Nillyna had spent the better part of an hour tending to Lily, making sure her girlfriend was uninjured after the explosion that resulted from her attempt to open a portal to the Snerret's home, as well as trying to get her to her feet. Lily was finding it increasingly difficult to stand on her new legs, having not learned how to properly use them. It was to be expected however, she hadn't had the option of mobility her entire life until now after all.
 
 
In the meantime, whilst Nillyna and Lily were crouched on the ground together, taking a break from Lily's attempts to get up, Sonata and Grayscale were rolling in the grass, brawling like schoolboys, simultaneously passing the buck between each other.
 
 
"I told you that stupid thing was unnecessary!" Said Grayscale, pinning Sonata beneath him.
 
 
"What are you talking about?" Protested Sonata, springing up to her coils and catching Grayscale in a tight headlock, his spinach-green arms thrashing in retaliation. "You said it was the coolest thing ever! You even opted to cover half the cost!"
 
 
"Yeah… Well, I said we shouldn't have gotten rid of the old one!" Grayscale shot back, slipping out of Sonata's headlock and trying to pounce her tail.
 
 
"Nuh uh!" Said Sonata, whipping her tail out of the way, leaving Grayscale to faceplant on the ground, where she promptly pinned him from behind. "The regular one was destroyed! You were the one Sepia made that dare to to begin with and you were the one that turned it back on her, and she accepted, remember?!"
 
 
"Yeah, well! Said Grayscale, muffled by the grass as he flailed and thrashed. "The Smart Mirror was your idea from the…"
 
 
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH!" said the cross voice of Nillyna, forcing Grayscale and Sonata apart with her magic and setting them on their respective feet and coils. "Now, what are you two bickering about?"
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale exchanged a sour look that quickly became a look of resignation. Passing blame wasn't going to get them anywhere so they might as well give it a rest and explain to their host why they believed this happened.
 
 
"We think we know why the portal literally blew up in all our faces," said Grayscale demurely.
 
 
"Yeah, the mirror in our bathroom ain't exactly ordinary," said Sonata, just as downtrodden.
 
 
"What do you mean?" Nillyna asked.
 
 
Sonata put a finger to her chin, contemplating on how she should explain. "You saw how my cellphone functions, right?"
 
 
Nillyna nodded, remembering the moving images displayed and voice's from the little object.
 
 
"Well, the mirror in our bathroom has many of the same functions," explained Sonata. "It can play videos like my cellphone can, as well as play music and a bunch of other stuff as well."
 
 
Nillyna and Lily exchanged perplexed looks, imagining a mirror capable of doing what they had been that cellphone do before. "Why would anyone make a mirror that could do that?" Asked Lily, still sitting on the ground.
 
 
"Lady, back home there is a saying we have," exclaimed Grayscale. "The question isn't why, but why not."
 
 
"Basically, since technology could be used to make a mirror that can have all the cool stuff a cellphone does, so someone made one," added Sonata. "And they're actually pretty popular, believe it or not."
 
 
Lily and Nillyna looked at each other again, trying to sort out what they had been told. While it's true that mirrors had other uses other than what they were intended for on Aquasa, Sonata and Grayscale's presence her was a testament to that, they still couldn't fathom why someone would want to display these "videos", plus the sounds that go with them, and who knows what else. Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the mirror to begin with? When a mirror is turned into a gate on Aquasa it's a gate now, not intended to be used as a mirror anymore, so how could a mirror be a mirror if it made sounds and displayed moving pictures?
 
 
"If this Smart Mirror is everything that you say it is," said Nillyna, looking over to the Snerret's again. "Whatever grant's it these abilities must somehow be interfering with the portal. That explains the explosion. The Smart Mirror must not be compatible with my magic."
 
 
"I can believe that," said Grayscale, facepalming. "If there is one thing I am dead certain of about magic it's that trying to get it to mesh with advanced technology is always a bad idea."
 
 
"So what do we do now?" Asked Sonata worriedly.
 
 
This time time it was Nillyna who tapped her chin. "Are there any other mirrors in your bathroom?"
 
 
Sonata scratched her chin again. “Well, I do keep a makeup mirror in the bathroom, but it’s folded up and stuck in a drawer somewhere.”
 
 
Nillyna shook her head. “It wouldn’t work anyway. It would need to be large enough for either of you to fit through. Any others?”
 
 
“Unfortunately, no,”Grayscale, crossing his arms. "That Smart Mirror is the only mirror we have in the flat actually."
 
 
Nillyna scowled. "You're telling me you don't have an ordinary mirror in your whole home?"
 
 
"Pretty much," said Sonata, crossing her arms with a frustrated scowl. "We used to have a normal mirror when we upgraded to a Smart Mirror, but we don't have it anymore."
 
 
"Damn Sepia!" Scowled Grayscale, pounding a fist into his palm. "Her mischievous attitude is going to land her in serious trouble one of these days."
 
 
"Sepia?" Inquired Lily. "That's that bat girl we saw in one of those pictures, right?" The Snerrets nodded.
"What does she have to do with this?"
 
 
"It's basically her fault we don't have a normal mirror anymore," explained Sonata, shaking her head. “Last year we were having a little get-together on Halloween night-”
 
 
“Uh, that’s a holiday on our world,” explained Grayscale. “We dress in costumes, eat candy, and celebrate everything spooky and scary. It’s fun.”
 
 
Nillyna and Lily said nothing, though from the looks on their faces they seemed to get the gist of what he said, or at least neither of them were going to bother with questions. He gestured towards Sonata, letting her continue.
 
 
“-anyway, we were having a little Halloween party at our apartment. We mostly got drunk and watched scary videos, and then Sepia suggested we play Bloody Mary.”
 
 
This time, both of the Aquasan girls were taken aback. “Play Bloody Mary?” Nillyna gasped. “Is that some sort of folk song?”
 
 
“No, it’s not a song, it's a game some people play.”
 
 
Grayscale chimed in with a raised finger. “Well, technically it is also a song, if you count Gwar-” He immediately shut up upon noticing Sonata shooting an annoyed glare at him. “-um, I mean… nevermind.”
 
 
Sonata sighed, rolling her eyes. It was hard enough trying to avoid needing to explain Earth-specific media when talking with Nillyna as it was without Gray throwing more into the mix. “Anyway, the legend of the game is that if you stand in front of a mirror in the dark while holding a candle and say “Bloody Mary” three times, a hideous, blood-covered ghost appears in the mirror.”
 
 
Nillyna’s expression went from mild disgust to curiosity. “You ritualistically summon ghosts… as part of a game?”
 
 
“Oh no, the ghost isn’t real- it’s just an optical illusion where the candlelight and your own imagination makes your reflection suddenly look scary,” Grayscale explained, his paws making rapid gestures to illustrate. “It’s less about actually summoning ghosts and more about who can do it without freaking out.”
 
 
“Which, needless to say, Sepia did,” Sonata sighed. “Normally getting Sepia drunk means she’ll be dancing naked on a table half an hour later, but aside from the pumpkin-flavored ale we had, she also drank a can of Monst- uh, she drank something with a lot of caffeine in it, which tends to make her super anxious. Long story short: she played Bloody Mary, freaked out, and punched the mirror.”
 
 
“Goodness!” Nillyna gasped, her hand to her breast in shock. “Was she alright?”
 
 
“Except for a bleeding hand, Sepia was fine. But the mirror was totaled. So we got a Smart Mirror to replace it. We were going to get a regular mirror, but SOMEbody,” Sonata gestured towards Grayscale, “insisted that we get a fancy one instead.”
 
 
“Look, that salesman was very charismatic!” He growled. “You agreed it sounded cool at the-”
 
 
“Fine, fine,” Barked Nillyna, waving two of her hands to silence them both. “How you got this Smart Mirror isn’t important; we need to focus on what’s next.” She looked up at the sight of the explosion, the masonry of her mansion slowly knitting itself back together as the enchantments meant for upkeep took effect.
 
