms with queen-sized beds, but neither of you complained and you sighed the form. You step into the elevator, which was one of those elevators you had seen in movies from the 80s, and Archer slowly stumbled in. You chuckle, pitying the mare. She turned to look at you and pouted. Your vision spins around as the elevator goes to your floor, and the door opens. The both of you go out into the multi-door hallway. Halfway down the hall, Archer struggled to insert the key to open the door, but you were patient, and she opened the door half a minute later. > Hotel (Mature Warning) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You close the door behind you as the both of you enter the room. You wouldn’t say the room was huge, but at least it was bigger than most hotels from where you were from. Several paintings adorned the walls. Some of them were surprisingly similar to paintings on earth. The Screamer had a pony doing the same thing the human had in the painting, and Van Gogh was a pony with a missing left ear. The lighting in the room was set to semi-light. It wouldn’t be too bright, but at the same time it wouldn’t be too dark either. You lay your bags down in the living room and proceed to the kitchen to put the cake down on the kitchen counter. Archer’s face was buried in her hooves on the counter, as if shielding her eyes from the light. When you set the cake box on the counter right in front of her, she looked up with a drunken grin. You sat down on a stool next to hers with her and open the box. The waiter had given half a cake, with three slices being cheesecake, and the other three slices being chocolate cheesecake. Though it was more than enough to keep you satisfied, you knew that a couple should be sufficient before you retire to bed. Archer took a slice of chocolate cheesecake out and took a small nibble, similar to what she had done on the train earlier. She swallowed and tried to take another bite. She kept trying to bite it, but the cake kept missing her mouth. “Could you feed me, please?” She whined. You shrug, and took the slice. She kept her mouth open, but her eyes closed. You started imagining dirty thoughts as you put a bit of the cake in her mouth. She bit into the cake and chewed slowly. You tried some of the delicious cake, and hummed in approval. The cake was good. It was no wonder that Archer ate slowly. You glance over to her, and see her mouth was once again open, but this time, her eyes were open too. You fed her some of the cake,and she ate the whole thing in one swift bite. That took you by surprise. She grinned at you, watching your shocked face as she chewed. You finally snap out of your surprise when she licked your index finger and middle finger. The sudden lick caused you to shudder, a much different reaction than on the train. She reached into the cake box and took a slice of cheesecake out. She held it out for you, and you, trying to imitate her, take a small bite. I chewed on the cake slowly, much like earlier, once more taking in the taste of the cheesecake. Your hum of approval was noticeably louder than when you ate the chocolate cheesecake, but nevertheless, the cake was delicious. You bite a bit more and look up at Archer’s beet-red blush as she tries to avoid your gaze. You take another bite, revealing another part of Archer’s hoof on purpose, and pretend not to by chewing on the cake quicker this time. Archer held it out further, and you try the same technique you had on the train. As you move closer to the cake, you suddenly change your direction, and lick her hoof. You could feel her shudder, and judging by her moan of delight, she was enjoying it. You bite into the cake, revealing another section of her hoof. You look up at her as you chew, and see her shade of red deepen further. You chuckled inwardly and quickly gave her hoof another lick, this one much closer to the base. The look of pleasure on her face was absolutely adorable. You finish the cake, and swallowed the last bite. Before she could withdraw her hoof, you lick the base. She lets out an audible moan, her cheeks flushed further, and her tongue stuck out. You grin, and licked her hoof again in the same place. She shuddered this time, and her moan was much louder than before. What happened next was a surprise as she suddenly grabbed your head and pressed her lips against yours. At first the surprise delayed your reaction for half a second, but then you relax, and kiss her back. It was a passionate kiss, but it didn’t last for long as her tongue was probing against your teeth. You grant her entry, and her tongue slides into your mouth. As your tongue wrestled with hers, you could taste the cheesecake earlier, with a hint of white wine from the train. You decide to fight back, and push her tongue back whilst moving your tongue in. Now fighting in her battlegrounds, you taste her further. Aside from the strong taste of cheesecake and white wine, you get a hint of vanilla and chocolate. It tasted so good, you ran your tongue all around the inside of her mouth. The kiss intensified as she started to kiss harder, pushing your tongue back and re-tasting the walls of your mouth. Eventually, she eases up and ends the kiss, a thin thread of saliva connecting the two of you. The two of you were blushing heavily, hers being more severe than yours apparently as the two of you explore each other’s eyes. You hadn’t noticed how beautiful her eyes were before this. Those beautiful greyish purple eyes mesmerized you at the moment. She opens her mouth and says something else you didn’t expect, “I’m sorry.” She glomps onto you, knocking you off your stool and once more forcing her lips onto yours. She kisses softly at first, and you kiss back at those soft, delicious lips of hers. You could kiss her for hours and hours if that was okay with her. When her tongue requested entry this time, it was much softer, and you didn’t wait a single second before letting her enter. She feels around slowly and much gently at first. You dance your tongue around hers, giving it a soft massage as she explored further. She retreated and you continue kissing her before maneuvering your tongue into her mouth. When your tongue reached the inside of her mouth, it was a whole new battleground. Gone was the gentle massage as she wrestled your tongue and kissed you harder, pushing you harder onto the ground as she lay on you. The two of you were moaning like crazy as you wrestled back with similar ferocity and force as the two of you fought for what seemed like hours on end. Finally, her tongue gave up, and you lick up the insides of her mouth, feeling the cocktail of flavours dance on your tongue like a supernova of delicious food. You felt something wet the bottom of your shirt as you continued kissing the mare on top of you. You could feel the heat radiating off her adorable face as she blushed. The kissing stopped when she brought her head up, once more a thin thread of saliva connecting the two of your tongues. She does something cheeky. She licks you on the mouth, decimating the thin thread of saliva, not that you mind. You felt like kissing her again, but you restrained yourself. The mare grinned with her eyes closed and started rubbing herself against you. You took this as a sign to go further and you take her off you and whisk her away to the bedroom. The bed was huge, enough to accommodate several ponies at once, should they want to share the same bed. You lay her on the bed, Archer giggling as she impacted the soft bed. You took your semi-wet shirt off and were about to take your pants off when she suddenly raised a hoof. “Bring the cake, I have an idea.” She giggled as she splayed herself across the bed and trying her best not to make her rubbing against the bed obvious. You chuckle as you leave to take the cake box in the kitchen. You see the imprint the two of you made from the kissing earlier on the floor carpeting, and blushed. You grab the box, and return to the bedroom and watched with amusement to see Archer rubbing her crotch against the sheets of the bed. You set the box down on the side of the bed, to which Archer stopped rubbing and rolled over to the box. She took a slice of chocolate cheesecake and took a bite out of it before splaying herself across the bed once more. Archer tore the cake bit by bit with her hooves, and to your surprise, puts the pieces of cake at various areas of her body. Archer glanced over at you with half-lidded eyes, “Lick up the cake, please.” She giggled. You were more than happy to oblige. You first lick up a piece of cake from her forehoof, near the beginning of the hoof, or had you not known any better, the armpit. She giggled even louder as you took your time licking circles across her forehoof. You lick at another piece of cake on her cheek and you could literally taste the heat emitted by her blush. You move down to her stomach area and lick up another piece of cake. You didn’t stop there, you started moving your tongue downwards. She grabbed you by the head. “Ah, not yet! There’s still a couple more places you didn’t lick up yet!” You nodded, and continue searching obediently until you find another piece of cake on the inner thigh of her rearhoof. You lick around the cake first, listening to her adorable giggle before you lick up the cake. You decide to tease her a bit, and tickle her inner thigh. The giggle went and a roar of laughter replaced it. “AHAHAHA STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!” She shouted as she squirmed under the power of your fingers. You stop and chuckle, watching her slowly pant from the laughing. You leaned over her and kissed her on the lips once more, “You’re very cute, you know that?” She giggled and the two of you lock lips again, albeit for a short period of time. You knew where the last cake was located, but you thought you would tease her a little more. You ran your tongue over her inner thigh, once more eliciting muffled laughter before you move your tongue further right, in the direction of her swollen, wet marehood. Right before you touched it, you stopped, and ran your tongue upwards. The last piece of cake was near the top of Archer’s vagina, and you slowly ran your tongue in the cake’s direction, making sure that your tongue ran across every inch of fur that you could run it across before you reach the cake. When your tongue finally meets the cake, you don’t stop there, you bring it further down to the little target you’ve been aiming for, but stop shy of it. You lick at the cake, your tongue purposely running against her clit and making her go into a spasm of pleasure as she squealed and bucked her hips forward into your tongue. The cake had dropped, and you held Archer down as you picked the cake up and put it where it was. “If I don’t get to eat this cake, I won’t stop.” You grinned. She started whimpering as one of your hands held her right rearhoof down and the other hand holding onto her left hip as you ran your tongue very slowly, almost torturingly, near her wet marehood again. You lick the cake up and chewed it slowly, exhaling air through your nostrils into her pussy. You could feel her moaning at the heat of your breath, and that was enough for you to know that there are no boundaries from that point. Even her moans were too adorable. You slowly unbuckle and lower your pants as she stares on. You lay your