Crashing into a Dream

Everything was impossibly loud and also had the haze of six ciders accompanying it. Maybe six and a half. Rainbow Dash felt like sounds were wooshing by her even when she stayed completely still, which was never as she was constantly stumbling about. Her flight crew were whooping and jeering, laughing and shouting about whatever the hell, and Rainbow was busy silently regretting the fact that she'd decided to get into a drinking contest with Soarin.

Needless to say, he came off barely fazed, what with being twice her size. Rainbow, however? She was looking for a convenient plant pot to discreetly hurl in. She was in her Wonderbolts uniform, as were the rest of the crew, though Misty Fly had already managed to spill a drink down hers, and Surprise had sweated through her one dancing. To think that she'd managed to do that to a waterproof uniform, she must have been sweating a lot. Kinda impressive, in a gross way.

Fleetfoot, however, was still in good shape. She seemed to have drank significantly less than everypony else, and out of the corner of Rainbow's eye, she saw the flier gesturing her over to an empty outside table.

Canterlot's nightlife was visible all around. Cobbled streets and old, brightly lit taverns filled with boisterous ponies were offset by the appearance of more modern buildings, clashing but somehow fitting with the more archaic aesthetic and creating an interesting blend. It was a mixture of old fashioned, loud ponies, and young, louder ponies. Rainbow was pretty sure her and her squad were fitting into the latter category at that moment.

She nimbly dodged an uneven cobble as she walked her way over to Fleetfoot, barely trusting her wings. Once Rainbow sat down, she threw a foreleg around her, looking out at the streetlamps, the twinkling stars in the distance, the two reserves that were currently hoof wrestling... but mostly just needing some form of physical support to sit in her chair straight. "H-how's it going, Fleety?" Rainbow slurred, subconsciously wondering if she or anyone else had ever called Fleetfoot 'Fleety' before now.

"Not bad, Rainy," Fleetfoot giggled, helping her sit up straight. "Enjoying yourself? I know you're not used to it, but the last night of a tour can stand to get pretty rowdy sometimes. You should just feel lucky no one's gotten into a fight yet."

"I..." Rainbow stopped to consider her words—most of what Fleetfoot had just said had gone over her head, and she had to distract herself from staring at a half-full glass to answer. "I think I'm having a good time, yeahhh. Shouldn't have drank with Soarin though, that was stupid."

"How many until you quit?" Fleetfoot asked, finally moving Rainbow's hoof off of her when she appeared to be alright and reaching for her drink. "I've seen him go through eleven glasses of cider in a night before, but we had to carry the poor bastard home afterwards."

"Hah! That's funny..." and to Rainbow's drink addled mind, it really was. "I had like seven with him," Rainbow slightly embellished, not wanting to look too much of a wuss, "but he was just knocking 'em back like... like he wasn't even drinking cider." A few moments, and Rainbow's eyes widened as if she'd made a life altering discovery. "That cheater! I'll bet he wasn't even drinking hard cider, I bet he swapped it! Grr, when I get my hooves on him—"

"You'll what, fall over in front of him?" Fleetfoot teased, poking Rainbow Dash lightly and watching how she wobbled in her seat as a result, putting a hoof over her lips but barely hiding her grin. "Face it, Rainbow. Even if he did cheat, you'd be in no position to do anything about it right now, would you?"

Rainbow answered with a pout, poking Fleetfoot right back. She was kinda cute when she was smug, but that didn't mean she got away with it. "Hey! I'll bet you I could still fly in a straight line fine right now. I'd pass any sober-iety test with flying colours!" Rainbow looked herself over and snickered. "Heh, flying colours..."

"Please," Fleetfoot scoffed, her eyes rolling. "I'll bet you right now is the only time I could ever beat you in a race, probably by a mile too." Shaking her head at Rainbow, she added with a laugh: "Face it, Rainbow, you're wasted. You look tired as hell, too."

A sober, rational Rainbow might have felt that her honour had been slighted by the notion that someone could beat her in a race. A drunk Rainbow was much worse. "Alright, fine!" She sprung to her feet, wings spreading, and stumbled a little in the process, lifting her tail up to help balance herself.

