Crashing into a Dream

"I'm not a filly!" Rainbow shouted, more to herself than anyone else. Luckily, Luna hadn't heard it, and the reasons were threefold. One, Rainbow had always hated being referred to as a child, especially now. She was an adult, damn it! Not only that, but she was sure that Luna would only begin to say it more often if she realised that it got a rise out of Rainbow, so she needed to pretend it wasn't a big deal. The third reason was the kicker, though, something that shocked Rainbow a little even after her short outburst.

She was a little worried about what might have happened if Luna had caught her shouting at her.

That was a strange feeling, definitely, and it did something to alleviate the pout on her face. She brushed through her mane with the towel some more, making sure she was dry, and as soon as she went to step out into the bedroom, she found that Luna was already standing there amongst last night's destruction, a pair of small boxes before her.

"I had to guess your size, but I imagine that this will fit nicely," Luna nudged one of the boxes on the floor over with her snout, inviting Rainbow to open it. Rainbow trotted over, curious, before lifting the lid with her teeth and finding a protective cover beneath. She tore through it, and something black, white, and lacy quickly came into view.

Rainbow began to pull it out, looking at it curiously, but the more the outfit came into view, from the long socks to the ruffled headpiece to the black dress with the little white bow on the back, the more she began to realise that she was looking at a Prench Maid's outfit, much like the ones that some of the castle's attendants wore.

Rainbow wasn't sure she should have been as excited to try it on as she was. She tried to bite back her smile, but she couldn't help it, looking up at Luna. "Wow, Luna, you really went all out, huh?"

Rainbow felt a hoof lightly prod her on the wither. "Princess," Luna reminded her. "You need to be on better behaviour than that if you're going to come to this meeting with me, Rainbow Dash. You will do as I say when I say it, and you will treat everypony there with the utmost respect and courtesy. You will speak formally, and only when spoken to, and you will do only as you are told. I wish to have this meeting go by quickly, and that will be aided by your full cooperation in the matter. In short, I cannot be looking after you the whole time. Do you understand?"

Rainbow nodded, lightly biting at her cheek. She moved to attempt to put the dress on, but immediately found she was having difficulty. It was tight, and hugged at her form much like her flight uniform did, but the lack of zips made it all the more difficult to slip into. Luna raised an eyebrow at her as she fumbled about with the outfit, and Rainbow let out a nervous chuckle. "Uhh... I don't wear dresses very often, and this is pretty tight."

"It is meant to be tight," Luna said, using her magic to help Rainbow force her way into the dress, helping to pull it over her and then tying the bow around the back. The back of it was pushed up slightly by Rainbow's tail, and she wondered if Luna had picked a slightly too small option simply for that. "The socks, next. I will let you do that, lest I have to pin your hooves down again."

Rainbow honestly wouldn't have minded being pinned down by Luna, but she didn't press the issue. The socks were relatively easy to put on, and in short order, Rainbow began to get used to the outfit, finding it to be snug, rather than constricting. She slid a little on the socks, letting out a 'whoa-oa!' at one point, almost falling, but Luna placed a hoof under her belly, keeping her in place.

The contact caused her wings to spread by instinct, and at once, she was grateful that Luna had chosen an outfit with wing holes. Ripping the dress in half within a minute of putting it on didn't sound like a very effective way to get into Luna's good books. Finally, Luna brought out the shoes, allowing Rainbow to slip into them, one at a time. She'd managed to get Rainbow's hoof size right, so she didn't slip out of them, despite finding them rather easy to put on. "Right, done!" Rainbow smiled, glad that little ordeal was over.

"Not yet," Luna smirked, pointing to the bedroom's thankfully unsmashed mirror, one of the few surviving pieces of furniture. The wall right next to it had a dent too, so there was a good chance that if Rainbow had bounced just a little to the left last night, she would have broken that too. Rainbow walked over to the mirror, almost falling over a broken table leg on the way—the new shoes were difficult to adjust to—and once she arrived, she found herself more than surprised by the transformation.

