> Lake Flaccid
>  by ScarletRibbon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1 - Worthless
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In some cities, wearing clothes of any kind would make a pony stand out like a sore thumb, but Sweetie Belle would always stand out even while unclothed—her status as one of the biggest pop idols in Equestria made sure of that.

Of course, such a lifestyle mandated that she try and disguise herself in public if she wanted any kind of privacy, and right now, she wanted every kind of privacy. She stood up slowly from the bench, carefully levitating her saddlebags to rest over the flowing, blue, fetlock-length dress that hid her cutie mark and tail from observers. On her legs were long socks, while her mane was drawn into a bun instead of her usual curls, masked under a hooded shawl and dark sunglasses, just in case.

She boarded the train without incident and found a mostly-empty train car, where she picked a bench at the back slumped against the window. Nopony bothered her as the train began to lurch forward and she peered out at the clouds below the mountain. Memories flitted through her mind as she slowly and silently cried herself to sleep.

Jolted awake as the train came to a stop, she gathered her things, and stepped off the train onto a lamp-lit platform. After dozing on the train, inhaling the crisp, clean—but frigid—early morning autumn air helped to shock her awake. She looked up at the station clock—4:15 AM. She'd managed eight hours of restless sleep, but it was enough that she was functional.

As she left the train station, her eyes, red and puffy from the tears, drifted briefly in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, fleeting memories of the times she played with the other Crusaders at the old clubhouse flashing in her mind. She could barely make out the lights of the old farmhouse, before turning toward her real destination: Home.

She had planned to come home to Ponyville that day anyway, though on a much later train. Originally, her intent was to drop in unannounced to share big news with her family. It had been a couple of years since she'd come home for anything other than a holiday visit, so her parents would never expect it.

Sweetie Belle wiped away more tears as she started walking toward her childhood home. Life had been so much simpler back then. All she cared about was finding her cutie mark, and helping others find theirs, too. And the only big news that mattered was when she and her friends had all earned matching cutie marks, but now, what had once been an exciting trip home to share her joy with her parents became a trip home to get away from everything and hide in misery from the rest of the world.

Fortunately, few ponies were out and about before the sun came up. Only three ponies even passed her as she walked, and if anypony recognized her, they were content to leave her be. She made it to her old home without incident, and raised a hoof to knock on the door. Before she could, she was interrupted by a shout from the side of the house.

No matter what she wore, her parents always saw through it. "Oh, my little girl!" Hondo Flanks cried. He trotted up to her, pulling an empty cart behind him, and pulled her into a crushing hug.

Sweetie smiled wanly under the crushing pressure of her father's enthusiasm. "Hi, dad…" she said weakly. "I'm home."

Her dad threw open the front door with his magic, shouting right next to Sweetie's ear. "Cookie! Sweetie's here!"

Sweetie's smile faded as she cringed at his loudness. She loved her family, but sometimes it was easy to forget how inconsiderate they could be.

"Oh, how lovely to see you!" her mother's nasally voice called out as she quickly closed the distance from the kitchen. " I was just making some breakfast! Are you hungry?"

"Yes, mom. I'd like that," Sweetie agreed. "Uh... dad?"

"Oh, uh... right." Her father released her and then unhitched himself from the cart. He stepped inside and looked about the living room. Sweetie Belle followed him inside and immediately realized why he was looking about. On the sofa was a large tackle box and three fishing poles were laying across the love seat. In another chair, a duffle bag was bulging out from the stuff packed inside of it.

"Oh, no!" Cookie said, with seemingly mock sarcasm. "Looks like you're going to have to cancel your trip!"

Hondo sighed deeply, levitating the duffle bag off the chair. "Yes, dear."

Her unannounced trip was now inconveniencing her parents. She'd already felt bad, but this was only making things worse. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Sweetie," her mom gently admonished her, turning back toward the kitchen. "Your father loves you and you're far more important than a little fishing trip in the mountains."

There was a bit of bite to her mother's words—her dad was definitely in trouble with her mom for something. But the expression on her father's face led her to believe something was remaining unsaid. "Dad?"

"N-no. Your mother's right," he replied, sounding very disappointed, but then he brightened. "I was looking forward to getting away from everything for a while, but I would much rather spend some time with my beautiful filly!"

A sharp pain in her heart made Sweetie stiffen. She didn't feel beautiful at all right now. But even moreso, she felt envious of her dad. She wished she could get away from everything for a while. That was, after all, what she was hoping to accomplish by coming here.

Yet, what if...

"Umm... dad?"

Hondo stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Yes?"

"Please, don't.... Um... Don't put your stuff away. I want to come with you."

"Whaaaat?" her mother called. "Since when did you want to go fishing?"

"I don't, normally," Sweetie Belle confessed. "But... It sounds nice right now. And I haven't actually done anything with either of you in years."

Hondo set the duffle bag down. "Are you... wanting some father-daughter time?"

Sweetie nodded. "I-I guess."

"You know you don't have to force yourself to do this, right?" Hondo continued. "We can do something else and still spend time together, you know?"

"You don't need to coddle your father like this, Belle," Cookie yelled.

"I know, mom. I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions." Her parents remained silent. "I'm exhausted. Everything is go-go-go-go, and I don't ever get a break from anything," Sweetie continued. "Disconnecting from everything would do me some good."

Her father stared at her, noting the red puffiness around her eyes. He nodded sharply. "Okay," he said firmly. "If that's what you want, okay. We'll go fishing, then."

"Whaaaat?" Cookie cried, exiting the kitchen again. "Are you really sure this is what you want to do, Belle?"

"Y-yes..." Sweetie knew that her mother wouldn't be convinced unless she said it with conviction. She met her mother's eyes, and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I do. And I promise I'll spend some time with you when we get back."

"Well, okay." She frowned. "Breakfast is almost ready, so hurry in here and eat," she said, though Sweetie could sense some disappointment in her voice.

Hondo heaved the duffle bag back up and trotted outside, loading it into the cart. "Do you want some help with that, dad?" she asked.

"No, no," Hondo replied. "You just go eat, I'll load everything up."





It was a two and a half hour hike to her father's favorite fishing spot—a small, secluded lake up in the mountains between Ponyville and Canterlot. There was some small talk between the two of them, mostly about Hondo's work and Sweetie's music, but the majority of the hike was spent in silence, and both of them seemed to be okay with that.

Sweetie was still over-dressed, though, and the long hike was causing her to sweat a little bit. She tugged at her dress a little bit, pondering if she should change out of it—it was still cold out, after all, and taking it off would make her quite chilly.

Hondo glanced over at her and noticed her fussing. "Are you sure you're okay walking this much in all that?" Hondo asked. "You can just ride in the cart if you'd like."

"No, thank you," Sweetie huffed, rolling her eyes. "I am not a little filly anymore. I can handle some walking."

"Suit yourself," he replied, plodding onward without a care.

Sweetie Belle couldn't imagine carrying that mess of fishing equipment in a cart while hiking. She was fit—thanks to a combination of a healthy diet and a lot of dancing at her shows—but her father outclassed her in every way except weight. Unlike her lithe figure, he was a little bit hefty, thanks to a diet rich in junk food. Still, his job as a coach for the Ponyville community hoofball team meant he had far more muscle than it might first appear, and he was no stranger to a good workout.

"... Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember Rumble?"

"Your coltfriend?"

Sweetie Belle paused. "...Yeah."