pants on the floor, and proceed to taking your boxers off. Archer’s eyes widened as she watched your erect member emerge from its boxer prison and you grinned. You turn your attention back to Archer’s wet, swollen marehood. You were tempted to just go all out and put your penis in and go all the way into the morning light, but you knew she deserved more than just that. “Uh, I-I’ve never really done this bef-EEK!” She gasped as you licked her folds. You didn’t know what you were doing, but somehow this all seemed to appear in your mind on its own. You ran your tongue around the outside of her vagina, grinning inwardly at the amount of moaning and shivering coming from Archer. You repeated the process before finally running your tongue from the base of the vagina, to the clit at the top. Like earlier, the moment your tongue reached the clit, she squealed and went through spasms of pleasure. You gave the clit another lick before running your tongue back down her pussy. She had a weird taste, a mixture between vanilla and raspberries. It wasn’t all that weird, and actually tasted rather good to be honest. You continue licking, albeit at a much quicker pace. Moans of ecstacy elicit from Archer’s mouth as you lap up at her vaginal secretions. She was shivering with every single centimeter of fur and pussy your tongue ran across. The heat of her pussy was great, albeit in a good way. You decide to stop licking and insert your tongue. She let out a deep moan, forehooves clenching hard on the sheets of the bed as your tongue went in. You penetrate deeper, feeling along the tight walls of her vagina as your tongue went along. Inside, the taste of vanilla and raspberries were much more obvious, though you swore you could have tasted a hint of cocoa. When your tongue couldn’t penetrate any further, you started exploring her walls with your tongue. The moans coming from Archer encourage you to go faster, and soon her shivering turned to trembling as you realized she was just about to reach her climax. You increase the pace of your wall-licking and could feel the heat increasing. You quickly pull your tongue out and lick her clit. Archer let out a loud squeal, which most likely would have awaken the occupants in the neighbouring rooms, as she orgasmed. You could feel her hot orgasm all around your mouth as bucked her hips into it like she had earlier when you licked her clit. Her squealing soon died down to panting, in which she looked up at you. “That was amazing!” She exclaimed. You grin, but you yourself are not satisfied yet. Archer must have noticed that your penis was still erect, and was throbbing. She figured that it must have been unfair to have you pleasure her, so she returns the favour. She scrambles towards you, rubbing the sheets over her pussy as she scrambled. She eyed your penis for a few moments, as if unsure as to what she should do. Archer gives it a lick, and you shudder in delight. She looked up and grinned at you before going back to her licking. She licked at the head first, carefully running her tongue around the head, sending wave after wave of pleasure into your sense. The feeling of her warm, wet tongue around your head made you moan as she licked faster. She then ran her tongue from the head all the way down to the base, stopping right before your balls, and then going back to the head. You shudder harder, and could feel your pre-cum already leaking out. Archer noticed the sudden secretion, and licked it up. The feeling of her tongue on your penis hole made you tremble like an earthquake in your epicenter. More leaked out, which of course you couldn’t control, which was a mistake considering how well she was lapping it all out. She coiled her tongue around your penis and moved her tongue slowly and observed your facial expressions. You could feel her giggling as she took the head of your penis in her mouth. You tried your best not to cum there and then as the warm, wet walls of her mouth radiated heat into your throbbing member. She took your penis in slowly, making sure your penis could savour the feel of her mouth around it. Her tongue was pushing against your penis, like how her tongue had wrestled with your tongue earlier, and you could feel her tongue running against the hole, licking up as much pre-cum as you could secrete. She withdrew her mouth and repeated the process, bobbing her head back and forth, her mane unintentionally tickling the base of your penis, making you tremble a bit more. Her pace quickened, and you could barely contain yourself. She played around with your balls with one hoof as her bobbing reached the maximum speed she could go. She tried to take it in deeper, but knew she would gag on your penis and mess the whole thing up. With her mane tickling you, her expert tongue pleasing you, and her hoof teasing your balls, you felt yourself erupt as you came into her mouth. Her eyes widened, as she tried to lick up the oncoming torrent of seed. You pull out of her mouth, and several spurts of your semen impact across her face and mane. You watch her face as she swallowed your seed, humming in approval of the taste. She stuck her tongue back out, and a trickle of sperm mixed with her saliva ran down her tongue and dripped onto the bed. You kiss her on the lips, disregarding the fact that there were still sperm all over her face. You kissed her like a madman, running your tongue against hers and her mouth. You could still taste a bit of your sperm and was surprised to find it sweet and tangy, like the chocolate cheesecake earlier. She fought back with her tongue, and pushed against you, dropping the both of you onto the floor. When the kissing stopped she licked at your face, and you did the same. But as you licked her face, she turned her head, making your tongue hit a trail of your sperm. She giggled and you ruffled her mane. She pouted adorably before grinning. “That..was..Awesome!” She panted. You kiss her again on the lips. She looks at you with half-lidded eyes, and you could tell there was something else. That something else was made clear when she used her tail to tickle your still erect penis. The tickle wasn’t the sort of tickle that would make one laugh, but rather a tickle of invitation. You nodded, and Archer giggled. You pick her up, and lay her on the bed on her back. You look at her. “Are you ready, Archer?” The blush on her face was apparent, and she nodded, her half-lidded eyes still watching you as she raised a forehoof to her mouth. You go slowly at first, prodding her carefully before you attempt to push it in. You push slowly, observing Archer close her eyes as you did so. With one quick thrust, your penis penetrates and a yelp of pain elicited from Archer’s mouth. You stop. “Are you okay?” You ask. She held her forehoof out at you for a moment before nodding. “Yes, yes I’m fine. Just... Please, continue.” You nod, and pull back out. Her pussy was still wet from you eating her out earlier, and the lubrication was relieving the pain on her somewhat. You thrust inward again, and a tiny moan could be heard coming from Archer’s throat. You repeat the process, and gradually her tiny moans became more audible as she opened her eyes and enjoyed the ride. You thrust faster, listening to her moans of pleasure as you skewer her over and over with your penis. Soon enough, your penis begins to throb, a sign that it would soon be over. You thrust harder and faster, Archer’s moans becoming full-fledged squeals. She tries to muffle the squeals by biting on her forehoof, but it doesn’t prove to be very effective. You continue pummeling her vagina, slowly feeling the walls start to contract. The feeling of your penis inside Archer’s vagina was very much different compared to the feeling you get when your penis is inside her mouth. Her mouth was, warm and wet. Her pussy was the same, except the walls were as soft as velvet. Your penis throbs harder as you feel your peak nearing, and judging by the look on Archer’s face, she was close too. The blush on her face was a shade of impossibly deep red. Her tongue was lolling out as she experienced the purest of all ecstasies. That, and the look of overwhelming pleasure on her face pushed you to fuck her harder. Suddenly, you felt something pop inside her in midst of your thrusting, and you could see blood around your penis as you continued thrusting. Archer grabbed you by the head before you could stop to ask if she was okay, and kisses you on the lips. That was the final rock to the cracked dam. She came, squealing out in pleasure as you came as well, feeling the tight walls clasp onto your penis and squeezing it. The two of you were locked in a single body of pure bliss as you empty your sperm into her pussy. You could feel the sperm overflowing the womb, but you were still going. You pull out and spurt half a dozen more threads of sperm across the lower half of her body. The two of you pant, both being completely spent after the sex you just had. You got off her, and lay down next to her as the two of you tried slowly to stabilize your breathing. Archer licked your penis clean, and you could see trails of sperm coming out of her pussy amidst the many streaks of sperm you shot across her lower half of her body. The two of you cuddle, not wanting this moment to just be about sex. She buries her face and mane into your chest, which tickles you somewhat but you manage to leave your composure intact. You lean your head against hers as she tunnels her head, like a drill, into your chest. “I-I’m sorry.” She muttered when she finally looks at your face. You raise an eyebrow, “What?” A brief moment of silence went through the two of you before she answered, “For taking advantage of you.” “I’m afraid I don’t follow.” She nuzzled your chest a few times, “You know when I told you that you were going to be in an Archery tournament, I actually thought you’d decline and just leave it at that, but you seemed fine with it as well. By take advantage I mean I didn’t really thought about getting your opinion in the first place. Remember what I said earlier about me being very happy to find another Archer? Even when you were still injured, I signed you up for the tournament. Taking advantage.” She looked up at you. “Well, I don’t really think that’s taking advantage considering how far we’ve gone. From just archery mates, to lovers within the span of a couple of weeks.” Archer blushed when you mentioned the word ‘lover.’ “That’s not the only advantage I took. There was another meaning to me being very happy to find somepony like you. Though I found you in the rain, for some reason, I felt you radiate some sort of competitive-yet-composed sort of aura. I suddenly felt drawn to you at the time, but you were hurt pretty badly, so I knew I had to get to the hospital quickly.” You think over what she’s said. Competitive-yet-composed. “So, you actually liked me from the start?” Her blush deepened, and she nodded. You pull her in and kissed her, albeit more passionately compared to the ones before. “I have to admit, you were very adorable when I first met you, but for some reason, I felt drawn as well.” Archer’s eyes widened. “You mean, you like me as well?” She grinned. You nod, and this time it was Archer who kissed you. You broke away and added, “To be honest, I didn’t understand why, but I kept eyeing your figure.” Archer giggled, “So I’ve noticed.” You could feel heat rising to your face, “Wait, you knew?” Archer nodded, “Well of course, out of all those times you’ve been eyeing my flank, wouldn’t you think I would have caught you a few times?” Her grin became a devilish one, as if she was revealing a very dirty secret. You shift your gaze somewhere else, not realizing the never receding heat from your face, but she giggled and turned your head back so you could face her before kissing you again. “You’re such a silly creature.” She kisses you again. She rolls you over and lays on your stomach, and you are reminded of the time when you had stomach injury. The pain was pretty much gone, but Archer pretty much replaced that pain with her love. Sure you loved her, but after only one week of knowing each other, did this seem a bit too sudden? A letter materializes on the side of the bed in a puff of green smoke, and the two of you glance upon it. “I wonder who’s that from.” She reached across your chest to grab the letter and unfurls the scroll. “Hey, it’s from the tournament officials. The tournament has been delayed by a couple of days!” “Hey, doesn’t that give us more time for practice?” You smiled. “So it does, so it does...” She glances back at you with half-lidded eyes. She licked at your cheek. You were pretty much sure where this was going, because she shuffled her forehooves across your chest and said, “Another couple of days, you know how much time we have..?” She grinned. She swished her tail across the bottom half of your body, her eyes penetrating into yours as she does so. You could pretty much tell what she wanted to do at this point, considering how many hints she’s giving you, but decide to act dumb. “48 Hours?” you smiled. She frowned for a short moment, before grinning again and letting her eyes fall half-lidded again. “Exactly.” She pushes her lips against yours. This kiss was much more arousing compared to the earlier kisses, but nevertheless it was still doing its same job. As the kiss deepened, you felt your penis go full erect. She slipped her tongue into your mouth her tail coiled around your erect member like a snake. At first she was merely swishing her tail, tickling you, but then that changed when she started moving her tail up and down. You never had a tailjob before, and the feeling of the silky soft fur rubbing your penis made you moan deeply into Archer’s mouth. She broke the kiss, grinning as she continued caressing your member in random intervals of acceleration, sending you into random bouts of moaning. You could already feel your penis throb, which was relatively early considering how she just started. Either that, or she was doing so well that you lost track of time. The mare was laying on top of you, but her entire body couldn’t reach the end of your abdomen when she was directly in front of your face, which would explain the tailjob. You could already feel a patch of wetness against your abdomen, presumably coming from Archer. You gave her a grin between moans. You reached your hand down, and stroked the edges of her pussy, sending several jolts of surprise into Archer as she blushed heavily. The stroking had inadvertently increased the pace of the job, which was making you moan even more as you felt pre-cum start to leak out. Archer apparently felt the sticky liquid against her tail, and increased her pace further. You run your fingers across her folds, seeing her change of expression over you as her tail started shaking while still trying to maintain the pace she was at now. You didn’t want to cum before she did, and the way you’re stroking her would slow her tailjob down somewhat, which really wasn’t what you want. You quickly ran your fingers into and out of her pussy, feeling her juices pool over your fingers onto your abdomen. Her moans were much louder than yours, needless to say, as you continued fingering her. You controlled your fingers, so as not to make your tailjob too jittery. She moaned loudly, as you continued fingering her sopping wet pussy, as she looks down on you and gives you another kiss. You could feel her saliva mix around your tongue as she danced around it with hers. You could feel yourself coming close to your climax, and as if Archer knew the same thing, she slowed her tail to a stop before breaking the kiss. You look at her, confused, before she winked at you. She lowered herself further down your abdomen, before raising her pussy above your raging hard-on. In one swift dive, she drove your penis deep into her vagina. You let out an audible moan, which was blocked out by Archer’s squeal of pleasure. Your penis arrived short of her womb as she slowed her descent. Her squeal lowered into a moan, as she glanced at you. You lean forward and give her a kiss on the lips before your hands grab her on the flanks. She was startled somewhat and she looked up at you. You give her a grin of assurance that you knew what you were doing and she laid her head on your chest. You raised her flank, feeling Archer’s hot panting against your chest. Right before her pussy reaches your head, you brought her back down again. She released a flood of moans, completely overshadowing your moan. Her wet pussy leaked more fluids out across your pelvis and thighs as you elevated her flank again. You do so slowly, watching Archer’s blushing face as you brought her down again. Her tongue lolled out, like she had done earlier, but this time her tongue was across your chest and drooling saliva. Every time you brought her down or back up, she would release a moan, too far into the sea of ecstasy to squeal. Her eyes were looking up as you continued fucking her, her blush intensifying with every thrust. Soon enough, your penis was throbbing madly, straining to release its load into the awaiting warm chambers. Archer turned to face me, her tongue still lolling out as she moaned. She retracted her tongue to pant something. “I-I’m gonna c-cum!” She panted between moans. “I’m g-gonna cum too!” You gasp as you intensified your thrusts, feeling your climax approaching as quickly as hers was. Her walls were contracting onto your penis, making the warm wet walls rub against your penis much more apparent as you continued thrusting your last few thrusts. Upon the final thrust, Archer let out a squeal of delight as she came. Her walls clenched onto your penis, giving you the final straw. You erupted, emptying your sperm capacity and flooding her womb once more with sperm as Archer continued moaning. The walls lightened up somewhat, and you raise Archer’s flank off your penis. You fire the final strands of sperm across her abdomen, coating her coat with a torrent of your final seed rounds. Archer dragged herself off you, a mixture of your sperm and her orgasmic juices trailing across your chest as she lay next to you. She shivered, feeling the heat of your sperm radiating both inside and outside her. She reached a hoof down, and scooped up some of your cum before she licked it off. You grin, watching her adorable blushing face as she licked up the cum across her stomach. Some of them stuck there, giving her a lighter blue colour. She glanced at you as she panted, utterly spent. You were spent as well, and were tired. It was another few hours before dawn. Archer scooted over and you wrap her in your arms. She nuzzled your chest, tickling you slightly. You were about to wipe your penis across the bed sheets to clean it, but Archer turned and licked it clean. You felt your penis go mildly hard, but decide to save it for later. Archer returned, some sperm rolling down the side of her lips. She kisses you on the lips, deeply, passionately and madly. “That was the best fucking ever!” She exclaimed, her face still blushing. You nod in approval, and kiss her again. At the end of her kiss, she rolls off you and huddles into your arms. Before you knew it, the both of you drift off into sleep in a loving embrace. > Everything (Before The Last Day of Practice) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You awoke to the sunlight streaming in through the sliding doors. You felt around, but couldn’t feel Archer anywhere. You inched your eyes open, hoping to see that she was actually out of reach, but she really wasn’t there. You could hear the sound of the bathroom shower running, and deduced that Archer was taking a shower. You get up, and put the boxers you were wearing the previous night. You stretched a bit, feeling the stiffness in your back melt away as your bones creak. You let out a yawn, and contemplate the events of last night. You weren’t really sure if they really did happen, but you wouldn’t mind if they happened again. You smiled to yourself, and headed for the kitchen. There was a basket of fruits on the table, accompanied by several bottles of water. You took an apple and several grapes as a light breakfast and drink a quarter of a bottle of water. You felt dizzy, most likely the effects of the wine last night, but you weren’t entirely sure. You took a map of Canterlot from a magazine rack and flip through it, looking for any clubs that offered archery. You set the map down on the kitchen table and studied it. There was a club near the outskirts of Canterlot that had a big field, completely suitable for archery, and offered carriage service back to Canterlot. You circled the location on the map with a pencil, and went through several other parts of the Canterlot map. There were several other clubs around town that had archery, but you wanted complete privacy to guarantee maximum focus during practice. You chewed on a grape, happy to know it was seedless, as you studied the map further. The club you circled was called the Golden Arrow and was situated roughly a mile or so east of Celestia’s castle. You estimate the area of the club and its field, and guessed it to be around six hundred metres square, four hundred metres just for the field, which meant about two hundred metres of firing distance. Distance didn’t really matter that much to you. What mattered most to you, and to Archer, was the accuracy of every arrow let free of the bowstring. Accuracy was among the strictest aspects in a tournament as a few centimeters off to the left or the right could mean the difference between winning and losing. Archer’s accuracy was exceptionally well, yours on the other could use a bit of repairing. The sound of water running in the bathroom stopped, and several moments later, the door opened, and a very wet Archer came out in a robe, and a towel wrapped around her mane. She walked around the bedroom, wondering to where you could have gone to. You watched on as she finally realized that you were already out of bed and were going through a map. “Good morning there.” She said, eyes falling half-lidded again. “Ohh no, not now, not yet. We still have training to do.” You stammered. She pouted innocently, “But I was just saying good morning.” She grinned adorably. She walked up to the kitchen table and gave you a kiss on your cheek. “So what are you up to?” She asked. “Well, I was just checking out if there were any clubs in Canterlot that offered archery. Sure enough, there’s a club on the outskirts of Canterlot that doesn’t look that busy. We should probably check in later.” Archer nodded, and went back into the bedroom. You went over the map one more time before Archer came back out, her robe and towel gone, with