She didn't usually look this cute. Rainbow was awesome, she was badass, but right now, she was plain gorgeous, with a lovable smile and a frizzy, messy mane that was even more all over the place than usual. As her eyes hit it, she realised what the issue was. "Right... suppose I should sort that out."

"I will. My mane self-regulates, so I don't get a chance to brush one very often." Luna conjured a brush, bringing it to Rainbow's mane and beginning to pull it through.

Youch, she wasn't kidding! Rainbow flinched from the rough pull of the brush as it filtered knots out of her mane, pulling and tugging and eventually smoothing them out. Part of Rainbow wondered whether it was because Luna was rough with the brush, or whether it was down to the fact that Rainbow never brushed herself, because once some of the big knots had come out, it started to feel quite relaxing. For the second time that day, Rainbow's eyes drifted closed of their own accord.

When she opened them, she found that her mane didn't have its usual bounce and flick to the side. Rather, it had been smoothed out into a fringe that travelled over her forehead, almost covering one eye. Come to think of it, it almost reminded of her of how Celestia wore her mane, but in a more understated fashion due to the fact that her mane wasn't swimming about all over the place. She'd always wondered how they did that, super cool but really weird.

"There," Luna said as she pulled away the brush, letting Rainbow take in her new appearance. "I apologise if it isn't the style you're used to, but it's the one I've had the most practice with."

"You used to brush Celestia's mane?" Rainbow asked, marvelling at herself in the mirror. If she was cute before, the feeling had been doubled now.

"A very long time ago, yes." Luna nodded, coming to stand beside Rainbow Dash. "Celestia was good at many things when she was younger, but anything requiring care or precision was best left to me."

Looking at the both of them in the mirror, Rainbow couldn't help but be reaffirmed of their size difference, Luna standing almost at twice her height and length. There was something about her height that Rainbow Dash loved, perhaps the power that it implied, and as her eyes continued to travel over Luna's body, she noticed Luna looking back at her through the mirror, head tilted. With an awkward cough and a sudden aversion of her eyes, Rainbow tried to remember what in the hell Luna had been saying. "R-right, brushing! My mane looks great, princess. Thanks."

"My mane looks wonderful, princess. Thank you." Luna replied, causing Rainbow to raise an eyebrow. "Formality, Rainbow Dash. You cannot go into a meeting like this speaking casually, it will completely undermine me in front of the nobles. From now on, you are to speak with a measure of grace, at least until this meeting is over. Is that understood?"

"Certainly, your high graceness-ness. I will endeavour to be sure that the snooty ponies receive the proper mare they expect," Rainbow grinned, making her best attempt at received pronunciation and bowing in an exaggerated manner. She was more than shocked when Luna put her face directly in front of her.

"Yes, very funny. Enough of that now."

Luna had a half-smile on her lips; Rainbow was sure she could get away with a little more. "But my grace, how will I learn to kiss the regal posteriors of the pompous and arrogant if you deny me my proper practice?!" Rainbow held back a snicker. All those times listening to Rarity and Twilight speak were really paying off.

Luna's hint of joviality was soon lost. "Rainbow Dash! You have been warned once, I will not repeat myself! If you do not believe you are fit to serve me with politeness and humility, do not bother at all!" Luna didn't shout so much as raise her voice, her tone biting and superior.

Rainbow shrunk back instantly, blinking back a sudden wave of emotion. "Y-you wouldn't really send me away, would you, princess? I was only messing around."

Luna's hard exterior seemed to crack a little, but she managed to remain firm in spite of it. "I would not, but I cannot bring you before these ponies if you are not willing to be on your best behaviour! Please do not think this a joke, Rainbow Dash. Every meeting with the council is another opportunity for them to attempt to get under me and my sister's skins, and we cannot afford to give them an inch. If you're in there under my charge, and you're misbehaving, that's only more ammunition for them. Instead, what I want you to show them is the loyalty of the Elements of Harmony, what they're willing to do for their princesses."

