//-------------------------------------------------------// Of Wings Unfurled -by Stygian359- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 1: Seriously? //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 1: Seriously? Chapter One: Seriously? While it may not be appropriate for a Princess to seek romance below her station it is not denied, merely frowned upon. Twilight sighed, looking down at the next batch of papers to read through and sign. She had gone through eternal stacks of official documents, all of which had flaws or problems she had to correct, meaning many had to be taken back to be rewritten before being returned for her inspection once more. It was gruelling work but somepony had to do it and as Celestia and Luna were taking their much needed vacation, it fell on Twilight’s shoulders to ensure the kingdom ran smoothly. Sure she didn’t have to worry about raising and lowering certain celestial bodies, the Princesses still took care of that... wherever they were... having fun... Twilight sighed, she wasn’t used to this kind of strain. It had been easy at first, her years of endless reading, writing, and studying had at least prepared her for some of the tasks she had taken upon herself to do but what she hadn’t considered was how mind numbingly boring it could be! She looked up to the clock, she was getting annoyed, it had only been three days since she had convinced the two monarchs to have some time off and already she realised just how much of a mistake that was... sure she was happy to give the two sisters a break from their strangled lives but... Was this the future that lay in store for her? She shook her head, two weeks more, that was all she had to do, everything would be fine if she just held it together. With a flash of her horn she pulled the next stack closer, taking the first sheet she read through its contents... Lord Slight of Hoof’s proposal for taxing farmers on the western edge of Equestria... seven times now she had sent this back, with firm instructions that the lord was to not make himself the chief beneficiary of the funds collected... seven times now he had simply reworded it in an attempt to deceive her. This would make it eight... Twilight groaned audibly, she didn’t have the time for this nonsense! This lordling had gone too far once again, trying to take advantage of Twilight’s exhaustion to get his own way... “Guard!” Twilight yelled at the door, her patience consumed in the heat of her annoyance. The door to her office opened revealing a grey unicorn in golden armor, “Yes Princess?” “Go find and arrest Lord Slight of Hoof this instant!” “Yes Princess!” He declared with a look of stern loyalty. Before he left Twilight suddenly realised what she was about to do and hesitated, “No wait!” The guard froze, looking to her for instructions. A million thoughts ran through Twilight’s mind, not many made sense except the few that were arguing vocally in her head. “That fool must think we’re an idiot!” Her anger growled, “Who does he think we are!?” “He’s obviously just testing us, we are new after all.” Her Intelligence answered simply. “He’s trying to take advantage of us!” Anger raged, “Lock him up! Throw away the key!” “And brick up the door!” Her madness agreed... oh she still had that... that’s embarrassing... “We can’t do that!” Her Good nature cried out. “I mean... it wouldn’t be right!” “I agree, it would make us appear to others as a tyrant.” Intelligence added. “So we just sit here and let him insult us!?” Anger flared, a metaphorical mane exploding in fire. “It’s better than embarrassing ourselves!” Intelligence countered, “It’s bad enough we were caught stuffing down that banana split!” “Oh dear...” Embarrassment blushed, turning its back on the conversation and covering its metaphorical ears. “Pffft!” Anger spat, “Just behead him already and be done with it!” “Shove a banana split in his mouth!” Madness giggled. “Better yet, hang him!” Anger grinned hungrily, “Publicly for all to see, nopony would dare trouble us again!” “That’s insane!” Good balked. “And incredibly stupid,” Intelligence groaned tiredly. “We never did finish that banana split...” Greed sighed with a deep sadness. There was a moment’s united silence in memory of that unfinished dessert. “So what do you say we do then?” Anger snarled finally, struggling to contain itself. “Princess?” The guard mumbled awkwardly. Twilight blinked with confusion, wherever she had just been it had claimed all of her attention. Blushing heavily the young princess fell back onto her seat, “Never mind... I’ll deal with it myself later.” The guard waited causing the alicorn to frown in confusion, it dawned on her though and she remembered Celestia’s advice. 'Don’t forget to dismiss them dear or they’ll stand around like lemons waiting for you to do so.' At first it had been funny... but after the hundredth time it had gotten annoying. “Ah yes, thank you, that will be all.” “Princess,” He nodded, closing the door and returning to his station just outside. Twilight shook her head, they must all think she was insane or something... putting Lord Slight’s attempt aside for a moment she took the next one... It wasn’t much better. Twilight groaned audibly once again, this was going to end up driving her to murder! She needed a break, a distraction, anything just to end the tedium of... Blinking clear the rubble from her eyes Twilight was left in a near empty room as all the sheets before her flew from the suddenly disintegrated desk and out into the newly made giant window in the wall to her right. The boom suddenly struck, charging as fast as it could to catch up with the blur that had created it perhaps not a moment ago. She looked about the room, or as best she could with all the dust in the way. The desk was gone, so were the forms, the white sheets taking their chance at freedom in the sunlit world beside her... the sudden realization that she had spent the entire night without rest doing this rushed to her mind. “Urgh...” Twilight looked to the cause of all this mess, the sudden burst of blinding rainbow light and the mass of noise that could deafen a herd of elephants. There was of course a response to this and it was one Twilight had perfected to nearly an artform during her time in Ponyville. “Rainbow Dash!!!” Twilight bellowed angrily, The guard suddenly appeared, two of them, both with ears ringing and stunned confusion written plainly across their faces, the impact must have effected them, luckily Twilight’s natural instincts had produced a shield to protect herself from the shockwave that had hit the tower. More guards appeared, all aiming spears at Rainbow Dash while the original two attempted against all reason to stumble around rather than remain stationary. There was a mass silence as the event rolled on, Twilight decided to wait it out, any break in her work was a break she was grateful for, even if she were annoyed with a certain cerulean pegasus. Though to be honest, not that annoyed. “H...hey Twilight!” Dash grinned, looking up to seven spear points aimed at her face, “Err... sorry for crashing in like that!” Twilight allowed a gentle sigh to escape from her lips, this was inevitably going to lead to complaints, masons, and bills... but that was in the future... and for once in Twilight’s life she decided to let future Twilight deal with it. "Its alright gentlemen, I'll handle this." "Are you sure Princess?" The largest guard asked with a raised brow, his gruff voice serious and not at all amused, "She's a troublemaker." "Hey!" Dash complained, "Thanks a lot Marsh!" Twilight tried her best to hide a smile behind a hoof, "Yes thank you Marshal, I can handle her." It took a short while to explain to certain officials that her previous office had been...destroyed by a miss timed Sonic Rainboom stunt gone terribly wrong. In the grand scheme of things Twilight was glad she had gotten used to these sudden entrances Dash was so famous for, otherwise she may have just had a heart attack when one side of the room had disappeared and rained sideways down upon her. The Princess had abandoned her work for a few hours, seeing as all the forms had to be gathered and a replacement office made ready. With nothing to do for a while she had retired to her room, which she found at the start of her term had been moved up into one of the palaces many towers. It was warmer if nothing else, only the forty three books she had brought with her lined the walls but they were enough to make her feel at home. It was more luxurious than she was used too, high class furniture, hoof carved and trimmed with gold, and a huge bed with silk bedding. It even had a small chandelier! The circular room was odd but rather enjoyable, a strange change to what she was used to yet still comfortable. She had showered of course, then forced her adventurous friend to do the same, it would not do well to traipse dust and rubble everywhere they went, especially now that Twilight had appearances to keep. The princess sat in the center of her room, her towel still wrapped around her body. "So... what are you doing here?" Twilight asked as Dash exited the attached washroom while using a towel to savagely dry her mane. "You saw me crash through the wall right?" Twilight rolled her eyes, she didn't quite believe this was an accident, "I doubt you would make such a serious blunder like that so far from home." "Well..." Dash hesitated, "Maybe, not exactly." "You know I am very busy right?" "That's why I decided to cause a distraction!" She grinned. "Rainbow..." Twilight groaned. "Give me a break Twi," Dash complained. "I just wanted to see you is all." "There are better ways to do it then making holes in the palace," Twilight answered seriously. "Yeah... I guess..." Dash shrugged. Twilight rolled her eyes again, it was so hard to make this pony see sense, "As long as you don't go breaking any more walls I guess I'll forgive you." "Cool!" Dash grinned, dumping her towel randomly onto the floor, "I'm bored, lets go do something." "I sorry Dash, I'm just too busy for..." "Sometimes you're so boring Twi!" The pegasus complained, "I know you take this job seriously but come on!" "Its not that simple," Twilight argued, "It takes a lot to run a kingdom and..." "I bet you haven't slept in two days." Correct, much to Twilight's chagrin. "That doesn't..." "If you don't relax your head's going to explode!" "I have responsibilities!" "Laaaaaaaame!" "Dash!" Twilight snapped. "Well it is!" "I would have expected better of you," Twilight admonished, "Did I bother you when you were off at the Wonderbolts Academy!?" "Well no..." "This isn't a game! I have a kingdom to run! If I'm not diligent the whole of Equestria could fall apart!" "C'mon Twi..." Dash muttered, not really interested in the whole speech thing. "Sometimes Dash you really make me angry!" Twilight declared, turning her back on her friend. The was silence for a moment as Twilight let this sink in, perhaps this time the rainbow maned nuisance would get the point... looking at the pegasus from the corner of her eye she took note of the amused expression aimed in her direction. "What!?" Twilight demanded. "You know how silly you sound right?" Twilight, in a fit of anger took her towel off and launched it at her friend, Dash laughed and didn't stop it from hitting her face with a somewhat wet flomph. Throwing the towel off from her face the pagasus continued to chuckle. "Its not funny!" Twilight complained. "Its a little funny," Dash disagreed. There was no speaking to this pony, none at all... all the stress that had been alleviated by her shower had returned to Twilight like a force to be reckoned with, or a really angry pensioner driving a carriage down a steep hill. "Hey Twi..." Back still to the pegasus, Twilight responded with a huffed, "What?" “Y’know... you’re kinda cute when you pout.” “What!?” Twilight froze. Dash moved closer, leaning her chest into Twilight’s back and placing her lips by the Princess’s ear, “All this work must get boring, what d’ya say we have some fun to wind down, huh?” Twilight couldn’t believe this, her friend, her most trusted loyal friend was... was... coming on to her! During this time of fragility when she needed her friend’s loyalty most! It was a terrible act of betrayal and totally inappropriate! And rude! And wrong! And... insulting! Twilight was trying to form a rebuke in her mind and turned to vent her pent up rage, her eyes wide with indignation and her voice raising an octave or two. “Hmmmf drrrr oooo...” Twilight attempted, finding herself lip locked with the rainbow maned pony. Dash was as surprised as she was judging by her expression, Twilight had forgot to move away from the pegasus before spinning... and in doing so she had only made the situation worse. However Twilight found herself lost, Dash’s lips were so soft... so warm... so inviting... losing herself for a moment she felt her head go dizzy and hooves wrap around her before she collapsed. Her body shivered as the feeling of electricity shot up her spine, releasing a tiny moan of ecstasy from her throat as the surge of pleasure overcome her senses... Panic overrode desire quickly though and she suddenly threw herself away using her magic to do so, which resulted in her sudden flight across the room. “What am I doing!?” Twilight gasped in horror. She landed on a divan, which though at first was a relief became something else as Dash quickly followed and leaned over her. On her back staring up at bright seductive magenta eyes, Twilight found her breathing go heavy, her heart start to hammer, and herself eeping like a certain yellow pegasus friend of hers. “You’re such a virgin Twi,” Dash murmured, her warm smile mercilessly, “Let me help you with that...” Before the Pegasus could kiss her Twilight teleported herself out of the