her mane done and her fur close to dry. You try to ruffle her mane, but she seemed to anticipate the move, and moved back a bit. She chuckled in triumph, but you still had a trick up your sleeve, you bury your face into her neck, and nuzzle her narrowly wet fur. She stepped back further, giggling hard as your face finally left her fur. “Stop that, I’m ticklish!” She exclaimed, blushing. You folded the map, went up to her, and kissed her on the lips. “Well then there’s something I can look forward to tonight.” You gave her a sly grin. She grinned and playfully hit you on the cheek. You chuckle, and head into the bedroom to change into a new set of clothes. You put on a clean polo shirt, and a pair of jeans before heading into the living room. Archer was going through her archery equipment in her bag, and you figured that you should check yours as well. You walk over to your case, and unzipped the bag. You opened the bag, and inspected the bow. You had remembered to keep this bow in a good condition, because the first time you received a bow, you assumed that it was meant for playing large scale instruments, and proceeded to rosin the bowstring every time before you go for archery. You chuckled silently at the memory, and zipped up the bag, satisfied that nothing was out of order. You glance over your shoulder at Archer, who was glancing in turn at you. She giggled and picked her equipment bag up. “Let’s go!” She said. The two of you took the lift down and exited the main entrance of the hotel. Outside, the sun was bearing down on the city, but despite the weather, the city had its usual hustle and bustle of daily activities. Archer called a carriage over, and the driver looked bewildered at you. “What is he?” he asked. You frowned, “I’m from another country.” The driver shrugged, “Hop in.” The two of you got into the carriage and Archer notified the driver where to go. The driver nodded, and started trotting. The location was roughly a few kilometres from the hotel, but nothing a short walk or trot couldn’t handle. But still, you had no idea where to go, even with the map folded in your pocket. Archer hefted her bag up onto the carriage seat, and gazed at you. “It’s going to be a hot day today, judging by the weather.” She said. That might be true, but two of you wouldn’t know what weather would be scheduled today. “Hot days with a slight breeze are always the best days to train. Sweat up a storm and the wind cools it onto your skin. Really invigorating.” You said back. “Wet fur starts to stink after a while, so I don’t think we’ll be practicing for that long today. It rarely rains in Canterlot from what I’ve heard, but back in Ponyville, I used to play in the rain every time I get the chance to do so.” She grinned. Back on earth, you used to enjoy rain as well, the only thing that was safe from the rain was your mug of coffee which you covered the top with the palm of your hand as you enjoyed the rain against you. You missed the feeling, and the only rain that occurred since you arrived was when you were in hospital, still mending your wounds. You nodded. You turn your attention out the window, watching the city pass you by as the two of you made your way to the archery club. Soon, the city gave way to little cottages the further you got from the city. In the distance, you could see the Princess’ castle as you got further and further away. The cottages here reminded you of the english cottages that were by the countryside every time you drove to meet your cousins. They seemed cozy, and smoke was barreling out several of the chimneys. You knew that lighting a fire on a sunny day made no sense, but hey, you’ve only been here the best of a couple of weeks. The carriage pulled to a halt, and you turn your attention to a double story building right outside the carriage. The building wasn’t that big, it was roughly the size of two cottages stacked up on top of two cottages. It occupied just a small section of the vast field it was structured on. “Alright, we’re here.” The driver announced. The two of you got out of the carriage with your bags, Archer paid for the fare, and gave an extra bit as a tip. The driver nodded, smiled, and went on his way. You waved after him, to which he waved back, even though he wasn’t looking back. You turn to Archer, who was putting the bag onto her back. “You need help with that?” you offered. Archer nodded, and you took your bag off her. Her bag wasn’t that heavy compared to your case. Your equipment was heavier than hers anyway. The two of you strode into the lobby of the building, where a unicorn sat at a counter, archery equipment behind her. There were bows hanging from the walls via nails, quivers full of arrows on the floor and little drawers with finger tabs and forehoof guards. She smiled as the two of you approach the counter. “Welcome to the Golden Arrow! May I help you with anything? Before you could speak, Archer had spoke, “Why yes. We were wondering if we could use the the field for practice.” “Why of course! You didn’t really have to ask actually, the field is for public use anyway. I’m just here selling equipment for anypony who is interested in archery.” You nod and ask, “How many bits does a dozen carbon arrows cost?” “Four bits for a dozen, and six for two dozen.” You weren’t really sure how much a bit was in Equestria, but back on Earth, carbon arrows were a mighty bit expensive. You decline and thank the unicorn for her assistance. She nods and smiles as the two of you go through the double doors into the field. The intensity of the sunlight had decreased somewhat, making it slightly more comfortable for archery. There was a couple of ponies in the field, all firing at targets that were close to them. The targets on the field were arranged according to distance : two targets at thirty metres, one target at fifty metres, three targets at a hundred metres, four at a hundred and fifty metres, and two at two hundred metres. You smiled inwardly, knowing your rough estimation back at the hotel wasn’t more or less correct. It was dead accurate. Archer glanced over to you. “How far do you wanna try firing? The tournament’s furthest distance would be a hundred metres.” The other couple of ponies, a pegasus and an earth pony, were occupying the thirty metre targets, so you told Archer that a hundred metres would be good. She nodded, and the two of you got into your firing positions. You took your bow out of your case and put your finger tab and arm guard on. You took a deep breath, trying to make your heart rate go as slow as you can. You lift your bow up and aim at the target, a hundred metres down the field. You nock-ed your arrow and pulled back on the bowstring and shut your left eye. You take a deep breath and count to four before releasing the arrow. The arrow zipped out of your visual range, and the bowstring lashed at your arm guard. You hear a “thuck” sound as the arrow struck its target and you lower your bow. You glance over at Archer, who was standing on her rearhooves much like she always does when the both of you practice. She lets the bowstring go, and your eyes try to catch up with the speeding arrow. You hear another “thuck” as her arrow struck the target and she grinned at you. You smile back and go back to practice. Four arrows later, you were sweating. Sweat covered your forehead, and you could feel the sweat stain your polo shirt. Your jeans seemed to shrink with the sweat diffusing into the fabric. You suddenly realize that wearing jeans might not be the greatest idea when practicing. You flexed your neck, and fire another arrow. You dropped your bow too early, and the sound of a thuck was heard, albeit softer, signalling that it had hit the outer rings of the target. You wiped the sweat from your forehead with your sleeve. And took a deep breath. Five minutes had passed, but you were sweating up a storm. Archer fired her final arrow, and exhaled. You kept an arrow in your arrow holster which hung from your jeans. Archer’s quiver was void of any arrows, and she was sweating as much as you were. Her fur was slightly wet, along with her mane. The couple of ponies earlier had left the field, leaving the place all to yourselves. “Damn, I didn’t really expect it to be this hot today.” It was close to noon, and you just started with the practice. You decided to go and get the arrows by running. You ran, feeling the air crash against your face and feeling your sweat cool your skin. The sound of hooves crashing against the dirt behind you made you turn your head around. Archer was chasing you, the air disruption making her wet mane blow in all directions and sweat roll off her fur. She was grinning as she ran, and you ran faster. You reached the target first, and shouted “First!” and turned around. Immediately after turning Archer leapt onto you, knocking you into the ground and nibbled on your ear. You chuckled and rolled her off you. The two of you laughed as your heart rates started decreasing. You stood up and took your arrows, and she took hers as well. You continue your walk back to the firing line, your sweat still running as the mare next to you had sweat running as well. After half a minute of walking, you pick your bow up, and proceed to practice. A couple of hours later, your polo shirt was completely soaked and your pants were as tight as hell thanks to the sweat your thighs were pumping. You exhale as you fire your final arrow of the day, and set your bow down. Archer was breathing heavily, drinking from a bottle of water. You volunteer to collect the arrows, and Archer nods, before dumping the rest of the water all over her figure. You take off, albeit slower than just now. There was wind picking up, much to your delight. The wind was making you run slower, but you didn’t care. The wind was cooling, and the sun had shifted roughly forty-five degrees from its zenith. Signalling there was another forty-five degrees before it touches the horizon, which meant it was roughly three in the afternoon. You were hungry, and were sure that Archer was hungry as well, considering how she didn’t eat anything for breakfast. You quickly removed your arrows and Archer’s before turning and walking slowly back down the feel. You recall seeing a small cafe within the building on the ground floor close to the equipment stall. You quicken your pace as you see Archer packing up her equipment. You gave her her arrows, and kept your equipment in your case. You flex your neck, feeling the stiffness disappear with a ‘pop’. You turn around and speak to Archer, “Hey Archer, you hungry? You haven’t had anything since last night.” Archer put her bag on her back before turning and answering. “I’m famished!” You grinned. “If I’m not wrong there’s a cafe on the ground floor of the building. Wanna go give it a check?” Archer nodded vigorously and the two of you disembark. The air inside was much cooler compared to the outside. It wasn’t really air conditioner quality cool, but it was good enough to keep your sweat at a minimum. True to your memory, there really was a cafe near the equipment stall. You and Archer went to a table with two seats, and lay your equipments on them before going to the counter to order lunch. The cafe had cake, which brought back sweet memories of last night’s experience. You shook your head clear of those thoughts, and order some fettuccine