"...fine, what?" Fleetfoot asked, eyebrow raised.

"Fine, let's race!" Rainbow explained, already appearing ready to go. "You said I'd never be able to beat you like this, so prove it! Throw down!" In truth, the world around Rainbow looked a little more spinny the moment she stood up, but she could see what straight was if she really squinted. She'd be fine, surely.

Fleetfoot hesitated, backing up a step and looking like she was about to call someone else over. "I dunno, Rainbow Dash... You've had a lot to drink, it might be a bad idea."

Of course, Drunk Dash went with the mature response, blowing a raspberry at her friend. "Hah! You're such a damn chicken! Fine, fine. Just admit that I'm so amazing that you'd never stand a chance in hell at beating me and pay my tab for the night and we'll call it even, 'kay?"

Fleetfoot's eyes hardened instantly. "Oh you are so on."

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Rainbow grinned, taking to the air with a slightly unsteady wingspan, hovering in place. "We'll make it a short one. First one to Canterlot's Castle, a lap around the gardens, and back wins. Deal?"

Fleetfoot nodded, and they shook hooves in mid-air. "Alright, in three, two..."

Rainbow closed her eyes and drunkenly nodded along to the countdown when all of a sudden she realised the numbers had stopped.

"Bye!" called Fleetfoot as she sped ahead, already fifty feet in front of her.

"Hey, no fair!" Rainbow zoomed ahead to catch up, but it soon became clear that Fleetfoot had had a lot less to drink. She was finding it difficult to manoeuvre properly, and simple speed-gaining techniques were currently beyond her grasp. If anything, maintaining her balance was difficult enough, and while Fleetfoot wasn't gaining on her much, it was hard to close the distance.

"Should've listened when you had the chance, Rainbow!" Fleetfoot laughed, turning back and waving at her. "I'm not even putting effort into this!"

Okay, that did it. Rainbow summoned whatever natural ability still resonated in her body past the shroud of drunkenness, bolstering her speed and rocketing ahead. The vertigo made it difficult for her to control her speed, but soon she was flying half as fast as usual, and Fleetfoot actually had to speed up a lot to retain her lead. Rainbow's stomach was doing flips. The world actually looked a little scary from below, which wasn't something she was at all used to. Above all, she was dizzy, but she kept going. She built on her momentum as steadily as she could, throwing her hooves forwards for all the aerodynamic coning she could manage, and eventually, as the castle came into sight, she could see herself heavily gaining on Fleetfoot, who was struggling to keep pace.

Fleetfoot was calling something out to her, but it was hard to hear it past the whistling in her ears. Simplest solution to that was to get closer.

So that's what she did, pushing yet another burst of speed on top of the earlier ones, rushing ahead and taking her place right behind her friend, close enough that she could almost reach out and touch her. Just as she was passing her up, she began to come into earshot.

"Rainbow, slow down!"

"Pfft, slow down?! Why would I let you win?!" Rainbow shrugged off the idea as a terrible ploy, turning back around and zooming forwards, the castle right in front of her, the air breaking around her from her speed, Fleetfoot suddenly quite a distance behind her... oh no. Just how fast was she freaking going?!

Castle walls were rapidly approaching. Guards were staring at her incredulously. She saw Fleetfoot once out of the corner of her eye, desperately attempting to catch up to her. But it didn't seem to be for the purpose of the race, more to make sure she came out of this unscathed. Rainbow found that hard to notice, however, as she was busy trying not to leave a pegasus sized crater or self-made burial site in the middle of castle grounds.

Best way to go was 'up', her drunken brain reminded her. Can't crash into anything when you're up, 'cept a cloud. Silently thanking herself for working out the solution, Rainbow barreled straight upwards, angling her body as high as she could, but the best she managed was diagonal. She was out of control at this point, desperately trying to slow down, and she spread her wings hard to try and give herself some resistance, grateful that the strong muscles didn't snap under the strain.

For a couple of moments, she didn't see anything. Then she saw a rapidly approaching tower wall and said a short list of unsavory words as the world tore past her.