 
"So, what IS next?" Asked Grayscale, voicing the thought on everyone's mind.
 
 
"That's something even I am not entirely certain of at the moment," said Nillyna, closing her eyes in frustration. "Without a reflective surface on the other side to work with, this is going to be several times more difficult."
 
 
"How difficult?" Asked Sonata concernedly.
 
 
Nillyna gave her a remorseful look. "I may not be able to return you home after all."
 
 
The Snerrets paled right to the surface of their coats.
 
 
"WHAT???" They exclaimed at the same time.
 
 
"No! No no no!" There has to be a way!" Sonata cried desperately.
 
 
"What about the window?" Grayscale suggested. "It's a bit further than the mirror was, but it still gives off a reflection in our flat!"
 
 
Nillyna looked at him regretfully. "What floor is this "flat" on?"
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale exchanged a confused look.
 
 
"Uh, third. Why?" Said Sonata.
 
 
"I thought so,” said Nillyna. "There is a reason why things like puddles of water or mirrors are a more ideal medium for portals than transparent glass. If I were to channel the spell through a window there is a good chance it would open on the side of the window facing the outside. If you were to step through it with those odds…"
 
 
"We'd wind up street pizza!" Said Sonata, hugging herself fearfully.
 
 
Nillyna arched an eyebrow. "If that means you would most likely fall to your death, then yes. Besides, I'm not sure I could even extend the spell that far from the point of origin to begin with. There was a good chance this time would have failed, even with the mirror's closer proximity."
 
 
"And yet it failed anyway," said Sonata sourly, looking up at the mansion herself, not even impressed as the damage was fixing itself. "So what do we do now? Are there any options left?"
 
 
Nillyna bent down and scooped up the ruby that had once adorned the handle of the mirror that had started all this, which Sonata had dropped during her childish skirmish with Grayscale.
 
 
"There has only ever been one option," she said, bouncing the glittering jewel in her hands. "This gem is the only source of connection between your world and Aquasa. I can still use it to open a doorway, but without a reflective surface to connect to, I am going to have to open the path… forcefully."
 
 
"Forcefully? What do you mean?" Asked Sonata.
 
 
"It means that I am going to have to create a standalone gateway," Nillyna clarified. "And to do that, I’m going to have to rip open a portal here on Aquasa, tunnel through the fabric of space-time, and emerge out the other end onto your homeworld.”
 
 
Something in Nillyna's tone told Sonata and Grayscale it was going to be more complicated than it seems.
 
 
"Is that…safe?" Grayscale nervously asked. "It's not going to, like, destroy the universe, is it?"
 
 
Nillyna looked back at the ruby in contemplation. "This kind of path shouldn't be any more dangerous than using mirrors, possibly less so, given how the mirror in your house reacted to my magic. The problem is the process I will have to rely on is largely theoretical."
 
 
"Wait, you mean it hasn't been done before?" Asked Sonata.
 
 
"Yes, we are stepping into the boundaries of completely untested magic," exclaimed Nillyna, looking up from the ruby back to the Snerrets. "Portals that don't require a reflective surface aren't a new concept on Aquasa but they're several times more complicated and unpredictable than a standard mirror portal, and require a tremendous amount more magic to create."
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale exchanged desperate looks. "Can…can you do it?" Asked Sonata desperately.
 
 
Nillyna held up the ruby, letting it glint in the sunlight. “Perhaps- I'm not completely in the dark here, after all. I still have all the necessary data within this ruby, and that should provide at least a small leg-up. The biggest hurdle we have yet to clear, however, is that no portal that we can create on Aquasa of any sort is meant to travel between planets. Very few standalone portals have been attempted in the past, and the ones that actually worked could only traverse short distances, and required a vast amount of magic to create and maintain. I'm guessing that the only reason it worked the first time and nearly worked this time is because the mirrors’ reflections shoulder most of the burden. Without reflective surfaces to work with, the amount of magical energy we’d need to travel across the cosmos would be… well, astronomical, no pun intended.”
 
 
"So it's hopeless," said Sonata, unable to suppress a distraught sniffle, Grayscale taking hold of her hand and stroking her arm comfortingly.
 
 
"It’s certainly going to be one of the most challenging experiments I’ve ever attempted, yes," admitted Nillyna, though she did manage a supportive, dedicated smile. "But I still intend to try. If I can craft something that can store the necessary energy, I might just be able to pull it off."
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale perked up.
 
 
"But this also means we have a new risk to contend with," said Nillyna seriously, Sonata and Grayscale becoming nervous again. "If we go this route, we’ll have to dip our toes into some illicit territory in this world."
 
 
"Wait, what?" Said Sonata and Grayscale together.
 
 
"To gather and store enough magic for this to work, we’ll need an Arcane Capacitor. They’re capable of storing enormous amounts of magic, enough to fill hundreds or even thousands of talismans. However, they are also one of the most heavily regulated constructs on Aquasa.” Nillyna stuck her cane into the ground and waved three of her hands above its ruby top, creating a glowing hologram-like illusion of what Sonata and Grayscale assumed was a tiny model of a city, all stone spires and glittering towers. A luminous crystalline force field appeared over the city, encasing it like a snowglobe. “They are primarily used for large-scale sorceries, such as these force fields for protecting entire cities…” the miniature metropolis melted away before flattening into a peaceful meadow the size of a chessboard. “...or committing unforgivable atrocities.” Her dramatic statement was illustrated as the meadow suddenly erupted with countless rotting, bony arms clawing out from the ground, unearthing an army of hideous undead ghouls that quickly filled the tiny square of land, tongues of hellfire belching out from their snarling mouths and empty eye sockets.
 
 
With a flick of her wrist, Nillyna’s illusion instantly vanished. Both snerrets were awestruck by the dramatic display, though Grayscale was the one to remark, “Well that was, uh… terrifying.”
 
 
“I apologize, though I felt it best to illustrate my point. Arcane Capacitors have enormous potential, both positive and destructive, so their construction is highly restricted and requires a special license, among other things. If I were to attempt to construct such a vessel capable of storing the necessary energy for the portal without a license, it would be in violation of just about every arcane law regarding their use."
 
 
Now Sonata and Grayscale were realizing things were several times more dangerous than they were before now. "What would happen if we got busted?" Asked Sonata.
 
 
"To all of you, nothing, as I ensure that neither you two, nor Lily, are indicted. Trust me on that," explained Nillyna. "As for me, I doubt I would fall under suspicion of anything like this. I’ve dabbled in advanced and unorthodox spellcraft many times before, so I doubt I’d draw much suspicion from others when I gather the proper components. Even if I were to be caught, my reputation would likely spare me the more lethal capital punishments. At worst, I'd suffer the penalty of my own people."
 
 
"And that would be?" Asked Grayscale, Lily looked worried as she lay on the grass still.
 
 
Nillyna looked down on herself, more specifically her dress. "In short… they'd cut off my wings."
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale grasped in horror, and Lily virtually screamed.
 
 
"Nillyna, no!" She said, trying to stand, but failed again, falling over to grab Nillyna's ankles. "Nillyna, your wings! Not your wings!"
 
 
Nillyna smiled and bent down to place a hand on Lily's shoulder. "I understand your distress, my love, but I have to do this. It's my fault Sonata and Grayscale are marooned here on Aquasa. It's up to me to get them home."
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale couldn't keep quiet any longer and stepped forward. "That is all really noble of you, Nillyna, but is it really worth the risk?" Asked Sonata.
 
 
"Yeah!" Agreed Grayscale. "I mean we do want to get back home, but we wouldn’t want you to stick your neck out like this."
 