"I heard he was accepted to the Wonderbolts a few weeks back. Good for him! I'd bet they'll have you hold a performance for some of their shows now. Are you excited?"

If he noticed her long pause, he didn't let on. "Y-yeah..." She decided to change the subject. "How's Rarity?"

Hondo laughed. "Still forever single and angry about it." Sweetie grimaced. "Nopony could ever meet her standards, I suppose."

"Her standards?" Sweetie's mood soured even further at that. "I'm pretty sure she wouldn't meet the standards of any stallion who met hers. She's aiming way out of her league."

Hondo was silent for a bit. "Aren’t you unfairly judging your sister? She can’t hold a candle to your popularity, but she’s still quite worthy. You aren't having a fight with your sister, are you?" he finally asked.

Sweetie sighed. "N-no, but..." This wasn't helping. She was saved, fortunately, as they came around another bend and a broad, blue watery expanse opened in front of them.

"We're here!" Hondo announced.

Sweetie gasped at the field of green grass, dotted with a sparse few trees, all surrounding a modestly-sized sparkling blue lake that had water so calm it was like a mirror to the blue sky above. As they got even closer, it was so clear, Sweetie felt like she was looking into glass. The only thing that marred the picturesque nature scene was a small wooden dock that went a short distance out into the lake, with a weathered old sailboat docked to it.

"Is that your boat?" Sweetie blurted.

Hondo laughed. "That old thing? Don't know who it belongs to. It's been here for years, but I've never seen anypony come up to use it. Had a broken mast at one point, but it was fixed the next time I came. Somepony's taking care of it, at least."

Hondo approached the dock and unhitched the cart at the base of the wooden platform. "Woo, boy, that hike is always rough." He stretched out a bit before levitating a chair from the wagon to the side of the dock opposite the sail boat and sat down. After a moment, almost as an afterthought, he levitated another chair over and gestured for Sweetie Belle to take seat.

"It's beautiful out here," Sweetie Belle admitted. "I haven't ever seen anything like this except in photos."

"Y'know, one of the benefits of being your Dad is that I don't have to say that about you."

"Huh?"

Hondo laughed and his horn lit up. "Nevermind." After a moment, a fishing pole floated in front of Sweetie Belle. "Now, let’s teach you how to fish, and we'll see if we catch anything."





Sweetie was far better at learning to fish than Hondo had expected, but that was largely because she'd spent some time as a filly fishing with Big Macintosh trying to get a fishing Cutie Mark. Hondo had groused that she never went fishing with him when she was a filly, and Sweetie apologetically explained that 'back then, fishing with her dad would have been uncool'.

The two fished for a short while, each of them catching one fish, but both of them spent the majority of the time lost in thought, until Hondo finally suggested they eat some lunch.

The lunch her mother had packed for the two of them was rather bland, but it was somewhat nostalgic for Sweetie Belle. It reminded her of the lunches she used to get for school—at least, the ones her mom packed. Rarity's lunches were always better, but the memory of school life and all the silly lunchtime antics she used to get up to with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, made her smile.

"So, Sweet," Hondo began, unwrapping his second sandwich. "Why did you want to come with me? I can't imagine you really are so desperate to spend some time with your old stallion."

Sweetie's face fell. "It's... complicated.” She sighed and prepared herself to have the conversation she knew was going to happen one way or another. “You might say that things aren't going well. With me and Rumble.” She realized she was going to have to explain this all to her mother when she got home and immediately changed her mind. “...I don't really want to talk about it."

"Ah, I suppose that would do it," he replied with a nod. "Though, unfortunately, I can understand all too well."

"What?" Her ears perked up. "You and mom are like, the perfect couple! How could you understand?"

Hondo sighed deeply. She had always thought her parents’ relationship was fantastic—the idea that her parents might be struggling in their relationship was crazy, but her father's heavy sigh was making her second guess that. "What's going on?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," Hondo replied with another sigh. "Which is most of the problem. We get along well enough, most of the time, but there's no love. No romance. No sex."

"Dad!" Sweetie huffed, blushing.

"What? You're an adult, we don't have to pretend these things don't happen."

"Okay, fine." Sweetie frowned. "But I don't want the details."

Hondo laughed awkwardly. "I just told you, there's no details to share." He sobered quickly. "But our relationship is strained. Legally, we're a couple. Practically speaking, we're more like roommates who share a bed."

"So... you're getting divorced?" Sweetie wondered.

"Ha! No, no, nothing like that. We still value the shared companionship."

"Huh?"

"Neither of us have the interest or energy to get back into the dating scene. And we are still friends. But after 30 years together, you get used to some of the creature comforts. A warm body to cuddle with at night. A mare who gets up early to make you breakfast and prepare some meals so you can venture off on a stupid fishing trip." He gestured around them. "That sort of thing."

Sweetie Belle glared at him. "I think that shows she appreciates you as more than just a friend," she replied flatly. "And what do you do for her in return?"

"I wonder that myself." He glanced at Sweetie's clearly displeased expression. "I-I don't mean that I don't do anything for her. I'm just not sure which things I do that keep her from leaving me."

Her frown deepened. "And you're just... okay with all this? Your non-relationship?"

Hondo shrugged. "Well... yeah. It's familiar and comfortable, even if it's not great. The only really difficult part is the lack of a sex life."

"I see." Sweetie stared across the water, at the sailboat on the other side, idly chewing on a bite of her food.

"But, you know, Sweet, I want to thank you for asking. It does help a bit just to have somepony to talk to about it with." Sweetie didn't respond, still staring out at the distant boat. "I'm not gonna push you, but I can tell you're struggling with something. I don't want to try and fix your problems. I just want you to know that I'd like to hear about what's going on in your life, and you can trust me. I love you."

And with that said, Hondo returned to his chair. Sweetie watched him go, feeling conflicted as she slowly finished her sandwich. She didn't really want to share everything, but it was all going to come out eventually. And soon with how the celebrity news cycle tended to go.

At the very least, she didn't want him to be blindsided by the news. "Okay," she said, trotting up next to him. "If you want me to talk, then I'll talk."

"I'm just here to listen," he replied. "I won't offer advice unless you ask."

"... Thanks." She replied, somewhat bitterly. She knew she would appreciate that eventually, though it wasn't all that welcome at the moment. "It kinda starts... a long time ago. With Button."

Hondo’s ear flicked. "Your high school coltfriend?".

Sweetie nodded. "He loved his video games. I enjoyed them too, but he was different. He played them obsessively. When we first got together, we played a lot of games together. And then, when we were done playing, we'd... well..." she gestured a circle in the air with a hoof. "Like you said, we're both adults, so…"

Hondo chuckled. "He's lucky I never knew back then."

"I made sure you didn't," Sweetie agreed. "But... even though things started off great, problems soon emerged. Ultimately, I wasn't good enough for him."

"Now, wait a minute–" Hondo began to object. Sweetie held up a hoof to stop him.

"Not what I meant, dad. I mean it literally—I wasn't as good at games as he was. He eventually grew tired of holding himself back so that I could have fun playing games with him. He picked up new ones that he’d play obsessively, and he would dedicate himself to them to the point we couldn't enjoy them together because I either couldn't keep up, or he'd whup me and get bored because of the lack of challenge. So he started to get absorbed in games even more, but more and more, he would just... ignore me instead of spending time with me."

Hondo frowned. "I suppose that boy never did seem like he was going anywhere in life."