palace and into the royal gardens, falling into the pond with both shock and relief. The sploosh overtook her and she struggled to regain control, dragging herself from the pond and quickly shaking herself dry. Embarrassed she looked about the garden and gratefully concluded that no one had been there to see that moment of uncouth behavior. She took a moment to compose herself and looked up to the tower in which her room waited... currently occupied by Rainbow Dash... who was down looking at her from the window. “I’ve never had that effect before!” Dash laughed, her voice carrying down to her from even that distance... which meant she was not the only one to hear the loud mouthed Pegasus. “Shhhh!” Twilight exclaimed, waving a hoof to indicated the pony should lower her voice... maybe go away too... “Well?” Dash asked, Twilight’s enhanced alicorn sight displaying the intense playful spark in the pegasi’s eyes. It made the purple pony shiver uncontrollably, “Are you coming up or should I come down there?” Twilight balked, was she being serious? Surely Dash was just playing around, some kind of cruel joke... yeah... yeah! She was just fooling around, probably one of her pranks. Twilight just didn’t get many of Dash’s pranks, more often than not they just seemed pointless, soaking up time that could be put to studying. THUMP And then there was Dash, landing three paces away with a burning desire in her eyes, posed like a predator about to pounce, her tongue lightly licking her lips as she stalked slowly closer. Twilight failed, “Now... now I command you to stop playing around!” “Who’s playing?” Rainbow Dash purred in return. The pegasus pounced... Twilight ran... at this point there wasn’t much she could do, her ability to focus had now been destroyed so any magic would fail her, “Dash stop!” Twilight near screeched in panic as she took off, her wings beating heavily against the air in an attempt to escape. There was only one thing on her mind right now, preventing all this from becoming a scandal. Author's Note So my first attempt at fluff/erotic play... it gets a bit "more" in the next chapters. Everything's falling apart I guess, THE WALLS NO LONGER EXIST! So yeah... to clop or not to clop... raise it to mature or keep it somewhat innocent? I'll let you decide I guess. //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 2: Predator //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 2: Predator Chapter Two: Predator A princess must always remember that her honor is to be protected, even against her own desires. As such a princess will often find that they are their own worst enemy. Celestia sighed happily as she basked in the heat of her sun, her muscles easing and her mind clouding as a sense of peace claimed her. It had been a while since she had relaxed like this, almost one and a half thousand years. Two weeks of sheer bliss was a hope she had not thought possible until her student had convinced her otherwise... She was still worried however, though her student was more than trustworthy and up for the task Celestia couldn't help but feel that the responsibilities may prove too much for the young princess to handle... she knew best herself that Equestria could be a trying nation to run at times, especially with all the political intrigue and nobles fighting over every scrap of power imaginable. Once more she wondered if Twilight was ready for this... She shook her head clear of the worries and attempted to calm once more, the sun lounge beneath her was comfortable and the air fresh and cool enough to offset boiling under the sun. Nearby a pool glistened in the light like a small ocean of diamonds, it tempted her to take a dip once more in its cool depths. Hmm... she had forgotten about the tax rebate... Twilight would have trouble dealing with that... "Perhaps I should go back, just to make sure..." Celestia began, lowering her shades. Her sister, taking the place beside her on another sun lounge groaned, she was busy reading from a book, she was seriously engrossed too because she had those cute reading glasses on that Celestia liked to tease her about. Unlike Celestia however Luna sat underneath a large parasol hiding from the sun, it was after all her preferred place even in a summer resort such as this. "Not this again..." Luna muttered. "I know... I know," Celestia sighed, "But I do worry, taking care of Equestria is a heavy burden for one so young..." "Indeed." "Even I have trouble keeping it all in check..." Celestia frowned, "...but if I go back now it will..." "...only make Twilight feel as if you don't trust her." Luna completed her sentence for her, "This is the seventh time we have spoken of this." "Yet it may be prudent to at least..." "This hath gone far enough!" Luna exclaimed, lowering her book and laying stern eyes on her sister, "I command thee to relax and enjoy thyself!" Celestia gave her sister and arch look that described how little that amused her, Luna returned it. Perhaps she was right, Celestia sighed settling back on her lounge. Sometimes she worried too much, after all Twilight knew what she was doing, she had studied hard under Celestia and had proven herself countless times in the past. The princess shook her head once more and allowed the warmth around her to soak in... "Maybe though, if I...." Luna's slapped her face against her book, so much for rest and relaxation. Away from the palace Twilight flew, fear pounding in her heart as she quickly descended from the clouds towards the wood just east of Canterlot. Under such duress her magic had fled leaving her only her body to rely on. Yet no matter what she did she could not escape the hunter that pursued her mercilessly across the sky. She was tiring all too quickly, unused as she was to flapping her wings so hard or traveling at this kind of speed. Her assailant on the other hoof had no trouble keeping up, having both greater experience and stamina. Twilight was a bookworm at heart and knew she could never really keep up with the athlete that was her friend. Turning her head to look behind her she saw a pony fully aware of what she could do on wings, the effortless manner in which Dash glided after her filled Twilight with an even greater sense of doubt. Twilight made the wood and landed, quickly making way on hoof amongst the trees. She attempted to fold her wings back against her sides but they refused to budge, her new instincts demanding that she fly rather than run. That would be foolish against this beast though, Twilight had no delusions as to which of them ruled the sky. She maneuvered through trunks, leaping over bushes in a bid to escape a terrible fate she did not quite understand... nor really think about... something else was at play here, something that brought great confusion. "Gotcha!" The beast roared as it struck, flying in from the side and catching her in its claws... hooves. "Gettoff!" Twilight demanded but to no avail as both rolled into a glade and finally into a heap. Twilight panted, now laying on her stomach as Dash pinned her to the ground. With a small laugh Dash emphasized her triumph, "No escape now Twi!" "L...let me go!" "Yeah right!" Dash answered maliciously, an evil grin lighting her face, "I caught you fair and square!" Twilight wasn't thinking very well which is why she answered with: "I am a royal princess and you will do as I say!" Rainbow Dash laughed... it was a mocking laughter that made Twilight blush terribly, "You'll have to do better than that!" Twilight whined... she really didn't want to be in this position, "Stop this please! What if somepony sees us!?" "What the forest animals?" Dash snorted, "There's no one around here for miles!" The pegasus went further by laying down atop the alicorn, once more placing her lips beside Twilight's ear. "And begging will only make it worse for you." "Dash this is..." Her words cut off in a gasp as Dash proceeded to nibble on her ear. Many things went through Twilight's mind at that point, many wonderful, horrible, conflicted things. "What in Tartarus is happening!?" Anger demanded, unable to figure out what it should be angry at. "Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear!" Embarrassment repeated over and over again. "I believe we are being molested!" Intelligence proclaimed. "What!?" Anger was, for once, entirely stunned. "We cannot allow this to happen!" Intelligence pushed forward, "If we are caught in this position we'll be..." But all were silenced by the passion of Lust. "Oh Equestria it feels so good!" Twilight squeaked and writhed, her body sending confused signals to her brain that began to erode her senses entirely, "Dash... p.. please! I don't want this!" "That's not what your wings say," Dash murmured through Twilight's ear. Twilight looked to a wing awkwardly, fully unfurled, hard as a board and out of her control. She couldn't halt the whimper as her own inner desires began to win out, causing her to fret internally about things she couldn't quite recall under the circumstances. "In fact..." Dash whispered, leaning up on her forelegs, "Your wings are looking a little rough... let me help you out." Twilight struggled to get free, this would perhaps be her only chance to escape. This could not happen, it could not be, Rainbow Dash was her friend and more than that Twilight was a princess! There was no excuse for risking the public opinion of her by allowing her own emotions to take contro... Something happened, something strange... Her thoughts melted away into a fog of pure delight as teeth gently sunk into the edge of her wing, near the base upon one of the more sensitive areas. She was still unused to them and the sensation was more than a little disturbing... yet it made her gasp in shock, made her lose control. Dash had lowered herself so as to gain easier access to her friend's wings, her forelegs wrapping around the bases of each to hold them up. As she slowly worked across the edge Twilight felt her body move without her accord. Squirming slightly her back arched and she raised her face to the sky to emit a small moan. The pegasus moved her attention to Twilight's minor coverts, working with lips to untangle and straighten the smaller feathers nearer the edge of the wing. The sensation was strange to the princess even though she had done this before herself, perhaps it was the situation or even the deeper attention to motion Rainbow Dash put to her work, either way it reduced Twilight to tiny gasps and whispered moans. It didn't stop there, once done Dash moved on to the Major coverts, her tongue slowly slinking around each feather with meticulous attention to detail. The effect was enough to drive Twilight wild, her tongue lolled and her eyes rolled back into her head, her gasps became hushed steady moans that broke only for air. Then Dash, with a smile of triumph, escalated things. Twilight felt like the world had been blasted away as lips and tongue danced around the soft lining of the underside of her wing, her moan ceased and she collapsed in a heap, unable to resist anything right now she drowned in a sea of true ecstasy... there was still another wing to go too. "Daaaaashh..." Twilight breathed. "I reserve the right to worry!" Celestia responded with a frown. "Of course," Luna rolled her eyes, already beyond the point of no return with her sister. "I know what you're thinking." "Really?" Luna responded with little emotion, trying still against all reason to get past the same page she had been reading repeatedly since Celestia had opened her mouth. "But its more than just worry for my student." "..." "Knowing Twilight she will most likely work tirelessly without end." "That does sound indeed sound like her." "I hope she realizes the importance of taking a break occasionally before she loses her mind..." Author's Note Blah blah blah blah, words 'n stuff. From here on out its all on a vote system, shall I focus on Romance or let it all descend into Clop territory. It may change it may not... I may even accept both... Depends on the votes I get. If you vote more than once you get no vote at all. THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY! I AM ABOVE THE LAW! Romance? Comedy? Smexi Light Stuff? Full Clop? You Decide! ...because I can't. //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 3: Limits //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 3: Limits Chapter Three: Limits A princess will be faced with many perils, therefore it is always important that a princess should learn to cope and recover from such shocks to the system as quickly as possible. Though the endless paper work had become something of an easy thing to deal with, especially after her little distraction, there was another part of her job she did not enjoy. The bickering of the various nobles and other high society ponies had worn her down again. She didn't mind holding court but most of the ponies that walked in had no real need to be there. Some were fine, proposals for new changes and the like, ideas that needed funding. Some had even been interesting... but then there were the complaints, things she couldn't change, things she couldn't be bothered to hear, and even things that just made her want to bang her head against a wall. And the throne... didn't she feel subconscious sitting on those cushions while wearing her crown that marked her as the reigning monarch at that moment. "They just wouldn't stop! Entering my establishment as if they had a right to be there!" The owner of a very reputable restaurant continued. Twilight pressed a hoof to the bridge of her snout, she had about as much as she could take with this endless nonsense, "If they have the bits to be there I don't see why you should have need to complain." "They're commoners!" The flighty unicorn near screeched in horror at her words. Twilight allowed herself a silent sigh, this was all too much for her taste, she had never really cared for the nobles and their views on the class system that was the curse of Canterlot in her opinion, "I understand that you may have some ill feeling towards this but I must ask you... did they cause a commotion?" "Well... no... they didn't." "Did they appear presentable?" "Well... yes they did..." "And did they pay in full, without complaint, for the meals they ordered?" "..." "Then please explain what the problem is." "They were commoners!" He cried. Twilight groaned, a bit more audibly this time, "Thank you for your time, next please!" The unicorn left with an expression like a slapped flank, the air he carried was one of ultimate insult. Twilight didn't care though she had had enough of that to last a lifetime! This was the very reason she had remained a recluse during the majority of her days, she had never been comfortable around the snobbery of nobles and wealthy high society ponies. Perhaps her parents were to blame for that, though respected in some groups they were more inclined to companion themselves around the lower classes. As her mother had once said; ‘When one has nothing unimportant to brag about real conversation occurs.’ Twilight had never really understood that, not until she had spent some time with the ponies of Celestia’s court. The princess released a quite sigh, she was more comfortable around her friends even now, she missed them terribly which is why she was grateful for her friend’s sudden arrival… even if it had left her terribly confused… and terribly embarrassed! The memory of not a few hours ago still stole at the corners of her attention.. *** Twilight regained consciousness under the light bleeding gently through the leaves of the tree tops above, every nerve in her body tingling with a peaceful euphoria. At first she had no idea what to do or how she had come to be in this mysterious wood without a clue as to why she felt so good. Shouldn't she be at Canterlot running the nation? She lay on her side, blinking tiredly without much effort left to move or even think. And why should she? Its wasn't as if she were in any danger or... mmm, her back was incredibly warm for some reason and the unknown foreleg wrapped tightly around her waist was very comforting. Twilight emitted a small noise of contentment. "Welcome back to Equestria princess." An all too familiar voice purred to her. Her eyes went wide and she froze, suddenly the comfort and peace evaporated to reveal a deep sense of horror as memories came flooding back. She looked as best as she could down at her side and saw a blue wing placed over her like a blanket. She began to shake slightly, knowing all too well that the pony holding her was none other than her friend, a friend of which had hunted her down and taken advantage of her... "D... Dash?" "Sleep well?" The rainbow mare nuzzled at her neck. Twilight exploded into actions, leaping out from Dash's grip like a sleepy cat woken suddenly by a loud noise. On her hooves now she looked down upon the form of the pegasus with horror and amazement. She had no idea what to say so she just stood there, one foreleg raised and body leaned back as if the pony she faced was a hideous creature from beyond the veil. "I... you... we...!?" Twilight began, her voice horse with absolute shock. Dash shrugged and stood, stretching out her lithe body with a soft grunt. Twilight watched her friend like a hawk, realizing suddenly that what she was actually doing was ogling said lithe body with new emotions she had not really felt before. Her blush burned brighter and she looked away. "Did we... I mean... did you...?" Twilight attempted, her mind now a haze of worry and dread. "What?" Dash turned to her with a look mixed of amusement and confusion. Twilight lowered her head and whispered in a terrified voice, "Did we have... sex?" Dash gave a short bark of laughter, "Don't you remember?" Twilight didn't, for all she could come up with nothing came to her after... well she couldn't remember exactly, it was all a blur... a fascinating blur but a blur all the same. "Don't worry Twi," Dash rolled her eyes and grinned. "You passed out on the second wing." "I... passed out?" Twilight blanched, a whole new wave of embarrassment and shame working its way into her system. "Yup." Dash nodded, "You probably needed the rest what with all your work... oh and just saying but, you're really sensitive you know... the way you squeak too is kinda cute." Twilight, at that moment, lost the courage to stand and speak about it, so with a small hop and an accidental squeak she bolted. "Okay Twi." Dash called after her, "I'll talk to you later." "I gotta go!" Twilight exclaimed and fled, taking off to the sky on shaky wings. *** Indeed... not the most prestigious moment in the young princess's life... sure she could claim it was all an accident and that she had no power during the event but that would be a lie. Somewhere in her mind she felt giddy about the memory. She blinked away the sudden loss of awareness and focused on her job as the page returned from the doors at the far end of the room, where a certain Lord followed him. "Presenting Lord Slight of Hoof!" The page bellowed, but why Twilight would never really understand, it wasn't as if she were a mile away. The noble lord marched towards the steps of the throne with an air of superiority, his expression aloof and his head held high. Twilight resisted with quite some effort the desire to just leave the throne room and go cry in a corner. The unicorn was a tall fellow with a pale green coat, short cut neat golden mane and tail and soft blue eyes. When he reached the spot where ponies would speak he gave a deep bow. "Erm... good to finally meet you Lord Slight," Twilight responded. "Indeed," He raised himself, straightening the sleeves of his black suit, "I hope you do not mind but I hoped we could discuss my latest proposal in more detail." Twilight's smile became entirely false, "I see..." "I believe if you understood better the situation in the west front you would be more willing to agree to my proposal on a controlled tax scheme." Trying not to reveal any displeasure at the idea Twilight nodded for him to continue, she may as well just accept her fate in this regard, "As you know it is not an area with much stability considering it lies just within our borders, usually it would fall under a local lord but seeing as it does not have one it would be prudent to..." "Blah blah blah..." Impatience muttered. "...the turmoil in that area..." "He just keep going doesn't he!" "...due to migration and weather instability..." "What's he even talking about?" "...during the fall season..." "Urgh! Is he just going to keep speaking all day!?" "...making a routine example of..." "I can't take much more of this..." "Hush!, this is important!" Intelligence snapped. "Hah! Don't make me laugh!" Impatience responded. "I still think we should hang him!" Anger flared. "Oh no!" Good argued, "We can't do that!" "Makes sense to me," Impatience agreed, "It would get this over and done with faster." "See!" Anger growled triumphantly, "I knew I wasn't the only one!" "...but when you consider the change in agriculture..." "Please just tell him to shut up!" Impatience begged. "I like his suit!" Madness threw in for no apparent reason. "If you don't all hush you're going to cause a scene!" Intelligence proclaimed. "Oh please! Not again!" Embarrassment begged. "Pfft, as if I care," Anger growled. "I miss Dash..." Lust sighed. "Hey! You don't get to speak!" Anger raged, "Not after what you did!" "What did I do!?" "...if all turns out well I know..." "If all turns out well, I'll be a stupid pony with no brains!" Impatience mocked, imitating the noble's voice. "Stop that!" Intelligence snapped. "Hey look!" Lust squealed, "Its Dash!" Twilight looked up to the open window far above the doors amongst the struts of the vaulted ceiling, where a certain pegasus was making faces. Returning her attention to the lord below she did all in her power to avoid the new scene above... the game had changed and Twilight knew she would lose if she didn't... "On that note, under category three of unowned land, and as I have precedence due to the location of this frontier..." Twilight's eyes snapped up momentarily, Dash was wagging her tongue side to side with her eyes crossed, hanging upside down like a bat from one of the struts by her tail... "...being the most local lord in the area..." Dash mouthed his words with an over exaggerated expression, making an angry face and crossing her forelegs. In Twilight's mood one would think this would only make her angry but for some reason her friend's antics had a vastly different effect. "Princess?" Slight recalled her attention with a raised brow. Twilight halted the tiny snorts emanating from her mouth, holding in her laughter was harder than she thought. Clearing her throat Twilight apologized and motioned for him to continue. He did so, returning to the original topic in his boring monotone voice, the princess listened and Twilight vowed internally to punish her friend who did not cease to quit even after sniggering at her situation. Twilight left the throne room with her head hanging slightly low, many things went through her mind, the knowledge that returning to her new office would only mean more paperwork, the horrible sensation of hunger that a simple snack wouldn't really solve, and of course the sinking feeling of knowing she still had more than a week of this before she could return to Ponyville. She needed something serious to eat but realized that dinner would not be served till much later... after all it was still considered morning. Sure she could demand something now but she still felt a little insecure about the idea of doing so, she didn't want to bother the kitchen staff who she knew were as tired as she was, the palace after all had many ponies to cater for. She had at least an hour to find something before she had to get back to her office, which was more than enough time she guessed... As she ascended the steps to her room she did her best to keep her expression strong, there was little keeping her together at that time but she would be damned before showing weakness to the nobles of Canterlot! She reached her room and opened the door, after entering and closing it she near collapsed with exhaustion, leaning her back against the door with an exasperated groan. Taking a few deep breaths she levitated her crown and placed it on the small stand by her bed. It felt far too heavy right then and she needed to relax, she also took the time to shake off her shoes, they were still uncomfortable to wear even now. She walked to the center of her room and sighed, trying her best to stretch out the last hour or so from her body. "Here, I've got that" Hooves pressed to her back and began massaging her shoulders, "Thanks..." Twilight murmured, closing her eyes and allowing the pleasant sensation to dull her senses. "That wasn't at all boring! How do you deal with it?" The princess clucked her tongue and responded with some despair, "Not very well." "Huh, I'd rather be out flying than be cooped up in this place all day!" Twilight nodded, "That does sound nice." "Still... I'm here now so it can't all be bad right?" "Hmm..." Twilight responded, the pleasure coursing through her aching muscles a relief beyond measure. "Hey... you could always run away with me you know." "I could..." "Yeah, it'll be fun, we'll fly around for a bit, get our hearts pumping, hit the lakes for a cool down then, I dunno, fool around for a while before heading back to Ponyville." "..." "We could always take it over, the New Twilight Republic or somethin..." "Republic...?" "Its an idea, I wouldn't mind bowing down to you every now and then." "...?" Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere she should be arguing against this... and more to the point paying attention to the fact that someone was in her room uninvited. Sudden emotions began to rush, the most predominant of them all a cold chill that caused her to freeze up against the hooves pressing gently into her shoulders. "Umm... Dash?" "Yeah Twi?" Dash responded, kissing gently against the back of the alicorn's neck. Twilight Sparkle leaped forward and spun to face her friend, "What are you doing!?" She demanded angrily. "Fooling around," Rainbow Dash shrugged, "Why? you got a problem with that?" "In fact I do!" Twilight snapped. Dash moved forward a wild smile upon her face, "That's what makes this so much fun!" "I... I..." Twilight panicked, her entire being exploding with fear, desperately reaching inward for any solution that would save her from being ravaged by the creature moving ever closer. "Stamp your hoof!" A voice in her mind demanded of her. Twilight did so automatically, the rainbow pegasus before her gave a brief pause. "Now frown angrily, show her you mean what you say!" She didn't know why but she did as she was told. "Explain to her that now is not the right time!" Her Intelligence offered. Grateful Twilight followed the advice, "I appreciate the offer Dash but I have an important job to do and I have no time for this nonsense!" Dash frowned but shrugged, "Uh huh... I'll make it quick then." "..." Twilight faultered, once more she had no idea what to say. "Tell her to treat you with more respect!" Anger demanded. It was a little brash and she didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings... however, "Is that all you think I'm worth?" Twilight responded with small anger. Something odd occurred in Dash's eyes, "What?" "What am I, some kind of whore!?" "Hey!" Dash grimaced, panic in her own eyes this time, "I didn't say anything like that!" Twilight felt elation, for the first time Dash was on the defensive. "Don't stop now!" Her Embarrassment egged her on. The princess snorted, "I'm not some common mare you can rut whenever you want!" "I never said that either!" Anger flared, "Not good enough! Move in for the kill girl!" "I would think you would at least try to care about how I feel!" "I do care Twi!" Dash pleaded with honesty in her eyes, "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings!" "Tell her you think shes hot!" "I mean sure you're hot..." Twi continued, following the advice that had led her right so far and turning her back on Rainbow Dash. "I..." Dash began, then paused slightly confused, "Um... thank you?" "Who told her to say that!?" Anger burst, flaring once more. "Its wasn't me!" Good responded. "Nor I," Intelligence responded. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!" Embarrassment tried to hide. "It was me!" Madness grinned maniacally "I... I... I..." Twilight floundered. "Hey, Twi?" Dash smiled with a small blush, closing her eyes. "I... I..." Twilight answered, turning to face Dash with burning cheeks. Dash opened her eyes, now warm and filled with things that made Twilight feel giddy again, "You're pretty hot too." She leaned in, delivering a deep passionate kiss to a shocked Twilight who found no ability in herself to resist. Well... much anyway. The touch captured the young alicorn, taking her away to a place in which the majority of her body did not exist, a happy oblivion that sank her deep into the warmth of her friend's lips. Pulling away suddenly and falling Twilight gasped for breath, it would be too much to say that the kiss had been unpleasant but even so it was definitely enough to put her mind out of commission. "Well... that was a thing," Madness chuckled. "Oh it sooo was!" Lust agreed happily. Twilight found it difficult to keep her composure, which is why it fell apart entirely, "I... you... we... what!?" "Hey Twi," Dash spoke, ignoring Twilight's moment, "Why don't we go get something to eat?" Beside the confusion and utter mind destruction Twilight found herself nodding with agreement, "Yes... lets do that." Author's Note So yeah, doing better than I had thought! I'm actually enjoying this though I did have to rewrite some of it in anticipation of certain events that people voted for to take place. Either way I still appreciate everyone's opinion and thank all those who liked, favorited, and commented on my story. Anyway I'll probably release a linked blog with info about how its going to happen, nothing too long It would just be nice to get your guys opinion on the matter before I do it. Still that is a little bit off so lets just enjoy the ride! This chapter was fun, to be honest it gets a bit more 'romance' orientated from here, though it will still contain the comedy and... other things. ;) btw, I will try to keep chapters at a 2500 word level from now on. And keep it updated weekly. //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 4: Negotiations //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 4: Negotiations Chapter Four: Negotiations Public appearance is important for a Princess, when amongst the populace they must remain courteous, calm, and above all responsible. After all they represent the very kingdom itself. It wasn't exactly a five star restaurant... in fact it could best be described as a diner. It wasn't too bad, less of a dive than some of the places Dash had introduced her to during the early days. Still it had that greasy quality to it that made Twilight hesitant to touch anything. The only benefit here was the food... which though very unhealthy had the promise of satisfaction. Dash had of course ordered hay fries with a bowl of hay bacon and a milkshake the size of Manehattan... Twilight had moderated her order to a hay sandwich. Alright... two hay sandwiches, however she was very hungry and felt justified in her choice. "Mmmf, mmf, mm m mmf?" Dash asked. "I don't speak 'Mouth Full' Dash," Twilight responded with a stern expression, attempting to ignore all the side looks from the various customers who recognized her. Rainbow Dash shrugged and swallowed in one massive load that nearly stretched out her neck, "There better?" "It’s a start," Twilight replied wryly. "I was just sayin that it’s good to just hang out, what with you being away all the time now." "It’s just for two weeks Dash," Twilight answered with a raised brow. "And who better to give you support than me right?" She grinned with bright eyes. Twilight simply nodded and finished the first of her sandwiches, if she were to be honest she would have chosen anyone but Rainbow Dash to keep her company. "Liar." Well, perhaps not exactly true but the pegasus was a known menace after all, she had a habit of getting into trouble... or causing trouble. "And?" More to the point the distractions had probably set her back hours in work, maybe even days. It wasn't as if she didn't appreciate Dash's companionship, in fact she enjoyed it, it was just that it may be better if the rainbow mare just returned home and left her to run the country. "So... just saying but..." Dash began. "Yes?" Twilight responded, encouraging the hesitant pony. Dash frowned, looking for the right words, "Look... I'm sorry if I said or did anything to upset you." Twilight nodded, as apologies go trying to get one out this pegasus was almost impossible under the circumstances, which meant one of two things. One, Dash was embarrassed about what had happened and wished to just forget about it and move on... or Two, she was simply doing so just to cover her own back if something were to go wrong again. Twilight hoped it was the former, the faster the nonsense of the last few days ended the better it would be for her sanity. "There you go... lying again." Twilight blushed without knowing why but nodded to Rainbow Dash's words, "Apology accepted." Dash grinned, "Great!" Once more the pony fell to her meal, consuming the mass of food like a hungry timberwolf. Twilight watched with an expression of horrified fascination, it always amazed her how fast her rainbow maned friend could put food away. Swallowing first, at least she remembered this time, Dash asked something Twilight had not been expecting, “So… you think I’m hot?” Twilight, having just taken a bite out of her sandwich, almost choked to death right then and there. It took a lot of effort to regain herself and quickly she waved a hoof to her friend, “Shhh!” “What? You said it!" Panicking slightly and looking around the diner to see eyes covertly watching, Twilight found herself unable to do anything but repeat herself, “Shhh!!!” “I mean c’mon,” Dash shrugged, a smile on her face, “I’ve always had a thing for you y’know, you have amazing curves for a bookworm.” “Dash please!” Twilight begged in a hushed voice. “You nearly fainted when I kissed you that time…” The pagsi’s face took a strange turn, eyes twinkling with amusement. Twilight froze internally. “Oh she did not just do that!” Anger flared. “I believe she did,” Intelligence responded. “Just bury me somewhere,” Embarrassment surrendered, “I don’t care if I’m alive anymore!” “You weren’t shushing me then!” The pegasi's grin was challenging. “Quick!” Competitiveness commanded, “Someone come up with something witty to throw back at her!” “Tell her to go jump off a tower with her wings tied!” Anger supplied. “Tell her to shush again!” Embarrassment added its own piece. “Ogle her butt!” Madness… damn you madness. “Shut up Dash!” Twilight growled in a low voice. “Ooh,” Dash’s smile was near cruel, “Kitty got claws.” “I’m warning you!” Twilight muttered. “You gonna punish me?” She drawled, “I mean… I don’t mind it if you do, it could be kinda cool!” Twilight released a groan and allowed her face to fall upon the table’s surface, which in hindsight may not have been the best option considering the state of it. “Red alert!” The Nerdy part of her declared, “Abandon Ship! Repeat, Abandon Ship!” “Alright you win…” Twilight surrendered, “…just stop, please.” Dash seemed to consider her words carefully, which did little to fix Twilight’s mood seeing as she was very smug about it. “Alright Twi… but you owe me now.” Twilight gave Dash an expression of pure reproach. Night came quickly after Twilight bid Dash a good day and returned to her work. The endless stream of papers to sign seemed a little less depressing knowing that her friend was off her back now. The peace and quiet too was something to be grateful for especially in view of how noisy things could have gotten had her friend's playful intentions been discovered. “Princess?” Twilight looked up, a slight blush on her face again as once more she had not even noticed his entry into her office. “Oh, yes, what can I do for you Marshal?” Marshal Law revealed a slight smile, “You wanted me to remind you of the meeting.” The meeting… Twilight frowned and looked down at the desk. Of course she would have forgotten about that, she seemed to forget about everything these days. “Yes, thank you Marshal.” “Just doing my duty ma’am,” he answered before leaving her alone. Twilight climbed off her seat and winced as her muscles argued again the fact, she should have at least stretched first but once more she had just rushed into it. Wincing slightly as she moved the princess left her new office and embarked upon her journey to the other side of palace. When she arrived it was to hear loud voices locked in argument. The door leading to the confrontation was shut but even so she could hear quite clearly what was on the other side. “I told you before you idiotic fool, you cannot just declare war on the Gryphons!” “I’m not declaring war on them you sightless braggart, just a few bandits that don’t understand the meaning of borders!” “Hah! And you call me blind? You of all ponies should know that if you attack one you attack them all!” “I doubt the clan chiefs would care if we removed a few uncouth Gryphs!” “Your racism is in poor taste good sir!” “And your pessimism is all too hilarious, my friend!” Twilight rolled her eyes heavenward, wishing that she could she turn around and leave before being dragged into this nonsense. The voices belonged to the usually calm Foreign Minister, Protocol, and the rather aggressive Minister of Defense, Heavy Hoofed. Usually the two were more than willing to listen to reason, however when the two found themselves on opposite sides of the table such reason was thrown out the window… but then they were brothers and everypony knew that siblings often came to blows over the silliest of things. Twilight entered the chamber in a stately fashion, these ponies prided themselves on the pomp and show so a little dazzle would go a long way to distracting them from their argument. She walked with head held high past the ponies that were present, ten in total with five on each side not including herself. That meant little however as the other eight were sat down with bored expressions. As she walked past all stood, she may be new to this but she was still a princess and they knew enough to show respect. As she moved to the head of the table she cast a quick glance over the assembled and knew exactly where this was going. “Alright gentlecolts.” She began, “What seems to be the problem.” Heavy Hoofed answered by coughing into a hoof and throwing a spiteful glance at his brother, “As I am sure you are aware princess the bandit activity along the border separating us from Gryphon territory has increased dramatically over the last week…” “I wouldn’t say dramatically,” Protocol muttered. Eyes like steel Heavy ignored his brother’s slight, “It is my thought that we rally a small force and drive these bandits back where they belong.” “And these bandits… are they gryphons?” Twilight asked. “Indeed,” Heavy Hoofed nodded. Twilight looked to the foreign minister, “And this is cause for such animosity because?” “We have evidence that the leader of this band of bandits is none other than the son of a rather powerful clan chief within the gryphon nations,” He answered, “Attacking them outright may just trigger another war.” Twilight understood the cause for Protocol’s concern, nopony wanted another war with them, though they were a smaller nation than Equestria with a weaker force in term of numbers, they were still a violent war driven race who’s combat ability outstretched ponykind by a long streak of brutal savagery. “I see… are there any solutions?” “We beat them for six with superior numbers!” Heavy responded, slamming a hoof down upon the table, “Not only do they insult us by crossing the border and raiding our villages but they also laugh at our unwilling to do anything about it!” Twilight grimaced, “I understand your anger but there has to be another way than inciting war.” Protocol shrugged, “We could always arrange a diplomatic meet with the clan chief who's son is involved, perhaps we can arrange a deal to end this before it comes to any form of violence.” “Pah!” Heavy Hoofed spat, “That would take months and all the while we allow them to do as they please in our land!” “Our peace treaty with the gryphons is already a fragile one!” Protocol argued, “It wouldn’t take much to see it torn to shreds!” Heavy Hoof turned to Twilight, “Princess if we don’t show strength they may just go to war with us anyway, throughout history they have always attacked when we show any kind of weakness, they respect force and little more!” “They are not all warmongering savages I can assure you,” Protocol explained, “We only need to reach out to them, I’m sure they will listen, after all they respect oaths as much as force and they made an oath for peace.” Twilight frowned and considered both sides of the argument… both had merit but any one decision could be the cause of an all out war… this was a test and she knew it, this would make or break her as a ruler of Equestria. “I need time to think on this…” Twilight