There are a few things in the world that can be described as unequivocally sobering experiences. One of them is smashing through a double glazed window. It was at this moment precisely that a lot of the drunken haze cleared from Rainbow's mind, and she realised with horrifying lucidity just what was occurring. She smashed into a wardrobe, knocking it over, curling her body as she pinballed into a table, a four poster bed, a nightstand, a wall, and various other pieces of furniture, gradually losing momentum as her bruised body turned the room to ruins.

It hurt like hell, too, but was partially numbed by the effects of alcohol. She could hear Fleetfoot crying out in the background, but could barely comprehend it, until finally, after the millionth repetition of smashing and clattering, she felt herself being enveloped by a strong, dark blue glow, halting her completely.

Luckily, her organs didn't all fail from the pressure of being stopped so quickly. Thank magic for that. Rainbow looked around, an ache all about her, trying to piece together what the hell had just happened, and at once saw a panting, soaking wet Princess Luna clutching her in her magic. Looking around the room—the completely devastated room, to be precise—Rainbow realised at once that of all the places in the castle she could have chosen to crash, she'd unwittingly picked Princess Luna's bedroom.

Ten points to her, huh? Fleetfoot rushed through the window, her jaw slacked, instantly turning to Luna. "Is she okay, princess?!"

Rainbow watched, still immobile as Luna took wing, floating over to her and inspecting her body, grabbing at her with soft, wet hooves. "Strangely fine..." Luna muttered with a breath of relief, looking back to Fleetfoot. "Somehow she hasn't broken anything, it seems." Luna cleared her throat, placing Rainbow down on the floor and letting go of her, instantly summoning a bath towel and beginning to frizz through her mane. "Now, if somepony wouldn't mind explaining to me why my bedroom is in ruins?.."

Fleetfoot gulped, Rainbow groaned as she tried and failed to stumble to her hooves. "Princess..." She halted, looking around the room and seeing the true level of destruction first hoof. Nearly everything was totaled. The only thing that remained standing was a single couch in the corner of the room that had managed to avoid Rainbow's bouncing wrath. "Oh, gosh, princess, I'm so sorry..."

"Hush, Rainbow," Luna softly commanded, looking to Fleetfoot for some form of explanation. "I trust you were with her at the time... what led to this?"

"Well, princess..." Fleetfoot bit her lip, her muscles seeming to tense. She looked incredibly trepidatious concerning her next words, and from Rainbow's now slightly more clear perspective, she could completely understand why. She had played a part in this, after all, and lying to a princess of Equestria was surely a crime. Eventually, Fleetfoot took a deep breath. "Well, it all started when—"

Rainbow cut her off with a grunt, turning to Luna hurriedly. "It's all my fault," she wheezed through her short breath and hurting chest, attempting to prop herself up. "I was showing off to Fleetfoot, here. Told her I could do a sonic rainboom over the castle with my eyes shut... Probably shouldn't have done that, eh? She was trying to stop me, I swear."

Luna eyed Rainbow critically before turning to Fleetfoot. "This is true?"

Fleetfoot hesitated, but Rainbow gave her a very insistent look. "Y-yeah, but please don't punish Rainbow Dash. I know she didn't mean to..." Fleetfoot found it hard to finish that sentence. There wasn't really any polite way to sum up what had just happened to Luna's bedroom, and she probably didn't want to aggravate her even more.

For a few moments, Luna was silent. She walked around her bedroom, kicking aside splintered pieces of wood until she came to her bed, which still stood despite missing its four posts. "Leave us," she said to Fleetfoot, pointing to the window that she came from. "Tell your companions that Rainbow Dash is fine and in safe hooves."

Fleetfoot looked a little worried, but did as she was instructed, moving to the window and taking wing. "Th-thank you, princess. And sorry." With those words, she took off, fleeing quite quickly into the night sky.

Rainbow watched her go with a small smile, though it quickly faded as she was reminded of the gravity of the situation. She knew that Luna would likely go harder on Fleetfoot simply because she didn't know her, and the more she looked back on the situation, the more she realised that it really was her fault. Her friend shouldn't have been in trouble for that.

