Rainstream’s hoof stopped inches from the door. She pressed harder, but it did little more than shake. Should she do this? Could she do this? A chill ran up her leg, and Rain looked back over her shoulder at Dragomena.
The gray pegasus let out an amused snort as a smirk crossed her face.
“You act like you’ve never been to a bar before.”
Rainstream tried to respond, but her throat locked up, and she instead made a strained face. Dragomena knew why she was nervous. She let her hoof fall and stepped back from the door, glancing up at the sign on the front.
It wasn’t really much of a sign, just the silhouette of a sideways barrel nailed to the trunk of a really big tree. The tree in question was actually the bar itself. The door sat between two of the roots of the tree. There weren’t any windows, so it was impossible to see inside. It was just as well. The thought of heading inside sent needles into every one of Rainstream’s limbs. It was a gargantuan effort just to lift one of her forelegs toward the door again, and she eventually gave up.
Dragomena rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Come on, mate. She’s alright. You’ll love her once you meet her. Come on.”
Dragomena pushed open the door, revealing… a room made of wood. As obvious as that would seem, there was really no other way to describe it. The two of them stepped into a carved out wooden room, with several wooden barrels scattered about to serve as tables, each of which was surrounded by three or four wooden stools. In the back, there was a wooden countertop, behind which sat a wooden rack with more wooden barrels on it.
Everything was even the same shade of color. It made Rainstream want to cry, seeing such an unimaginative color scheme. She quickly turned her eyes to Dragomena’s fuchsia mane, drinking in its bright hue. The door slammed shut behind them, at which Rainstream’s chest clenched up and sent a dagger through her heart. Her lungs suddenly felt very small.
“Crikey, mate. You look like you’ve seen Lucie.”
Rain’s gaze snapped to Dragomena’s eyes, which were also brilliantly pink. She also had a pink ascot. Her color scheme was rather unimaginative.
Dragomena was still staring at her, with a raised eyebrow. “You alright, mate? You said you wanted to do this.”
Rainstream shook her head and gulped back a breath. “I know, I know I just— ugh, this is not easy for me, okay?” she hunched over and wheezed in a quiet voice. “You know how I get around unicorns.”
Her friend let out a sigh. “Well, there’s no unicorns in here right now—funny enough.”
Rainstream blinked. “What?!”
She quickly scanned the room as she fought to control her fluttering heartbeat. Wings—wings—griffon—no wings… She squinted toward the pony at the bar with his back to them. As he finished off an enormous mug of frothy cider, his head tilted far enough back that Rainstream could see his smooth forehead. No horn either.
Rain took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling the tightness in her chest relax. Once more, and at last she could breathe easily.
“There you go. Now you’re looking like yourself again.” Dragomena tapped her with a wing, and began trotting toward the bar. “Yeah, usually there’s quite a few unicorn patrons in here. It’s quite odd, actually.”
The pony behind the bar slid the earth pony what looked like his 15th mug of cider, then looked up at them. “Oh, hey Drago, what’s up?” Both of her hooves were busy cleaning one of Cidergut Mctrottingham’s used mugs, so she flared one of her wings in a substitute wave.
Dragomena waved back with a half folded wing as Rainstream ducked to avoid getting hit. “Hey Cloud. I’m just stopping by to visit a friend. Have you seen Cay?” She hopped up onto a stool and tapped the one next to her with a hoof.
Rainstream climbed up and stared blankly at the pegasus behind the counter. Her orange coat seemed dull next to the dark brown of the wood, but her crimson mane complemented it well, and her eyes were a stunning emerald green.
She set the mug in her hooves down behind her and picked up another one. “Oh, yeah, she was just in here before,” said the pony behind the counter “She had an appointment with a client, I think.”
“Ah, that explains it. Well, we shouldn’t bother her.” Dragomena tapped Rainstream again with her wing. “How about a drink, mate? On me. I don’t normally drink, but this seems like a fine occasion. We’ll head back over to the shipping labs when we’re done.”
Rainstream looked over at Dragomena, who smiled back enthusiastically. Rain closed her mouth, just realizing it had been open, and swallowed to spread some saliva over her dry tongue. It had been a decent flight from the lab, to the hilltop, to the cloud, and back down here. Rainstream glanced around the room again. Still no unicorns, and Cidergut Mctrottingham’s head rested on the counter as he lazily gazed up at his half finished… 23rd mug of cider! “I suppose,” she turned back to Cloud, “what have you got?”
Cloud quickly set down two more clean mugs on the rack behind her and turned around to face Rain and Dragomena. “Well, I’ll have to roll up another barrel of cider in a minute, but I’ve got some nice cherry brandy in the little keg at the end if you want to try it.” She pointed toward the other end of the bar to their right, where a small barrel half the size of the others sat on the shelf with a waxed cork in the end. “Just in last night from Dodge junction, up north.”
Rain’s eyes lit up at the mention of cherries. “Ooh, I’ve never gotten to try Cherry Jubilee’s famous brandy! Visited a few times, but never stopped for a drink.”
“So, will that be two rounds of brandy?”
Dragomena shook her head. “Just tap off the cider for me; I’m not a brandy kind of mare.”
~ ~ ~
After an hour of sipping brandy and exchanging tales from around /Pony/ville, Rainstream had relaxed considerably. Many stories involved a mysterious metal mare she had never heard of. She even found herself laughing as Drags told her about the time Blazing Star had gotten far too drunk at this very same bar.