answered finally. Protocol was the first to argue against that, “Princess if we delay the matter will only get worse.” “I agree,” Heavy Hoofed added, “We need to respond to this threat now!” Twilight struggled internally, there was no solution it seemed for this mess, “I understand… however I feel it important to consider all the options, I will need all the information you have regarding this situation and some time before I make any kind of decision.” “That's my girl!” Her Good declared, metaphorically fist pumping. “Indeed,” Intelligence agreed, “I’m rather proud.” The two parties shared glances before nodding, “As you wish princess…” “I will have all the documents sent to you immediately.” Twilight smiled, “Very well gentlecolts, I say we call this a night and we'll reconvene later.” Author's Note Hrm... hadn't anticipated this and I was writing the bloody thing! Don't expect this to get too serious, I just wanted to add something to the story (I have a habit of this...), the next chapter will lead on to something more... yes. And sorry for this being so late, my computer got hit with a pretty screwy virus that locked down my internets. Thankfully I was able to defeat it with Superior Intellect! (An anti-malware program) So indeed, onto the smexi stuff! //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 5: Captive //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 5: Captive Chapter Five: Captive As a princess one must also realise that sometimes battles cannot be won by might alone, sometimes the best option is to surrender. Princess Twilight returned to her bedroom with a sense of accomplishment, she had not expected to get through such a difficult situation but she did and with little cost. The fact the two brothers had even listened to her was something to be proud of. Yet even so she worried about the danger of this event, if she didn't take the matter in hoof it would all fall apart, she had read the documents provided by the two and still had not come up with an answer. She needed to sleep, let her subconscious dwell on it for a while, after all, this was not something she should rush. She moved to the small pedastal in which she would rest her crown, kicking off her shoes she placed her crown down and proceeded to wash, it had been a trying day and she felt hot water would relax her more than anything. She managed it without too much rushing, the faster she was asleep the better she would feel in the morning. She dried herself off and threw the towel away from her, accidenlty putting too much force into it and knocking her crown from its place. It fell too quickly for her to react and rolled somewhat under a table. Muttering to herself she moved towards the table and leaned down by her forelegs to see the offending item. "There you are!" She sighed, lifting it with magic. She had gotten clumsy, probably a factor of exhastion. It was inevitable really but even so it was no excuse, she would have to take more care or else she would make a fool of herse... "Hey Twi!" .... ... ... She was on top of her, in fact she had mounted her... Dash had mounted Twilight and was now pressing against her with some force. Twilight froze in shock against the body of the pegasus, unable to do anything but remain still. Dash waited patiently, nibbling on Twilight's ear with a gentle ease that betrayed the fact she now had Twilight pinned beneath her. "...!!!" The purple pony responded. "You know what? I give up, good night everypony," Intelligence left, slamming the metaphorical door behind her. Anger wasn't too pleased, "Oh great, so I'm left to deal with this on my own!" "Shes! We're! What!?" Anger growled, "Oh shutup Embarassment, no one cares." "Hello? Where am I?" "Who are you!?" "I'm not sure... I can tell you however that I'm very confused!" "Great... another voice to contend with," Anger sighed. "Want to play twenty questions?" Madness asked of the newcomer. "Pardon?" Confusion was lost. Dash lifted a hoof and wrapped it around Twilight's waist, it began to stroke against the alicorn's stomach gently, edging a tiny gasp from the princess, "What? No complaints?" Dash smirked. "Mmmhm..." Lust moaned. "Oh be quiet!" Anger snapped. "It feels tingly," Madness described, "I kinda like it," "Are we... panting?" Confusion asked. Twilight's breathing had begun to grow heavy, with the lack of intelligence to guide her a more primal attitude had overcome her abilities to resist, deep inside herself a new kind of burn began to form, one lower than stomach level and closer to her tail. She released a quiet moan and began to move in an odd way against the blue pegasus above her. "That's more like it," Dash murmured, her hoof working lower in circles until... "Oh My!" Embarassment exploded. The sudden panic caused Twilight to leap upwards, the act of which forced her out of Dash's grip. "Hey!" Dash exclaimed, thrown onto her back. Twilight landed on her bed, facing down the pegasus with a look of wild alarm. "You! I! What!?" Anger snorted, "Oh great... Embarassment's in control..." Dash climbed to her hooved and turned to face the princess, a hungry smile playing on her lips, "Hey... Twi... wanna to play a game?" "A game!?" Twilight squeeked, shaking her head somewhat violently, "Nononononono!" "No?" Dash responded, stalking closer to the front of the bed, "Are you suuuure?" Twilight gulped, her heart pounding heavily in her chest, "I... who... I... oh my!" "I get ya," Dash's purred seductively as she climbed up onto the matress, forcing Twilight to back up till her rump touched the wall, "You're worried, don't worry Twi, I know what I'm doing... I'll take good care of you." Twilight grimaced and shrank in upon herself, her limbs trembling... "No! Go away! I can't take this!" And so Embarassment fled. Twilight was left shaking, fear now bereft of control. "Really?" Anger complained, "You're just going to leave me with this mess!?" Dash was now face to face with her, warm eyes glowing in the light of the candles scattered about the room, "Twilight..." She breathed, "I want you to lay down on your back." What do I do!? Twilight begged of herself, hoping that something, somewhere, was watching her and knew what to do. Anger snorted, "Hah! Good luck with that!" "Submit!" Lust demanded. "I like chocolates!" Madness answered. "I don't get it..." Confusion responded. Dash leaned in, their lips but a hair's breadth apart, "Twilight," Dash breathed, "I wan't you." Celestia moved her piece forward, raising her eyes to meet with her sister's. She was teasing her of course, trying to lead her into doing something stupid. It was a sound strategy and one Luna had used before, the younger sibling knew Celestia quite well and even though they had spent a thousand years apart nothing had changed. Luna's play was either aggressive or misleading, which served her well when in battle against Celestia who preferred a defensive or counter offensive stance. Celestia was just too honest to try and compete with her sibling's shadowy nature, in fact it had been the cause of some resentment over their childhood years. "Your move dear sister," Celestia offered. "Indeed," Luna's smile was a curse, knowing and cruel. She lifted a piece and moved it without removing her eye's from Celestia. Celestia frowned as she looked down at the board... she had fallen into a trap again... Luna's smug expression was enough to inform her of that, the younger sibling had led her slowly in cirlces until now she found herself caught between a rock and a hard place... Luna seemed to have gained the upper hoof... a checkmate was inevitable at this rate... however there was perhaps a way out of it, she just had to distract her sister somehow... "I wonder how Twilight is doing..." Celestia paused mid move. "Oh not this again..." Luna groaned, and with a look of sincere boredom, "I'm sure she's doing fine, now take your turn." Celestia moved to do so... but then paused once again, "I hope she's managing well without us, she is new to his after all." Luna face hoofed. "Just move..." Celestia did so and before Luna could make her's she continued, "There are so many difficulties with this sort of thing... perhaps I should have left her some instructions..." "Sister... Twilight is more than capable of handling any problems, she has done so before and will do so again," Luna placed her piece down next to her sister's knight. "I would hate to return only to discover we are at war." Luna sighed... "It will be fine..." "Perhaps you're right," Celestia nodded, "Your move by the way..." Luna took her move, "What is this all about anyway, normally you have upmost faith in your student." Celestia frowned. "Ruling a nation takes more than just wisdom and a good heart dear sister... one also needs to learn how to be cruel upon those who deserve it." "That is true..." Luna considered the implications. "And I am sure Twilight understands this." "Are you sure?" Celestia asked, "Your move." Luna shurgged and took her move, "I admit I do sometimes doubt her readiness but I know in my heart she has what it takes to do her duty." "I hope so..." Celestia responded, "I sometimes feel I put too much on her shoulders... your move." "It wouldn't be the first time dear sister," Luna smiled, "Multiple times now you have put the fate of our kingdom in her hooves." "That is true..." "Do you doubt her?" "Not at all," Celestia responded, "My only concern is that she will burn herself out trying to please me with this task." "So what was this about?" Luna frowned. "I just needed some time... Checkmate." Luna looked down to the baord, indeed... she had lost. "Well!" "Well indeed," It was Celestia's turn to smirk. Luna frowned and gave her sister a flat stare, "Sometimes I hate you." "I understand," Celestia shrugged, "But you have to admit I play the game well." "You were always better at intrigue than I," Luna sighed, "Very well, my turn... I suggest checkers!" Twilight fell upon her back as lips met hers, once more that feeling of dizzyness consumed her mind and she found herself a prisoner to emotions she had always been afraid of. There would be no going back now... she was willingly giving herself unto something that may destroy her reputation but inside there was no sound argument against it, the feelings were too powerful to resist, too exciting, too desired. She could not bring herself to imagine the future, as far as she was concerned that would be future Twilight's problem once again... "Thanks..." Common Sense sighed. Author's Note Continued in Ch 5: Clop If you do not wish to read clop then do not read it. And that is how I solve a problem... by not solving it at all. //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 5: Continued Light Clop //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 5: Continued Light Clop Chapter Five: Captive - Continued Desire can be a Princess's worst enemy, it can dull the mind, turn attention away from what is important, it can be the end of a nation. However... there are times when one needs council and a wise partner can do more than none at all. "Twilight..." Dash moaned quietly into the princess's ear as she lowered herself upon the alicorn. The purple pony shivered as lips pressed into the crook of her neck, slowly working their way with soft kisses to her ear. The warmth of the pagasi's touch stimulated her nerves, a tongue slowly caressed down into the hollow, its wetness a new experience that caused her to shiver. A slow hoof began to dance around her cutie mark, the slight pressure a tingle of pleasure. Twilight bit her lip and forced her eyes shut, she couldn't deny that she was enjoying this attention however she still felt embarrassment creeping along the edges of her awareness. The full weight of her friend was not uncomfortable, not as she thought it would be, in fact it made her feel more secure, as if she could hide her sins beneath this rogue body atop of her. Rainbow Dash, a pony she couldn't help but admire, had forced her into this but even so it wasn't unwanted. Twilight had never thought herself to be so promiscuous, nor so desperate for it. She felt herself go distant and her mind grow fuzzy, hadn't this happened before? That same hoof that had played so softly upon her rump slid gently around to reach her inner thigh, a more sensitive reaction occurred as Twilight stiffened from the contact. "Shh..." Rainbow Dash purred, "Relax, I won't hurt you." Her soft voice, that gentle reassurance, Twilight had never heard Dash speak in such a manner, it was strange... but also enticing. She felt vulnerable and fragile but even that only heightened the experience. Did she feel cold? Did she feel hot? It was hard to tell, all she could think about was that she had no idea what to do next. Not that it mattered as Rainbow Dash kissed her fully, eliciting another squeak from the timid princess. So soft, so gentle, she had not expected this of the athlete especially in light of how forceful she had been before. Lips slowly parted her own and Twilight suddenly found herself dealing with an intruder. The alicorn moaned under this new onslaught, a tongue coiling around hers, taking control quickly and leaving no room for resistance. It was alien, she had not experienced this level of intimacy before, the sheer invasion of her personal space was… was… delicious. Dash’s hoof moved once more, taking a new position upon Twilight’s nethers. The alicorn stiffened once more but this time panic was not alone, the burn there intensified as her lower lips were parted, allowing a cool sensation to run through her as it lay open the air. That same hoof began to play up and down, stroking that most sensitive of areas. Feeling light headed Twilight’s breathing grew heavy, her heart beating faster. “Mhmmm…” “There ya go,” Dash responded as she lifted herself slightly to look