Huh, when she put it like that, it made a lot more sense. "Yeah—Uh, I mean yes, I can do that, princess." Rainbow didn't put on the voice at all this time, though she could tell that she sounded more refined simply by speaking less colloquially, even if she wasn't exactly used to it.

"I think 'yeah' is fine, Rainbow Dash." Luna snickered, reaching out like she was going to give her mane a stroke or ruffle but seeming to think better of it at the last second.

"Heheh, I never thought I'd hear you say 'yeah'."

"First of all, I was quoting you. Second, I'm not as uptight as you might think, you know."

Rainbow smiled wickedly. "Oh yeah? Prove it."

Luna shook her head, finally levitating the headpiece from earlier's box and placing it on Rainbow's head. "Later. Right now, we have a meeting to sit through, or in your case, stand through."

Rainbow took one last second to see how the headpiece looked on her, then spent a second adjusting it so it was completely straight. "Are you going to teleport us there?"

Luna shook her head. "The council gets rather funny about magic on account of half of them not being unicorns. As such, we'll be walking. I don't think it would hurt for you to break in those shoes a little, either."

Rainbow suddenly felt as if her throat was a little more dry. "But won't ponies see me? I'm a really famous flier now, ponies are gonna—"

"Going to," Luna corrected.

"Right. Ponies are going to recognise me the moment they see me, won't they be wondering why I'm dressed up in Prench maid outfit?"

"Let them wonder," Luna smirked, giving Rainbow a wink. "It was your choice to stay and serve, after all. Are you so embarrassed to serve your princess?"

"I mean, kinda..." Luna gave her a look, and Rainbow quickly backed up. "But only because of the outfit! This isn't exactly the kinda thing that I expect ponies to understand, even if I'm more than happy to be serving you, princess." There was that look again, and it was growing more deadly by the second. "I guess I'm just kinda worried, you know?"

Rainbow's train of thought was broken by the light swish of a duster against her barrel, causing her to giggle and leap back. "Not 'kinda', kind of." Luna sighed, levitating the item back into the until now mysterious second box before turning to face Rainbow. "Honestly, I have no clue how you managed to utter that three times in the space of twenty seconds. 'Tis a good thing that we aren't in the meeting room already."

Rainbow shook off the tingle of her side, growling at herself and Luna equally for both messing it up and having to do it in the first place. There'd been a lot of things that Rainbow was more than happy to do for her princess, but this speaking properly stuff was hard. "Kind of," Rainbow repeated, feeling only slightly idiotic. "Do you have the same trouble speaking all modern and stuff?"

"Like I said, Rainbow Dash, I know how to be hip, but now isn't the time."

Rainbow had to snuff out her laughter at the word 'hip', knowing she'd only get another telling off if she laughed out loud. Poor, naive Luna. "Alright, fine. I'm ready if you are, my princess."

Luna nodded in approval, opening her door and stepping outside, beckoning for Rainbow to follow. "It feels as if we've been in that room forever. It will be nice to stretch my legs."

Rainbow watched Luna walking for a moment, lost in the sway of her body, before realising something potentially terrible. "Princess!" Rainbow shout-whispered, not wanting to draw any attention. "You're naked!"

Luna looked down at her body, noticing the distinct lack of horseshoes and blushing deeply. "Oh, you're right. Silly me." With a quick spell, her shoes and crown materialised, and she began to pick up her pace. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash. I wouldn't want to indecently expose myself to my subjects."

Rainbow blinked at that, thinking back to the entire night and morning they'd spent together, and the bath they'd just shared. "But in front of me is fine, huh?"

"Servants aren't paid to ask questions," Luna quipped, turning a corner. "Be at my side now."

Rainbow considered reminding Luna that she wasn't paying her, then she thought about the fact that as a Wonderbolt, she worked for the government, which meant she indirectly worked for Luna. Huh, maybe Luna did pay her. Wacky business.