 
Nillyna's smile didn't falter as she stood back. "The unlawful conduct is of little consequence compared to everything else. Besides, you all are getting so worked up over a very unlikely outcome."
 
 
"What do you mean?" Asked Sonata.
 
 
"Like I said, I have a very respectful reputation that should divert suspicion," said Nillyna, reassuringly. "In fact, I am probably the best candidate to pull this off, for I am the last person anyone would think to investigate on suspicions of constructing some sort of magic super-weapon. The real challenge is how this is going to work."
 
 
"What challenge are you referring to?" Grayscale asked, slightly comforted by Nillyna's reassurance.
 
 
Nillyna looked remorseful again. "Well, to be honest, it could take years to gather the necessary energy."
 
 
That simple sentence made both of their hearts sink in their chests.
 
 
"Seriously?" Asked Grayscale; Sonata leaned into him again, disheartened by the news.
 
 
"I'm afraid so," said Nillyna, idly tapping her cane. “With what we’d be working with, there’s only so much magic that can be gathered during the day, and the energy requirements for the portal are going to be immense."
 
 
It was daunting, to all present…but, by all accounts, it was the only option left.
 
 
"Well, that sucks," said Grayscale, kicking the ground sourly.
 
 
 But there was nothing to be done. It was this or nothing.
 
 
"I am truly sorry," said Nillyna, wishing she could do more.
 
 
"Hey, I agree with Gray, it sucks," said Sonata, leaning off of Grayscale. "But you didn't mean for this to happen, so we don't really blame you. Right Gray?"
 
 
"Yeah, it was just a freak accident," said Grayscale. "And you are being more than gracious."
 
 
Nillyna couldn't help but be grateful that her guests were being so understanding, although they probably realized that panicking would solve nothing. Snerrets could be wise, it seems.
 
 
"I intend to be more than that. I will get you all home, whatever it takes," said Nillyna with dedication. She looked down at her girlfriend for a moment however. "But there is one more thing I need to take care of first before I get started."
 
 
She bent down and tried to help Lily to her feet, but the plant-girl lost her footing and fell down again. With her face firmly planted to the ground her new elegant green ass was perked skyward, cheeks and crevice exposed. Sonata and Grayscale couldn't suppress a blush, Lily's position meant the cleft of her cheeks was spread wide for their viewing.
 
 
"I…take it she's having trouble with her new legs?" Inquired Grayscale, peeking through his fingers.
 
 
Nillyna nodded, blushing at the sight of Lily’s rump herself. "I am sorry, but if you two are going to be here for the foreseeable future until I can get you home, I would rather my girlfriend be capable of taking care of herself before I get started on the portal, so I can put all my focus on it. I'm sorry, but getting Lily walking is a far easier dilemma to deal with at the moment."
 
 
"It's not my fault," complained Lily, looking back and propping her uncooperative legs on their knees indignantly. "I can't get them to do what I want."
 
 
In the meantime Sonata had her eyes glued to Lily's posterior, the elegant attractive grooves of its feminine traits serving as a means to steady her thoughts from the stream of bad news and focus on the current situation. If they were staying as long as Nillyna was insinuating, they would most likely have to interact with Lily on a daily basis for the foreseeable future too; not favorable for either party for obvious reasons. She might as well get used to the sight of her, and she had to admit this view was most pleasing. However, her shame at the moment also presented an opportunity for them to offer a sign of good faith, to show there were no hard feelings. Making up her mind Sonata slithered over to the stick that had almost impaled Grayscale a moment ago and yanked it out of the ground. Stealing her nerves, she opened her mouth wide and plunged it into her gullet like a circus sword-swallower.
 
 
"What are you doing?" Asked Nillyna in surprise as she observed Sonata's actions. Lily looked up from her compromising position with a look of deep disgust to see Sonata sucking on wood of all things.
 
 
"Really Sonata, now of all times?" Said Grayscale, shaking his head. "You know you're no good at Munch Art."
 
 
But Sonata wasn't listening, trying to focus through the bad taste of wood. Munch Art is when a Snerret or some other species with a powerful digestive system would use their esophagus and stomach to create works of art, utilizing their muscles and stomach acids to sculpt various materials. It was an arduous art few could fully master. As Grayscale said, Sonata wasn't too versed in it, but for what she had something in mind she might be able to pull off with her rudimentary skills. She felt the object taking shape within her, hopefully nearing completion soon, the taste was unbearable. Finally, Sonata reached into her mouth and pulled the stick back out.
 
 
It no longer resembled just another fallen branch however. It was still gnarled and twisted, but now it sort of looked like a large rose carved from wood.
 
 
Grayscale blinked, recognizing what the object resembled. "Is that…?"
 
 
"The Sanguine Rose, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion edition," confirmed Sonata, turning to Grayscale brandishing the staff she had created. "I may have never been able to produce more elegant sculptures before like my aunt Gertrude, but I was thinking if I tried it on something that was never elegant and symmetrical in the first place, I might be able to pull it off." She looked back at her creation. "And I was right!"
 
 
"But why create it in the first place?" Asked Grayscale, no less thrilled with Sonata's success than Sonata herself was, but didn't quite understand the objective. "Are you hoping it will be magic all of the sudden?"
 
Sonata scowled, "No, smartass. This may not be able to summon Daedra, but it's sure to assist Lily at the moment."
 
 
Sonata slithered over to Lily, Nillyna still crouched next to her prone form. The plant-girl had a look of deep disgust on her face. She would never deny she was rather gluttonous, eating having been her favorite pastime until meeting Nillyna, and seeing Sonata do what she just did with that branch revolted her to no end. In her youth (however long ago that was) Lily had experimented with alternative food sources, having grown tired of waiting for the next prey item to come within grabbing distance. Wood had been one of her attempts, Lily actually taking a bite out of one of the several trees that had neighbored her. Needless to say it hadn't been an enjoyable experience, sometimes the phantom feeling of sap between her teeth still haunted her.
 
 
"Wasn't that…revolting?" She asked, finally sitting up to sit on her bottom on the grass, one of her eyes concealed by her hair, something that was fairly common with her.
 
 
"More than you can imagine," answered Sonata, picking a sliver of bark from her teeth with a claw. "It was definitely more fiber than I could have asked for." She smiled, knelt down and offered the staff to Lily, holding it out horizontally between them. "Anyway, try this. It may help."
 
 
Lily looked at the offering, unsure of what to do with it. "What is it?"
 
 
"It's a staff, love," Nillyna answered for Sonata, giving the Snerret an appreciative smile. "And I think I know what she has in mind."
 
 
With Sonata's permission, Nillyna took the staff and demonstrated to Lily how to use it. With some slight trial Lily was able to prop herself on the gnarled, but elegant, piece of wood and slowly climb to her feet, using the staff to brace herself. Finally, for the first time, Lily stood to her full height, supported by legs that had been a selfless gift from her girlfriend. It was…a rather new experience, to feel grass beneath your feet, rather than your roots beneath it.
 
 
Lily looked at the head of her walk aid, shaped elegantly into the visage of a rosebud, then to Sonata as she stood before her still, a sensation forming in her chest that she hadn't felt since Nillyna pulled her from her burning forest.
 
 
"Why give me this?" She asked cautiously.
 
 
"It's an invitation to make peace," proclaimed Sonata, crossing her arms. "It looks like we will be stuck together for a while, and I was hoping that this would be an appropriate sign that I'm willing to get along if you’re willing as well." She looked over at Grayscale from over her shoulder. "Isn't that right, Gray?"
 
 
"Oh, I agree, definitely," said Grayscale, walking up beside Sonata. “We’re going to have to get used to each other’s company anyway, might as well start over with a clean slate." He held up his hand towards Lily, Sonata doing the same. "What do you say, Lily? Let bygones be bygones?"
 