Sweetie ignored the interruption. "Eventually, I stopped even trying to play games with him. And when I stopped playing, I wasn't staying up late with him anymore. We wouldn't go to bed together and I would be asleep before he even came to bed, so we... uh... we stopped—Having sex, I mean. Not that there was much of it left anyway.

"Over time, it destroyed me. It's hard to explain how ugly, unwanted, and unloved I felt when my coltfriend—who previously seemed to value me just as much as anything else—suddenly wouldn't even touch me." Sweetie inhaled deeply. "So... I... threw myself into my singing, and I joined a band.

"When the band was offered an opener in Canterlot, we were super excited and I rushed to tell him about it. I got to his house, but he was so engrossed in his game, I couldn't get him to listen. He kept shrugging me off, telling me we'd talk after he finished what he was doing. I waited patiently for hours, giddy with excitement. I even made him a nice dinner, which he ate without stopping his game, or even thanking me. Then, after a while, he logged off of his game, told me he was tired, and went to bed. He wouldn’t even let me tell him about my day."

"Wow," Hondo interjected. "He was a real piece of work, then?"

Sweetie shook her head. "Honestly, today, I don't know what I ever saw in him. He was so nice to me at first, but I think he was just infatuated with me because I was a girl who played video games, and I liked the attention."

"Your mother and I remember that first Canterlot gig. That was when you performed You Won't Miss Me, I'm Already Gone, wasn't it?"

Sweetie brightened. "It was. I wrote it a week before our tour. It was our first song about heartbreak, and I was really feeling hurt. It's no surprise that it landed us our record contract. Of course, when I moved to Canterlot, I didn't even tell Button I was leaving."

"I remember that," Hondo nodded, a faint smile from the memory of it. "Miss Pie was livid, what with you leaving town and making Rarity sad."

"Really?" Sweetie questioned. "She and Cheese threw me a going-away party and everything, I had no idea she was upset."

"Cheese is part of my weekly stallions' poker night group. Sometimes stallions gossip, too."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I guess so. Anyway, I moved away, and Button didn't even notice. It took six months before he even tried to contact me. By that point, the band was doing great, we were selling records like apple pies, and ponies were starting to notice me. When he finally caught on and apologized to me, it was too late. Our relationship was done."

Hondo nodded. "It sounds to me like it was done long before that. A lot like how your mother and I have been done for a while."

"I guess..." Sweetie replied. "But things went well after that. We started touring, and practically overnight our popularity exploded. Then, it was while we were on our second tour that I met Rumble."

"You never did bring him home to meet us," Hondo grumbled.

Sweetie scowled at her father. "Well, I was going to. Today, even."

"...Sorry... I just know you've been dating for a while, but he wasn't a total stranger, right? I thought you went to high school together?"

"Middle school, actually. He transferred out to join a military prep school in Cloudsdale, because he wanted to follow Thunderlane's example and join the 'Bolts. He was in the Academy when I did a performance in a theatre in Cloudsdale, and we reconnected."

"I see."

"We hit it off quickly. He was everything Button wasn't. He paid attention to me; took me out on romantic dates.” Sweetie smiled sadly at the memories. “He treated me well, and made me feel like I was actually a special mare. Especially in bed." She could feel the burning in her cheeks as she said it.

"For three years, it was the best relationship I could hope for.” Her expression soured. “And then, last month he was accepted into the Wonderbolts," she said flatly.

"And that was bad?" Hondo asked, confused.

"I'm used to celebrity, dad. I'm the best-selling pop star since Sapphire Shores back when I was a filly. Rumble, though? He'd always stayed in the background. I guess I... well, I tried to hide him. Maybe that was my mistake, but I was afraid that if ponies thought I was flaunting that I had a coltfriend, it would impact sales."

"You probably weren't wrong," Hondo agreed. "But... he joined the Wonderbolts. Isn't that incredible?"

Sweetie sat down, frowning deeply, starting to feel choked up. "That's the real reason I came over this morning... I planned this trip weeks ago. Rumble and I were going to get married, and I was going to surprise you with the news."

"That would have been great news," her father agreed softly. "But given that we're having this conversation, I'm guessing things didn't work out?"

Tears were beginning to flow now. "I came home to the apartment we share last night... They were so loud, none of them even heard me come in the door. I came to the bedroom to see what was going on, terrified of what I was going to see, and he was having a threesome with two of his fan-fillies. In our bed."

Hondo slowly let his fishing pole down and walked over to his daughter, pulling her into an embrace. "Oh, Sweetie Belle... I am so sorry."

Sweetie Belle leaned into his embrace, tears of grief spilling over and streaming down her face. "I just... I just hurt, dad,” she choked out. “I'm just never good enough for any stallion."

"That's not true," Hondo whispered. "There are millions of stallions all over the world that would love to be with you."

Sweetie sobbed into his chest. "No, dad... There aren't."

"What do you mean?"

She pulled away and stared up at him, her ears flattened. Hondo wiped away her tears with his magic. "The me—The Belle—that they want to be with is just an image—a fiction! To them, I'm just a trophy,” she spat. “And to me, they're just a bunch of stallions who think they know way too much about me—most of it false."

"Not even one of them had a shred of normalcy, and caught your interest?"

"Well... not entirely. I had the prime choice of any stallion I could imagine. I went on a few dates and even slept with several of my more... appealing fans." She paused to wipe away more tears. "But they just... weren't in tune with me. They all put me on a pedestal. And I just... It's an unattainable goal I could never live up to. I can't do that. I can't be that mare when I'm not on the stage, I've tried!”

Between the tears and the venting, her grief was starting to fade a bit as she spoke, replaced with a numbness. “But when I reconnected with Rumble, it was different. We had a history, we knew each other so much better than I could share with any random fancolt, and now..."

Hondo nodded as his daughter trailed off, squeezing her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Sweetie." He bent down and kissed the tip of her horn. "I'm sorry not everypony could know how amazing you really are. And I wish everypony could love the real you the way I do."

Sweetie Belle returned her father's affection with a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," she said, blinking away some fresh tears. "I just know the story about our breakup will be dominating the news cycle soon. Stallions will be trying to impress me more than ever right now, and I'm glad you let me come out here to stay away from all of it."

"Any time," Hondo chuckled. "You just let me know, we'll go fishing whenever you want. I just hope you feel better after getting it off your chest."

"Y-yeah," she admitted, her ears perking up a bit. "It hurts to think about it, but... I haven't had anyone I could confide in lately." She hugged him tightly. "Thanks, dad.”





"Nice catch!" Hondo set aside his fishing rod, smiling at his daughter. She'd outfished him now, 6 to 5, and he couldn't be more proud of her. As he watched her remove the fish from the line, she was bathed in the dying orange glow on the horizon, looking for all the world like the prettiest mare in Equestria. "It's getting late," he observed. "We should pitch the tent. It's supposed to get quite cold tonight."

Sweetie Belle carefully worked her magic on the fish, the enchanted hook releasing the creature unharmed. "Sure," she nodded absently, releasing the fish back into the lake.

It took relatively little effort for two unicorns to assemble the four-pony tent, since it was designed to be assembled even by non-magical ponies, but the sun was fully below the horizon by the time they finished and a cold breeze was beginning to blow. Hondo lit a lamp and hung it inside the tent before returning to the cart to grab the—the—

Hondo cursed under his breath as he grabbed his sleeping bag. Sweetie was inside the tent laying out a foam pad and using her magic to sweep out some of the dirt particles from a previous camping trip when he stuck his head in through the door flap.