with salmon and a slice of carrot cake. Archer requested a trout sandwich and a caesar salad. You ordered a jug of apple juice, and the two of you retreat to your table and sit down after moving your equipment case to the side of the table. The two of you were silent for a few minutes, the both of you being in your own thoughts as the first few minutes sailed by. The parallel trains of thought were derailed when your orders arrived. The two of you ate silently, once more continuing the trains of thoughts as if the trains had not derailed at all. The fettuccine was delicious, not that you ate it at often back on earth. You poured Archer a glass of apple juice before pouring yourself a glass. Archer gave a nod of thanks and proceeded to finish her sandwich before moving on to her salad. You finished up on your fettuccine and drank half a glass of apple juice. You were about to dig into the carrot cake when you suddenly had the urge to look up. Archer was gazing into your eyes with eyes that pleaded you to feed her the first bite. You continued looking into her eyes, and observed a blush surfacing on her face before giving in. You chuckle, and slice a piece off with the dessert fork provided. You held out the piece of cake to Archer, to which she grinned before biting into the cake. She chewed with her eyes closed, maintaining that adorable grin of hers as she chewed. You loved that adorable grin of hers, moreover when her eyes were closed. You cut off a piece of your cake, and chewed it. It tasted good. You cut a bit more and glance up at Archer, leaning across the table and bringing the dessert fork up as she laid her tongue out. You put the slice of cake carefully on her tongue, and she quickly closed her mouth and chewed on it. Before you knew it, Archer grabbed onto the collar of your polo shirt and pulled on it, forcing your head forward. She kissed you on the lips, and you kissed back, but her tongue sought entry which you allow. What she did surprised you, she slipped in the carrot cake she had quickly chewed on earlier and broke the kiss. The taste of her saliva mixed with the cake made it all the more delicious as you continued the chewing of the cake and swallowing it. Archer giggled, her face blushing profusely, and you could feel heat rising to your face. What she did was weird, but for some reason, you liked it. You turned your head to the counter and see that the pony who had served you your food was missing. You glanced back at Archer with a devilish grin, and cut a piece of cake for yourself. You chew your cake, and Archer leaned forward. You pushed your lips against hers, and kissed hard. She opened her mouth, and you transported the half-chewed cake into her mouth. She broke the kiss and continued chewing it, moaning as she tasted your saliva with the delicious cake. There was a bit of the cake left, and it had cream on top of it. You took an unused spoon and smeared the cream across the top of Archer’s muzzle. She pulled her head back an inch in surprise before you held the remaining piece of your cake out to her with the fork. She grinned and accepted it wholeheartedly. She chewed on it and tried the same technique she had done earlier, and you accept. Pulling away from the kiss, you lick the icing off her muzzle with your tongue before you continue the chewing of the cake. She blushed harder and giggled. The two of you blushed and nodded at each other. It was time to head back. You paid for your lunch and the two of you leave. You give a final wave to the unicorn at the equipment stall, and she waved back. Stepping out of the lobby once more into the warm air of the afternoon, you spot a carriage and wave at it. “Hey carriage!” The driver looked at you before shouting back, “Hey pedestrian!” WHAT. Archer guffawed at the driver’s joke and waved the driver over. You notice that it’s the same driver that had sent the both of you over to this club in the first place. The driver was still chuckling at his own joke. You gave him a poke in his side, and he yelped. “Nice joke you did back there.” You smiled. He smiled back warmly, “Hey, I was bored. At least I had something to say and entertain myself. Anyway, you need a ride back to your hotel?” The both of you nodded. “Well then get in. You two sure stink though.” He chuckled. The two of you hustled into the carriage, setting the equipment bags on the floor this time. You finally find out what the driver meant about the two of you stinking. Both you and Archer were reeking with sweat. You weren’t sure why, but the smell of Archer’s sweat turns you on. You try to compose yourself by breathing slowly. The slower your breathing, the slower your blood circulation. You weren’t sure about Archer though. You glance over to see Archer looking out the window, blushing as she watched the cottages pass by. A few minutes into the ride back, the cottages turn into shops, offices and hotels as the carriage enters Canterlot, and the Princess’ castle looms into view. The city goes by in a blur. There were ponies trotting all over the place, save for the occasional carriage that would go in the opposite direction of your carriage. Fruit stalls, antique shops and tiny roadside stalls that sold food started frequenting as you traveled further. You were wondering why you hadn’t seen those when you left this morning. Probably a different route. The carriage stops outside your hotel, and Archer leaves first. Before she took her equipment bag, you grabbed it for her and she pouted at you. You merely grinned, and took your equipment case as well as you descend the carriage. You pay the driver, and tip him with a bit and he smiled and went on his way. You liked the driver, a very cheerful sort of pony, kind of like Archer. The two of you enter the lobby and make your way to the elevator. During the trip up, you covered your front with her equipment bag and your equipment case as your pants tighten. Her scent was overwhelming, and you felt heat rise to your face. You shifted nervously in your position as the elevator finally reaches your floor. The two of you step out of the elevator, head down the hall, and enter your room. You set the cases down on the floor, and you plop down on the sofa. You took a deep breath, and exhaled, feeling your boner recede. You took off your sweaty polo shirt and laid it down on the sofa. You stank of perspiration and a small trace of the carrot cake earlier. You contemplated taking a shower, but Archer had a towel draped over her sweaty form. She approached you and gaze you a nuzzle at the neck, eliciting a giggle from you. Her sweaty scent back, your boner once more gained strength, and you could feel your pants tighten. Archer nuzzled your neck further, and you could feel the heat radiating off her blushing face as she spoke. “Have I told you how wonderful you smell when you’re sweating?” She licked at your neck. You turned your head, disrupting her mid-lick and pushed your lips against hers. At first she was surprised, not processing the situation as fast as you were taking it, but then she loosened up a bit, and kissed you back. The wonderful taste of her saliva in your mouth as the two of you exchanged tongues was glorious. You could still taste a bit of lunch on her tongue, and you were sure she could taste your lunch judging by the greediness of her tongue sweeping the whole inside of your mouth. She broke away, grinning. “You know, the both of us do stink, not that I’m complaining..” You nodded and were about to give her another kiss when she held up a hoof. “I’m going to take a shower first.” She winked. “Care to join me?” You didn’t need to be asked twice. You nodded, and proceeded to take your jeans off. Archer giggled and galloped away into the bathroom. “Leave your boxers on!” She shouted before turning the shower on. You didn’t know why she would request such a thing, but you decide to play along with it. You walked quickly over to the bathroom, feeling your erection strain against your boxers with every single step you took. The sound of water splashing onto the floor masked the sound of your footsteps, but you knew Archer could see your shadow through the shower curtain, because you could see her shadow through the shower curtain. She giggled as you approached. You put your face to the shower curtain. “Knock knock.” You whisper playfully. A pair of hooves crashed through the shower curtains onto your shoulders, and a wet face appeared before it kissed you. You kissed back for about a second before you were pulled in by the blue earth pony. You struggle to your feet as Archer closed the bathroom door and leapt back into the shower. She nuzzled the front of your boxers, playfully running her muzzle around your raging erection as water impacted the both of you. She breathed in the scent of your sweaty boxers as you moaned. The feeling of her muzzle against your hard-on was pure torture as it sought escape from its cloth prison. The smell of Archer’s sweat was much stronger in the shower, much to your delight. If your boner hadn’t extended all the way before this, it certainly has now. You wanted to take in her scent, but you didn’t want to interrupt her nuzzling. You had a thought. “Hey Archer, let me lie on the floor for a while.” Archer glanced up at you with a confused look, but she nodded. You lay down on the floor, and a look of realization came across her face as she finally understood your intentions. She lay down on you, her pussy to your face as she leaned forward and continued nuzzling your penis. The scent of Archer’s wet marehood in front of your face was driving you crazy, and adding to the fact that she still reeked of her wonderful sweat, you couldn’t contain yourself as you ran your tongue against her slit. She gasped in delight, “Hey! That’s not fair! I didn’t start yet!” Right after she exclaimed that, she pulled your boxers up, moving herself across your body just to make sure it got over your boner. The storm of water crashing against the both of you made the diffusion of both of your scents into the air all the more easier, and soon, the shower started smelling like an arousing mix of both of your sweats. She ran her tongue from the bottom of your shaft all the way up to the head, making you shiver in delight. “Oh it is on!” You said. You took in a deep breath of her sweat and marehood as she continued caressing your hard-on with that wonderful tongue of hers. You exhale, and let your tongue venture into the once-unknown. You ran your tongue around the sides of her wet slit, making Archer moan in between her licks. She decides to retaliate by sucking on the head of your penis. The heat of her mouth and the stimulation her tongue is giving your boner was a good counter attack, but you decided to fight back. You lick at her clit a couple of times, making her tremble with pleasure as she sucked on the tip of your throbbing manhood. Her tongue was swirling around your penis as she took half of it into her mouth and easing it out before slipping it in again. You moaned and slipped your tongue into her pussy, making her tremble further. You decide to do her further justice and slip a finger into her anus. She gasped in surprise and took your whole penis into her mouth, all the way to the base. She arched her hips into your face, making your tongue and finger go all the more deeper into her sensitive