“Okay, I think it’s time to go, mate.” Drags tapped Rain on the shoulder and made a quick swiping motion toward the door with her hoof. Rainstream nodded—a little too enthusiastically—and slid (ever so smoothly) off of the stool, nearly knocking over her three mugs in the process.
“Whoa, that stool is pretty tall,” Rain blurted out through a few giggles, as her hooves hit the deck. It tickled, somewhat like the tingle that ran through her hooves whenever she built a lightning storm. Actually, standing up was similar to cloudwalking. Rainstream blinked, and looked back at Cloud. “This is some goooood brandy, hehe. Remind me to get it next time we’re in here.” Cloud smiled briefly in response, and Rain turned back to Drags. “But don’t let me drink this much next time. I make really bad rainclouds when I’m drunk.”
“Noted.”
Dragomena opened up one of her enormous, super feathery wings and wrapped it around Rainstream as the two of them hobbled toward the door. Well, more Rainstream than Drago. Dragomena had only had the one mug of cider, while Rainstream had had… she’d lost count, but brandy seemed to be stronger than cider; Rain could hold her cider pretty well.
Just before they got to the door, it opened, and a pretty white mare with a golden sun for a mane… and a long pointy horn on her head… walked in.
“Astra! Hey, mate. Funny seeing you here,” Dragomena called to the newcomer.
The unicorn—who had been walking right past them completely unaware of their presence—stopped and looked back at Drags… and Rainstream. Her eyes and mouth opened in surprise. “Dragsy, hello there! Brought a new friend in I see.” Her face narrowed into a very suspicious looking grin.
Rainstream’s rump collided with the table behind her, and she was forced to allow her personal bubble to be violently popped by Astra’s horn.
“Oh, look, she’s already prepped and ready. I love it when they’re drunk.”
A vice clamped around Rainstream’s lungs and throat as the offending horn rubbed her cheek. As she strolled past, Rain’s tormentor flicked her tail up to bop Rainstream in the nose, then turned on her hoof and made a wide circle around. Rainstream almost didn’t feel it, but it still made her squeak and collapse onto the floor as her legs failed her.
“Oy, knock it off, mate! You’re scaring her!” Rainstream’s view was obscured as a curly pink tail swiftly slid in between her and Astra, which she might have been tempted to brush if she weren’t so focused on trying to melt into the floor.
“Whoops. Sorry. Didn’t realize she was such a filly~” came the voice from behind Rain’s fluffy pink shield.
“Well, now you know. Look, she gets nervous around unicorns, okay?—”
“Wh—”
“—Don’t ask. Just be a little gentler next time you see her, alright? It’s my bad. We were just off to see Tangy and the others. You can stop by later.”
The room appeared to get smaller, and larger at the same time, as the white unicorn who had no sense of personal space or manners stepped out from behind Drags, and stared at Rain under the table with eyes just as creepy as they’d been before. Rain could feel her heart pumping out of control as it struggled to squeeze blood through her constricted veins.
“Fine. I’ll come say hi… later~” She winked and licked her lips, then turned and trotted over to the counter, swinging her tail and wiggling her rump quite a bit as she did.
The table above her moved aside, and Rainstream quickly scrambled backward to escape her new attacker. The vice keeping her throat shut loosened a bit as she realized it was just Drags standing over her, looking more than a little worried.
“You alright, mate?”
Rainstream whimpered and nodded her head slowly. It was a lie, but what else does one say to that question? She glanced at the spot she’d been a moment before and noticed it was wet. She wiped a few tears from her cheeks. Wonderful. Now she was crying in public. Damn unicorns. They always ruined everything.
Drags moved slowly over to her side and slid a hoof under her. Rainstream could also feel one of Dragomena’s wings across her back.
“Sorry about that, mate. I forgot about the whole unicorn thing. Let’s get you up and back to Tangy’s. I’m sure she’s got something that will cheer you up.”
~ ~ ~
“Bananas!” exclaimed an orange pony with a curly orange mane from across the room as the door opened. Indeed, next to the orange pony, placed conveniently in front of a large camera (or was that intentional?) was a stack of bananas that reached all the way to the ceiling.
The room itself was not very large. Just your average size living room, with another door on the other side, and a small computer sitting on a short desk on the left wall, with large camera jutting out above it right in front of the… actually yellow pony and her pile of bananas. Her mane was still orange though. On the right side wall there was a large blue banner with a picture of a bluer pony, and the moon. Next to it was a little square with an orange circle and some writing Rainstream couldn’t quite make out.
“Whoa. What’s with the bananas, mate?”
Rainstream shuffled in next to Dragon. She had regained some stability on their long walk, but still needed her friend’s wing for support.
The actually yellow pony turned and waved at them. “Dragsy! Hi. We’re shipping fruit. Look, don’t these two make such a cute couple?” She held out two bananas, one of which had a tie painted onto it.
“Crikey,” Dragomena exclaimed as the two of them stumbled over to it. Well, Dragon stumbled over to it. Without her fine feathered friend as a stabilizer, Rainstream’s sense of balance went out the window. Somewhere between the door and the… floor… Rainstream took a look around at the room again. Note to self, watch where you’re going if you need another pony to keep you upright as is.