 
Lily looked down at the staff assisting with her balance then to Nillyna, who gave an insistent look, and remembered what she had said the night before. Maybe it was time to leave her ravenous nature behind, at least regarding these two. Standing up straighter than before, she smiled warmly at Grayscale. “I don’t know what “bygones” are… but I am willing to make peace with you two, If only for my Nilly’s sake.”
 
 
Nillyna’s antennae suddenly drooped in embarrassment as she blushed, looking over at Lily. “N-nilly?”
 
 
“What? Too soon for pet names?” she asked, blushing.
 
 
Nillyna shook her head, "If anything, it's not fair because your name is too short for me to do anything with."
 
 
The two laughed, even Sonata and Grayscale both had a chuckle at this. Alien world or not these two were a couple in every sense of the word. Maybe hormones were a universal necessity.
 
 
"Now, I'm going to assist Lily with her walking at the moment," said Nillyna, leading her girlfriend away. "As soon as I am satisfied she won't hurt herself, I promise to get right on to preparing the portal that will return you home."
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale looked at each other, contemplating on the fact that they might be stuck here for years once again. They took refuge from the daunting fact with the only available comfort. They held hands, finding solace in each other's presence. If anything, they had each other, a best friend to share in the dilemma.
 
 
"What do we do in the meantime?" Asked Sonata, gesturing to herself and Grayscale.
 
 
"For now I suggest you find something to entertain yourselves," said Nillyna, trying to show Lily what position to move her legs to walk. "There's more to my home than its elevation, I assure you."
 
 
The Snerret's weren't too sure anything here could be a viable distraction to what they were dealing with but Grayscale noticed a flower garden in the distance. It got him thinking. He and Sonata would often appreciate the elegance of flowers on occasion and weren't above a stroll through the occasional flower garden when they were in season. It wasn't feminine, if flowers are beautiful to you that's what they are, beautiful.
 
 
"Would you mind if we explored your flower garden over there?" He asked.
 
 
"Not at all. Be my guest," assured Nillyna.
 
 
Grayscale nodded appreciatively and took Sonata's hand. "Come on, Sonata. Let's go see what beautiful flowers this place has to offer."
 
 
Sonata didn't know if she was in the mood but didn't protest. What else was she to do?
 
 
As they made towards her garden Nillyna had to catch Lily, who had stumbled once again. Feeling her frustration mounting Nillyna decided she was going to need assistance keeping a level head if this process was going to go smoothly and swiftly. With a wave of her upper right hand she summoned her trusty marble pipe with gold trim into her hand, lit the end with a snap of her fingers and took a long swig.
 
 
Lily propped herself on her staff and watched as her girlfriend huffed out three smoke rings. It was by no means the first time she'd seen such an act from Nillyna but it usually meant one thing.
 
 
"This is really frustrating for you, isn't it?" She asked shamefully, embarrassed at her lack of progress.
 
 
"It's not just you, love," reassured Nillyna, looking at Lily as smoke streamed lightly from her mouth in a thin, wavy strip. "It's everything. In all my years I have never faced such challenges as I do now. If there's ever a time I need my blend it's now."
 
 
Lily couldn't fault her for that reasoning, she would admit even she was beginning to feel the strain of the situation. Too bad the blend had no effect on her. Humanoid or not her brain was plant based and not susceptible to the same chemical reactions as animalia brains.
 
 
"Hey!"
 
 
Nillyna and Lily looked around and noticed that Sonata and Grayscale had walked back over to them and were eyeing Nillyna's pipe.
 
 
"What have you got there?" Asked Sonata, deep enthusiasm in her eyes.
 
 
"Doesn't smell like tobacco," said Grayscale almost gratefully, tasting the air with his barbed tongue.
 
 
"Oh, it isn't," said Nillyna, puffing on the pipe again, breathing out another smoke ring, this one changing colors like a prism. "Only buffoons inhale that poison. Life can be short enough as it is."
 
 
Sonata was about to give her a wholehearted agreement when she noticed something Grayscale's comment had unknowingly brought up. "Wait, your world has tobacco?"
 
 
Nillyna seemed to follow the same line of thought. "Does yours?"
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale nodded, gave each other a look of deep aggravation and simultaneously face palmed.
 
 
"Of all the parallels it had to be that one," said Sonata bitterly. "And we don't even smoke."
 
 
"Why couldn't video games be a parallel instead?" Gripped Grayscale, dragging his hands down his face, stretching his eyes and nose that snapped back into place as he let go. He looked at Nillyna's pipe again. "Anyway, what have you got there?"
 
 
"This," said Nillyna proudly, displaying her pipe. "Is a special blend of herbs of my own creation."
 
 
"What does it do?" Asked Sonata eagerly.
 
 
"Basically it promotes thought process and alleviates frustration, anxiety, and worry," explained Nillyna, twirling her pipe, taking another puff and exhaling a sphere of smoke the size of a basketball that floated away as solid as a balloon. "My line of work requires rigorous concentration and I find an aid every now and then most beneficial."
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale could only watch as the solid sphere of smoke drifted away on the wind, never dispersing. Eagerness and excitement began to course through them, Grayscale bouncing on his heels. This sounded like the perfect pick-me-up after a day full of so many let downs.
 
 
"Can we try it?" Asked Grayscale hopefully.
 
 
Nillyna seemed taken aback by such a request. "You have experience with such things?"
 
 
"Oh…" said Sonata, glancing at Grayscale with a mischievous look, the expression mirrored on his face too. "We have a little experience with inhalation."
 
 
By “inhalation”, Sonata referred to marijuana. They didn’t consider themselves “stoners” by any means, but they had indulged in weed more than a few times back at college, and during the holidays they’d occasionally light up and relax with a blunt and some pizza (though usually Grayscale, Sepia, or whoever else was joining them ended up sating Sonata’s “munchies”). Nillyna’s blend didn’t seem like the same sort of thing, but the smell and supposed effects did intrigue them nonetheless.
 
 
Nillyna didn't know what she meant by that but she had no objections. They could use it just as much as she could, if not more so. Nillyna snapped her fingers on her lower left hand, causing two smoking pipes to appear out of thin air, one hovering in front of each of them before Sonata and Grayscale each took hold of them. The Snerret's eyes widened in admiration, for the little objects were more than just devices for inhaling smoke of a desirable substance, they were practically masterpieces.
 
 
Sonata's was long and narrow, like a wealthy aristocrat’s pipe, the stem appearing to be made out of stained mahogany and studded with clear crystals that looked to be diamond's. The band at the start of the stummel was gold in color with the stummel itself apparently crafted from a large, clear crystal, carved into elegant, complex facets, the transparent bowl allowing the smoldering collection of herbs resting within to be visible from all ends, crackling with tiny embers.
 
 
Grayscale's pipe wasn't as complex, but no less elegant, and masterfully crafted. The stem was just as long as Sonata’s, if not a bit thicker, with the stummel being silver in color. The bowl itself was a simple yet highly polished black orb with an open top, clutched in the scaly, silver paw of a dragon, its black opal claws curled tightly around the bowl as a thin bluish ribbon of smoke rose from the burning mix of dried herbs within.
 
 
"Sweet!" Commented Grayscale, examining his pipe.
 
 
"Yeah! These are the coolest pipes I have ever seen," said Sonata, feeling the facets of her's with her fingers. "They must have cost a fortune!"
 
 
"They certainly did," confirmed Nillyna with a nod. "I don't have many hobbies outside of my work, but I do take pride in my intricate pipe collection."
 
 
"You’re okay with us using them then?" Asked Sonata, suspecting that these two simple objects might be worth more than all of Gray's video games and video editing equipment put together.
 
 
"Not a problem," assured Nillyna. "Not only are they both made from highly durable materials, they also have several protective enchantments on them. I doubt anything short of dropping them from the estate could actually harm them."
 