Rainbow looked to Luna, who still appeared to be surveying the damage. Her eyes were sad, but her bedchambers were sadder. "Princess Luna, I am so, so sorry for what just happened. It was totally my fault, and I'm prepared to make it up to you however I can." This wasn't Rainbow's first time crashing into something, no doubt, but it was the first time she'd done it to a monarch. Especially one like Luna, who just couldn't seem to catch a freaking break.

Luna slowly shook her head, looking down at the debris she'd recently been able to call a bedroom, still rubbing a towel against herself. "N-no, Rainbow Dash. That will not be necessary. I only worry for you. If you hadn't been so resilient, you might have seriously damaged yourself just now. These things..." she waved a hoof around her room. "They are only things. Your life and well-being are much more precious."

Rainbow tried to bite her tongue, but she couldn't help herself. She felt guilty, and there was no getting around it. "What about your well-being, princess?" Luna raised an eyebrow, surprised, and Rainbow grunted once more as she raised herself to her hooves, feeling less hurt than she probably should've, realising her uniform was in tatters. "I just flew into your bedroom and royally messed up your night! Aren't you angry?! Don't you want to do something to show me just how terrible I was?" She finished with a light pant, her words loud and rushed.

"It almost sounds as if you are the angry one here, Rainbow Dash." That was all that Luna said, eyes still drifting to different corners of her room, likely trying to determine how much work it would take to fix everything up again.

"I'm angry that you're not angry!" Rainbow insisted, pushing herself forwards and closing some of the distance between herself and Luna. "You're a princess, you can't just let ponies walk all over you! I just came into your room and destroyed your priceless, valuable possessions, some of which are probably super old, and you just sit there and say you're more concerned about me?! What kind of an answer is that?"

Luna's eyebrows narrowed, her face inscrutable as she stood and walked around the room, using magic to brush the completely broken objects to the side. If anything there did hold sentimental value to her, Rainbow couldn't tell what with how she was acting, and the moment that she reached the upturned, smashed wardrobe, she picked it up, opened it, and revealed a mess of fabrics on the inside. "Well, it appears you've only ripped..." Luna levitated the bundle of loose clothing out, "most of my outfits. They're replaceable, however, and my favourite is still—oh, no, it isn't. Never mind then!"

Her voice sounded almost falsely chipper right then. Was this what happened right before she turned into Nightmare Moon the first time? Did she just bottle up her anger and pretend everything was okay? Rainbow should've hit herself for having that thought, but it was still sad to see. Maybe she was being narcissistic in a sense, feeling as if she had to be punished if only to satisfy her own feelings of guilt, but in actuality, she believed there to be something else there.

Luna deserved this. Rainbow began feebly pushing shards of wood to the side with aching legs, picking up cushions that had been scattered around the room with her mouth and throwing them onto the bed.

Luna stopped her by putting a soft, damp hoof on her wither. It only served to remind Rainbow that she'd probably been torn from a relaxing bath to deal with this. "You don't have to do this, Rainbow Dash. You should rest. I have magic that can deal with all of this."

"No," Rainbow said, shrugging out of her grip and returning to the meagre amount of assistance she could offer.

"...no?" Luna tilted her head, appearing confused. "And what if I commanded you to stop? Would you defy your princess?"

"But that's the thing, isn't it?" Rainbow said, turning to face her. "You won't command me. You'd rather stand there and pretend everything's fine to save my feelings. It's not fine. I'm a total idiot. You should let me do this. Admit to yourself that you're angry, it's okay to be angry." Rainbow's eyes were fiery with passion. She really held conviction in what she was saying.

Luna was silent for a few moments, taking her eyes off of the remains of her wardrobe and looking back to her inebriated friend. "You're right, Rainbow. I am angry."

"That's progress!" Rainbow smiled, somehow happy that Luna was finally seeing the light.

"Angry at myself for fretting over my possessions when I should be worrying about you," she finished.