“Oh, cripes I’m sorry, mate!” Dragomena was at Rainstream’s side in an instant, nudging a hoof underneath her.
“Ow,” Rain murmured. The floor didn’t actually hurt that much, but it seemed like the right thing to say.
As Dragomena and Tangy helped her up—wait—Rainstream blinked as the realization of whose hoof she was touching hit her. The room vanished, and Rainstream’s vision honed in on the actually yellow face smiling inches away from her own. The room. The camera. The bananas. There was no mistaking it. She closed her mouth, swallowing the drool that had been threatening to escape her lower lip. Words found their way to her throat, and at last she spoke.
“Y-you’re that shipping pony from the cookie vlog!”
A brief look of confusion crossed the actually yellow pony who could only be the one and only Tangerine Cookie, the shipping master’s face. Then she smiled and nodded. “Yep, that’s me. Heehee, most ponies just call me Tangy. Nice to meet you.”
Rainstream made no further attempt to stand up, lying on her back on the floor as Drags and Tangy struggled to lift her. Maybe I could lay off the doughnuts a bit, Rainstream thought. She exhaled slowly, and reached out a sweaty hoof toward Tangy’s orange mane. There was one particular curl that always seemed to dangle lower than the others. She swatted it with her hoof before Tangy could realize what was going on.
“Heehee~”
Tangy cookie didn’t seem to mind the mane swatting, but she looked over to Drago after a moment.
“She had a bit much to drink, mate. We were waiting for Cay and I bought her a drink. I don’t think she’s had cherry brandy before.”
“Ooh, the stuff from that cherry farm up north?”
“That would be the one.”
“That stuff is goooooood.” Tangy’s grin looked so silly to Rainstream until she realized she was wearing one just like it.
A thought occurred to Rain. She scrambled to get to her hooves. After several failed attempts—all of which she blamed on the same offending banana—her hooves found the floor and her mouth found words. She grasped the actually yellow mare in front of her with surprisingly well coordinated hooves and held her close until their noses touched, then breathed the words her heart wished to scream:
“Hey, could you ship me with somepony?”
The orange eyes in front of her stared blankly for a moment, then blinked. Rainstream put her hooves down… and then lowered herself onto the floor. She glanced back at her wings, which seemed to be flapping of their own accord. After folding them neatly against her side, Rainstream turned back to the pony in front of her.
“Hmm, well, it’d be best if you filled out the shipping form first. The whole point of it is so we can get an idea of your personality and interests and figure out who best to ship you with…Hang on just one second.”
She turned around and pulled open a drawer. Rainstream squinted and leaned forward over her shoulder, but couldn’t make out anything in the drawer beyond a few stray bananas.
“Got it. Here.” Tangy pulled out a sheet of parchment and a quill and slid it across the desktop. Rainstream leaned back just a bit from the actually yellow mare’s over exuberant smile, craning her neck to read the parchment. It was a simple questionnaire, but the questions hardly seemed in depth. Rainstream puzzled for a moment over the answers.
“Hmm, how would my special somepony describe me? That’s a weird question. I don’t have a special somepony, but I guess they’d probably mention how much I love the rain.”
Tangy was processing everything as Rainstream mentioned it. “Hmm, I guess we could ship you with Rainy. She’s a pegasus too, and you both like rain. Perfect!”
Just then, the opposite door flung open to reveal a robotic equine figure standing juxtaposed against the setting sun. Rainstream stared wide-eyed at the spectacle for a few seconds, then the figure strolled into the room. As it moved into the light, Rainstream noticed a set of very real looking eyes behind its faceplate, yet there was nothing else organic about its equine body. Even the horn—oh geez it has a horn—on its forehead was made of crystal. Rainstream’s wings opened slightly and her eyes shifted between the crystal horn and the door. Then, with a series of mechanical whirs and squeaks, the perplexing metal mare’s plates slid inside themselves, folding over each other until it just… vanished. Rainstream blinked. Surely it couldn’t just vanish? But she would not get an answer, for standing where the metal mare had been was a blue unicorn!
“Hey guys,” it said, waving a very non metallic hoof.
The room slid forward, carrying the blue mare away from Rainstream, and at the same time Dragomena and Tangy materialized in front of her. The sudden movement made it feel like her head wasn’t keeping up with her body, like she was swimming in something. Dragomena and Tangy let out a cry of surprise.
Then Drags seemed to realize the cause of Rain’s plight. She smiled forcefully and turned toward the newcomer.
“Oh, hey there, Cobalt. Um, think you could remove your horn for a moment?”
The blue unicorn blinked, then looked up at its horn as though just noticing it were there.
“Huh? Well, sure, I suppose.” She reached up and pressed both hooves into it, then twisted. There was an audible click, and then the blue pony began—Rainstream’s heart stopped—sliding the horn out of her head, and it just kept coming! At the base of the horn was a long, thin shaft that extended further into the blue mare’s skull, and judging by the length of it, it went right to the center of the brain. Finally, all ten inches of it was removed, and the mare held it in her hoof. She shook her head, blinked, then smiled at Rain and the others.
“Whoo. Been awhile since I’ve had that off, don’tcha know? So, who’s our new guest?”
With her horn removed—Rainstream shuddered at the idea—Cobalt looked a lot more welcoming. The hole in the front of her skull was a bit discomforting, but it was better than a real horn. After stepping out from behind Tangy and Drags, Rain noticed the horn was actually a cobalt crystal. Go figure. The aptly named mare had a mane and tail that matched the look and texture of her artificial horn, as well as its color. Everything about her except for her eyes was a stunning cobalt blue.