 
Yeah, that was most assuredly not going to happen. Not only because of Sonata and Grayscale's courtesies, but also because the edge of this skyland was the last place they’d ever want to be.
 
 
"Good to know," said Sonata, finally putting the stem of her pipe into her mouth and taking a slow, gentle drag.
 
 
"So, how is it?" Asked Grayscale eagerly.
 
 
Sonata exhaled through her nostrils, blowing out two streams of smoke, a content sigh escaping her lips. That was all the confirmation Grayscale required. He took a quick puff from his own pipe and instantly felt the aforementioned effects. It wasn't anything like marijuana. There was no “trippy” sensation; what was felt could be best described as all the troubles of the world losing their sense of urgency and daunting, melting and sloughing off their minds like snow off a rooftop. Sonata and Grayscale could still fathom the severity of their situation, but it no longer made them panic.
 
 
All in all, a sense of mild contentment was instilled in them by Nillyna's blend.
 
 
"Oh, that's so much better. Thank you, Nillyna," said Sonata gratefully.
 
 
"Not a problem," reassured Nillyna, "keep the pipes for now. Something tells me that you both are going to need them just as much as me."
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale nodded in appreciation, heading into the direction of the flower garden again, feeling as if they could genuinely appreciate the beauty now. Nillyna and Lily just watched them go.
 
 
"Do you really believe that you can get them home?" Asked Lily, the Snerret's gesture of good faith finally allowed slight access to her heart that had been walled behind a predatory instinct until recently.
 
 
"Truthfully, I am not certain, " admitted Nillyna regretfully.
 
 
Lily could only share in her girlfriend's uncertainty as they resumed their walking lessons. Along the line a thought occurred to Lily.
 
 
"Since when did you start calling me love?" She asked.
 
 
Nillyna smiled as she caught Lily in her arms after her most recent stumble. "Well, we're not entertaining the farce that our relationship is one based on convenience anymore, so I see no reason why I shouldn't express my affection for you. Besides, you started giving me nicknames."
 
 
Lily smiled. It was true. Convenience was no longer the defining factor of their relationship, why shouldn't they express what they really feel? “Can’t argue with that, Nilly.”
 
 
—
 
 
Whatever was in Nillyna's blend it proved to be just the thing Sonata and Grayscale needed to come to terms with their situation. It wasn't anything like smoking marijuana or taking shrooms, where there was the rare but real risk of it turning against them and heightening their anxiety rather than softening it, though that had only happened once in their lives. This herbal blend was much more gentle and mild, making all their fears, doubts and uncertainties soften and settle down with every exhale of the wonderful vapor, making room for simple contentment, surrounded by a mental warmth snugly wrapped around their minds like a comfortable quilt. Better still, they maintained their grounding in reality, able to enjoy their surroundings with the depersonalization that came with psilocybin.
 
 
As they passed the gates of the garden, Grayscale and Sonata gaped in awe at the surrounding flowers and their bright colors- whether their vibrance was natural or a side effect of the herbs, they didn’t care.
 
 
"These are beautiful," said Sonata, approaching a flower that appeared to be a hydrangea, except the multiple little flowers bunched into balls looked like blue roses with purple between the grooves of the petals. She inhaled its fragrance, finding the odor pleasing.
 
 
Grayscale on the other hand found a plant that was a different kind of appeasing.
 
 
"No way!" He exclaimed, still sucking on his pipe. "Sonata, come check this out!"
 
 
She did as instructed, finding Grayscale standing before a rather short, thin tree, covered in multiple fruits of a peculiar, but familiar shape.
-
"Are those…?" She inquired in surprise.
 
 
"Starfruit!" Exclaimed Grayscale, rushing over and picking a sizable amount of the tropical fruit. "Hell yeah! This is the kind of parallel I am talking about!"
 
 
"Hey, don't hog!" Said Sonata, rushing over and grabbing some herself.
 
 
Starfruit was a rare commodity, even where they were from, and Nillyna had them just growing in her garden. The moth-girl was indeed incredible. After a quick fruity snack Sonata and Grayscale continued their exploration of the garden, soon finding themselves before a wooden trellis covered in climbing flowers similar to morning glories, except the petals were iridescent, shifting in color like bismuth.
 
 
Sonata's eyes danced as she approached to get a closer look. A butterfly emerged from among the colorful bundles, but rather than fluttering away the little insect perched itself on her nose.
 
 
"Oop!" She gasped to herself, crossing her eyes to stare directly at the little creature. It stared at her with bright red honeycomb eyes, curling and uncurling its proboscis. Its wings were like a swallowtail’s, though they were transparent and brightly colored like a stained glass window.
 
 
"Got yourself a new friend there, Sonata?" Chuckled Grayscale, walking up next to the taller Snerret to look at the little bug on her nose.
 
 
Sonata chuckled as well. "Maybe it's Nillyna's cousin?"
 
 
Neither had time to Sonata's reference to any possible relation Nillyna might have with the butterfly, because at that moment its transparent wings kaleidoscoped with color, and they didn't even have time to be transfixed by the display, because the butterfly suddenly flew off of Sonata's nose, glowed a light red, then dispersed into what appeared to be millions of tiny orange embers.
 
 
Now Sonata and Grayscale had time to react, though all they could do was stand in place and watch as the small embers that had once been a butterfly sprinkle over the morning glories. Did they really just see that? Nillyna didn't say anything about her blend being hallucinogenic.
 
 
"What…just happened?" Said Sonata softly, slithering over to examine the vines, Grayscale still stunned in place.
 
 
Before Sonata got too close however she saw that the little embers were materializing upon the vines as fat, finger-sized caterpillars with transparent bodies, their vivid, intricate organs clearly visible within their squishy bodies.
 
 
"Holy crap!" She said, now stunned herself, bending over to get a better look at the interesting little bug's. "Grayscale, you have got to come see this!"
 
 
But Grayscale was seeing other things.
 
 
Sonata's exclamation at her discovery did break him out of his transfixed state, but before he could collect his thoughts Sonata bent over in front of him, adding more of a curve to her ass. He paused and found himself staring, the sight of Sonata’s soft backside most alluring. He would never get tired of “respectfully observing” this particular part of his best friend.
 
 
A sensation between Gray's legs caught his attention and as he looked he felt a particular part of him become exposed to the air. Sure enough, one of his members was emerging from his sheath. 'Only Sonata's butt could cause this to happen,' he thought, though he blushed with embarrassment- not because of his now-exposed dick but because he could normally keep it under control, even with a front-row view of a fine female rump. He was about to try and get it back in its sheath when he heard Sonata speak up again.
 
 
"And I thought metamorphosis was cool enough already," commented Sonata off-handedly, turning around to investigate why Grayscale hadn't joined her yet. "What kind of butterfly was…?"
 
 
But her question was cut off when she noticed Grayscale looking down at himself, at his member currently bobbing in the breeze. The image of the familiar appendage danced in her coronas, her excitement at the butterflies display ebbing away as another sensation took hold. Grayscale looked up from himself to see Sonata now staring down at him and his exposed length. The sight of her admiration as well as her bare breasts, their pierced nipples growing visible erect, increased his arousal further, causing his second member to quickly pop out to join its double.
 
 
"Well this is uh… this is awkward." Grayscale mumbled with a wheezing tone, his breathing increasing with his arousal. “Is this because of the pipe?”
 
 
"That's a good question," said Sonata, taking a short drag of the herbs once again to try and calm herself down. It only ended up stoking the growing heat in her loins, making her shiver from her head to her hips as her normally featureless crotch opened up in the middle to reveal her wet, pink vulva. Not nearly as blatant as Grayscale’s double-dicks, but just as clear a sign she was getting quite hot and bothered as it glistened with its pungent juices. Their tongues instinctively flicked out in tandem, tasting the subtle but increasingly spicy scent of each other’s pheromones.
 