Rainbow took a hoof to her own face. "Grr... no! Snap out of that! Be mad at me! Look." Rainbow walked over to Luna, picking up the dress she'd called 'favourite', a big rip going through the centre, and held it out to her. "I don't know much about sewing, but I doubt even Rarity could fix that. Your favourite dress in the world, ruined! And it's all my fault!"

Luna peered at her for a moment, her eyes searching, but ultimately came up short. "Are you trying to upset me, Rainbow Dash? I already know that it is beyond repair. You smell of cider. Cider and rainclouds."

Rainbow sighed, dropping the dress and imploring Luna to see what she meant, staring up at the taller mare. "I'm trying to say that you deserve to have this made up to you. Heck, if someone came into my room and did this, I'd be livid! Please let me do something, anything to help. It'll make me feel a little better, and hopefully make you feel a lot better."

Luna's eyes travelled past Rainbow's hoof to the dress she'd just dropped, and with a short breath, she steeled herself, standing up straight. "You will help me fix my bedroom once you've slept off your hangover," she announced in a rather official tone, and Rainbow smiled.

"Really? Thank you, Luna. I'm honestly really sorry about all this, I just wanna help make it better somehow, however I can." Rainbow looked around the room, then at the smashed window. She began to scuff a hoof against the floor. "If you don't need me here until tomorrow... I should probably take off. I've already ruined your night enough as it is."

"Nonsense," Luna responded, shocking Rainbow a little. "You are drunk. You will not fly home like that. That is a command, Rainbow Dash." She pointed to the still intact sofa before continuing to dry herself off. Rainbow tried not to stare too much as she ran the towel through her starry mane. "You may sleep on the couch. I would offer you the bed, but methinks the couch is a little too small for me to lay upon. I've tried before."

Rainbow awkwardly cleared her throat as Luna tussled her mane. "Honestly, I don't think I deserve the bed after what I did to it..." A single look from Luna was enough for Rainbow to realise that she should probably shut up about it. "Right, right! The couch." Rainbow stumbled over to it before plopping herself down, and instantly she realised two things. One, this was probably the most comfortable couch she'd ever sat in, and she really wasn't worthy, and two, fatigue had a habit of hitting ponies right as they got comfy.

"I trust that you will be comfortable there." Luna disappeared with a flash!, then reappeared a moment later with a comforter and pillow in her aura. "Celestia gave me an odd look when I took these off her bed, but I've never understood why she needs so many."

Something about the idea of Celestia snugged up in a million duvets made her grin. Then she looked to Luna's bed and realised that she too had a bunch of them. She probably shouldn't have asked, but she did anyways. "Couldn't you have just given me one from your bed?"

"Right now, I'm finding it difficult to trust you with my possessions," Luna half-chuckled, as if the joke held a little truth to it.

"...yeah. Sorry again." Rainbow took the stupidly soft pillow and comforter and placed them at the side of the couch, happy to make it later. "I take it you don't usually have guests in here?" She was being presumptuous and she knew it, but after everything that happened tonight, could it really hurt?

"A keen eye. I have a guest bedroom for that." Well, that completely disarmed Rainbow. "...but it is seldom used regardless."

Or maybe not. Come to think of it, Rainbow wondered who the princess regarded as friends outside of her, the girls, and the other princesses. She didn't like the idea that Luna didn't have many, but her words gave her that impression. Wriggling herself deeper into the couch, Rainbow sighed. "Well, you totally should. This couch is like, fifty times as comfortable as my bed, and pegasus mattresses ain't anything to scoff at." If anything, it only made Rainbow wonder what Luna's bed was like in comparison, not that she'd ever find out.

"Perhaps if you're so keen to help me fix this room up, you can call the couch yours for a few more nights," Luna said slowly, as if she wasn't entirely sure she should have been doing so.

Rainbow felt a heat against her cheeks at the notion. Rooming with the princess? That was quite the offer. It almost didn't feel like she deserved it in light of all that had happened. Then again, it'd be so she could stay here and help out, and that was only fair... "Yeah, I'd like that. Only if you were alright with it, of course." The only other thing Rainbow couldn't help but think about was the fact that it was going to be a little difficult to not be awkward around Luna. Even watching her go through her coat and mane with a towel was pretty distracting... it was probably just because she was drunk though, that was all.