After scanning the rest of the… not unicorn(?)... Rain’s attention snapped back to the fake horn. It may not be a real horn, but she wasn’t letting that thing out of her sight anytime soon.
When Rain was silent for a moment, Dragomena spoke up for her.
“This is Rainstream. She’s a weatherpony from Applewood whom I’ve been writing to every now and again. She’s on vacation right now and I told her I’d introduce her to the Cookie Sisters. She’s a big fan of the vlog. Apparently you’re pretty popular.”
Cobalt’s eyes widened at the mention of the vlog, and she took a step closer to Rainstream. “Oh, a fan. Nice to meet Y—”
As soon as Cobalt’s hoof hit the ground, Rain’s hooves skirted her around behind Dragomena and Tangy again. She peered out warily from behind Dragomena’s mane. Horn or no, this was going to be a little difficult.
“She’s also really shy around unicorns.” Drago said with a wince.
Cobalt stopped. “Unicorns, huh? Is it the magic? I don’t have any y’know?”
Rainstream’s eyebrows nearly hit the roof. “Wait, really?” No Magic? She scooted out from behind Tangy and Dragomena, but moving still seemed to make her head swim. In fact, Rain almost had to lean on Drags as she walked around to face the now hornless unicorn.
“Well, sorta. I still produce magic, but without my horn I can’t use it. The crystal is just a reactor that transforms it into useable energy so it doesn’t blow my brains out after a week or so.” She held out the crystal reactor toward Rainstream. It didn’t appear so menacing not being attached to her head, but it still made her stomach queasy. In her attempt to move closer, however, Rainstream realized she was more drunk than she’d thought as she nearly toppled over just stepping around Dragomena. She never made it to Cobalt, either, because the door opened once again, and in her attempt to look, Rain forgot where she was placing her hooves.
“Whoa!”
The newcomer took a moment to survey the room, gave a nod to Cobalt, and trotted further into the room. Rainstream made no attempt to get up, content to lay on her back with her wings spread out. The bristles of the carpet tickled her feathers, and if she wriggled just right, she could scratch that one spot on her back that she could never seem to reach.
“Good evening, girls. Shipping fruits, I see.” She glanced down at Rainstream as she walked past, then lit up her—horn! Rainstream’s wings snapped to her sides and she scooted herself away from the intruding unicorn. A banana lifted itself from the stack and followed the unicorn as she came to a stop in the middle of the room, right next to Cobalt.
“And who, might I ask, is our fine feathery friend here? I can’t say I’m complaining about the expression on her face, but I do like to know who it is I’ve terrified with my very presence, and why.”
Rainstream’s breathing came in rapid, ragged breaths. She had told herself she could do this. Tangy and Dragomena cast worried looks at her as she continued to scoot backward along the floor. Her head bumped into the wall behind her, cutting off her retreat. She scrubbed her hooves along the floor, but to no avail. Tears rolled off her cheeks and mixed with the sweat running through her coat. As if reading her thoughts, and disregarding them completely, the unicorn set down her banana and trotted directly toward Rainstream, who squealed and tried to become part of the wall behind her.
“Oh, now do stop that crying, dear. I must say I’m used to the squeals, but tears are most unbecoming of a lady. Allow me to introduce myself, I’m—oh?”
Dragomena had come to her rescue. She tapped the newcomer on the shoulder, distracting her for a moment while Rainstream made a break for the door. She made it about as far as the opposite wall before she collided with it and fell over clutching her head.
“Ow!”
“This is my friend Rainstream,” Dragomena explained behind her. “She’s visiting from Applewood, and is a big fan of your cousins’ vlog. She’s the pony I mentioned to you last week?”
“You mean the one who likes—”
“Yes, and the one who’s VERY uncomfortable around unicorns.”
There was a pause.
“Ah, I guess that would explain why Cobalt’s horn is removed...”
The room grew silent. Rainstream focused on the pain in her head to block out… everything else. She knew she was drunk, and hurt, and crying on the floor. And she didn’t care. As long as that thing didn’t come anywhere near her.
“Ooh. I almost forgot!”
Somepony grabbed Rainstream from behind and lifted her into the air.
“Waitwhat? Putmedown!” Rainstream kicked her legs frantically as she found herself facing the two unicorns in the room. “Nonononono STOOOOP!”
Attempting to retreat into her own skull earned Rainstream little more than a headache as she was thrust toward Cobalt completely against her will. Her wings did little to impede her flight as she had a brief image of a blushing blue face and wide blue eyes before the two of them crashed to the floor in a very compromising position.
“I promised I would ship you with somepony. Um…
Rainstream struggled to keep up with her lungs, and the pony beneath her seemed to be getting less blue by the second. To call the silence in the room awkward was an understatement, as it made Rainstream’s heart rate just as loud as her breathing—which was beginning to sound a lot more like wheezing. Rainstream’s eyelids got really heavy after that. Actually, the room was just turning black. She collapsed onto the pillowy pony beneath her, forgetting all about… yeah, she’d forgotten. Rain blacked out with the biggest, stupidest grin she’d had in a while.