"Here, uh... you can sleep with this," he said, levitating the sleeping bag through the door, with a pillow following shortly behind.

"Thanks," she replied morosely. Hondo couldn't help but notice how she seemed slightly more distant since relating her troubles with Rumble.

Sweetie spread the sleeping bag out over the foam pad and flopped down, tucking herself into it. Hondo laid down next to her on the pad. The cold ground was only dampened slightly by the floor of the tent and the relatively thin foam pad upon it.

"Aren't you going to get your sleeping bag?" Sweetie wondered.

Hondo grimaced. "We uh... forgot to bring a second one. I could swear I packed a second one, but I can’t find it."

Sweetie propped herself up on a foreleg and glared down at her father, though he was facing away from her and couldn't see. "We share, then," she demanded.

Hondo looked over his shoulder at her stern expression. "Wouldn't be proper, Sweetie. You know that."

She scoffed. "Dad, when I first started touring, you don't even want to know the kinds of terrible places I slept."

He raised an eyebrow. "You... what?"

Sweetie's ears drooped and her eyes cast down to the foam pad. "I slept in horrible situations all the time. I shared a burlap bag in the middle of a snow storm once when the carriage we chartered broke down. A shared sleeping bag is nothing."

"That's... terrible," Hondo replied, shocked.

"I know," Sweetie said, meeting his gaze again. "And that's why I don't want you to suffer just because of a silly mistake like a missing sleeping bag. I know two ponies can fit in here, and I'm telling you to get in here so you don't freeze!"

Hondo wanted to object, but... Sweetie was an adult. She wasn't just a filly that he had to protect from her own decisions anymore. "Okay," he conceded. "We'll share."

"Good." She lifted the bag's opening, pressing herself as far back in the bag as she could. Hondo couldn't help but feel the entire gesture was far too intimate, though she wasn't being flirty in any way. A wave of guilt washed over him as he realized that she clearly didn't see this as sexual in any way—he was the one making it sexual by fussing about it.

But he wasn't going to anger her by turning her down, and she was right about it being far too cold to sleep without the bag tonight. He carefully slipped into the sleeping bag. It was a tight fit.

"Hmm... Perhaps we should—" Sweetie started shifting around.

By the time they got into a position where they both felt comfortable, Hondo couldn't help but realize he was spooning with his daughter. There was nothing he could do about it, either. No other position gave them enough room within the sleeping bag together, but in this position, his sheathe was pressed against her rump. He desperately tried to not think about anything sexual.

Every time she shifted, no matter how slight, it was just a little bit more stimulation. He couldn't help it as he felt his erection slowly growing. Trying to force himself to think about other things wasn't helping. There was no way she was oblivious to his predicament, was there?

Still, she didn't seem to be shifting around on purpose. She wasn't trying to lead him on. Hondo cursed his stallion hormones—actively trying to not think about his daughter sexually only led to more thinking about her sexually.

It took a while, but her breathing eventually slowed, becoming more and more shallow as she seemed to drift off to sleep. He focused on her breathing, hoping it would finally get his erection to pass, and—over time—eventually drifted off himself.





Sweetie Belle lay with her father's body embracing her, the little spoon to his big spoon. It was comforting, in its own way, to have a stallion spooning with her as she lay down to sleep. She hated the time between Button and Rumble for that reason—having a big, strong stallion that cared for her and embraced her at night was something that she craved, and there was no denying that her father cared for her. She felt secure and warm in his embrace.

But his erection was obvious—she was all too familiar with the sensation of a hard cock against her rump. She didn't dare say anything about it, though. Embarrassing them both was counterproductive, and it wasn't like they had any other choice apart from risking one of them getting frostbite this high up in the mountains.

Besides, he was pressed against her, and males just tend to respond to stimulation. It was normal. Much to her irritation, that thought lodged itself in her mind: her father was just responding to stimulation. That he was getting from her. Suddenly, his hesitance to join her in the sleeping bag seemed less ridiculous.

She tried very hard not to move—to not make the problem worse. But her mind raced with possibility. She could tell from his breathing that he was still awake. What was going through his mind? Even though she was trying her hardest not to move, she could feel his erection growing larger and firmer. Did that mean her father was thinking of her sexually?

How could he have those thoughts about his own daughter?

Did it matter? It wasn't like they were doing anything.

Sweetie relaxed a little bit with that thought. Stallions were stallions, and they often couldn't help where their minds wandered. It was just an erection. Stallions got random erections all the time, and it wasn't his fault, really. Besides, he wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her, and she was the one who put him in this awkward situation. She resolved to apologize for it in the morning, and tried to put it out of her mind, before slowly drifting off to sleep.





Hondo was awakened in the middle of the night by Sweetie Belle moving about in his hooves slightly, moaning and gasping in a way that seemed either erotic or agonizing, and he wasn't sure which. "Sweet?" he asked softly, trying to ignore the stimulation he was receiving from her subtle movements. "Are you okay?" He peered down at her.

"Rum—..." she half-whispered. Her cheeks were flushed and her horn had a slight glow to it.

Talking in her sleep wasn't anything new, but Hondo was somewhat shocked to hear that she still did it. Even more concerning, however, was her movements, which were giving more and more stimulation to his erection—and the realization that she was using magic to... do something.

Was she masturbating in her sleep? That thought immediately brought his erection to full mast—and she was grinding her back into him like a desperate mare in heat. A worse realization struck him: Sexsomnia wasn't unheard of in mares who were in heat.

To make matters even worse, as she bucked slightly under him, he could feel that her tail was dangerously close to the tip of his cock. If she wasn't careful...

"Sweetie," he repeated, slightly louder. "Wake up, please," he begged, peering down at her. All he could see was a mare grinding against him. She truly was beautiful. The thought came to his mind entirely unbidden. Those luscious curls. Her shoulder blades. The arch of her back.

For a moment, Hondo didn't see his daughter—just a desperate mare. And his cock began to respond, his mind drowning in a hormonal cocktail of his body's own making. He felt it coming. Maybe it was just that there was a physical stimulation that wasn't his own horn—maybe it was the sheer lack of intimacy he'd had recently—but he couldn't stop the orgasm that shocked his very core as his stallionhood sprayed a mess of seed all across his daughter's back.

And then... after a few moments of chemical bliss, he realized what just happened, and felt a deep darkness in his soul—as if he'd done something that he could never take back. And a deep, deep shame. Hondo shook his daughter with both hooves. "Sweetie Belle! Sweetie, wake up!"





Visions of Rumble faded as Sweetie Belle was shaken roughly from one of the most erotic dreams she'd ever had. A brief sense of disappointment washed over her. "Huh?" she asked, groggily, a fleeting horniness from her erotic dream rapidly fading as adrenaline kicked in.

"Sweetie!" she heard her dad, nearly shouting. There was a faint amount of light though the tent canvas, as a tiny sliver of sunrise peeked over the horizon.

"Dad?" He wasn't even in the sleeping bag, leaving a cold chill down her back from where his body warmth was gone. She looked up at him in the dim light. Tears were streaming down his face and his ears flattened back.

"I'm sorry," Hondo blurted. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Dad, what's wrong?" Sweetie wondered, her ears perking up.

"I... I..." Sweetie gave him a moment to compose himself, confused as to what was going on, but he didn't seem to be able to.

"Dad, what's wrong?" she repeated.