down upon the alicorn, Twilight shifted uncomfortably and tried her best to hide herself behind her fore hooves. Never ceasing in her motions below the Pegasus remarked upon her friend’s face, the gentle blush beneath eyes shut tight, the girlish innocence that made her blood boil, a mane fanned out like a wings unfurled. Dash growled, and leaned in to nibble upon her right ear. Twilight lowered her hooves and gasped as the hoof between her legs pressed further, barely into the opening that contained her precious virginity, not enough to break her hymen… but enough to elicit a response. Twilight’s back arched, her abdomen growing taut, her breathing became broken as the pony above her pressed and stroked at random intervals, teasing her and breaking her concentration. It was too much for her… “Daaaash…” Twilight’s plea was barely audible. “More?” Dash whispered in response, eyes dark and mischievous. “...” Dash grinned from Twilight’s hesitation but gave her what she wanted, that same hoof, now slick with juices, ran upwards towards the most sensitive spot of them all. It began slowly, a circular motion that made Twilight buck instinctively, she couldn’t help it but right then it didn’t matter. The slow building pressure caused Twilight’s heart to flutter and her breathing became awkward to say the least. Her mind fuzzed more than ever before and she felt both hot and cold at varying intensities. A warm flush formed on her face though, and that burn between her legs became fire. She moaned softly, a light sound that she would have expected of someone like Fluttershy but not herself. “You’re so cute…” Dash muttered into the flesh of her ear as she bit lightly into its flesh and tugged upon it playfully. “Let’s take it up a notch huh?” Dash removed her hoof and herself from Twilight, causing the princess to look up in confusion. Dash’s expression was reassuring however, nowhere upon those features was any hint that this was over… in fact that roguish smile spoke levels about things that had yet to happen. The cerulean pony began a journey downwards, laying small kisses on Twilight’s chest then lower upon her stomach. Twilight widened her hind legs unconsciously and drank in the experience with a growing urgency, staring down at her friend’s progress with a odd fascination… after all she had had no experience in this field of study before. Bliss erupted as a muzzle buried itself amongst Twilight’s folds. Head falling back she released a small moan and allowed the motions to steal her away as the burn spread up her thighs and across her stomach. Dash began to lick with a wild abandon working Twilight to an internal frenzy. The element of loyalty then lifted lips to the true prize and seized Twilight’s sweet spot aggressively. With her patience diminishing the Pegasus immediately attacked, sucking and licking with more ferocity than she had shown before. The alicorn’s body jerked uncontrollably as the sensations begat chaos in her body, writhing and gasping for what little oxygen her lungs would permit Twilight fell fully to the force that now dominated her. The buildup was powerful and sudden, like a great heavy weight knotting in her womb. Then without warning Twilight lost control and released a small cry as she reached climax. Nothing could have prepared her for it… wave upon wave of intense pleasure struck her as this foreign tongue lapped up and down, dancing circles around her clitoris without pause or mercy, an endless onslaught that took her beyond the realms of consciousness and deep into the abyss of content satisfaction. It would be fair to say that her friend had not let up, not even as the orgasm had struck, driving Twilight deeper and deeper into a broiling oblivion… … … Twilight wound down eventually, as her body gave in and fell apart under the strain. Like warehouse lights she slowly flickered back to reality, exhausted and barely conscious… unable to do much but lay there and try to recover her senses. As she opened her eyes it was to see Rainbow Dash looking down upon her from above… that smile… that familiar pride… it seemed distant somehow as a new emotion made its way across the pegasi’s face... it looked like… love? And then Rainbow Dash kissed her… and a new wave of flavors made their presence known. Author's Note First bit of pony sex ever, not bad I guess considering physical blah blah blah differences. Light clop for kinda light fluff. (Felt mediocre... never wrote light sex before... restraining oneself is difficult!) If your wondering why I didn’t go into the more exotic realms of sex the answer is this, its Twilight’s first time, you don’t plug a super charged DP Machine into a virgin. (A whole new analogy!) So yais, you wanted it you got it, if you enjoyed it perhaps there will be moar... with wings! If not be kind, just say so and I will avoid it in the future. //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 6: Like a Dream //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 6: Like a Dream Chapter Six: Like a Dream A princess can be a figure of sernity which inspires peace and a utopian mindset amongst the people they serve... just be sure not to overdo it. A cool breeze gently lifted her from slumber, she awoke to warmth and comfort and a sense of deep peace. Her first thought was to greet the day by stretching out and opening her eyes but something stopped her. Subconsciously she knew if she were to do so she would disturb this wondrous feeling. Instead she simply abided, her face pressed against something soft... if she were a cat she would purr... which she conceded would be a nice ability but a complete waste of magic, plus she doubted it would impress any of the other unicorns. They were a stuffy people sometimes, it was considered an improper use of magic to make such alterations to the body even though it harmed nopony to do so... she sighed softly, why was she even thinking about it? Oh well, it hardly mattered, right now all that mattered was how good she felt. She wondered if she should wake Spike, the fact she couldn’t smell something cooking was a sure sign the little dragon had yet to awaken. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the conflicting realities of her faithful friend, he was both lazy and hard working at the same time. Her eyes flickered open to reveal nothing but the color blue, closing them again she sniffed finding that this mysterious sky before her smelled of the wind and storms… an oddly pleasant tang that made her mumble something about flying later. Twilight moved by instinct, snuggling closer to the body she was pressed to… Her eyes widened. Thus the princess awoke, it was not the sky but instead a pegasus she knew all too well. Hooves wrapped Twilight in a fierce but reassuring embrace and warm breath gently stimulated the nerves of her ear. Her horn lay upon another’s neck, which to her was strikingly romantic and stirred her natural unicorn instincts. She wasn’t sure why but all of this felt right, as if it were meant to be… however the fact still remained that the result did not absolve the incident that had preceded this near perfect moment. The war resumed… Twilight moved as slowly and gently as possible to untangle herself from the pony that had wrapped itself around her. As much as she wished to remain in that place there were factors that needed resolving and she had yet to even scratch their surface. With regret once more she freed herself from the situation. Sitting up upon her bed Twilight regained herself, memories flashing back causing a terrible blush to burn her cheeks. Feeling light headed she climbed off from the bed. Once on ground it took a moment to stabilize her legs, not that they ached but they certainly weren’t entirely awake yet. Such issues were annoying but hardly at the forefront of her mind right now, instead she took the time to peer back at her friend. The pegasus lay curled up amongst the sheets, her wings slightly out and twitching as if she dreamed of flight. Her hooves that had held the alicorn not a moment ago fidgeted, trying to grasp hold of something that was not there. Rainbow Dash still slept, the pegasus frowned and murmured something unintelligible. The sight was one Twilight felt she would always remember and once more she dragged from the vast library in her mind the word ‘adorable’… A small smile formed on Twilight’s lips, it had been good aside from the conditions of said event , it had brought to her a sense of ease that gave the world around her a dreamlike quality. Once more that serene satisfaction stole her away. Nodding to herself she made ready for the day, she would hold court once more though it would be short, there were only three people who wished for some of her time. She wondered how it would all go in the end but nothing seemed able to distort this new sense of peace. Not even the threat of impending war could ruin this… she would have to get on that soon of course otherwise all kinds of bad things would occur, no matter her emotions she had a job to do and one far more important than she had ever had before. It may have been common for the old princesses but it was an entirely new experience to the new princess and it was one she took seriously! Warden was a proud stallion, a self conscious stallion, a driven stallion. He understood the importance of keeping an appearance and the need to protect the privacy of the royal sisters. They were ponies too after all. Since Shining had gone he had been left running certain areas that he had thankfully retired from… now he was back but it wasn’t so bad he supposed. His wife was going through the motions of another child and the extra bits would pay for… well things they would need. Maybe save up and try to get this one educated too… not that he held high hopes, it was the curse of the bloodline that the youths of the family found little interest in study… and more interest in arms training and causing a ruckus. Foals… he smiled at the thought of them, he had been a bit of a rebel too he couldn’t deny… didn’t mean he wouldn’t cuff them across the back of the head occasionally, his own head had been near perpetually bruised back during his youth, he had deserved it too and it never did him any real harm… though he certainly wasn’t as rough as his father had been! He marched towards the throne room at a leisured pace, it was early so nopony was really around. The next hour however would see activity, the maids and servants would explode into work with a ferocity that would make a battlefield look mundane. He didn’t like it too much, it gave him flashbacks of a particular scene involving a cheese wheel and his mother’s kitchen… Battle did that too… He turned a corner, thinking that it was a beautiful day when he spotted her. She was swanning down the hall, eyes lost in thought, a warm blush and a gentle smile… she was humming too, some gentle tune that inspired feelings of joy. He blinked in confusion as she angled past him without a look or a word, she was meant to appear in early court within ten minutes but… she was going the wrong way. “Erm… Princess?” “Hmm?” She paused, pulling out from whatever world she had been in to look around with confusion. She turned and saw him, a bright smile lit up on her face. “Oh! Good morning Warden!” He blinked, this wasn’t the princess he had come to know at all… she just seemed more… radiant than before. “Is something wrong?” The Princess asked, a worried self couscous expression forming on her face. “Princess?” He frowned, then shook his head clear, “No, nothing wrong my lady.” “Oh…” Twilight nodded, not so reassured. “You just seem happy this morning.” Twilight’s blush took on new heights, he was sure he could feel the heat emanating from those cheeks, “Oh… yes… thank you!” “You’re heading for the throne room?” He asked. It was her turn to blink with confusion, until of course realization struck like a gryphon assassin, “That’s right, its court today!” “Why don’t I accompany you there?” He offered. “That would be lovely thank you Warden!” She beamed at him. She quickly caught up with him and they began walking, though Warden found himself quickly guiding the princess on their journey. Twilight lowered herself onto the throne and sighed happily, from this angle the light from the window behind her warmed her back… it was quite relaxing. Everything seemed brighter today, the colors were more vibrant and everything seemed to glow angelically. On days like this she would feel compelled to study outside, or conduct an experiment that involved not being cooped up in her tree house… she may have even given Spike the day off, after all he always worked so hard. “If you don’t mind princess…” Twilight looked down at the young mare who stood before her, she seemed cute with a light smile and bright eyes… oh drat, had Twilight missed that? That’s unfortunate, this could be embarrassing. There was only one thing to do… the young girl had asked a question… kind of… “Oh,” Twilight responded, smiling back, “I don’t mind.” The small mare brightened even more so, and was that a silent squee? “Thank you princess! I won’t take much of your time it’s just… I’m from the Lost Fillies and Foals Foundation, we deal with poor unfortunates who rarely get the chance to do anything… fun…” Oh dear… Twilight’s sympathy rose tenfold. “Well… you see they’ve been working so hard to perfect their performance this year for the Celestial Hall Charity Ball but…” The pony hesitated, Twilight motioned her to continue. Shyly the mare did so, “Well… we had reserved our placement for the event but… our reservation was cancelled.” Twilight was shocked, who would do such a cruel thing!? “May I ask why?” “The event itself has been cancelled,” The mare answered, “Nopony would tell us why…” She looked truly crestfallen, Twilight sympathized with