"Do you not have to worry about work obligations?" Luna asked, shifting on her bed as she continued to towel off. "What about your pet tortoise?"

Rainbow was a little surprised that Luna even knew about him, or that she was being so considerate. "Tank's with Fluttershy when I'm on tour, and my season with the Wonderbolts just ended. I've got a month off before I need to be back in." Come to think of it, all she'd really planned to do in that spare month was lounge around and get the odd bit of training in. Maybe being here would be a healthy distraction for her, even if it was only for a few nights. "Do you think Celestia will mind at all?"

"Hmm..." Luna stroked her chin for a moment, and it made Rainbow worry she'd actually say 'yes'. She'd only asked in an effort to be polite. "I think she might be a little miffed that I stole her bedding with no explanation, but apart from that? No, I'm sure she'd be as happy to have you as I am, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow barely withheld a grumble. She wasn't meant to be happy to have her! It was because of her that it looked like a bombshell had gone off in her royal chambers! Rainbow bit her tongue, not wanting to get into it again, more for Luna's sake than her own. "Did you... did you lose anything that meant a lot to you?"

"Perhaps," came Luna's answer. "Honestly, I haven't the heart to go through it all right now. I kept things in this room that Celestia stored away during my thousand years imprisonment, I only hope some of them managed to survive." Before Rainbow could start verbally flagellating too heavily, Luna gave her a calming smile. "Don't worry, I don't keep all of my valuables in this room. Many of the things I care about most are behind walls so thick, I doubt even a speeding Rainbow Dash could break into them."

"You're taking this all so well..." Rainbow muttered, just about loud enough that Luna could hear. Or maybe she could hear her even when she was whispering, alicorns were freakishly gifted like that.

"Rainbow Dash, you've saved me on more than one occasion. You and your friends have. The way I see it, I'm indebted to you. What you've done here tonight wasn't intentional, even if it was foolish, and it doesn't come close to erasing all of the good you've done for me in the past." Luna stood then, walking across the room and coming to sit beside Rainbow. "The only reason that I'm letting you stay and assist me is because you insist so heavily. Also..."

Rainbow turned to Luna, mostly dry with her mane shimmering in the darkness. She really was impossibly beautiful. "Also?" Rainbow repeated, a little more breathy than she'd have liked.

"Also, you still smell of cider," Luna finished with a forced laugh, though even through her inebriation, Rainbow didn't think that's what she'd been about to say at all. "I'm more partial to a red wine, personally, but Celestia has a habit of purloining it whilst I'm in the dreamscape. Irks me verily, I can tell you."

"Oh, so that annoys you, but this doesn't?" Rainbow Dash chuckled, unable to help herself.

"Let me tell you, Rainbow Dash." Luna adopted a very serious face then, one that might have been sculpted and drawn in ancient time as a testament to this goddess' power. "There are only three things that you can take away from me that will lead me to despair. The ponies I care about, my evening bath, and my oak-aged Rioja."

"...I have no clue what that last one is," Rainbow Dash admitted. Imitating high-class was Rarity's thing, not hers.

"Then I'd be especially surprised if you were the next one to steal it," Luna chuckled, leaning back beside Rainbow and looking over the room once more. "Luckily, despite all of this, I still have my friends, I still got to have most of my bath, and..." with a flash! a half-full bottle appeared in front of her. "I still have my half-empty bottle of wine."

Rainbow tried not to look into it too much, but she could feel the tinge of pessimism in that statement all too well.

Luna conjured a glass next, pouring herself out one before lidding the bottle and putting the glass to her lips, savouring the taste. "I'd offer you a glass, but I think you've had far too much already. I don't intend on catching up, of course, just a little 'pick me up' before I go off battling nightmares... even after a millennia, you'd be shocked what demons ponies can still conjure up."