"Rainbow Dash!" Luna called again, louder, making Rainbow realise that she'd drifted so far in thought she'd let Luna get ten steps ahead of her. Or maybe she'd started staring at her again without noticing. Either made sense. Rainbow hurried to catch up, still getting used to her new shoes, drawing a fair amount of eyes. Nopony working in the castle said anything, but with Luna's volume and Rainbow's clumsy steps, a good deal of them probably realised just who she was.

When she reached Luna, and noticed that most eyes in the corridors were on the both of them, she decided that if this was her fate, she was going to own it. Rainbow didn't shy away, looking up and forwards with a small smile, attempting to walk with as much grace as possible, even if it only just resulted in her being able to move without scuffing her shoes or tripping.

Luna looked down at her with an amused expression, watching as Rainbow began to walk with more purpose to her steps. "You're really coming into your own, aren't you? Maybe you were born to be a maid, after all."

"Born to be yours, maybe. I wouldn't do this for anypony else and you know it."

"Not even for your friends?"

Rainbow didn't answer straight away. She knew she'd only really agreed to this because of circumstance, that and the drink in her system egging her on, but the idea of doing this for another pony... "I don't know," Rainbow admitted, and it was the truth. "Hell, the idea of any of them seeing me like this—"

"Should be a pleasant one. You look radiant in it." Luna lightly brushed her flank against Rainbow's as they turned another corner, causing her to blink sharply. "I know it's a temporary step down from being a Wonderbolt..."

"Are you kidding? I get to serve my princess and country." Luna simply glanced at her, and Rainbow started laughing. "Okay, yeah, this is probably a lame job in comparison, but I enjoy the company. Plus, y'know, I still deserve it."

They seemed to be getting closer now, which might have been an indication as to why Luna slowed down a little. "Hmm... I don't know. If I had to guess, I'd wager you're enjoying this more than you should be."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow grinned, giving the skirt of her outfit a little shake. "Well if I had to guess, I'd say the exact same about you. Pick this one out yourself, did you? Go a little too tight on purpose?"

"Are you attempting to irk me, Rainbow Dash?" Luna attempted to sound fierce, but she couldn't help but giggle through her words. Another small victory for Rainbow, it seemed. "Perhaps I am enjoying this. Would that be such a terrible thing to admit?"

Rainbow tried to answer her, but faltered. It was difficult to go much further without crossing the line into territory there wasn't any coming back from. With all the little bits of flirtation they'd shared in the last day as well as the close calls and questionable experiences, Rainbow wasn't entirely sure where they sat, and didn't feel confident enough to push things any further in the right direction, not now.

Luna leaned down to her to whisper in her ear, the latest stretch of corridor free from prying eyes. "If you behave yourself for me, Rainbow, I'll see that you're rewarded for your good behaviour..."

Luna's breath tickled Rainbow's ear like a feather, and she could almost swear that Luna's lips very briefly brushed against it just before she drew back. Her stomach did small leaps and her body became stiff as all she could do is nod in answer, perhaps add a few words by force. "Y-yes, princess." she managed, wondering whether she'd ever sounded more like Fluttershy, and again wondering why she liked that feeling so damn much. Her tail was swishing from side to side, occasionally tapping against Luna's barrel with its long swings, and her hooves buzzed so much she could barely keep them on the floor long enough to take another step.

Luckily, the door at the end of the corridor came for them before Rainbow Dash could be completely swallowed up by anticipation. Luna turned to her ever so briefly, features more stalwart than she'd grown used to. "Remember, Rainbow Dash. Anything I say in there, you do. Enter after me."

Luna opened the door, stepping inside, and Rainbow slowly followed. Her dress billowed around her flanks from the movement, and she had trouble keeping her tail down low enough that the dress didn't expose too much of her legs, but she almost fed off of her embarrassment, took it as a source of enjoyment. By all means, this should have been a terrible feeling, so why was it like static electricity dancing around inside of her?