 
While Sonata and Grayscale were both quite sexually active, especially with each other, they had never gotten quite this hot-and-bothered from the mere sight of one another unless one of them was actively trying to rile the other one up. And yet here they were; wet, erect, and giving off enough pheromones to give a statue a boner.
 
 
"Did uh… did Nillyna say anything about this stuff being an aphrodisiac?" Muttered Grayscale, looking down at his pipe, still smoldering.
 
 
"I… don't think so," panted Sonata, looking at hers as well. "Wouldn't make much sense if it was. She said it was meant to promote focus… and right now my brain’s doing the opposite of that." She shook her head and shivered again, her mental faculties getting fogged up as her heated hormones steamed her brain inside her skull.
 
 
Grayscale nodded in agreement, licking his lips unconsciously. "Might just be us. Another thing on this planet that affects us differently."
 
 
Sonata took a deep breath, then suddenly snatched Grayscale's pipe from his hand, smothering them both on the grass and setting them on a nearby stone bench.
 
 
"What did you do that for?" Asked Grayscale incredulously.
 
 
"So I wouldn't get burned," answered Sonata with great anticipation in her hot pink eyes. Before Grayscale could ask for clarification, she suddenly pounced upon the smaller snerret, growling with hungry delight as she practically threw him across the garden before landing atop him on something thankfully soft.
 
 
When Grayscale managed to get a breath in, he looked around- they had landed on what looked like a huge patch of multicolored moss, the thick and springy mass consisting of countless tiny, spongy lumps in many vibrant colors, as if someone spilled a ton of aquarium gravel across the ground. Looking up at Sonata, she was quite a sight- panting hard, tongue out and teeth bared in a wicked and wild grin, her one eye not covered by her magenta bangs dilated and glowing with raw lust. Her pendulous breasts hung down low, swaying with her heavy breathing as she slowly licked her chops suggestively.
 
 
Grayscale’s grin quickly grew to match her own as he chuckled gleefully. “So… you wanna head back to our room and-”
 
 
“Fuck that!” Sonata hissed, one hand grabbing the back of his head while the other took his wrist and shoved his left paw upon her right tit, which he immediately began squeezing without needing instruction. “Let’s just do it like they do on the Discovery Channel!”
 
 
Normally Grayscale would playfully chastise Sonata for such a corny line, but instead he immediately began groping both her tits with both paws as they both leaned in and kissed each other with almost feral enthusiasm, their tongues lashing as they growled and snarled so fiercely, an outsider might assume they were trying to bite each other’s faces off rather than simply making out. Kisses turned to licks as Grayscale’s muzzle trailed lower down Sonata’s long neck, slurping and nuzzling at her neck-fur as his nose inhaled her sweet scent, his tongue lapping up the pheromones emanating from her scent glands and spreading throughout her pink fur, making his mouth tingle like it was full of pop-rocks. Sonata simply held onto his head, guiding him lower while occasionally licking or nipping at his flicking ears before letting out a tremendous moan from the sensation of the frisky little male suddenly latching upon her right nipple.
 
 
With hungry fervor, Grayscale sucked and slurped upon her sensitive boob, made even more sensitive by her barbell piercings, which he eagerly turned and twisted as if they were the volume controls for Sonata’s cries of agonizing delight. It was no secret that Grayscale loved Sonata’s breasts. Aside from being so delightfully big and bouncy, and serving as the best pair of pillows to rest his head upon, they were so much fun to play with, making Sonata squirm and squeal with girlish delight with the right touch. Aside from making her feel good, there was something so satisfying about making a larger, more dominant predator like Sonata turn into a quivering mess begging for more as he suckled her sweet nipples like a hungry snerret fledgeling.
 
 
Removing himself with a wet pop, Grayscale grinned at the sight of her right boob glistening with his saliva, her still-erect nipple visibly swollen a bit from overstimulation. He was about to perform the same treatment to her left nipple when suddenly he felt another paw grab his head before they both ended up flipping around on the moss, with Grayscale now lying atop Sonata as she held either side of his face, glaring at him through the valley of her cleavage. Grayscale was somewhat perturbed by the interruption, but then she spoke, or rather, roared, as Sonata pushed him down further along her body until he was face-to-face with her open vulva, now practically gushing with juices like a lemon in a press. “My pussy! Eat me! Eat me deep! Now!"
 
 
He certainly didn’t have to be told twice. Leaning in to gently kiss the cleft of her lower lips, Grayscale gave a long, slow lick across the whole surface of her groin, lapping with increasing speed and fervor as he drank down her nectar, Sonata moaning at the light touch to her sensitive area. He ran his whole tongue across the entire surface of her vulva, a familiar taste registering as her love tunnel began opening up, allowing him to push his tongue inside, the vivid orange appendage twisting around this way and that as it slid between her folds.
 
 
Sonata let out her loudest cry of pleasure yet as Grayscale's tongue slowly pistoned inside her, nerves sparking like firecrackers as he tongue-fucked the larger female. She looked down to take in the delicious sight of Gray gripping her hips, eyes shut tight as he savored the succulent taste of her twat, curling his tongue up and out every now and then to brush against her clitoris to tease her further. Her back involuntarily arched as she felt her breath taken away, reducing her lewd moans to a high-pitched hiss.
 
 
Channeling what little focus she could muster, Sonata whipped her tail around behind Gray to wind around his own tail, which had been wagging happily all the while. With a single smooth motion honed by years of intimacy, Sonata hoisted Grayscale's lower body up and began to rotate him one hundred and eighty degrees, all without separating him from her sex, spinning him around like a crank with his tongue serving as the axle. Grayscale made no sound of surprise, simply re-adjusting his grip on Sonata's waist as he was spun around, with only a couple sudden jerks from her tail whenever he touched a supremely sensitive spot.
 
 
Eventually Sonata lowered him back down, his members dangling before her as he planted his feet on her shoulders, further pinning her in place. As Grayscale continuously ate her out, Sonata admired the pair of stiff, smooth red lengths before her vision, eager to start her own savoring. Without skipping a beat, Sonata brought both members into her mouth, the familiar taste of precum assaulting her senses. Grayscale must be extracting some high quality nectar from her to be this far along already. She began making figure eights around the rods with her tongue, Grayscale’s moans muffled by his oral ministrations, yet sounding just as delighted as Sonata’s.
 
 
Back and forth they went like that, tongues tasting and teasing each other’s tender areas, Sonata murring hungrily as she took both cocks in her mouth up to the hilt, savoring his sweetmeats before drawing them back out until just the very tips remains between her lips, before shoving them back in her gullet once more. Meanwhile, Gray was busy practically shoving his whole muzzle deep into her pussy, his playful hisses vibrating her inner walls, coming back up for air every few seconds.
 
 
Sonata could feel the telltale twitch of Grayscale’s orgasm building up. Withdrawing her mouth from Grayscale's rods she grabbed him around the waist with her tail once more, pulling his face out from her well-lubricated loins to spin him around once again to face her.
 
 
"Alright, enough of that," Sonata purred, eyes half-lidded as she pulled him close into a deep kiss, their tongues intertwining to mix the magnificent flavors of each other’s lustful flavors. Pulling back she grinned wickedly up at him, the sight of her fluids trickling down his chin aroused her further. "Time for the real stuff."
 
 
Grayscale licked his chops eagerly, grabbing hold of her right breast with one hand and his upper member with the other. Without even needing to look Gray plunged forward, hitting the mark and thrusting deep into her folds with a heavy wet slap, immediately followed by more wet slapping noises as Grayscale began to fuck Sonata with rough yet passionate thrusts. Sonata practically howled in delight as Grayscale began his thrusts, yipping and yelping in ecstasy as she wrapped her arms around him and threw her head over his shoulder, holding him tight as Gray hugged her back, gritting his teeth as his hips kept going. At once they finally cried out in orgasmic delight, Grayscale spraying his seed deep within her as she splashed him with her fluids. They fell limp afterwards, panting heavily as the afterglow seeped into every fiber of their being.
 