“I’m really sorry. I totally thought she would go for it. This is so going to ruin her opinion of Tangy’s Shipping labs. Oh this is just awful.”
“Relax, mate. It was an accident. We just introduced her to one too many unicorns at once. Look, she’s waking up.”
“Oh I sure hope she’s alright.”
Rainstream’s headache had only gotten worse while she’d been unconscious. She reached up to rub her forehead, which did little to relieve the agony in her cranium. She gave her lips a lick, and tasted something lumpy and bitter. Great. She’d puked again. She opened her eyes to see where her friends had propped her up, and as usual, regretted the decision.
“Nnnnng, where am I?”
“Glad you’re feeling better mate,” Dragsy’s voice echoed throughout the room. “You’re in Tangy’s bathroom.”
Of course. The bathroom. No wonder the lights were so bright. It made sense, but somehow it surprised her every time.
“You’ve been out about five minutes. Don’t worry.”
Rain tried opening her eyes again, very slowly this time. The first thing she noticed was Dragomena’s big pink eyes staring at her with worry. Then she realized she was leaning sideways against the toilet with one of her hooves draped across it. Thankfully,the bowl was empty, but there was still some food on the lip.
“Are you feeling alright?” Tangy poked her head out from behind Drags.
The two of them blocked the light from the other room nicely. Rainstream leaned her head back against the wall behind her.
“Yeah, I’m fine now.” She looked down at the tiles between her hooves. She finally met the ponies behind her favorite vlog and what did she do? Show up hammered, black out, and then puke in their toilet. Super. She closed her eyes and tried not to cry.
A hoof brushed against her cheek. Rain opened her eyes to see Dragomena’s face just inches from her own.
“Hey, it’s alright, mate. It’s my fault, really. I let you drink too much brandy.”
Drags smiled, then lurched forward suddenly. Her lips meeting Rain’s. Both of their eyes opened to their fullest extent, meanwhile heat spread across Rain’s face.
“OTP!” came Tangy’s voice from behind Drags.
Both ponies frantically scrubbed their hooves against the tile floor.
“I promised I’d ship you with somepony, and you two make the perfect pair.”
There was a loud *pomf* as two pairs of feathery limbs involuntarily snapped open. Propelled by her traitorous wings, Rainstream shot out away from the wall behind her, knocking out Dragomena’s legs so that the gray mare fell right on top of her as the two slid across the slick tile floor and out into the main hallway. There was a horrifyingly familiar clicking sound, and a small piece of paper landed on Rainstream’s face.
“You two look so cute together.”
Drags and Rainstream struggled to untangle themselves for a few awkward moments. Eventually, Drags was able to roll herself off while Rainstream grabbed at the square sheet of photograph that had landed on her face. All of the heat returned to her face upon seeing it. Nopony back home could ever see this. Rainstream took some small comfort in watching Dragomena’s cheeks turn as pink as her mane. A giggle threatened to escape Rain’s lips.
“Heehee. Dragsy, we look so silly.”
Dragomena blinked, then smiled. “Yeah, we do.” There was a moment of silence, then the two of them fell over laughing. Another click of the camera, and Tangy joined them. Rainstream’s heart was still racing, but the vice had unclamped from around her throat, and she could breathe easily. After a few minutes of laughing together in a pile, the girls rolled over and smiled at each other.
“Feeling better?” Tangy asked, sweat running down her forehead.
Rain couldn’t help but smile. “Yes,” She said. “I don’t even know what I was so upset about. I’m funny when I’m drunk. Heehee.”
Both Dragomena and Tangy laughed, then Tangy stood up and waved at somepony behind her.
“Think you’re ready to finally meet the pony you came here to meet?” Dragomena asked.
The laughter died in Rainstream’s throat, crushed by the tightness returning to her chest. Last time hadn’t gone so well. Was she strong enough? She looked over at Tangy, who was nodding vigorously and wore a smile too wide for her mouth. Then her gaze shifted to Dragsy, with her warm smile and bright pink eyes that somehow managed to drown out the dull grays of her coat… Rain could feel her cheeks growing hot again, then shut her mouth, smiled, and nodded slowly.
Tangy stepped aside, revealing the same unicorn from earlier. Rainstream instantly tensed up, but the unicorn made no attempt to approach her, or to levitate her with magic. She just stood there, looking oddly sad.
“I do hope I didn’t upset you too much, darling. I had heard from Dragomena that you were visiting and I got a little overexcited. Do please forgive me.”
Rainstream’s skin grew hot as she tried to process what was going on. Here she was, actually speaking to the one pony who could make all of her fantasies come true. She’d written letters, but to actually speak to her… Rainstream’s breathing increased to the point that she could audibly hear the air rushing in and out of her straining lungs. Dragomena’s eyes widened and darted between the two of them. She started to move toward the other unicorn, but then Rainstream lifted a hoof, and her friend froze.
She reached forward, then lowered the hoof to the ground, leaning forward onto it, and bringing her head a few inches closer to her whole reason for being here. She repeated the process, slowly, silently moving toward the pony who would either become her best or worst memory. Another agonizing step, another few inches forward.
After what could have been anywhere from a minute to an hour, Rainstream was nearly nose to nose with the unicorn, staring straight up at her horn. She leaned back onto her hind legs, bringing their faces a comfortable distance apart. Nopony moved. Finally, Rainstream spoke.
“C— C-cayenne Cookie?”