The room was filled with nobility and council members, many of them wearing fancy clothes and some seeming to come with their own attendants. Rainbow took a second to wonder if it was a status symbol, having a maid with you at all times, because there was no way that this many were needed in a single room. The other helpers all seemed to have very professional miens, and Rainbow tried to emulate their expressions, only to feel like she was pulling her muzzle too taut. Maybe the natural look was the best thing for her.

When she saw Celestia—or rather, when Celestia saw her—there was a moment of silence, followed by Celestia hurriedly beckoning her and Luna over. Rainbow turned to Luna for deference. She didn't even think about it, Luna was her master and told her what to do, not Celestia. That was her automatic response in the moment, despite any preconceived notion that she should obey any princess. So it was that only when Luna nodded at her did she step over to Celestia along with Luna, the three of them facing away from the nobles, standing in the corner of the room.

"Rainbow Dash?" Celestia whisper-hissed, brows furrowed. "What's the meaning of this? Why are you dressed up as a maid?" Celestia quickly turned to Luna, a little more bite in her tone. "I swear, sister, if this is another of your pranks..."

The idea of Luna being a prankster made Rainbow Dash smile. Had Nightmare Night really influenced her that much?

"Tis not a prank, Celestia, merely a result of happenstance. Rainbow Dash crashed into my bedroom last night, completely destroying most of the furniture."

"My stars, are you both okay?" Celestia interjected, eyes wide in worry.

"We are both fine. Rainbow came off with nary a mark, the only casualty was my interior design. Rainbow wished to serve me for a small while to make amends for her mistake, she was quite insistent about it." Rainbow added a nod to this, if only to bolster Luna's statement, as Celestia blinked, taking everything in. "As such, she will be acting as my personal maid for the coming days, and that includes her presence at this meeting."

"But, Luna, with the nobles here?" Celestia whispered, clearly unable to anticipate this turn of events, even with all of her wisdom. "Rainbow Dash, are you alright with this?"

"My princess' satisfaction is all I'm concerned with," Rainbow responded with a smile.

"That doesn't sound at all like you, Rainbow." Celestia deadpanned.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but snicker, but she managed to keep her laughter in check. Luna, however, didn't, letting loose a full chuckle. "She plays the part rather well, doesn't she?"

Celestia took another look at Rainbow, dressed in full atire, standing straight and to attention. "Almost frightfully so..." She looked between the two of them, likely noticing that Luna's eyes lingered on Rainbow longer than anything else, and a wry grin began to appear on her face. "I'm glad you managed to find a good match, sister." Before Rainbow or Luna could say anything in response, she raised a hoof. "For the maid position, that is."

"A-ah, yes." Luna panicked in vocal form, seeming as if she was putting genuine effort into not perspiring. "Quite. Now, we should probably proceed. The nobles are going to begin questioning why we're all huddled together like this."

With a nod, they broke away, and Celestia addressed the council. For all of Rainbow Dash's attempts to pay attention to what they discussed, a lot of it she either didn't know about, understand with lack of context, or care about. The dynamic was pretty easy to pick up on, however. Celestia would play the calm and reasonable yin to Luna's direct, tempestuous yang, while the nobles repeatedly attempted to one up or undermine the pair of them. The whole thing was a power play, and because of that, Rainbow began to understand the significance of bringing her specifically to the meeting.

For a few minutes, she wasn't asked to do anything, but at one point, she was forced to zone back in at the call of her name. "Rainbow Dash. Please prepare a pot of tea," came Luna's call, direct and powerful.

"Yes, my princess." Rainbow said with an incline of her neck, and at once, there were hushed whispers from the council on the other side of the table.

As Rainbow set about boiling a kettle to the side of the room, a noble spoke up. "I'm sorry, princess, but are we to understand that you have an Element of Harmony under your employ?"

"You are indeed," Luna replied as Rainbow began to set a try with cream, sugar, and biscuits. "The Elements of Harmony understand what it is to contribute to Equestria and assist its rulers without attempting to undermine them, as well as being respectful enough to offer assistance wherever it is needed. It is a lesson you all could do to take into account."

Rainbow Dash grinned when she was sure no one else was looking. What a burn. Apparently, Celestia found it rather humorous as well, and didn't even bother to hide that fact.