 
But it wasn't over, Grayscale had two members after all.
 
 
Following their usual regimen, Grayscale pulled out as soon as he caught his breath, ready to insert number two, but Sonata pushed him off her before he could begin.
 
 
"Wait," she calmly demanded with a breathy tone. "I wanna try it this way now."
 
 
Grayscale rolled off of Sonata onto the moss, waiting to see what she had in store. Sonata flipped over onto her chest, looking over her shoulder and smiling teasingly, shaking her exposed backside. Then she lifted her tail up and threw it over his left shoulder, propping up her body in an arch with her pussy on full display upside-down before him. Grayscale’s first thought was that she looked like she was doing the “downward dog” yoga pose, or rather, judging by the fuck-me eyes she was giving him, it’d be more appropriate to call it “downward doggy-style”.
 
 
Grayscale smiled, stood up to his knees and kissed her lightly on the slit once. She shuddered at the contact as Grayscale then stood to his full height, reached out and around her to grab her butt, his fingers digging into her firm rump and producing another sensual moan, then plunged both his members into her at once. Sonata gasped in shocked delight, her claws digging into the multicolored moss until her knuckles turned white, the strange alien plants turning out to be surprisingly elastic and resistant to her grip. Grayscale pounded Sonata’s pussy with extra fervor, his tongue lolling out like an actual dog as he felt both his cocks stretch around the eager folds. As the rattle on his tail rang out with a shkk-shkk-shkk-shkk-shkk-shkk, Sonata’s tail was going nuts from the raw animalistic pleasure, whipping about and thumping the ground behind Gray before finally lunging toward him once again to coil around one leg and up along his waist and shoulders, not to constrict or pull away, but simply to stroke and caress the smaller male and add to the already overflowing pleasure.
 
 
It wasn't often that Grayscale used both members at once, usually because it was often too much for even for Sonata's insatiable lust, but now, under the unseen side effects of Nillyna's mysterious herbal blend, it seemed to be just the right amount to satisfy them both.
 
 
Sonata was a quivering mess, her hair splayed out wildly as her speech devolved into fuck-drunk babbling. “Hssss… haaah… aaah! Yessss, yessss!” Fuck me!” She demanded between breathy panting. “Fuck me you little… Hssss! Yesss! Right there…”
 
 
It was almost too much for Grayscale- the tastes on his tongue, the tightness around his cocks, the delightful noises Sonata was making… But the sensation of her smooth and silky tail slipping around his body and stroking along his neck and waist was practically making him see stars. Rivulets of pungent precum and pussy juices ran down their sides, the scent mixing with the pheromones pumping through their lungs before igniting like jet fuel to send them straight to the final climax.
 
 
With a final thrust Grayscale came inside Sonata for the second time, much harder and more productively than before as white jets of hot cum sprayed from between them. Sonata’s tail hugged him tightly, as if trying to squeeze out every drop of seed from him like a tube of paint. Sonata’s upper body shivered in overwhelming pleasure, her mouth hanging open in speechless glee before she finally went limp, the weight of her tail sending Grayscale back down to the ground next to her.
 
 
Before he could untangle himself from the heap of coils he found himself in yet again, Grayscale felt her tail coil around him one last time before pulling him close to her in a warm, gentle embrace, tucking his head beneath hers as she nuzzled him passionately. Gray nuzzled her back, craning his head up to kiss Sonata one more time before cuddling up to her chest. They were both quite a sight, their fur damp with sweat, their manes wildly mussed up, and their nethers drenched in snerret seed and other fluids. Yet despite the almost feral fucking session they had indulged in, they looked strangely peaceful, just smiling and holding each other tenderly despite their messy, musky state.
 
 
Sonata sighed with contentment. “Hmm… Y’know Gray, of all the folks I could be stuck on an alien world with, I’m glad I’m with you.”
 
 
“Heh… likewise, Sonata.” Grayscale whispered back. “That you’re with me, I mean, not that I’m with myself. I mean I’m always with my-”
 
 
“Oh hush, I know what you meant you little dork.” Sonata laughed while playfully flicking his ear.
 
 
Grayscale laughed in response, then rested his head against Sonata’s soft breasts. “Mmm, I love you, Sonata,” whispered Grayscale.
 
 
Sonata closed her eyes and curled her head down to meet his own. “I love you too, Gray.” And with that, they both drifted to sleep.
 
 
—
 
 
"That was awesome!" Said Sonata as they both stood in the Downpour chamber, washing off the results of their activities.
 
 
"Yeah, I don't know what was in that stuff, but it sure packs a punch!" Said Grayscale, rubbing the warm water into his coat.
 
 
Sonata turned to him to respond but noticed something peculiar.
 
 
"Uh, Gray," she said, gesturing.
 
 
"Yeah, I know," said Grayscale, looking down at his still present stiffies.
 
 
Usually after intercourse a male Snerret's members recede back within him, but Grayscale's were still on full display and hard. Infact, after the immense afterglow began to fade somewhere around the time they started cleansing themselves, Grayscale began to feel the familiar sensation of arousal again. And truth be told Sonata wasn't any better, the sight of his still present rod's making her twitch down there again, her liquid spurting out briefly to be washed away down her body by the artificial rain.
 
 
They looked at each other and smiled.
 
 
"Round two?" Inquired Sonata.
 
 
"Wanna do feral play again?" Asked Grayscale.
 
 
"Nah, to horny for that," said Sonata, laying down on the marble floor and spreading her vulva with her hands, the rain pouring into the gaping portal to paradise. "Get over here and fuck me."
 
 
They made love in the rain, but, much to their frustration, once this afterglow faded the arousal was still there, Grayscale still flapping in the open air.
 
 
"What the hell?!" Said Sonata in frustration, touching her sex lightly and trembling at the amount of pleasure such brief contact caused. "What in God's name was in that stuff?"
 
 
"Whatever it was, it's made this a whole new ballgame," said Grayscale with determination. He had never failed to satisfy Sonata, he wasn't going to let an aphrodisiac stop him. "We need something new. Something we never tried before. Something that will blow us both away!"
 
 
Sonata hadn't the foggiest idea what that could be. Her and Gray were extremely sexually active, having tried every fetish under the sun.
 
 
But only under the sun of earth.
 
 
Grayscale's mind was cranking a mile a minute and something was coming together in his mind. Something involving the natural abilities of all Snerret's, and a pillar of Aquasa's sunlight flowing down through a skylight in their sitting room over a sofa and what was discovered a Snerret could do when bathed in the sapphire rays.
 
 
"I've got an idea," said Grayscale,
 
"What?" Asked Sonata eagerly, inpatient to satisfy her lust.
 
 
"You'll see," said Grayscale, taking Sonata's face in his hands and bringing her down to eye level.
 
 
Sonata was expecting another kiss, but Gray actually unhinged his jaw and swiftly engulfed her face, swallowing her up to her forehead and chin.
 
 
"Gray! What are you doing?" She asked, thrashing slightly, Gray's whole head wiggling with each word as her mouth moved within him.
 
 
"Just trust me," he insisted, working the rest of her head into his mouth. "I've been inside you up till now. Maybe what we need is for you to be inside me."
 
 
It was incredible how Snerrets could vocalize while their mouth was so occupied. Maybe it was an ability they had evolved so they could communicate at all times encase danger appeared whilst they fed in the wild.
 