It was around that moment that her mind registered the coldness on her back. It seemed excessive compared to the rest of the air around her. She peered down her own backside and saw a familiar sight—a stallion's essence splattered across her back. Her gaze turned back to her father with a growing sense of confusion and disbelief.

"I didn't mean to," he blurted. "I swear, I didn't mean to."

"Didn't mean to?" she replied, remembering the dream she'd just had—and becoming increasingly aware of how wet she was back there. Unfortunately, her reply came out far harsher than she expected, and he recoiled from the bite in her tone.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm sorry. It was an accident. I'll just... I'll..." He stepped over to the door and started unzipping it.

She wasn't sure what he was planning, but she needed to put a stop to it. "No, dad." Her horn flared to life as she held the zipper in place. "We can talk about this. We're adults, remember."

"I didn't mean—"

"Yes, dad, I know," she interrupted. "You didn't mean to, and I believe you." A vision of Rumble from her dream flashed through her mind again. She had probably done this to him without realizing it. Her dreams tended to get really steamy sometimes, though she'd never had a reason to complain before, since when she woke up, she usually had Rumble there to—No. She needed to stop thinking about him. They were through, and if she had her way, she'd never see him again.

"Honestly, dad. I believe you. Please, just calm down." She slowly tried to extricate herself from the sleeping bag, trying her hardest not to smear her father's essence into the fabric.

"I'm sorry," he repeated again.

"Dad, shut up!" Sweetie shouted, exasperated. "We can talk about this, just... let me wash up, okay? Why don't you get breakfast started?"

Hondo's mouth stayed closed and he nodded, a visible trembling in his lips. Sweetie released her magic and he opened the door, practically galloping over to the smoldering campfire from the night before.

Sweetie watched him go until the door flap fell closed again, and then surveyed her back. Her father's load must have been considerably large for how much of her was covered. She was pretty sure stallions usually didn't do that unless they were really pent up, or prolonged edging... right? Just how long had she been teasing him?

And did he ever try to stop her?
> Chapter 2 - Needs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweetie lurked in shallow water, thousands of emotions and thoughts storming through her mind as she used her magic and a small rag to scrub her back of her father's emissions. She knew she couldn't stay in the water long, else the cold would possibly become dangerous.

Her nose was barely above the water, the chill hiding what would otherwise be flushed cheeks, and with each breath, she exhaled through her mouth, created a bubbling fountain in front of her that mirrored her chaotic thoughts.

It wasn't the first time she'd masturbated in her sleep while dreaming of her coltfriend or some other attractive stallion. It likely wouldn't be the last. Unfortunately, her dream was extremely sexually charged, and she was still incredibly aroused.

It didn't help that fragments of her dream kept coming back to her as she dwelled on it. Rumble's features were less and less defined each time it replayed in her head. At first she was angry—she didn't want Rumble in her life anymore—but as he became less defined, the anger began to subside. Soon, however, the memory took on an entirely different, more confusing form as her father's stricken expression replaced Rumble.

Her arousal made it all the more confusing—surely the thought of having sex with her father ought to temper her arousal? But for some reason, she knew that in her dream, she'd been enjoying him... and she still felt a powerful need.

Occasionally, she would glance over at where her father was cooking breakfast. He was sitting with his back to her, but she caught him looking her way once—she'd looked away again immediately.

Why did this have to happen now?

Though she'd slept in close quarters with stallions before, this had never happened while sleeping with one in the past; at least, not one she couldn't fuck immediately after, like Rumble. That was tearing her up—she couldn't have chosen a more inappropriate time for it if she had tried. Inappropriate as it was, however... at least it was a pony who loved her. Somehow, that thought was more comforting than she had thought it would be.

She glanced over at her father again—he'd moved away from the campfire and had resumed fishing, seated in the reclining chair. That meant breakfast was done.

The chill was starting to get unbearable and her teeth began to chatter as she shivered. She stepped out of the water, certain that she'd dealt with the worst of the stain, shaking off the water as best she could. Immediately the chill air made it feel like she was freezing to the bone.

She dashed straight for the tent, and ripped the sleeping bag out through the doorway with a spell. As she trotted toward the fire, she fished around in her bag for a simple dress she’d brought with her, and slipped it on, then unzipped the sleeping bag and wrapped it snugly around herself. Once she was at a distance that was comfortably warm, she plopped her butt down. She took a bite of the meal her father had laid out for her and stared into the crackling fire as she ate.

The snaps and pops of the fire were the only sounds accompanying the gradual brightening of the landscape. Sweetie was intent to stay put while she warmed up, turning from side to side to warm each part of herself, and using the sleeping bag to insulate the side not facing the flames. As she turned again, she looked up. Her father was ahead of her, his back turned as he continued to fish.

Neither of them had spoken since he left the tent earlier. Sweetie felt guilty as she stared at his back. He'd done nothing wrong—she was the one that had grinded against him, but she knew he was hurting, blaming himself for doing a horrible thing.

They needed to talk.

"Dad?" she whispered, approaching him slowly. "I'm sorry."

Hondo flinched, but didn't turn to face her. "Why are you sorry? I'm the one who should apologize."

"No!" Sweetie shouted. "I was..." She paused and swallowed down the embarrassment of her confession. "I'm pretty sure I was grinding on you. I do that in my sleep when I'm... h-horny sometimes, and... well... you're a stallion, you can't help how you react. It's not fair to blame yourself."

Hondo remained silent for a few moments. Sweetie Belle was beginning to second-guess herself. Was this conversation ill-advised? "You did," Hondo finally confessed. "You were grinding on me."

Her fears were confirmed, but one thing still bothered her, and she couldn't deny that the thought had colored every bit of her thoughts—a cloud of fear. Afraid that she wasn't good enough. Not pretty enough. "D-did you... at least... did you enjoy it?" she whispered.

Hondo visibly flinched, his ears folding back as he set his fishing pole aside. He looked up at the sky for a few moments. His hesitation was painful, though Sweetie Belle struggled to understand her own sudden despair.

Finally, he turned to face her, his cheeks flushed red. "Sweetie..." he began. His hooves were extended like he wanted to hug her, but wavered about like he wasn't sure what he should do with them. "You're a beautiful mare, Sweetie," he finally resumed. "Any stallion that tried to pretend he didn't enjoy that would be the most obvious liar in Equestria. But I know you're not just beautiful on the outside—you're beautiful on the inside, too." Fresh tears began forming in Sweetie's eyes as he continued to speak. "There's no way you would have meant to hurt me. And I wouldn't dare to hurt you, either. I'm terribly sorry for what happened."

Sweetie couldn't respond. Instead, she threw herself into his outstretched hooves, sobbing into his chest. He awkwardly embraced her, patting her back softly. "It's okay," he whispered. "It will all be okay..."





Hondo embraced his crying daughter. The events of the last few hours were weighing heavily on his soul, but at that moment, he was satisfied to be the father that she so desperately seemed to need. He stroked her mane softly as she sobbed into his chest.

Unfortunately, the entire experience had left him with far too many thoughts that trended toward the sexual. Though he didn't want it, he found himself unable to erase the memory of peering down at his daughter as his—He shook his head violently.

No. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. And yet, his self-admonitions didn't help. It had been so long since he'd gotten any relief that wasn't at his own hooves that he couldn't help himself as his mind replayed it over, and over in his head.