When Rainbow returned and began pouring drinks, Luna patted her withers as thanks, giving her mane a light brush. "Thank you, my faithful servant." She spoke, the nobles looking on in shock as Rainbow twisted into the show of affection without even meaning to.

When Rainbow realised what she was doing, she had to fight to keep her cheeks from visibly heating up. It was humiliating, almost, to be brought down to this level before so many high-class ponies... but a part of her loved it. She didn't even find it degrading, not entirely, more like a show of endearment on Luna's part, and a more devious, wanting part of her mind wished to pay Luna back however she could for helping her to realise that.

So it was that Rainbow may have spoken out of turn. She wasn't entirely sure of the protocol, but she tried it anyways in hope that it would pay off. "Is there anything else that you require, princess?" she said, her tone measured and respectful, hoping she hadn't just committed some major faux pas by assuming that Luna wanted more, or interrupting the flow of the meeting's conversation.

"Hmm..." Luna deliberated, holding a hoof up to pause the nobles who looked as if they quite wanted to resume speaking. She tapped a hoof against her chin from where she sat, her eyes finally lighting up. "Yes, my hind hooves are a little uncomfortable, now that you mention it."

Rainbow knew how to take initiative, she could make a simple suggestion. "In that case, would you like me to get you a pillow?"

"As a matter of fact, I'd much prefer a hoof rub," Luna smirked, looking as if she was reveling in this moment far too much. The look of shock on each noble's face was palpable. Even Celestia appeared rather taken aback by this suggestion, made so casually on Luna's behalf.

Rainbow could only hope that those looks weren't too easy to differentiate from her visible excitement. "A-as you wish, princess." She was trying not to bite her lip too much, but she couldn't help it. It almost felt like she was being objectified for Luna's amusement at this point, or like she was there to make some statement against the nobles, and that only made it more exciting. Rainbow sat on her haunches, shifting forwards, still in plain view of the entire room as Luna pushed her hind legs out to give Rainbow easier access.

Luna seemed to almost purr when Rainbow pressed a hoof against her calf, then two, shifting them down to her hoof and beginning to softly rub as ordained. She swirled around the fetlock slowly before moving to the tip of the hoof and working back up, a tiny iota of professionalism barely keeping her from taking revenge on Luna for tickling her hooves with those towels only a night before.

"R-right, where were we..." Luna resumed in her conversation, but her speech was often interrupted by small pants and grunts of appreciation as Rainbow worked the knots out of her. Plenty of time spent in the Wonderbolts had taught her the basics of sports massage, and she could feel the tension in Luna as she continued to work on her hooves. Without asking, she began to trail up her hind legs, not going so high as to do something completely inappropriate, but still high enough that she could hear the pace of Luna's breath deliciously increasing.

"Princess, this is outrageous!" one of the nobles asserted, sitting straight up and pointing at the scene as it continued to unravel. "You're toying with one of the saviours of Equestria, and for what, just to show us that you're the dominant power here? It's despicable, in all honesty, and I feel sorry for this Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow's ears pricked at this, and she had to keep herself from growling. How dare he assume whose hooves she did or didn't want to rub?! As if sensing her annoyance, Luna spoke up, a hint of joviality to her tone. "Well, considering that you seem so convinced, how about we ask? Rainbow Dash, please tell Councilman Rose just how you feel about your current situation."

Rainbow stopped for a moment, letting go of Luna and turning to face him with a smile. "I'm happy to serve my princess." she answered honestly and plainly.

"No, drop the pretense. Say what you wish to say."

A wide smile appeared on Rainbow's face. "I fricking love doing this."

There were gasps all around the room, and Rainbow delighted in them, going back to the job at hoof with even more vigor than before. Celestia's smile was ever-present, warmer than her sun, and Luna's small noises of appreciation were a sweet serenade playing on Rainbow's ears as the meeting ran its course.

Honestly, she couldn't have been any happier in that moment if she had tried.