Rainbow watched Luna with wide eyes as she sipped on her wine. She really was quite incredible. She was also sitting on her comforter, but Rainbow didn't have the gall to say anything about it.

"One more thing, Rainbow. You should get out of that flight uniform. It's an absolute wreck." Luna went back to her wine glass not a moment after saying it, and at once Rainbow was reminded of how much of a state she likely looked.

Rainbow blushed as she rose to her hooves, a little unbalanced, and attempted to peel the ripped, skintight suit from her fur. She fumbled with the zipper a couple of times, and Luna watched with a hint of amusement on her lips, though she hid it with the glass quite well. Rainbow tried once more to get a leg out, but messed up, falling onto her haunches and blinking rapidly as she remembered just how out of it she was.

"Here, let me help," Luna said, and without asking, she lifted Rainbow into the air, and with her magic, turned her until she faced Luna side on, softly threading the uniform through her legs and making sure her wings didn't get caught. Eventually, she'd taken the front half off completely, and focussed on the hind legs. When she pulled it down, Rainbow's rump jiggled a little from having the tight fabric pulled away, and Rainbow could almost feel Luna's eyes being drawn to it. She probably should've pushed her tail down hard the moment she realised, but for some reason or another, she refrained.

When Rainbow was completely out of the uniform, Luna set her down right where she'd been, next to her. Maybe even a tiny bit closer than before. "There, now I can see your face properly. It's been a while since I did." Her lips lingered on that thought for a moment, and she looked like she might say more, but once again, her quickly draining glass of wine came to the rescue. "I'm going to be working through the night, at least for a couple hours more. If you'd prefer, I can do it from my bed, so I'm not standing in the middle of the room distracting you."

Rainbow shook her head, still not completely over the fact that Luna had just undressed her. "Wh-wherever you feel more comfortable, princess."

"You're sure?"

Rainbow nodded her head. She was hoping that Luna would learn to begin taking control of situations a little more soon. She was great at hospitality, it seemed, but this wasn't a friendly visit. Rainbow owed something to her, and even still Luna appeared to be doing everything to ensure she was comfortable. It was adorable in a slightly upsetting way.

Rainbow had an urge to do something, and she didn't know if it was a good idea. Her still drunk mind told her that meant she should do it anyways. So she did. She reached out and snatched the almost empty glass of wine away from Luna without permission, taking a tiny sip of it. "Ugh! I dunno how you can like this, tastes like crap." She was lying, it tasted heavenly.

Luna's face twisted slightly, but she managed to retain her composure. "Rainbow Dash, please give me my drink back. If you really wanted a taste, you could have asked first."

"Nuh-uh!" Rainbow responded, taking wing and flying into the centre of the room. "Think I'll just pour it, honestly. You shouldn't drink this stuff, princess, there's so much better out there." Rainbow really hadn't thought this through, but she could only hope that it would somehow work.

"Rainbow Dash!" Luna sat high on her haunches on her side of the couch, her eyes sharp and unforgiving. "Relinquish the glass at once!"

Her voice was a little scary, and in any other circumstance, Rainbow would've stopped. She felt mean, she felt like she shouldn't have been doing this. But she also felt like Luna needed it. "What are you gonna do if I don't? Come and check me for bruises? Apologise to me? Tell me that everything I do is fine because I'm a great mare? Hah! Why should I when you can't even respect yourself?" With that, she went to take the glass to her lips again and down the last of it...

But she didn't get a chance. The glass flew out of her hoof in a magical aura right before Luna barreled into her, sheer weight and force sending her sprawling onto the bed. The princess landed on top of her, snarling, pinning her down by the hooves. "First you have interrupted my night and destroyed my bedroom, then you continue to remind me of it, and now you refuse my hospitality and act like a small foal! You know what, Rainbow Dash?! You will stay here and assist me until I see fit to release you, and you will be happy that I do not ask more from you!"

Rainbow panted under Luna as she shouted in her face, looking like she might lean forwards and strike her at any moment. Her hooves ached from beneath the princess, and her chest was heaving. All she could manage for the first few moments was a shocked nod. This had been the exact response she'd wanted from the princess, but she hadn't expected it to be so explosive. "...Yes, princess. I'm sorry for misbehaving again."