He squeezed Sweetie Belle more tightly, desperately trying to will the thoughts away, but to no avail. He could feel his penis dropping from its sheathe, stiffening slowly. There was no way that she wouldn't notice if he didn't get away from her.

It couldn't be helped. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from him. She gazed up at him, tears running down her cheeks—he hadn't seen as many tears from his beloved daughter in many, many years as he had in the last twenty-four hours. "W-what?" she whispered.

"S-sorry, I-I just..." he stammered.

Sweetie looked down as his stallionhood brushed against her hoof. Her eyes locked on his length for several moments. He tried desperately to form an explanation.

Her eyes met his again—an inscrutable expression as she held his gaze. After several seconds, she lunged at him, her lips locking with his as she kissed him. She moved with such swiftness that he toppled to the ground, Sweetie Belle knocking some of the wind out of him as she landed across his chest.

It was not a chaste kiss between father and daughter—her tongue desperately fought to gain entrance to his maw. Completely shocked, he allowed it, though he did nothing to return the kiss. Her tongue explored his teeth and brushed against his own tongue. His eyes widened in shock as he realized what she was doing.

He rolled to the side to get her off of him. Her lips were forcefully pulled away as he stood up, towering over her. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

Sweetie just lay there on the ground silently, her face drawn into the pout he'd gotten used to dealing with as a father. Her horn began to glow green, and he felt a sudden stimulation on his cock. His jaw dropped. "Sweetie, stop."

She looked up at him, tears running down her cheeks. "What, am I not good enough for you, either?" she spat. "Or do you want to go home to that mare that doesn't even touch you, the same way Button wouldn't touch me?" At no point did her spell fade. "Do you just want to be miserable and unloved?"

Hondo stared down at his daughter aghast. Her words were like barbs, stabbing him in the heart. "N-no," he protested.

"I want to do this for you, dad. I want you to feel the same love I feel from you."

He'd already coated her back in his seed—what was she even talking about? But he couldn't deny that it felt nice. Still— "Sweetie, we can't do this. I don't... need another relationship." It stung to say it. He craved a sexual relationship again. But this wasn't what he wanted.

"You don't have a relationship, dad. You told me that yourself—you're just roommates. Besides, it's not like we're fucking. Just..." Her magic faded. "P-please... let me do this. For you." Her lower lip trembled. Hondo felt his resolve breaking. "... and for me."

He couldn't bring himself to reply. Was he really about to let his daughter...

...

He loved her. More than anything in the world. And in that moment, his claims that he would do anything for her were being put to the ultimate test. He swallowed his pride, and though he was second-guessing himself, he nodded slightly.

Her magic came back, stroking his cock gently as she stood up. "Lay down," she commanded. Hondo could barely believe he was letting her do this, but he followed her command, lowering himself to the ground and rolling onto his back. The entire time, her magic didn't stop, stroking his member which now stood proudly into the air above him.

She laid herself down, forelegs crossed, across his upper chest, turned to face his throbbing erection. He couldn't see her face—not her smile, nor her tears. But he could see the soft green glow of the tip of her horn, her gorgeous curls, the curve of her shoulder blades under the straps of her dress, her thin hips where the dress gripped them, and then... her tail, flagged and twitching, poking out from beneath. From his angle, and the way she was sitting, he could also make out the curvature of one of her teats just at the edge of the fabric.

Never before had he seen his daughter quite like this. When he woke up, she was innocent. His thoughts then had been his, and his alone. But now, he saw her as she truly was—a mare. Sexy, and—seemingly—eager.

He shook his head. This was as far as he could let it go.

And then, as he didn't think his erection could get any harder, she lifted her head, bent down, and licked it.





Sweetie teased the tip of her father's cock, her tongue swirling around the crown as she inhaled his musk. Her magic, which had previously been stroking his shaft, lowered to his balls, fondling them as her mouth descended slightly onto the tip of his shaft.

He was large. Larger than Rumble. Larger than Button. She didn't care. She wanted to do this for him—she wanted to do it for her. She needed to know that she was enough for somepony. For a stallion who actually loved her and not just the trophy she represented.

She went down deeper on his cock, the tip brushing the back of her throat. She felt him tense up beneath her.

"Sweetie, s-stop..."

Was he about to blow his load? Good. She took a deep breath and opened her throat, intent on taking him even deeper.

"This is crossing a line," her father shouted. A taboo? She didn't care. She was used to stupid rumors already. She needed to do this, for herself.

She suddenly found herself shoved off of her father, his cock ripped from her mouth as she landed on her back and her father stared down at her...

Sweetie stared up at him, confused. He was angry. And again, the sting of rejection crept up on her. "Why?" she demanded, wondering how many times her own father would hurt her today. "Don't you love me?"

Hondo stared down at her, his expression flashing between anger, concern, and back to anger again. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. This isn't right. We can't do this."

A cry that she'd been holding back since they'd started threatened to win. "Why not?" she challenged, barely withholding her sobbing. Her entire body was quivering with rage and grief. "It's true then? I'm not even enough for you? A stallion who hasn't gotten any in years, whose wife won't do anything for him?"

And Sweetie suddenly realized why she was angry. Her father was the perfect stallion. She never realized it before—all she wanted was a stallion to love her the way her father did. And yet, her own mother didn't see it. She couldn't see how amazing her father was. Maybe it was irrational. Maybe she was being emotional and cruel to her mother. She didn't care.

"I can do for you what she won't," Sweetie Belle whispered. "I can give you the love you aren't getting at home. I've been hurt too much by stallions who don't care. You've been hurt by a mare who doesn't appreciate you..."

Lying on her back, with the early morning sky above her, she lifted her dress and spread her legs. "So, please... stop hurting us. And just... embrace me...?"





Hondo could barely believe his senses. His own daughter, his own flesh and blood, was spread-eagled before him. Begging for him.

His eyes broke away from hers and traveled down her form. Her rosy cheeks, stained with tears. Her gorgeous mane. The neckline of the dress, perfectly accentuating her form. The soft fabric resting against a supple body, until it became bunched up where she'd pulled it aside, exposing the two most gorgeous spheres he'd ever laid eyes on. Each of those orbs, with its small, perky nipple, perfectly placed, bounced slightly with her heavy breaths. The darker skin showing through the thin fur of her mons, trailing to her darkened pussy lips.

As if watching his gaze, her hooves reached down and pulled gently, opening her flowing in invitation, a deep, pink abyss with a small nub that begged for his attention with its winking. And below that, the deep gray of her puckered asshole, her dock, and her luscious tail...

It was... beautiful.

She was beautiful.

And she wanted him. She didn't care about the consequences. He swallowed thickly, yet he hesitated. "J-just..."

"Please," she begged.

"Just this once," he said, unable to believe his own words. Her smile grew as he laid down atop of her. His lips met hers, and they kissed, her intoxicating taste overwhelming his senses.

Was it really... wrong to do this? To stop a pony from hurting? A pony that he loved?

His hips shifted, trying to get himself into position. He knew they were about to step off of a cliff they could never re-climb. The tip of his cock rested against her pussy. He pulled away from the kiss, gazing into her eyes, searching for anything to tell him this wasn't exactly what she wanted. She simply smiled.

And he moved. She gasped as his cock sank into her warm depths, her pussy lips spreading around him, squeezing him tightly. She embraced him tightly, her forehooves pulling him down as she again forced her lips on his.