The other mare smiled. “Yes, that’s me. Am I to assume you are the friend Dragomena has told me about, with the deliciously fascinating fantasy?”
Rainstream nodded.
“Well, I do apologize for my ignorance. I’ve since been informed of your aversion to unicorns, and I’d like to apologize properly, if you don’t mind.” She narrowed her eyes as she said this, but Rainstream didn’t mind. Drool began to form on her lips as she stared into the tantalizing green eyes in front of her.
“Can— Can I eat you?” A small squeak escaped her lips as she said it.
Cayenne chuckled. “No, but I’ll give you a premium service for free—tonight if you’d like. I’m normally closed at this hour, but I’ll make an exception~” She licked her lips and gazed hungrily at Rainstream, who instinctively took a step back.
“O-okay.” It was getting hard for her to breathe again, but Cayenne didn’t seem to notice.
“Splendid!” The other mare exclaimed with a devilish grin, as her horn lit up with a green glow.
Rainstream backpedalled rapidly, but the further she went, the longer the hallway she was in seemed to grow. Each step somehow brought her closer to the floor, until she was looking up at a gigantic Cayenne Cookie.
Oh no. Rainstream’s wings snapped shut and refused to open, so she resorted to her hooves in an attempt to place as much distance between herself and the evil giant unicorn as possible. As she turned to run, an enormous weight pressed down onto her from above. She tried to move, but no use, she was pinned to the floor by her tormentor. Her scream was muffled by the fleshy weight above her.
Then she felt an odd suction, as her prison wrapped around her slightly and lifted her off the floor. Wings pinned, legs sticking uselessly into the air, lungs collapsed, Rainstream rushed upward toward the gigantic face of Cayenne Cookie. Once her captor had lifted her to a proper height, Rainstream felt the flesh beneath her release, allowing her to stand up.
“Why do you even have a shrinking spell, again?” Tangy’s voice thundered from behind Rainstream.
“Due to motives, sweetie. Due to motives.”
Rain really didn’t like the look on Cayenne’s face at that moment. It made her deeply regret her decision to trust a unicorn after so much time. If she survived this, she was never talking to Dragomena, or any of the Cookies ever again.
Cayenne’s horn lit up again, and Rainstream found herself lifted into the air. Not again! She kicked and flapped her wings but went absolutely nowhere. The mischevious unicorn then turned and headed toward the door, trailing her helplessly along behind through the air.
“Now then, let’s be off. The night is still young, and I think you’re going to love what I have in store for you.”
~ ~ ~
A ten minute carriage ride later, the unicorn and her catch were descending the stairs to her dimly lit basement. The door shut silently behind them, shutting out all sounds of the night. There wasn’t much chance to look around before Rainstream was deposited smoothly onto her hooves on the other side. The next few moments were a tradeoff between gulping down air, and keeping a hoof on her heart so it wouldn’t burst through her chest. Blasted unicorns. Never trust a unicorn.
Having caught her breath—and released from her chaotic, magical abduction—Rainstream turned to face her captor. Cayenne towered over her, despite her chest being level with the surface Rain was standing on. She grinned down passively at Rainstream, as though waiting for something.
Rainstream glanced around and realized. She was in the dungeon. The dungeon, from the vlog! The walls were lined with crimson foam embroidered padding, and every few meters hung a pair of candles, which provided the dim lighting. The only furniture in this room was a large, heart shaped bed with scarlet silk sheets and velvet pillows of the same hue. Turning around, Rainstream found a single vanity mirror behind her.
“This is actually happening,” she murmured. The reality of the situation slammed into her like a freight train, and Rainstream found herself on her rump. Heat rose in her chest, spilling out through every pore. She was in Cayenne Cookie’s Dungeon, about to engage in a roleplay that should not be possible. But it was, and she had just enough alcohol left in her system to allow it. All the legwork was done, and now just one last crucial step forward separated her from her greatest fantasy.
“H-how much… will it cost?” She called up to the titanic unicorn staring hungrily at her. Rainstream swallowed hard. She had saved up a lot for this vacation, but how much would Cayenne ask for? “50 bits?” That sounded reasonable.
The enormous pair of emeralds blinked. Then the cavern beneath them opened in a hearty chuckle. “50 bits is quite a bit less than I usually charge for a service along these lines, dear.” Cayenne lowered her face to Rainstream’s level, so that only her eyes showed above the countertop. A familiar *pomf* signalled Rainstream’s now erect wings. She shivered as the Giantess stared her down.
Sweat began to pour down Rainstream’s face as she struggled to make a decision. She had plenty of bits, but… No. Rainstream shook her head. She was never going to get this opportunity again. This had to happen.
“100 bits and I’ll…” Her head hurt from thinking so hard. She had to make this deal too sweet to resist. Then an idea struck her. Cayenne definitely wouldn’t say no “I’ll be your maid for six posts?” There. She had to say yes, and Rainstream would be on the vlog.
The giantess’s eyes narrowed, and her horn glowed green. Rainstream felt the (all too familiar) grip of magic around her body, and tensed in anticipation. But nothing happened. The magic just tickled… everywhere. Rainstream’s heart rate quickened. Then, everything stopped.
Rainstream frowned. Was that it? Her body cried out in disappointment as her captor withdrew, standing up to her full height once again. The sweat on rain’s coat quickly turned cold when Cayenne lifted a hoof above the countertop, and swung it toward her. Oh crap. Rain turned and scrambled away across the countertop, but didn’t get far before Cayenne’s hoof descended upon her again.