parts as you trembled further in ecstasy as she sucked harder. You were quite certain pre-cum was already leaking like a faulty tap into her mouth as she moaned and sucked it all up. She ran her tongue across your penis hole, licking up as much pre-cum as was coming out. Your throbbing escalated, and you could feel Archers walls start to contract around your tongue. You were close to your climax, and you were certain she was as well. She brought her head up and down your penis as gently but as quickly as she could, coiling her tongue around your penis every time she did so. You were really close, but you weren’t going to give in yet. You slip a second finger into her anus as your tongue crashed all around the inside of her marehood walls. She yelped in delight, inadvertently ending the war by running her tongue along shaft of your throbbing penis like a lollipop, making you ejaculate. But at the same time, her walls shoved your tongue out as a tsunami of her orgasmic juices splashed down all over your open mouth. You came hard, the first few streaks of cum splattering across her face before she took your penis in her mouth again. The heat radiating from her mouth made you cum harder, firing your sperm on the roof of her mouth and near the end of her tongue. The last few shots were lapped up as she licked up your penis. You proceeded to clean her pussy with your tongue. She moaned again, prompting your limp penis to harden a bit. The smell of her orgasm and her sweat further aroused you, making your penis rock hard again, which you thought was impossible considering how much you dumped into her mouth. She turned around, eyes half-lidded as her tongue hung out, sperm and saliva mixing and dripping down onto your chest as the rain of water raged on. She retracted her tongue and swallowed. “Mm...that’s some good cum you had there.” she hummed in approval. She got off you and leaned into your ear and whispered, “That was rather cheeky what you did with your fingers earlier. Can you do more than just fingering?” She ended with a giggle. You get up and wipe the cum Archer dripped onto your chest off. Archer stood on all fours, her hindhooves spread, but her wet tail was blocking her asshole and pussy. You ran your fingers across her flanks, dancing them across her cutie mark. She giggled, but still wouldn’t let up. Her wet tail across her pussy and asshole, you ran the tip of your penis near the parts around her sensitive areas. She moaned at the feeling, so close to penetration, but yet so far. You move the tip up and down, tickling her, smiling as her tail slowly raised itself into the air. Both of your hands grip either sides of her flank, and she gasped, tail immediately lifted from her sensitive spots. She giggled and wiggled her tail around, as if inviting you to do what you already knew you had to do. You prod the tip of your penis at her asshole, hearing a muffled moan come from Archer. You prod harder, feeling less resistance. You decide that teasing probably isn’t the best idea at the moment. You thrust your penis forward, burying half the length of your penis into her anus as she let out a yelp of surprise. “Hooohhhhh man, that was good.” She moaned. You weren’t sure whether Archer would stick with anal from now on, but that should be decided later. You withdraw, hearing her moan before thrusting it back into her. You heard a mixture of a giggle and a moan, like she was enjoying it more than yesterday. You grinned inwardly. The walls of her anus were much tighter than her pussy’s, but you felt that the pussy seemed like a better place to stick your dick into. Nevertheless, you continued carrying out Archer’s request. You brought your penis back out before slamming it back into her. Her moans slowly becoming squeals that were masked by the sound of the water dancing and crashing all over the shower stall. It was a tad bit harder to thrust considering how tight her ass was, but nevertheless you were thrusting hard. Archer lowered her front half onto the floor, leaving only her hind quarters raised for you to do your deed. The slamming continued, each thrust filling the both of you with euphoria. The tight walls massage the entire shaft of your penis with every entry and exit your boner made. The smell of sweat still hung in the air, the scent still driving you crazy. The musky smell of her sweat made every single thrust all the more worth it as she squealed in delight. Every time you thrust all the way, your balls would slap against her pussy, making her squeals all the more louder as she experienced two pleasures at once. You weren’t complaining, anal made you feel good. Your pre-cum was pouring as you pounded, providing all the necessary lubrication as you pummeled her asshole senseless. She was gasping now, feeling your throbbing penis crash around the insides of her anus. You decided that she needed more, and slip your index and middle finger into her pussy. Her head snapped back up as her gasp was sharper this time before you pulled your fingers back out again. She lowered herself onto the floor again as your fingers and your penis continued thrusting. Her pussy was extremely wet, making the penetration of your fingers all the more easier as the resistance was near zero. You felt yourself getting closer to the edge, and thrust your fingers and raging erection faster. Her gasps were uneven, as if she was unsure as to moan at the fingering or the fucking of her anus. You thrust your final and feel yourself explode inside her as you cum inside her. Her gasps become moans of ecstasy as the heat from your cum washes against the inner walls of her asshole. You continue your fingering as you cum, feeling your sperm quickly fill her asshole up. You felt it wash over your penis, and you pull out, firing, hopefully not the last, of your seed across her ass and her pussy. You were spent. You lay your back against the shower stall wall, right under the shower head and let the warm water wash away your semen. You were panting, and so was she. She was shuddering as your seed leaked out of her anus and traveled down her inner thigh. “T-That was great!” Archer stammered between pants. She licked your face, and you give her a short kiss. Her sweaty scent was slowly dissipating, but yours must still be lingering, because Archer’s face was blushing heavily, and the licks on your face were becoming more and more frequent by the moment. You didn’t want to continue any further fucking, but your penis didn’t seem to agree as Archer pushed her lips against yours, laying down on you as she did. She rubbed her crotch on your pelvis as the kiss deepened. Your dead boner slowly came back to life as her kisses became a bit more violent. The water was hammering away at the both of you, mostly on Archer. You thought she looked beautiful with her mane wet and matted across her face. Of course, as the kiss deepened, you just closed your eyes and enjoyed yourself as she rubbed herself. You could feel something warm, which no doubt her wet pussy mixed with your shot seed earlier. She broke the kiss, a thin thread of saliva still connecting your tongues. The thread was destroyed as she leaned in and whispered, “I hope you still have enough for one last go.” She giggled. “You didn’t finish with your fingers earlier, but you probably know what else I want inside me.” The heat of her blush was maddening, probably stronger than the heat from the shower. You turn, and whisper back, “You really are a horny mare, aren’t you Archer?” and lick her ear. She shuddered, and gave an mhmm of agreement. With your penis resurrected, Archer raised her hindquarters off your pelvis, and positioned it right above your erection. She looked at you, eyes half-lidded and giggling, before she lowered herself slowly onto your penis. You felt like taking back what you said about anal. Anal felt good, but vaginal penetration felt better. Her hot, swollen walls rub against your shaft as she slid your erection all the way in. The both of you let out audible moans as she continued. She brought her pussy back up, once more massaging your shaft with her soft, velvety walls before dropping back down onto it, impaling herself with your ‘spear’. She continues the process, slowly increasing in both speed and ferocity as her ascents and descents got harder and harder. You were in pure bliss, but the expression on your face didn’t show as much as it did on Archer’s, as her tongue was hanging out, her face blushing like mad as she fucked you. She lay down on you, but continued to skewer herself as you lean in and kiss her, which probably wasn’t the right thing to do at the moment. The kiss was as hard as she was slamming her pussy down on your dick, which, in a way, hurts, but somehow you enjoyed it . Her walls start to clench around your throbbing manhood as she rapidly increased her skewering pace. The kiss was broken as you try to let Archer finish up, but somehow she was still going a bit too slow. You decide to help her out. You grab her on both flanks mid-penetration, surprising her. Before she could ask, you brought her up and slammed her down. She moaned as you quickly brought her up before slamming her down again. The rush of pleasure was evident for the both of you as your moans became one under the pouring water of the shower. You had forgotten that the water was still running. The familiar pressure coming from your penis came back as a sign that this will soon be over. Archer let out a loud squeal as she orgasmed, her orgasmic juices exploded around your penis as you continued the thrusting. The new hot liquid made your erection throb harder as you decided to end it right there and then. You increase your pace, Archer moaning and gasping as you continued thrusting. Your peak arrived, and you came, firing your sticky load inside her pussy as Archer was recuperating from her orgasm. She moaned breathlessly as her tongue was on your chest, the heat of your seed heating up the inside of her pussy with every single shot you fired. With your magazine empty, your ‘gun’ went limp, you sighed as the ecstasy from the orgasm that started fading. You could feel your seed seeping out of Archer’s pussy as she continued gasping for air. Soon enough, she got off you and proceeded cleaning herself up. You promptly get up and clean yourself off too. “Hey,” Archer began. “That was awesome.” She grinned her adorable grin. You smiled, “No, you’re awesome.” She blushed and fired back playfully, “No, the both of us are awesome.” You chuckle and ruffled her mane. “Say, would you mind helping me with the soap and shampoo? I’m kinda tired out from the fun just now.” She smiled cheekily. You complied, and lathered up some shampoo onto her fur. She looked cute blushing through a sea of bubbles all over her. You chuckled at her as she moaned, albeit like a purr from a cat. A moan of content, rather than a moan of arousal. She decided to play a trick, and shook her fur, pelting you and the walls with shampoo. You laugh it off, wiping off the splatter of shampoo off yourself. You wash her fur, moving it around as the shower rained down on the both of you. She looked up at you, her wet mane matting against her face as you gaze into her beautiful eyes. She grinned and stood on her rearhooves, reaching her forehooves over your shoulder as she leaned in to kiss you. You kiss her