 
 Sonata of course would always trust Grayscale, and if he had a plan she had faith in him, as well as confidence that it would be fun for them both. She brought up her arms and, with some effort, forced them into Grayscale's mouth, past her head and down his throat. Whenever someone was eaten in headfirst Sonata always preferred the arm's be engulfed before the hips were reached. It leaves more attention for the butt if hands aren't sticking out on either side. And she was no exception, she was sure. Sonata was positive she would look absolutely scrumptious with only her pink butt and coils sticking out once Grayscale reached her hips.
 
 
"Are you sure you can handle me?" Sonata mock taunted, arching her butt up and shaking it before Grayscale's eyes. "This might be a bit of a challenge for you."
 
 
"If I can handle a watermelon I think I can get your glorious booty into my mouth. Besides, you shouldn't point fingers. Who had to reach down your throat and pull out that garden gnome after it got stuck?" Grayscale, working her shoulder's into his maw, eyeing Sonata shaking rear with admiration, but also a bit of trepidation. "Though you may have a point. Given the girth of your butt I probably should have seen if two watermelon's at once is too much for me first."
 
 
"Oh, hardy har har!" Said Sonata, shivering as Grayscale engulfed her breasts, his teeth pulling at her nipple rings. "And the gnome was an isolated incident. That bitch stole my chicken legs."
 
 
Grayscale rolled his eyes, slurred on Sonata's breasts a little more, her tail thrashing in response before pulling in her stomach and navel. Only her ass and coils remained visible now, Grayscale unable to resist gripping her bountiful rump and groping it, rolling the bulbous glutes in his palms.
 
"Oh," she gasped at the sensation. "I know you adore my butt Gray and I don't mind when you touch it but please don't delay there too long. Being groped is only making me hornier!"
 
 
It was true, Grayscale again had fluid staining his chin as Sonata's vulva leaked liquid arousal, next in line to be swallowed. Grayscale seemed to concede, removing his hands from her rear, snaking his tongue from beneath her belly and caressing her labia.
 
 
"Ah…ah…ah," she moaned, thrashing her coils, almost off balancing Grayscale. "Hey, that ain't much better!"
 
 
But Gray apparently had other intentions than just to tease her. He wiggled his tongue within her gapping vulva, Sonata spasming in response at the sudden penetration, and, using the clenching grip of her tunnel, used his tongue to shovel her navel, hips and butt into his maw.
 
 
"Oh! Oh, I see!" Said Sonata from within Grayscale's throat, feeling the tongue wiggle out of her and begin slathering her tail. "Smart thinking, Gray!"
 
 
Bit by bit, Gray engulfed Sonata until only the wiggling tip of her tail was left out and, with a wet, "slurp" that too vanished within his body.
 
 
"GULP!"
 
 
Sonata settled in Grayscale's stomach in a fetal position, a rather right squeeze, but he never complained whenever she consumed him and neither would she now.
 
 
"Okay, now what?" She asked, unable to see anything but darkness in the confining space, the walls of the stomach also restricting her movements.
 
 
"Now, we see if this works," said Grayscale, laying his bloated body down on the sofa on his back, pointing the bulge of Sonata up, basking in the sunlight shining from above. His hands began glittering again .
 
 
'Okay, I am a lens, I am a lens!"
 
 
Grayscale channeled his desires, hoping the magic would respond to his will, and suddenly Sonata spasmed inside Gray, moaning passionately. Within his stomach, Sonata could make out a sizable cloud of glittering sparkles rubbing briefly against her labia before slowly pushing in, spreading her wide like a solid object. From inside her Sonata's could feel the cloud taking shape, almost identical to a phallus, only a lot more dexterous than something like that should be. It was as stiff as stone, but molded with the flexing of her walls like rubber whenever she squeezed against it. It began thrusting in and out, alternating positions with the flexibility of a tentacle with each movement, but retained its density.
 
 
"HOLY SHIT, GRAY! She exclaimed. "ARE YOU…!?"
 
 
"Magically fucking you? Yes," finished Grayscale, using his glowing hands to touch himself, not only for his own pleasure but the spell was working both ways, channeling the sensations felt by the glittering cloud onto one of Gray's twin members as he touched them.
 
 
"And am I…?"
 
 
"Currently in my stomach too," Gray finished again, taking one hand off himself and poking his bloated belly, Sonata feeling it too from within.
 
 
"Shit!" She said, reaching down and sliding her fingers into herself to try and touch the magic, but only succeeded in arousing herself more as she penetrated her own sex, the magic seemingly as intangible as mist to anything other than her love tunnel. At last, after several attempts, they had finally found a way to fuck each other from within one of their stomachs without the use of toy's or hands. Though it wasn't until recently that Gray dared eat her, she was usually the consumer. "This is trippy!"
 
 
"Indeed, now do you think you thrust against the spell I am using ?" Requested Grayscale. "I believe we both have an itch to scratch."
 
 
 Sonata understood. Using the magic sunlight of Aquasa, Grayscale had actually found a way to fuck her while she was in his stomach. Eagerly, and with effort, Sonata managed to scrounge enough room inside the stomach to thrust her loins. Gray smiled as the familiar feeling was channeled to his senses by his newfound magic, the sensation in their genitals linked, moaning in delight as he felt himself throbbing in his hands. He began thrusting himself, Sonata feeling both the magic inside her mimic his movements and the stomach she was confined in ungulate backward and forward with each thrust.
 
 
"Aaaaahhh!" Sonata moaned as she felt herself getting penetrated for the third time in the last few hours, flinching, but was unable to outright arch as she would have due the confining space. The restrictions only served to arouse her further however.
 
 
Suddenly… Was there more…girth?
 
 
Sonata's eyes widened in surprise and realization as the occupation she felt in her canal expand, "Gray…? Is…whatever's inside me…growing?"
 
 
"You better believe it! Why go one at a time? It wasn't enough before," Grayscale moaned, feeling both his member's squeezed by the phantom sensation of Sonata's vagina at the same time as both became influenced by the magic, the glittering nimbus within Sonata expanding in kind to mimic the size of both. His occupied belly made it harder to thrust his hips, but he compensated by pushing and pulling his hands to and from his groin, sliding along his lengths.
 
 
As said before both were a lot to take for Sonata, but, like before, something about this time was reaching something that the prior attempts couldn't touch. The sensation of both at once, the confinement of Grayscale's stomach, Sonata didn't have a chance, climaxing harder than she ever climaxed before. The warm liquid gushed out of her and over the interior of Grayscale's stomach, the feeling of her warm fluid flowing deeper into his innards causing him to release as well, spraying his cum between his fingers and over his glittering hands and on the carpet. Both could only moan as the final orgasm ran its course.
 
 
Good thing the room self cleaned, the couch and the surround area was quite the mess now.
 
 
Spent, Gray rolled to his side and dropped his sticky hands from himself. Looking down he smiled in relief as his member's fell limp at last and began to recede within him.
 
 
"It's finally over, Sonata," he said out loud. "My boys are going home."
 
 
Within him Sonata was equally content. "It's a good thing we took the pill yesterday. This has indeed been eventful."
 
 
That was true. It may be all in good fun in Sonata and Grayscale's opinion, but neither of them were stupid enough to forget the natural purpose of mating. Sonata and Grayscale were both extremely fertile and they knew what could result from their favorite pastime unless they were careful. That's why they both regularly took a pill that halts all chances of impregnation from both of them; one hundred percent guaranteed, with a failure ratio of zero.
 
 
They both took one just before coming here, a single capsule capable of lasting months.
 
 
Grayscale regurgitated Sonata and, after another trip through the Downpour, both took a nap in their loaned bed, holding each other close as this afterglow only guided them to sleep, rather than leaving them feeling unfulfilled when it passed. They whispered praise and satisfaction in their slumber, lightly moaning each other's names as their recent endeavors replayed in their dreams. A couple declarations of affection were also exchanged as well. They didn't know if they were ever going to try that stuff of Nillyna's again however.
 
 
What a rush, but oh how hard it was to reach the end.