“I think we have a deal, darling.”
The hoof pressed down over her, shutting out both light and oxygen. The soft underside molded to the shape of her body, snuffling Rainstream completely. Then it moved. Continuing to press down over her, Cayenne slid the hoof around on the countertop, rolling Rainstream over and over. No, no no no this was not what she wanted.
“STOP!”
She quickly folded her wings so they wouldn’t get pinned and snap, then turned her focus toward finding a grip on the countertop. But none could be found. Every time she thought she could stand up, the giant hoof above her would roll her over again. Occasionally she would kick at it, but that did nothing either.
“Oh, don’t tell me you aren’t enjoying this, darling. It’s not every day I get a toy sized client to play with.” Cayenne’s voice was still very loud, even beneath the hoof.
“NO! Get OFF of me! I said eat, not squash!” Rain fruitlessly laid a barrage of kicks and punches into the underside of Cayenne’s hoof. It stopped moving.
“Very well, far be it from me to give a client something they aren’t going to enjoy, but I will get my fun.”
The hoof squeezed Rain from above, then lifted, plucking her off the table. Not this again. Cayenne turned her hoof over so that Rainstream could stand on top of it. She brought Rain very close to her face, so that Rainstream could feel the breath her nostrils. Cayenne’s tongue reached out and traced along the edges of her lips.
All of Rainstream’s protests faded behind the heat that was now rising in her cheeks, the strain of her involuntarily erect wings, and the quivering of her knees.
“Is this perhaps what you were thinking?” Cayenne opened her mouth wide, letting her tongue stick out so that Rain could see all the way back to her uvula. Her breathing became very heavy as she stared into the dripping maw in front of her. She wanted to just dive in, but somehow her hooves wouldn’t move.
It was just like when she was a foal—worse, in fact; she was shrunk now. But somehow this just felt different. This time she wanted to be overpowered. She wanted to be completely helpless as she was smothered by her unicorn captor. This time, her captor cared about her, and would never actually hurt her. This one was okay.
Rain leaned forward and closed her eyes. Be gentle.
Something smooth and slick found its way between her legs. Rain snapped open her eyes. Cayenne’s face was no longer in front of her. A small squeak escaped her lips as whatever was touching her found its target beneath her tail, and trailed all the way up. Her body locked up, completely stiff as what could only be Cayenne’s tongue continued to slide upward along her nether region. There were small bumps on the tongue that rubbed and tickled at her, sending shivers through her whole body. Too soon, it finished its trip along her backside and broke contact. Rain felt herself wink.
“Hmm-mm! Dear, you need a pinch of pepper and paprika.”
Another long lick trailed its way up Rainstream’s fun zone.
“Perhaps some sassafras too.”
The tongue came in for another lick, this time trailing under her belly, then reaching around her legs. Rainstream closed her eyes and let Cayenne explore her. And explore she did. The next ten minutes was spent just on a tongue bath. Once or twice Cayenne let her lips close on the tip of Rainstream’s hoof, but never beyond that. Eventually she dropped the hoof and just levitated Rain with her magic, which was a bit nauseating once she got past the frustration of not being able to orient herself properly.
As the session continued, Cayenne began to leave her mouth open, allowing Rainstream brief glances into the depths of her desire. Finally, Cayenne’s lips closed around Rainstream’s hind legs, and did not open again. The green glow surrounding her died, and she hung limply from Cayenne’s mouth. From there, the tongue tickled her hooves until she started kicking. A chuckle rattled through Cayenne’s closed lips.
Then Rain slowly began sliding inward. She could feel a gentle tug on her hooves as Cayenne’s soft, wet lips snaked their way up her chest, reaching for her neck. The suction stopped, leaving Rainstream’s head the only thing outside Cayenne’s mouth. Then Cayenne’s tongue swirled around and around Rain’s entire body, slathering her with saliva. Rainstream let out a soft whine, looking up at Cayenne, begging her to pull her in all the way.
As if in reply, Cayenne gave a brief snort, then snaked her tongue underneath Rainstream’s body. It slithered out between her back and Cayenne’s lower lip, curling up and around to rest on Rain’s forehead. Before Rainstream could fully process the sensation of having a tongue wrapped around her head, she was pulled completely inside Cayenne’s mouth, shutting out the light.
Immediately Rainstream felt herself being pressed firmly against the roof of the mouth. The tongue was strange. Soft, wet, and squishy. Yet firm, unyielding, and dominating. The roof of Cayenne’s mouth was even firmer than the tongue, but still felt soft to the touch. Rainstream closed her eyes and allowed herself to be squished. It wasn’t unpleasant, but rather, soothing. She let out a soft moan at the soft caress of Cayenne’s warm, wet tongue, which began to slide around around beneath her.
But the real prize would be her throat. Powerful muscles designed to pull food right down. Rainstream was not food, but those same muscles gripping her, wrapping around her, molding perfectly to her every curve as they squeezed her, down, down... Rainstream’s back tightened at the thought of it, and her legs pressed themselves together as a strange but familiar heat grew between them. Rainstream began to search for the throat in her head, trying to guess where it might be.