back, and already you could feel her tongue pushing against your lips. You part your lips, and feel her tongue back. You let her take over your mouth from that moment on until the end of the kiss. When she ended he kiss, she grinned at you and said, “Thanks.” before licking you on the cheek. You smile back and nod. The smell of sweat has all but dissipated, making the musky scent all but just a memory of the events that just happened. You turn off the shower and step out, wiping yourself dry first. Halfway through, Archer nuzzled you in the thigh. You stop and look down at her smiling face. You descended your towel upon her. First wiping her mane dry, and double checking to see that it was really dry. Then, you move onto her coat. Though the smell of sweat was gone, there was no denying that there still remained a trace of sweat still let out. You dug your head into her coat, feeling her giggle as you do so before continuing the wipe down with the towel. You ran your towel down her hooves, feeling her giggle under the touch of the fluffy fabric. Then it was time for the tail. You raised her tail, and she playfully tried to swing it around as you wiped it. As you wipe it dry, you notice there is still sperm leaking from both of her love spots, but decide not to say anything. You’ve had enough sex for the time being. “Hey Archer.” “Hm...?” “Mind if I clean up back here? Still got what I left behind.” Archer turned her head, blushing furiously but said nothing for the first few seconds, as if contemplating the decision. A moment later, she nods, and says, “Be gentle.” and giggles. You nod back, and ran a wet part of the towel around her asshole, cleaning it of any white pock marks. You could feel her tremble a bit, but she says nothing. Next, you wipe up the trail of sperm still trailing out of her pussy. You dab at it, but then a bit more leaks out. You wipe it along her tiny little slit, inadvertently making her moan in the process. Having wiped her dry, you stood up, and continued wiping yourself off with the same towel, careful not to get the cum anywhere on you. You and Archer exit the bathroom together, and you go and get some new clothes, leaving the towel on the bed. You put a T-shirt and pair of shorts on. You were tired, from today’s practice as well as fucking in the shower. “Hey Archer, I’m going to go take a nap, if you don’t mind.” You informed her. She nods and says, “Go ahead.” She hopped into bed, pulling the towel earlier with her mouth and lay down next to you, covering her back with the towel. She looked adorable, and you give her a quick peck on the cheek. She blushed and playfully swatted at your face. You laughed as her hoof smacked your face. You sigh, and proceed to go to sleep. As your eyes close, you feel Archer nuzzle into your side before falling asleep. You smiled, feeling the warmth of the magnificent creature next to you, and the warmth from the sun as the rays came through your sliding door. The sun was sinking into the horizon, and you fell asleep knowing that it was another day well spent. You woke up roughly three hours later, in the midst of the moon’s slow ascent into the starry night sky. You straighten your back, and yawned. You glance to your side, and chuckle at the sight. Archer was sprawled across the bed, with the towel wrapping her midsection, making her look like one huge blue sushi. You leaned and ran your hand through her mane, feeling the softness run through your fingers. You had remembered seeing another pony like her in Ponyville, but her coat had a different colour, and so did her mane and tail. If you recalled properly, you could swear that that pony was a pegasus that went by the name of Scootaloo. You had seen her riding around on her scooter several times around Ponyville. You sigh, going back to sleep. The sleep was rather uneventful, and by that you mean you cannot recall any of the dreams that surfaced in your sleep. This rarely happened since your arrival in Equestria. You woke up a couple of hours later, and arch your back in a stretch that would rival a cat’s. You yawn, and glance over to Archer. The blue sushi had unwrapped herself, and was now missing from bed. You stretch a little more before getting up. It was close to midnight, and you were hungry. You doubted that Archer wasn’t hungry, and decide to look for her around the room. The bedroom was void of the blue earth pony, save for some fur left from the previous activity. You head into the living room, and find Archer checking on her arrows. She glanced up at the sound of you approaching and smiled at you before checking her arrows again. “The arrows have started bending. I’m going to need a few new ones before the tournament.” She said. “There were quite a few good arrows I saw at the equipment stall yesterday. Why not we stop by later?” She shrugged. “Since we’re going to practice again today, we might as well then.” You strode over to your equipment case and open it up. You take out all the arrows and inspected them. Your arrows were starting to bend a little, but you know that any curvature, even the slightest, would be enough to change the course of the tournament. You decided to have yours replaced as well. You put the arrows back into your case and zip it up. You wondered if the Golden Arrow was open at this hour. Your fingers were just itching to fire a few arrows. You walked over and sat on the kitchen table stool and took an apple from the fruit basket. You note that the fruits were slowly decreasing, and add ‘buy some fruits’ to your mental checklist of things to do. The fruits were refreshing, and you wanted to be sure that you stay fresh throughout the tournament the next day. Archer tapped you on the shoulder. You turned and glanced at her. “Hey, are you hungry?” You nodded, still chewing on apple. “How about dinner in town? I heard the restaurants here open until really late before closing, and the food is absolutely delightful!” She grinned. You shrug, and finish off the apple before throwing it into the waste bin. “Alright then. But let me change clothes first. I’ll be with you in a minute.” Archer nodded and went into the living room. You wipe your hands, sticky from the sweet apple earlier, on your shorts and quickly make your way over to the bedroom. You changed into a pair of cargo pants and a polo shirt, leaving the t-shirt and shorts on the bed. You flex your neck for a short moment, glancing out the sliding door onto the nightlife of the city. You step out into the living room and see Archer waiting by the door. She nods, and leaves through the door. You pick up the key she left on top of a drawer cabinet near the door, and exit the room, shutting the door behind you. Archer grinned at you when you met her in the hallway, and the two of you made your way over to the elevator. The elevator ride down was a quiet one, the two of you engrossed in your own thoughts as the elevator descended. The doors opened, and had Archer not called out to you and snapped you out of your reverie, the doors would have closed. You grinned sheepishly and apologize. Archer merely shrugs and states, “It’s okay.” The two of you strode out the lobby doors and breathe in the air of the night. You weren’t surprised that the air seemed cooler and purer at night. You both take a slow walk into town, small talking as Princess Luna’s moon and the night keep you company. The night was very much different compared to day, with most of the ponies being party goers that fancied several nightclubs across Canterlot. You take a glimpse into one nightclub as you walk past it and see a white unicorn with an electric blue-mane standing at a turntable, headbanging to whatever it was she was playing. You return your attention to your walk with Archer as the nightclubs fade away behind you, and the buildings started reducing. “Hey Archer, where are we headed anyway?” You ask. “The place we’re going to is located on a cliff nearing the end of town. They have a lovely view of the night from there!” She exclaimed with a grin. You nod at her, and continue the walk. The night air got more cooler as the two of you got closer to the end of the town. There was another nightclub looming up on your right, but Archer walked past it. You follow close behind, breathing in the air as Archer led the way. Soon there was a crossroads, with a few more buildings ahead and to the right. Archer turned left, and you follow after her. The two of you start small talking again as you walk. The buildings were starting to decrease as the two of you approach a sign with the words ‘Restaurant of the Night’. “We’re here.” Archer said. The building roughly a few hundred feet away was an open air restaurant, with yellow lights lining the roof and a deck over the edge of the cliff for ponies to view the city. The restaurant had roughly a dozen ponies seated, which was surprising considering what time it was. Archer walked in and once again you follow behind her. Not many of the ponies paid you any heed as the two of you made your way across the restaurant and onto the deck. There was a table for two with a candlestick and a couple of wine glasses, and the both of you sit down. The chairs were comfortable, the cushion against your back making you relax a bit. A waiter came by and set two menus down on the table and said he would talk your orders shortly. You nod, and he goes on his way. The two of you shrug and separately pick up the menus. You found it hard to concentrate on the menu as the view of the city was tempting. You never had a chance to see a city from this vantage point before. Being a pilot, you could only see the bright lights of a city below you, but somehow, all the cities you had seen before this cannot compare to the view now. Your mind goes back to the dinner with Archer on the train to Canterlot two nights back. She had said she was distracted often by archers in her field. You glance over the top of your menu and find her looking over the city, just like how you did moments before. You chuckle, and she looks over. “What?” She asked, arching an eyebrow. “Oh it’s nothing. I just remembered that you tend to look outside your window whenever there were archers in the field while you study. Now there’s a city, and you still get distracted while you study the menu!” She blushed, “Hey, the city looks awesome! It’s hard not to get distracted!” You chuckle again, and return to your view of the town. It really was a spectacle. Lights were still lights, that was the only similarities between this view and a view from your plane. The only difference is that you could actually see the life in the lights from this view. Ponies around town, although much less than in the morning, were enjoying Princess Luna’s night with some stargazing while the rest were partying the night away. The stars over the skies of Canterlot were beautiful as well, with several constellations sticking out like a sore thumb. . You decide to test Archer. Seeing distracted she was at the moment, there was no guarantee that when she’s studying at night, she wouldn’t look out the window and admire the stars. “Hey Archer, do you often watch the stars while you study at night?” You ask, just to make sure. After all, assumptions will remain assumptions. She lowered her menu, even though she was looking in another direction. “Not that I’ve noticed, but I guess