Her love passage was more than accommodating. Her arousal had left her incredibly slickened, he realized. Far more than her mother ever had. For years—he realized with growing grief—Cookie had never been... wanting him. This was what he was missing. The feeling of being wanted by a mare as he thrust into her.

He withdrew again, her tight walls grasping at his retreating member, until he pressed forward again, going even deeper. Sweetie hissed and moaned into his lips.

It was amazing. And yet, it was too much. He needed more of this. He withdrew again, his animal instinct taking over as he thrust harder into her. Again, she squeaked, this time their lips releasing as she threw her head back into the green grass, moaning out into the autumn air.

He thrust again. And again.

"Mmph."

"Aah."

"Mmm."

Her little vocalizations only pushed him further. He could feel his orgasm building, but it wasn't fast enough. "DAAADDY—eeeeee!" She screamed, clamping down on his member. She convulsed beneath him, continuing to scream for him as her own orgasm tore through her. He slowed, careful to remain inside of her as she writhed about, but did not stop.

No mare had ever had such a prolonged orgasm as the one Sweetie Belle experienced, he was sure. He continued to thrust, her walls milking him like she craved his spunk. He felt his own orgasm arrive like a freight train blowing through a stop without braking, but a brief bout of clarity hit and he forced himself to yank his cock out of his daughter’s pussy.  His muscles seized, and he felt his cock jerk and kick, desperately trying to fill up the mare that he no longer was inside of. Cum fired from his tip, spraying across her teats, as she continued crying his name.

"Sweetie," he gasped, collapsing on top of her, embracing her weakly as she still twitched. "I... I love you so much."

"Daddy... Daddy, I love you too, daddy," she whispered hoarsely, her legs locking around him. "Why did you… pull out," she said, grinding gently against him. "Don't leave me like this."

"I love you, Sweets," he whispered. "You're beautiful. I'm not going anywhere and I won't leave you. But I can’t risk that."

And for one last time that weekend, she burst into tears.
> Chapter 3 - Worthy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hondo Flanks and Sweetie Belle lay side by side, holding hooves as they stared up into a clear blue sky. It was breezy and still a bit cool, but it was otherwise comfortable, and the serenity was calming.

"You know, Sweetie, that this shouldn't have happened?" Hondo wondered aloud.

The honking of a flock of migrating geese interrupted them, passing right overhead. Father and daughter watched in silent admiration of the majestic creatures while Sweetie Belle thought about his question.

"... I know," she replied after the geese were gone. "It shouldn't happen. But it did. And, to be honest... it was wonderful.” The honking of geese faded into the distance. “Did you enjoy it, too?" she wondered.

Hondo smiled. "Yes," he confessed, closing his eyes. "I did. But, you know… this can't happen again."

Her eyes closed, too. "I know," Sweetie replied, squeezing his hoof.

He squeezed her hoof back. They each slowly turned to face the other, opening their eyes. It was written on their faces. She knew he was right. He knew that she knew.

Sweetie leaned in for a kiss and he reciprocated. This time, it was chaste; just a brief brushing of their lips. They pulled away with shared, sad smiles.

Neither of them were happy.

Hondo heaved a big sigh. "Well, I suppose... these fish won't catch themselves."

"Right," Sweetie nodded, rolling to her hooves. She immediately felt a drip running down her fur. "And I need to clean up... again."

Hondo laughed awkwardly. "Sorry about that..."

"It's fine," she said, walking back down toward the water. A stiff breeze chilled her semen-matted fur.

"Hey... Sweetie?" Hondo called to her.

She looked back at her father, who was looking in the direction of the wind. "Huh?"

Hondo gestured out at the dock. "You wanna go for a quick ride?"

"But we don't know who it belongs to," she objected.

"Aw, it'll be fine," Hondo insisted. "Go get cleaned up, I'll show you."





Sweetie let her pole clatter to the wooden planks below and threw herself partially over the side of the boat, her churning stomach evacuating her lunch into the water. Hondo quickly set his own pole aside and rubbed her back with a hoof, patting her consolingly.

"Sorry again," he apologized.

"It's oka—" Sweetie was interrupted by another heaving in her chest.

Hondo winced. Seasickness was no joke, but it wasn't something he ever suffered from. He lowered the sail and started maneuvering the boat back toward the dock. It was unfortunate, as he loved sailing on the lake, but he didn't want his daughter to suffer for it.

He looked out at the horizon as he got the sail ready. Dark clouds were starting to gather, and the wind was blowing in from that direction as well. The weather would likely turn soon.

Seating himself at the tiller, he maneuvered the boat toward the dock again, but as he looked forward, he noticed Sweetie still bent over the bow and his eyes became glued to the sight before him. Her ass was raised in the air, and her pussy was still slightly glistening from before.

He tried to suppress the erection developing at the sight before him, memories of their morning tryst coming back with a vengeance, but to no avail. It wasn't until Sweetie finally stood back up straight that he was able to recognize that he'd sailed the boat in a circle in his distraction.

"Where are we going?" Sweetie asked him.

"Gonna moor the boat," Hondo replied. "Don't want you possibly getting sick all over a boat that isn't ours."

"I see..." Sweetie Belle took a seat and watched her father as he intently steered the boat, but she could see that his penis was unsheathed. And then realized that she'd been inadvertently presenting to him.

She knew he was right. He knew that she knew.

But did either of them care?

The thought rolled around in her mind as the boat approached the dock.





Sweetie's stomach finally calmed down enough to eat again, and the next few hours were spent fishing from the dock. There was light-hearted conversation between them, but both of them seemed to be in silent agreement to avoid the proverbial minotaur in the maze. It was getting darker again, but the sun was blotted out by the dark clouds, and Sweetie couldn't be sure just how close it was to sundown. And then a rumble of thunder in the distance destroyed the peace.

Unsurprisingly, Rumble had loved thunder. Sweetie felt a renewed upwelling of emotion.

"Shit," Hondo grumbled as a raindrop fell on his snout. "Knew it might rain, but I didn't expect this."

Hearing her father curse distracted her entirely from her renewing resentment. "What?"

"Storm's coming in." He gestured to the side of the clearing, toward the bulk of the mountain. "There's an outcropping over there. We'll move the tent over there and take shelter for the night."

"I thought we were heading home tonight?"

"Can't now," Hondo replied. "Too risky. I wasn't expecting a storm at all, and if we get caught on the mountainside in a storm, it'll get very dangerous, especially if I'm pulling the cart. It will be far safer to go when the storm passes."

Sweetie Belle wanted to argue—after all, the cart could be left behind, and they could get it later—but she knew what awaited her at home: tabloids. Ponies. Fanfillies and fancolts, desperate for explanations, who would demand all sorts of insane things of her. She nodded. "Okay."

The rain picked up as they moved everything over to the outcropping her father had pointed out, and it took the rest of their daylight just to get the job done, and it was cold and miserable by the time they finished, but at least the outcropping sheltered them from further rain.

"Get in the tent," Hondo ordered. "I'm gonna stake it down better."

Sweetie Belle did as she was told, climbing inside and removing her sopping wet dress, which she slung into the corner. The wind was picking up, and the mountainside only amplified it, but the canvas of the tent would shelter them as long as it didn't get windy enough to carry them with it.

She was cold, though, and didn't hesitate to climb into the bag. Tiny bits of crusted-over semen had dried to the fabric and raked at her fur—an awkward reminder of the events of the night before—but she did her best to ignore it as she curled into a ball, trying to warm up.