"You ought to be," Luna continued, breathing heavily, freshly dried mane askew. For a little while longer she simply looked at Rainbow, eyes boring into her, and then eventually, she realised what she'd just done and released some of the pressure. "I'm sorry..." she looked away, shamefaced. "I don't know what came over me just now, but it wasn't me at all. I didn't mean any of that."

Rainbow shook her head rapidly, slipping one of her hooves out and placing it against Luna's soft cheek, forcing her to look down at her. Everything she was doing in this moment, no matter how impulsive, it just felt right. "You did mean it, princess, and I'm glad you said it. I've been trying to get you to say it ever since you started pretending everything was okay. Because that's how you should feel, and it's alright to feel that way. Good, even."

"I am not an angry pony, Rainbow Dash. I do not like to resort to shouting and hysterics." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, and the hint of a smile crept onto her muzzle. "But I would be lying if I said that the release didn't feel satisfying, in some way. Perhaps more than the rest of that glass ever would've."

"We can't bottle up how we're feeling all the time, princess. Not even ponies as great as me get away with that," Rainbow winked, still feeling the pressure of Luna against her. The more she laid there, the more she began to realise that she was quite fond of Luna's weight on her body. Not only that, but the bed was five times as comfortable as she could've imagined.

Luna laughed at her words, and for a while, they simply stared at one another. Their muzzles were close, almost in contact, and Rainbow's breaths were fast and shallow. Rainbow's head told her that kissing a princess could probably get you locked in a dungeon for a year, friend or not, so she refrained, but only barely. She could feel a vague chemistry forming between them, and it only became all the more apparent the longer Luna spent not getting off of her.

Rainbow shifted a little, if only for the sake of her blood circulation, and Luna jolted the instant she did, blushing and moving back. "S-sorry. I'm really quite tired, Rainbow. I didn't even realise I was still atop you for a second there."

"That's fine, it's kinda comfy with you on top of me," Rainbow blurted before realising what she'd said and instantly placing a hoof over her mouth.

Luna blinked hard at that, but ended up smiling in spite of it. "You should sleep, Rainbow Dash. We will have plenty of work in the morrow, and I think I'm going to make finding a replacement uniform for you the top of my list of morning duties."

"Huh? Oh, I don't need you to, princess. I've got like, three spare flight suits at home, losing one's not a problem."

"That isn't the kind of uniform I meant," Luna said nebulously, picking Rainbow up in her magic and levitating her back over to the couch before placing the super-comforter over her. "Good night, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow's eyebrows were raised before she'd even been placed in her makeshift bed. "Wait, then what kind of uniform do you mean?"

Luna walked over to the centre of the room, and looked back to Rainbow with a small grin. "Good night, Rainbow Dash." With that, she closed her eyes and lit her horn.

"Good night, Princess Luna," Rainbow Dash responded, clearly not about to get a response, but she didn't seem to be in the room with her anymore. Physically, she was still there, though completely still, but even with how she sat, she didn't seem to be asleep. Was this what the princess did when she went into the dreamscape?

She looked quite peaceful like that, honestly. And, Rainbow noticed once again, almost to her chagrin, ridiculously attractive.

She shouldn't have been looking at the princess like that. Hell, everything she'd been doing tonight was ridiculous, from the stupid race that had caused this whole disaster to her whole 'punish me, punish me' spiel that had her acting like a guilt-ridden teenager. She should've known better.

And yet... she didn't want to know better. She felt bad about the measures she'd taken to get to Luna, but when she pinned her down, the fire in her eyes... she knew right then that it had all been worth it. While Rainbow didn't want to admit it to herself, she knew that there was something inordinately attractive about Luna, from her personality to her actions, not to mention her body...

She was feeling rather tired. She laid back on the couch, pillow propping her head up, and looked at Luna through gradually dropping eyes as she felt sleep beginning to overtake her. She had no clue what the next day would hold, and if she'd regret this all in the morning, but she was as curious as she was excited to find out.