A deep rumble sounded in her ear as Cayenne swirled her tongue around, tossing Rainstream around like a piece of candy. Rainstream tried to remember which direction it came from, but she was sliding around like a ragdoll, aided by the saliva that now coated every inch of her. Occasionally Cayenne would pause to press Rain against the roof of her mouth again, eliciting further moans from the soaked and sweating pegasus.
At one point Rainstream brushed up against Cayenne’s teeth, and all motion stopped for a moment. The tongue quivered, as though making up its mind, then pressed firmly against her, while the teeth opened slightly. The tongue brushed her up and down until her wing was forced into the gap, but Rainstream did not object. Her head was buzzing too much to care whether she trusted Cayenne or not. She just couldn’t wait for the big finish.
Strong but gentle pressure came down slowly on top of Rainstream’s wing. Not enough to cause pain, but enough to tickle the nerves near the base of her wings. She let out a sharp, loud moan as Cayenne bit down. Rainstream began to kick. Not the sort of kick one would land on an enemy, but the sort intended to get oneself moving. She pushed strongly against the teeth, scraping her hooves over them in a desperate attempt to move away from her current position, but her wing held her firmly in place.
Cayenne got bored of tug of war after only a minute, and slackened her grip. Rainstream quickly folded her wing and crawled through the wet walls surrounding her toward where she knew the back of the mouth to be. But Cayenne would have none of it. She pressed her tongue all the more firmly against her teeth, pinning Rainstream in place and letting her hooves slide fruitlessly across the soft gums below the tongue.
Rainstream moaned loudly, wiggling furiously to get just an inch closer to her greatest desire. “Please. I want it. I need it. Nnnggg!”
The tongue shifted down, forcing Rainstream to slide upward on top of it. Once again Rainstream found herself pinned between two different types of soft, warm flesh. The heat between her legs was burning now. She kicked and screamed furiously. A low rumble rattled and echoed through her fleshy prison, which suddenly became vertical. Rainstream winked.
A blast of air assaulted Rainstream’s hindquarters, and a bright light pierced the dark confines of Cayenne’s mouth. Rainstream blinked as she felt the pressure leave her. The tongue peeled back, revealing the interior of Cayenne’s mouth. Sparkling teeth, healthy, pink gums, the soft, quivering tongue she now sat on, and near the back…
What had been a low rumble before now transitioned into a high pitched hearty laugh. Cayenne’s tongue was positioned in such a way that it allowed Rainstream to gaze down Cayenne’s throat without letting her slide backward. Rainstream watched as Cayenne’s uvula danced in time with each chortle.
Then, so slowly Rainstream almost didn’t notice, the tongue straightened out. Rainstream’s legs pressed together once more in anticipation as she felt her fur sliding along the length of the tongue. Closer and closer, she was sliding down the tongue toward the back of the throat. Her heartbeat pounded on her chest like a drum as ice-cold shots of adrenaline entered her veins.
Rainstream impacted onto the uvula, her head rolling forward as the rest of her caught up, leaving her balled up on her back, staring straight down the welcoming esophagus of her oh so willing pred. She let out something between a moan and a squeal. The light grew dimmer as the tongue began to recoil. Darker and darker her new home became. Smaller and smaller was the space she lived in, until at last she was being hugged by the tongue again, and then… it happened.
Everything was in slow motion, letting Rainstream catch all of it. At first, there was an immense pressure, like an overstrong bear hug, but everywhere. Then everything shifted. Muscles began sliding past Rainstream’s head as Cayenne’s larynx swallowed her up, sending a ripple of movement all the way back to her feet. Her wings and forelimbs were forcibly pressed against her side and the motion began.
It was almost like surfing. That moment when the wave catches up to the surfer, and everything just turns. Then the energy hits them and they start rushing along, pushed by the immense force of the water. Yeah, it was like that. Rainstream felt a sudden surge as she lurched forward, propelled by the unbelievably powerful throat muscles squeezing at her back legs. Meanwhile her snout split apart the soft wet tissue in front of her.
It was like a rollercoaster. When you went over the top and there was nothing you could do to stop it, so your stomach would object, but in your heart you knew this was exactly what you wanted and the adrenaline just sent chills through your whole body. Rainstream’s eyes rolled back in their sockets as she accepted the wave of energy rushing her downward like a rocket through the soft, moist walls of Cayenne’s esophagus.
A loud thumping rolled past, matching the beat of Rainstream’s own heart. Then, much like a wave reaching shore, the energy stopped as Rainstream passed through a particularly firm part of the fleshy tunnel. She slipped out into a wider passage, escaping the powerful wave that had sent her down with such speed. The walls here were much looser, and Rainstream slid easily to the bottom.
“Oh, my,” Cayenne’s muffled voice called loudly from seemingly all around her. “I do hope you enjoyed that as much as I did.”
Rainstream looked back up forlornly in the direction of the tube she’d just come through. It had almost ended too soon. She wished she could crawl back up and do it again. Somehow though, Rainstream didn’t want to move. She was still twitching from the orgasm she’d definitely had on the way down. She could smell her own aroma filling what air there was, mixing with the sweat and saliva already coating the stomach walls.
“For now, I think I’ll just let you sleep there. I could certainly use some rest myself, but we should definitely do this again sometime.” Cayenne’s voice echoed through the stomach.
Rainstream moaned softly in response, relaxing into the welcoming warmth of her captor’s tummy.
Unicorns aren’t so bad.