Hondo clambered into the tent after a few minutes, shivering in the cold. "Make room, Sweetie, I'm freezing out here."

She didn't hesitate.

... But making room was difficult.

It didn't take long for them both to realize that the spooning they had done from the night before was going to be the answer again.

They both shuffled awkwardly against each other, trying to stay warm, but also trying to get comfortable, and the grinding of fur against sheathe once again led to the same effect as it had before.

"... Dad..." Sweetie muttered "...You're..."

"I know," he replied. "Just... try and hold still?"

She held stock still for as long as she could, but it just wasn't comfortable. And feeling him pressing against her...

"You know, I saw you earlier," Sweetie said idly.

"Huh?"

"When we were sailing. I saw your boner. You were staring at my ass."

"... Sorry."

"Look, we're not going to be able to get comfortable if we're worrying about this. Why don't you just..." The words died on her tongue.

"Just what? Sleep outside the bag?"

"N-no... just..." She could scarcely believe what she was about to say, but she couldn't deny that she wanted it. Even if it was wrong. "Just... f-fuck me."

"Sweetie, we've been over this, we can't do this." Hondo protested.

"No, dad, we can't," Sweetie said adamantly, twisting around so that she was facing him. "We can't sleep through the night, uncomfortably pretending that your cock isn't rubbing on my ass and blowing your load all over my back. Because that's all it did before." She grew quieter. "And if you're going to get off anyway... I'd like to get some, too."

Hondo looked down at his daughter. Her mane was matted to her face by the rain. She looked absolutely haggard and miserable. And yet, still, she was the prettiest mare he had ever seen.

"O...okay, Sweetie," he conceded. "You win."

Her lips immediately pressed against his as he felt her practically climbing onto him. Their tongues danced together, and this time neither of them resisted. For all that they spoke of how wrong this was, both of them were ready to embrace it. And whatever shame was left quickly faded.

It didn't take long for her to line herself up on his cock. She pulled her lips away from his. "C'mon, Daddy," she whispered. "Take me again. You know you want to."

"I... do," he admitted, rocking his hips and teasing at her entrance. "I want to fuck you so bad, I just..."

"... You're afraid of what other ponies will think?" Sweetie asked. "They'll never know." She wriggled more, trying to coax the full head of his cock into her passage.

"... I hope not," he agreed. Then, he caught her lips again and kissed her deeply, his tongue intertwining with hers as his horn lit up. His magic tweaked her nipples, and she squeaked as their tongues continued their dance.

Her magic lit up as she fondled his balls in response. "Come on, Daddy," she whispered. "If you're going to fuck me, fuck me like a 2-bit whorse."

Hondo slowly flexed his legs, pushing himself into her. "No," he whispered. "You're no whorse. And if you were, nopony could afford it."

Sweetie's ear flicked. "I appreciate that," she cooed, kissing him on the nose. "But I didn't say I was one." She pushed down on his shaft. "I said to fuck me like one."

"O-oh." It was finally his turn to blush. After steeling himself for a moment, he wrapped his forelegs around her, and thrust his hips upward. Her warm embrace clamped down around his member, just as it had before, but this time, he didn't relent. Just as she demanded, he pulled out and thrust into her again.

"Hnngh," she moaned. "Yes, daddy..."

Her voice spurred him onward as he pistoned into her again, picking up speed and depth.

"Mmph, ung, ahh," Sweetie's cries with each thrust grew, and her dulcet tones slowly changed into desperate cries as he thrust into her deeper still.

"More!" she begged.

He obliged her, feeling his broad cock head slamming into her deepest depths, the tip knocking against the ring her cervical opening. "Yes!" Sweetie screamed at the contact. "Fuck me harder!"

Hondo was amazed at how much Sweetie was getting into it. There was scarcely any room to move any further in the sleeping bag, and every bit of space he could find was dedicated to slamming into his daughter's hole harder, deeper, faster.

"Mmmm, fuck!" Sweetie gasped, suddenly convulsing on his cock. Hondo didn't stop, thrusting harder and harder and riding her through an orgasm that threatened to rip his dick off, but he didn't care. Every fiber of him was hellbent on finishing what he started.

Suddenly, he realized he was rapidly approaching the end of his endurance, his cockhead swelling up in preparation to spew his essence deep inside her womb. "Sweet—!" he called out haltingly, "I need to pull—"

"No," Sweetie growled fiercely. "No, don't stop."

Hondo tried to pull out anyway, but with the angle he was now thrusting at, he couldn't fully retreat from her folds. Giving up, he shoved deep into her and held her tightly. "Sweetie, I'm cumming!" he barely managed to choke out.

His mind went white as he reached his peak, his thick cock spewing load after load into his daughter's fertile womb. "Mmm..." Sweetie hummed into his ear. "Daddy..."

They lay in each other's embrace, basking in the afterglow of their coitus, breathing heavily and listening to the howling wind and the rain pattering against the ground outside.

"Are you sure?" Sweetie finally whispered.

"Huh?"

"That we can't keep doing this?"

Hondo was silent for a time. "What if you get pregnant?"

"Would you have a problem with that?" she challenged him.

"You'll keep the foal?"

Sweetie shook her head in disbelief. "Do you really think I would get an abortion? If that ever got out, I'd be sinking a huge part of my popularity in certain demographics."

"Right..."

Sweetie giggled. "Besides, as if anypony would suspect my own father. Right now, they'd probably just think it's Rumble's."

Hondo was silent for a bit. "And what about your mother?"

It was her turn to be silent. "She can never know who the father is," Sweetie agreed. "Best to let her think I got drunk and slept with a fan, or something." She laughed at herself, and he chuckled with her. "But... she wants to be a grandma. She's been begging Rarity and me for years already. I can move in for a while, and she probably won't complain."

Hondo rolled the idea around in his head for a while. "You're right. Rarity's old room is empty, we could turn it into a nursery."

Sweetie nodded. "And I have plenty of money. I could pay off your mortgage, and even pay for some remodeling. And I can have my old room."

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. "It's not just your mother that wants grandkids," Hondo confessed. "I miss having children around the house."

"And we can have this relationship. In secret."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Hondo asked. "What if the media finds out?"

"They should leave me alone for a while once the breakup with Rumble passes. And if I stop touring, there will be a media circus for a little while, but they'll latch onto somepony else soon enough."

With some kind of consensus between the two, the conversation continued idly for a while, until Sweetie Belle felt her father's growing erection again.

"Dad?" She looked askance at her father.

"What can I say?" Hondo said with a shrug. "It turns out that sex with someone who really loves you is great sex."

She kissed him again. "I know." She wiggled her hips, teasing him again. "I'm glad I have you here to remind me of that."
> Chapter 4 - Cookie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash alighted on Cookie's balcony, knocking on the window.

"Hey, there, Ms. Crumbles," she said. "I did what you asked with that storm cloud, but I'm still a little confused why you care about the mountain lake so much?"

"It's okay, Rainbow Dash," Cookie said, smiling. "You've done your part."

"What was that all about, anyway?"

Cookie glanced at the spare sleeping bag she’d stolen out of the wagon. “I wasn’t born yesterday,” Cookie said, smiling to herself. "Sweetie’s in heat, my husband's a pent up idiot, and I'm not getting any younger. No stupid Wonderbolt kid is going to get in the way of me having grandchildren."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Cookie said with a happy sigh. "Here's your payment."

Rainbow accepted the bag of bits and flew back to Applejack, confused.