her greatly, every fiber of her being wanted to help. Twilight considered it for only a moment. “Very well, I shall look into this myself, you have my word I will do everything in my power to see this charity ball back on schedule!” The small mare broke out in a massive smile of gratitude, “Thank you princess, I’m sorry to have bothered you with this…” “Think nothing of it!” Twilight announced, feeling her heart soar, “The welfare and happiness of Equestria’s unfortunate deserve our greatest attention!” “Thank you princess!” The mare bowed, then backed away quickly. Twilight’s smile was radiant, she was making progress, yes indeed this was progress! Rainbow Dash snorted awake, blinking furiously against the… wait there was no sun… okay fine she just blinked, might look stupid but she didn’t care, not one bit! Rolling onto her back she stared up at the ceiling, not a ceiling she was too familiar with but… oh yeah! Twilight!!! It was obvious to her that a certain pony had vacated the area and although it disappointed her she understood why. Not that she cared… nope… not one bit… … Whatever, it’s not like it mattered anyway. “Wow, just woke up and full of crap already.” “Shut up.” Dash muttered, she wasn’t in the mood to listen to her conscience today. No… this day was a new day and by her amazing ability to know these things by instinct alone, and maybe a quick glance at the sunlight streaming in from the open window, today was a beautiful day and nothing would stop her from flying! “I wish Twilight would fly with us today…” A small voice echoed. “Yeah, well you know she’s busy,” Wisdom responded to console the ill feelings. Loneliness continued in an even smaller voice than before, “I know but…” Cunning moved in quickly, “It’s understandable that we feel like this but… she’s a princess, she has her duty to the kingdom.” “Hah!” Rage snorted, “Like that means anything! She was quick enough to leave us for her throne!” “Be nice,” Loyalty growled in warning, “You know she didn’t want to leave us.” “Whatever…” Rage muttered. “I’m hungry,” Appetite commented. “True,” Wisdom agreed, “We will need to gather food if we are to fly well today.” “Hmm… maybe we should check in on Twi, see if she's okay…” Instinct suggested. “If it makes you happy," Wisdom sighed. “Food, Twilight, skies… are we forgetting anything?” Instinct asked. “…” “…” “…” “…” “Shower!” Cunning yelled triumphantly. “Oh yeah, shower!” “Of course how could we forget that again!” “Don’t wanna stink up the sky!” “Very well!” Wisdom nodded to itself, “All those things but shower first, agreed?” “Agreed!” They all responded in unison. Dash nodded to herself and climbed out of bed, stretching out her body and wings like some mutant winged cat creature... and maybe this time she wouldn't catch herself singing one of Pinkie's songs in the shower... again. Author's Note Well... I thought I would go easy on this one considering what is about to happen... yes. Not that that's a hint of something more emotionally driven to come. Honestly... Maybe a little... It is a story about love after all. Love between a timid prude and a sex crazed adrenaline junkie... ... ... yes. //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 7: Best of Both Worlds //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 7: Best of Both Worlds Chapter Seven: Ch 7: Best of Both Worlds Taking Care in any situation is one of the many responsibilities a princess must take... as is Taking Charge. Twilight stood patiently by the fountain in the palace gardens waiting for her moment, the entire day had been a rose tinted blur and her cheeks had felt heavy from the warm glow of a blissful blush that had yet to dissipate since she had awoken in the forelegs of her friend. The gardener had yet to leave and two noble ponies were walking the grounds discussing matters of state, which, though entirely normal and acceptable, seriously impeded her attempts to take control of a certain situation that had threatened her public image. She took a slow breath and released it gently, it was becoming unbearable. She was running out of time too, soon she would have to meet with a selection of officials to decide the Gryphon situation as well as put the Charity Ball back on schedule. She was sure ponies were looking for her even now, searching corridors, her office... maybe even the kitchen... She liked cakes what could she say! So what she had been caught twice there with a pastry of some kind shoved into her mouth... All that mattered little right then though for the young princess was definitely beginning to... she paused in thought and looked around, nopony was in sight. *SPLOOOSH!* The cold fountain water struck her face at a stunning velocity, without hesitation she swished her head through the fresh liquid without a single care, this was after all an act of desperation. She remained so until she could no longer hold her lungs, exploding from the chill pool with a gasp for air. She collapsed on the edge of the fountain and regained her breath with deep drags of air, her composure ruined she allowed her mental processes to reboot while her body recovered. "That's better!" Anger declared with relief. "Indeed!" Intelligence could only agree. "It wasn't that bad," Madness snorted with derision, "you guys should really lighten up." "Is... is it gone?" Embarrassment asked creeping out from some dark corner. "Yes..." Lust sighed sadly, "I was enjoying that too..." "Oh shuttup!" Anger snapped, "The only benefit to that nonsense was that you were quiet!" "Woulda stayed quiet too but you guys had to ruin it..." Lust sulked. A fake cough followed by words eradicated this scene and threw reality back into gear, "Excuse me Princess..." Marshal began politely, a slight smile breaching the walls of his emotional defenses. A new blush burst into life on Twilight's face as she stared in shock at the Stallion before her, her mane slipping with a splat against her face. "Why?" Embarrassment cried, "Why me!?" The air rushed through her feathers sending static chills throughout her body. Flight, freedom, the skies without limit… this was her world, the best kind of world. Since she had first taken wing it had been her domain and none had been able to keep up with her. This was her… A stray bug up in the air found its way into her throat, spluttering Dash suddenly careened out of control, spiraling downward while coughing violently. Her vision was completely erratic which, while in the air, was not a good thing… especially with the quick flashes of a tower rooftop below her moving ever closer. She fanned her wings against the air as best she good which did decrease her speed somewhat, regaining control she only made mild contact with the tiles. “Arrrrbuckit!” Dash lamented, ricocheting off the surface and into a flagpole. It took a moment before her heart stopped pounding, in the meantime she waited for the shock to wear off. Making use of her tongue she hooked the creature in her mouth and spat it out. The fly buzzed as it landed beside the pony. Both shared a moment of stunned disbelief till finally the pegasus shot the thing a irritable look. The fly in turn buzzed angrily. “Hey! Not my fault!” Dash spat, “You’re the one who flew into my mouth!” The fly ignored her and took off, the pony watched it go with a sour expression, “Lucky I didn’t squish you...” She muttered to herself, unfolding herself from the pole in which she clung to. Once on her hooves upon the room she shook her wings loose, that certainly could have gone better. The pegasus scoped her surrounding, her natural eyesight scanning every inch of the air, then her sides, and finally… “Hey! Its Twi!” Desire growled hungrily. Zooming in and sights locked, Dash took sight of a drenched princess beside a fountain in the royal garden. Snickering to herself at the sight of the pony she couldn’t help but want to be near she noted that Twilight was in conversation with Marshal. The princess looked completely out of sorts, mane flopped down over that soft purple face… Rainbow considered going down there just to say hi but hesitated, a flash took her interest as Twilight was enveloped in a purple glow. When it faded the alicorn was dry and her mane set back into a more reasonable position. “Okay… that’s kinda cool,” Dash nodded to herself. “You think she wants to fly with us?” Loneliness asked. “Nah,” Rage snorted, “She’s too busy doing her duty!” “Aw… give her a break,” Desire argued, “She’s working hard, there’ll be time later!” “That’s right,” Wisdom agreed, “Anyway we should fly, we need the practice.” Dash smiled, though she couldn’t help but want to go down there. Marshal followed her to the council room, where waited the augmentative brothers who seemed unable to come to any agreement whatsoever. She had read up on the details regarding these gryphon raids as well as all the political issues that could become an issue. She had it all measured out, sadly it felt like the ruler had been made of rubber because it was far from straight! …oh dear, that could easily be misconstrued. She logged in her mind not to make any ruler jokes in the future, the last thing she needed was a sexuality view scandal… Especially in light of her own surprising… err… attractions. She shrugged and turned to her guardian, “How are they doing?” He nodded with a sardonic smile, he had spent the first ten minutes of the meeting waiting for the princess amongst the noble rabble. “Quite well actually,” he began, with no small amount of sarcasm, “Protocol wants to spend months walking up and down the clan lands of the gryphondom making friends and Heavy Hoofed wants to charge in and wipe the species out, neither can come up with a better idea.” Twilight groaned, “I see…” “I hope you do Princess,” Marshal sighed, “Otherwise this might get messy.” “You think it could lead to war?” Marshal chuckled, “I think those two are close to their own personal war if you don’t do something quick!” Twilight nodded and tried her best to keep her face neutral, at this point in time it would be bad to show any weakness at all, especially with these two. They reached the door to the council room and paused, as always Twilight took a deep breath before opening the door, blushing slightly as she remembered Marshal was there to see that. The argument inside did not cease when she entered. “All you’re good for is wasting paper!” “And all you’re good for is flexing your muscles… and not the one that’s important!” “Please!” Heavy Hoofed snarled, “I am the only one of us that’s taking this seriously!” Protocol rolled his eyes, “Your idea of being serious is banging heads with anybody you don’t agree with!” “Would you like to bang heads with me!?” “Gentlecolts please!” Twilight admonished as she walked to her place at the head of the table, “Don’t make me separate you two!” The two older ponies flinched at her words, it had been some times since anypony had spoken to them as if they were children… that didn’t stop them from continuing to act so as they threw childish looks at each other. “Now…” Twilight began, “I feel the time has come to make a decision.” “Finally!” “We agree all to happily with you princess.” Twilight rolled her eyes skyward… they were like foals… “Now… I agree that this act of banditry calls for a response but marching an army into our neighboring country is a little drastic.” “Here, here!” Protocol cheered, smirking at his brother. “However…” Twilight continued, “Showing no sign of force at all is also unacceptable.” “Hah!” Heavy shot back. “So… my suggestion meets both your demands, to an extent,” Twilight raised her voice some, getting her point across like an angry matron, “Heavy Hoofed, you will send a few small groups of our troops to the areas most frequented by these bandits…” “Yes ma’am!” The Minister of Defense saluted, almost running towards the door to make ready. “Hold on minister…” Twilight sighed. Heavy froze with his hoof on the door handle, blinking with confusion and looking back. “Their mission is not to incite war, nor to hunt down these bandits or attack,” Twilight allowed her words to sink in, “They are to patrol and protect the towns and roads under siege by these brigands.” “But…” “Furthermore if I hear my orders have been ignored I will ensure all guilty parties are punished with banishment!” “…” “Sweating brother?” Protocol laughed. “And you!” Twilight spun to face Foreign Minister with some annoyance, “You are to send envoys right away, no meandering, they are to move with all haste to this clan chief and demand answers as to why this child of his has run riot without control!” “But…!” “In fact I will write a letter to this clan leader myself!” Twilight declared, “If they respect honor most they will honor our question with an answer, if one doesn’t come this bandit will be hunted down without mercy and locked away until he is old and featherless!” The room was in stunned silence, so much so the sweat falling from both brother’s foreheads could be heard hitting the ground. “Right!” Twilight announced, taking a breath to calm down, “Everything is now settled, I have a letter to write, dismissed everyone.” Marshal remained behind with a look of pure admiration on his face… he could see it now… this young princess had some great potential! She had the wisdom and kindness of Celestia and the hard but fair no nonsense style of Luna, a perfect combination. “The best of both worlds…” He muttered. “Sorry?” Twilight asked, raising a brow. “Nothing my lady!” Marshal saluted, pride for this new princess in his eyes. Twilight blinked in confusion… then blushed and tried to hide her face behind a hoof. Author's Note Okay, a bit of light hearted stuff to dull the senses... what? Who? I didn't say anything... Nah, not at all... Not like something darker is brewing on the horizon *cough cough* Also... new