so. I’ve been scolded by my mother for drawing stars in my books whenever I try out exercises.” She mumbled something inaudible, but you could assume what she said. You chuckle. “Why do you ask anyway?” You shrug, and say “Just wondering if you admire the night. It really is something wonderful to watch at night, don’t you think?” Archer nodded with a smile on her face. She pointed at The Southern Cross amidst the clouds. “If I’m not wrong, an arrangement of stars that form something is called a constellation.” You nod, “Yes, they’re called constellations. Pilots have to learn a bit on constellations just in case anything happens. Occasionally, the compass would go haywire and we’d have to rely on constellations for directions should anything else fail.” You shrug. “Hasn’t happened yet, but who’s to say it won’t happen?” Archer said nothing, and turned back to her menu. “Feel like having just a salad. Unless you want cake…” She lowered her menu, and winked at you. You fought back a smile. You didn’t want any action tonight; you’d want to train to your fullest tomorrow. Whatever she’s planning could come after the tournament, when everything is settled. You plan on living the rest of your days with Archer, but you weren’t really sure of the future. You shake the thoughts out of your head, and merely chuckled at Archer. “We’ll have time for cake after the tournament. We have about...” you stuck your tongue out as you mentally calculate. “We got the letter from the tournament officials roughly 24 hours ago. The best we can assume that is the tournament starts tomorrow, considering how another 24 hours would be close to morning, like right now.” You summarize. Archer shrugged, folding the menu as she said, “Last 24 hours for practice? That’s rather unorthodox, don’t you think?” “No, no. I don’t mean it like that. I mean, at least we should a bit longer than we did yesterday, don’t you think? It’s like last minute studying before an exam.” You smile. Archer’s face lit up, “Hey! I know that feeling very well! When I procrastinate on studying, normally it’s until the last day before I start studying at a double pace!” She grinned. You chuckle, and fold your menu before setting it on the side of table. “We’ve all had a sense of procrastination before. It’s nothing unusual. It just matters how quickly you recover from procrastination I guess.” The waiter who gave the menus earlier came back, and proceeded to take our orders. The both of you order Caesar salads, you requesting a little more salmon on yours, and a bottle of apple cider. The waiter nodded, took the menus, and left. Cider wouldn’t be the best beverage to order now, but it was what you felt like having at the time, and you were sure Archer didn’t mind either. You turn your attention to Archer, who was looking out into the city of Canterlot. Guess she really does get distracted easily. You shrugged, and looked out into the city as well. Your shoulder hurts a bit, which was rather unusual, but soon the pain was numbed out by the night air. You breathe in, hopefully not too obviously, and exhale. The air chilled your lungs, and you felt good. You loved the night air mainly for the feeling of chilled lungs, but you rarely did get to enjoy the night air as a pilot. Going to different countries resulting in you taking in different states of night air. Somehow, the night air of Stuttgart, Germany, or Kuching, Sarawak, can’t really compare with Equestrian night air. The air was, in a way, like a bottle of chilled wine. The feeling of the chilled air creeping into every single centimetre of your lungs made you shudder with delight. You find yourself unknowingly smiling. A sudden feeling of loss washes over you as the effects of leaving the human world finally bears down on your shoulders. You shake the thought out of your head, knowing that the feeling will come back very soon. “Hey, what’s wrong?” You looked over at Archer, who had a worried face. Despite her adorable eyes, you didn’t like others worrying over you. You felt that others weren’t really worth knowing the trouble you were going through. It made you feel selfish at times, but the feeling passes really quick. “It’s nothing.” you lie, smiling. “I just had the thought of missing the night air here once we leave Canterlot.” You sigh and glance up, hoping to see that she had believed your lie. She merely shrugged and turned towards the starry sky. You decide to go back to the topic of constellations. “Do you know a bit on constellations, Archer?” Archer merely shrugged. “I have a book about stars in my bookshelf that I rarely ever open. I don’t really think ponies study the stars that much nowadays.” “Even if they did, it’s probably out of curiosity?” Archer nodded. “Not many ponies apply stars into whatever job they take, so it really is, in a way, redundant, if one were to take it. I would say studying the stars would be a hobby unless required in the field of work one were going to take.” She sighed. “If you didn’t need to learn about constellations and stars for work, would you still do so?” You think over it. The night was beautiful, regardless of whether or not the stars came out. Different cities all over the world had the same problem. Stars cannot be seen because of the light pollution coming from the city. In a place like Equestria, however, the lights aren’t even close to disrupting the view of the stars at night. The night here was certainly more beautiful compared to the night back on Earth. You snap back to Archer’s question. “As a hobby, of course. In fact, I do read a bit on constellations and stars whenever I have the time.” Archer shrugged, before smiling and asking, “Do you get distracted at work by the view outside your window? You’ve probably seen better sights from your seat than anypony else here from flying, teleportation or just walking.” You didn’t know whether or not you should nod, or shake your head. You did get a good, distracting view of cities from the cockpit window, but you always hesitate to do so. Leaning over to look out the window for your own pleasure could accidentally set something off. More often than not, your co-pilot would accidentally pull a lever down whenever he gets a look out the window himself. “I don’t get distracted that often at work. I could, but for the safety of others, I’d rather keep my distractions at the minimum.” You shrug. “I do, however, get a lot of good views from my seat. Even so, I’d rather be out and about in those views instead of just being a spectator. It just makes me feel more alive that way.” Archer chuckled. “More alive you say? That must be a great thing to feel, getting out of your chair to enjoy the life of many different cities. I would travel if I could, but I’m forbidden to travel without reason. One of the reasons is competitions, or tournaments and stuff like that.” She frowned, “It’s not just my mother restricting my access to Equestria. Most of the residents in Ponyville miss ponies who leave Ponyville, with or without reason. I don’t really like being missed that much.” You tilt your head. “And why is that?” Archer sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not that being missed is a bad thing or anything. It’s just that, the guilt one feels when leaving...” You nod. You often had the feeling as well. Waving goodbye to most of your friends as you fly off into another foreign land. “But it’s a bit distressing when everypony misses you. Makes tournaments and competitions all the more challenging. It’s like a driving force, pushing me to my limits just to make sure the missing isn’t in vain.” You nod again. “So isn’t being missed actually making you better at this?” Archer shrugged. “I don’t know actually. Progress is progress, yes, but there should be other ways to gain some progress, right?” She grinned. You could tell from that grin of hers that the progress she meant was probably from you, but you didn’t want to say anything. You chuckled. Just then the food arrived at the table. You thank the waiter, and he nods, smiling before leaving. You stab a fork into the crisp lettuce, eliciting a crunch as you bring it back up and bit on it. The salad tasted better than the one on the train yesterday. There was a healthy portion of salmon with your salad, along with some shreds of carrot, other colours of lettuce, croutons and cheese. You jabbed at a piece of salmon, making a squish sounds as the fork stabbed into the salmon. Archer, on the other hoof, was chewing away at a piece of salmon as you chewed on your own. She poured herself some cider before pouring some for you. She grins, and you thank her. She nods, and the two of you continue your meal. There would be occasional small talk between the two of you, just like the dinner on the train. Archer left a quarter of her salad left on her plate, while you finished yours. The apple cider was sweet, and you drained the glass. Archer had drained hers prior to you draining yours. Your mind backtracks to the conversation about constellations. “Say, Archer, how much do you know about constellations?” you ask. Archer rested her head on her forehooves as she thought. “Not really that much. Just a basic few things. Names of stars or constellations, the history behind most of the constellations and the brightest among many of the stars.” “Names of stars and constellations, now? Name a few.” You grin. As soon as that challenge left your mouth, Archer was firing away at you with her answers. “Pegasus, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Scorpio, Aquila, Canes Venatici and Microscopium. The last two I’m not really sure of, but the rest I know are real.” You wanted to clap, but didn’t want to draw attention to the both of you. You simply nodded. “Tell me, what star is the brightest in Equestria?” “That, I’m not sure. It could either be Rigel or Sirius. I’m never sure if it’s the former or the latter.” She shrugged. You were surprised and impressed at the same time. Most of the stars and constellations, if what Archer was saying was right, are identical to those on Earth. You wonder for a brief moment if Equestria might be a piece of dark matter in the universe. You hold back a chuckle. “The same stars and constellations actually exist from where I came from. I’m actually a bit surprised about that.” You shrug. Archer giggled. “Well, not everything is different between the two of us now isn’t it?” She grinned. “Well I guess not...” You pour yourself another glass of cider, and leaned across the table to pour for her. She nodded, and you sat back down. Archer yawned. “Still a bit tired from earlier. Since we’ll be training our last in the next 24 hours, I guess it’s best not to train sleepy.” she said. The two of you clink glasses together and say at the same time, “For the tournament.” before downing the sweet beverage. The waiter came by with the bill, which you paid for, and he nodded and patted you on the back. You chuckle and nod, before leaving with Archer. The trip back was rather silent, but it was still good to have the presence of each other with every step you take. Author's Note : Late and long update is late and long. Forgive me, school and sleep have not been agreeing with *gets whacked by newspaper* GOD DANGIT SLEEP LEAVE ME BEEEEEEEE. *Cough* Last Chapter should be up soon. Expect it to be more or less this long, if not longer. Cheers!