keyboard! YAY! Its cheap but good, thank the world, more importantly its chunky so I like it. ...for some reason my computer needed an update to use it... its a bloody keyboard but okay, whatever. Damn my ancient computer, barely Windows XP. //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 8: Lost in Translat%8@ //-------------------------------------------------------// Ch 8: Lost in Translat%8@ Chapter Eight: Lost in Translat%8@ And one must always remember that one's duty is to sacrafice, even one's time, therefore distractions must be put aside. Bored! Rainbow Dash was indeed bored out of her mind. There was only so much training one could do without wanting to go mad and break something valuable... like a palace wall for instance... she could easily smash through one, sure Twilight would berate her again but at least she would be paying attention to her friend instead of doing whatever it was that a princess does. “Come now, you know she’s busy.” Wisdom responded with a motherly tone. Rainbow Dash frowned and stretched out her limbs, at least the air was cool up here on the roof of some tower looking up at the sky. The tiles weren’t even that uncomfortable, after all she was a master in the arts of napping anywhere and on anything. But laying there... watching the clouds drift by lazily was just another reason why she wanted to bang her head against a wall. It was all so very boring! And where was her best friend? Not hanging with her that was for sure! “It’s only been two hours...” Wisdom responded with a profound metaphoric look of disbelief. “Why are we here?” Rage growled, “Why don’t we just go back to Ponyville, maybe the gang will want to hang around with us losers.” “We’re not losers!” Instinct snapped. “Then why are we here waiting around for something that will never happen!?” Rage scoffed. “I wish we could just tell Twilight that we lov...” Loneliness began. “Shuttup!” Rage interrupted with a blush, “No need to say that word here!” “And anyway,” Fear announced, “What if she rejects us!?” “This is pointless,” Wisdom sighed, “Let’s just ease up, go for a swim or something,” Rainbow Dash muttered something unintelligible, lately she had been feeling really stressed, sure the night she had spent with Twilight had been, well lets be honest here, absolutely cool! It was unlikely to happen again anytime soon. Sure it was boring... but right then there were no answers, therefore a swim would probably cool her down some more and maybe ease some of her stress... “Fine... swim it is,” She growled to herself. Twilight looked down at the document with a scowl, the whole purpose of it was to eradicate any hope to keeping the promise she had made to restore the charity ball and with it the happiness of the poor unfortunate fillies and foals of Canterlot. At this time it holds no purpose to hold the annual charity ball with the encroaching threat of the Gryphon bandits... The laws were definite, there was no way around it, in times where war was possible all national wealth would be hoarded in case the need arised to pay for an army and supplies to combat the enemy, whomever it would be. It made sense of course but still… she had made a promise… “Oh…” Twilight groaned, her head falling upon her desk, “…how do I get around this nonsense...” “It would seem that we have no choice but to accept the court’s decision on this matter,” Marshal answered with some regret. “But… I hate to think that I’m letting all those children down,” The Princess responded with some desperation, the idea of all those tearing eyes broke her heart. “I can see no way out of it...” The weathered warrior shrugged. Twilight sighed deeply, she had been so happy to have made some headway on the gryphon crisis that she had thought putting the ball back on track would be easy… it seemed however that the fact was entirely the opposite. “There has to be something…” “Maybe you could speak with the court,” Marshal began, “I know they can be stuffy at times but…” Twilight grimaced, the unicorn court of Canterlot… oh yes, the one group of ponies on the planet that were so rigid on law that they had let half of Equestria starve two hundred years ago because a farmer refused to give away half his livestock to some noble lord who had demanded too much from his vassals. The same court who had declared war on any number of countries under the pretence of unification. The same court that Celestia had formed and stated many times since as having been the worst mistake she had ever made in her entire life. Oh yeah… Twilight was sure to convince them that the necessity of some charity drive was just as important as the encroaching war with one of Equestria’s strongest rivals. “Let’s not go to them unless we need to,” Twilight frowned, looking through the sheets of paper she hoped may hold some clue as to fixing her predicament. “Fair enough,” He nodded, he too knew how bad they could be. Giving up on the various documents Twilight looked around the office with a hopeless expression… however a certain white unicorn came to her mind, and with her an idea that may just solve the issue. “Perhaps… perhaps I can turn to the nobles on this matter…” Twilight began, rubbing a hoof against her chin in serious thought, “If the court is unwilling to go ahead with this maybe we can hold our own, away from official government business.” Marshal considered her words, they made sense, “You would have to get the nobles on your side… that would mean speaking to the more influential ones.” Twilight nodded, “Alright, who would you say I need to get on my side?” Marshal considered it, thinking through the names of all the nobles he knew to have strong influence over all the minor ones, “Well… there’s Fancy Pants of course.” “Of course,” Twilight nodded, that wouldn’t be too hard, all knew Fancy Pants was always the first to jump at the chance to prove his charitable nature. “Then there’s Paradise, she’s one of the richest ponies in the world,” “Paradise,” Twilight recalled her as being rather cold but definitely concerned about rather unimportant issues… the princess was sure she could make a deal with her. “Oh!” Marshal grinned, remembering the name, “The other would be Slight of Hoof, as I understand he’s quite a respected Lord.” “Slight… of Hoof?” Twilight responded with no emotion whatsoever. “Yes…” Marshal raised a brow, “Is there a problem?” Yes... there was, she hadn’t even dealt with that pony's proposal yet, the fool wanted to enforce heavy taxation on villages around a certain border of Equestria. “Is he important?” Twilight asked. “I’d say so,” Marshal nodded, “Fancy Pants basically leads the business sector nobles of Equestria, Paradise runs the old fashioned, and Slight has the respect of every one of the highest ranking nobles in Canterlot, something the other two do not have.” Twilight’s groan was powerful and her head fell upon the desk once more. “Princess?” Marshal frowned with concern. Clouds… they were clouds… Rainbow Dash looked up at the sky with some annoyance, she remarked upon the many times she had looked up there to see different shapes that were funny at the time but now… Oh look… that cloud looks like a cloud… and that one over there looks like a cloud too… and surprise surprise… another cloud shaped cloud… “Bored!” She declared smashing a hoof upon the surface of the lake she floated upon. “I can’t take this anymore!” Rage roared. “Yeah… this is really boring…” Instinct muttered “I have an idea!” Desire burst. “Go on then,” Rage huffed, “Tell us your brilliant idea.” “Let’s go bug Twilight!” “She’s busy,” Wisdom argued, “It would only cause problems.” “I’m tired of waiting, I want to hunt something!” Instinct rumbled. “Twilight’s off the menu,” Loyalty answered. “I say we put it to a vote!” Desire put forward with some desperation, “Those in favor of giving Twilight a visit say aye!” “Aye!” Instinct, “Aye!” Desire, “Aye,” Rage, “Aye!” Loneliness, “I’m Hungry,” Appetite added. “That counts!” Desire cheered, “Those against?” “No,” Loyalty stated. “Nay,” Wisdom, “Uh uh!” Fear worried. “Anyone else?” … “Well!” Desire ringed triumphantly, “That’s five against three!” “About time!” Rage snapped. “This is going to end badly…” Wisdom commented but was promptly ignored. Twilight was getting ready, she had to look her best if she was going to visit Canterlot’s most notable figures… she didn’t feel comfortable with this but it was her duty as a princess to help those who could not help themselves. It was also the duty of a knight but with all she had been through it should count. She had bathed, selected a dress… which wasn’t hard as she only had three… put it on, add some makeup and then don her crown. She continued to practice her smile, she was sure she had it down now… her earlier attempts had made both Celestia and Luna laugh. She hadn’t known but there was a big difference between smiles, the smile of a student, polite and respectful, and the smile of a princess, warm and kindly, with a hint of dominance and power. It had taken some time, however she believed that this time she wouldn’t blush uncontrollably. With some care she put on her dress using her magic and then applied some makeup, not much, just a touch of eyeliner and some blusher. Lifting her crown she placed it upon her head and looked into the mirror for the full effect. Rarity would probably say she looked gorgeous! Then make a hundred thousand comments and tips about how she could improve it ‘a smidge’, Rarity was strange like that… still this would be easier if she had the fashionista there to help. Especially since she was about to ‘have lunch’ with Fancy Pants. She was ready, and without any excuse she moved to the door. “Hey Twi!” From the window came a flash of blue, sadly Twilight was walking past the window as a certain cerulean pegasus decided to barrel in. Twilight may be used to that kind of contact, especially in light of the many patched holes her tree library contained… but her dress certainly was not. As they rolled across the ground Twilight heard the telltale rip that had just rendered all her efforts useless. Twilight used magic to throw the Pegasus off her as she got up to inspect the fabric, and there, as she had believed, a giant tear along its rump. “Damnit Rainbow!” “Well!” Dash complained, getting up from the heap she had been tossed into, “Nice to see you too!” Twilight couldn’t pay attention however, she had already ran back to her cabinet to retrieve another dress, thankfully it had similar colors so the makeup wouldn’t clash, “I’m kinda busy here Dash!” “Yeah…” Rainbow answered, ogling a certain area of Twilight as the alicorn backed out of her ruined grament in a provocative way, “I can see that,” “I have lunch with a certain pony, I don’t really have time to mess around,” “Pfft!” Dash argued eloquently, “Why don’t you go to lunch with me instead?” “I can’t Dash,” Twilight responded with irritation. "You know why." “Yeah…” Rainbow Dash’s ears fell somewhat, disappointed. “What? Seriously!?” Rage snapped, “Just like that?” “She’s busy,” Loyalty returned, “You knew that!” “But…” Desire began, “Pushing this any further will only make things worse,” Wisdom cut Desire short. “Who’s this ‘other’ pony anyway!?” “Wow!?” Rage froze, “Who said that?” “I… “ Loyalty was also confused, “It sounds familiar…” “This 'other pony' thing is probably just part of her job,” Desire sighed. “It’s also her job to lead us!” Jealously responded, “Why is she always off then! Why is this new job more important to her than us!?” Wisdom moved in to counter this voice, “Its not her fault she became a princess, and its also our job as her friend to be understanding…” “Does she understand us?” Another voice demanded. “Wha… who are you?” Fear shook. “If you have to ask you’re not very smart.” Ignorance stated. “I… didn’t mean to….” “Be quiet, no one likes you!” Ignorance snapped. “Hey now!” Loyalty began. “Be nice…” “What!? Can’t we have a say too?” Jealousy butt in. “Its obvious Twilight doesn’t want us around, she’s already left Ponyville!” Ignorance continued. “It’s not forever!?” Desire declared, “Its only for a little while!” “And you know that for a fact?” Ignorance snorted. “She likes it better being a princess then our friend!” Jealousy declared angrily, “She’ll leave, they always do!” “Friend’s are only temporary after all…” Ignorance muttered. “Now you know that isn’t true!” Wisdom answered pointedly. “She hasn’t left us yet!” Desire added. “Emphasis on the yet!” Ignorance growled. Jealousy also had a response, “And meeting with some other pony for lunch is more important to her than having lunch with us!” Rainbow Dash was caught in this tumult of emotions, unable to move or speak, instead she just sat there, looking troubled and depressed. Twilight finished preparing herself once again and looked to the clock on the wall. “And now I’m late!” The alicorn muttered, “I have to go!” The princess moved quickly to the door, in a panic to say something Rainbow Dash raised her head but found only a closing door before her… Twilight had left without even saying goodbye. “But… She…” Loneliness was close to tears. “See!” Ignorance huffed, “She doesn’t even care!” ... No voices argued… in fact everything went still… and Rainbow Dash was left in an empty room feeling lost. “I don’t belong here.” She whispered to herself and moved to leave through the window. Author's Note Hmm... I will admit this went in another direction than what I had intended... And from here it will not get any easier for the two ponies involved. On a lighter note I got into a bar fight! I can't say what the conditions were for winning and losing but... I was one of the few left standing when the cops came, also one of the few that remained. SELF DEFENCE BABY! ;D Its funny how a good fight can improve my mood! Nearly got bottled though...