The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well In: Hunt At The Crystal Empire

by MidnightDancer

Rating: mature
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Princess Cadance, Rainbow Dash, Comedy, Rarity, Romance, Shining Armor, Sex, Mare Do Well
Length: 6550

On a visit to the Crystal Empire, Rainbow Dash meets her old foe. Clearly, something is a little different this time...

At the behest of Princess Cadence, Rainbow Dash heads north for the winter to the frigid Crystal Empire.

Only to run across her old enemy, The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!

...who, Rainbow Dash knows, can't simply be an amalgamation of the other girls, as they're back in Ponyville.

Who is this pony, and what does she want with the Crystal Empire?

Published 2016-03-18 01:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-03-18 01:20:01 UTC

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The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well In: Hunt At The Crystal Empire
By MidnightDancer

The land lost for a thousand years.

The Crystal Empire.

It laid out beneath her, finally, the end to her long journey. The last time she was here, she and her friends had wisely taken a train. The pegasus, though, had wanted the time and feel of flight to clear her mind and give her a chance to really think about what she was doing, for once.

Rainbow Dash banked low around the spire of the castle, frigid winter winds pulling viciously at her wings. The balcony spiraled into view below her, and squinting her tearing eyes, she angled down. Touching down in a snow drift on the balcony, she shivered, glancing around.

No servants rushed to greet her, and indeed, the entire Crystal Empire seemed a little too quiet. Her sharp eyes roamed the streets, cataloging everything. No foals in the streets. No snowponies. Not even an attempt at shoveling. Here and there, warm lights lit up the windows of the crystal homes, and Rainbow Dash let out a relieved breath. So everything is fine. Cool. Guess it might just be too cold, even for them. A gust of wind came as a keen reminder of just how cold it really was, and she shivered again.

"Princess? Shining Armor?" She took a moment while waiting for her hosts to shake out her mane, chips of ice from her flight falling with a cascade of tink noises to the balcony floor. Shoulda cut this stupid thing. Rainbow Dash cursed her wintry laziness, too sedentary to even get a mane or tail cut in the last few months.

"Welcome, Rainbow Dash!" The pegasus dropped into a perfunctory bow to the Princess before her, sneaking a peek up.

The Princess of Love. Tall, svelte, and, Rainbow Dash had to internally admit, sexy as hell. One of Cadence's long legs, the color of the sky before a summer sunset, extended outwards and gestured her to stand. The pegasus rubbed one foreleg against the other, absently trying to warm them. "Hey, Princess. So, what's going on?"

Cadence began to walk inside the arched balcony doorway, gesturing with a wing for Rainbow Dash to do the same. "Well, there's been rumors of a particular pony around that I know you've had dealings with. I didn't believe it myself, until I saw her." The princess turned her head slightly, a glimmer of amusement in her eye. "It seems The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well has turned instead to a life of crime."

Rainbow Dash froze in the middle of the well-appointed hallway, before bringing one hoof down to clack sternly against the crystal floors. "No way, Princess. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was just my friends dressed up." She locked eyes with Cadence, brow furrowed. "And I know for a fact that they're all still in Ponyville."

Holding out a placating hoof, Cadence smiled reassuringly. "I know. But regardless, somepony is running around in the exact costume. Do you know of anypony with a grudge against you?"

Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin ruefully. "I mean... I don't think so." She started walking again, Cadence easily keeping pace with her longer legs. "I know I rub some ponies the wrong way, but we usually end up making up. But why would they bug you if they're mad at me?"

"Perhaps they see your association with the Empire as an easy way to get at you." Cadence shrugged.

The pegasus rolled her eyes as Cadence stopped before another arched doorway and unlatched it with a touch of blue magic. "Get at me?! Ha. As if."

"And yet, you came." The princess giggled, a teasing smile across her muzzle as Rainbow Dash froze in the doorway.

"That's not... that doesn't mean..." Rainbow Dash sighed heavily, trotting through the doorway and into her temporary bedroom for her stay. "Oh, buck it." Trotting into the room, she fell back onto the nearest heavily padded chair, blowing out a sigh of relief as her muscles relaxed. "So... question."

"I might even have an answer," Cadence replied, sitting on the chair opposite.

Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow. "If you're concerned about this Mare-Do-Well impostor, where are all the guards? Where is Shining Armor?"

Cadence nodded. "Well-spotted. Shiny is in the barracks, where he's currently briefing the guards on the situation. Then they're going to eat, and then be posted in their normal places. Two guards will be by your door, even overnight." She smiled warmly, reaching out a tendril of magic to ruffle Rainbow Dash's mane. "Can't have my sister-in-law's favorite speedster getting hurt, after all!"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash batted ineffectually at the tendril of magic, finally huffing and glaring at the princess until she retracted it. "Anyway... there's a lot of rooms here. Are the guards posted everywhere?"

Tapping a hoof to her chin, Cadence thought. "Mm, well... I think so. Every place but the observation tower and the kitchens."

"Why not those two places?"

"Well, nopony uses the observation tower. And I guess I could post a guard at the kitchen, but I never have. All the sharp things are magically locked, and I figure if somepony is hungry enough to steal, they're welcome to my food." Cadence shrugged, picking at a primary feather. "Shiny disagrees with me on that. He honors my wishes, but at least a few times a night, a guard will just so happen to have to patrol down that hall."

Letting out a gusty breath, Rainbow Dash stood, stretching like a cat before standing upright once more. "Alright, cool. So everypony is on the same page as to what they're dealing with. That's good. But my last question is this: Did she say what she wanted? Or write you a letter, or anything?"

Cadence shifted uncomfortably, rising to meet Rainbow Dash on the opulent rug before the chairs. Her eyes darted down and to the left, and she lit her horn, tugging a small envelope from beneath her right wing. She gave the barest nod before passing the missive to Rainbow Dash, who pulled out the small letter. A fine sheaf of hair, thin and prismatic, fell from the envelope, and Rainbow Dash froze. My hair. It's like when that stuff happened with the Wonderbolts! Instinctively, she shot a hoof to the back of her head, as if checking if her mane was still there.

Heart pounding against her ribs, she steeled herself and started reading.

You'll rue the day you refused to take your lessons to heart! If I can't beat you as a hero, I'll do it as a villain! Starting with your precious lost Empire!

Catch me if you can,

Mare-Do-Well

"Well?" Cadence shifted from hoof to hoof nervously. "What does she want? The Heart? Our gems?"

Rainbow Dash blinked down at the note, hooves feeling heavy. "She just wants to beat me."

Somehow, that was more terrifying than the alternative.

The scalding hot water pounded down on Rainbow Dash's back, and she sighed in contentment. The long flight had left her with dried sweat under her coat and a tangled mane and tail that were both a bit too long. She tilted her head back under the nozzle, letting the thunder of the water, so like the thunder of air at high speeds, fill her aural senses as she spread out her wings. Small droplets ran down her primary feathers, dripping off to the sides of the massive shower.

I needed that. She lowered her head, shaking out her colorful mane, and frowned as it came to rest almost at her knees. And I seriously need to do something about the hair. The drag is slowing me down. Shrugging it off for the moment, she leaned back, basking in the heat of the water and feeling her muscles relax by degrees. Turning, she rested her forehooves on the back tile wall, arching her back so her belly nearly brushed it and suppressed a giggle at the tickle of the water dribbling down her haunch and slipping between her legs.

With a shiver, she pushed her head out of the shower, light blue ears flicking water as they swiveled to and fro. Confident that nopony was close enough to hear her, the pegasus smirked and dipped back into the shower, taking up the same position against the back wall as before. She pushed her flanks out towards the water, gasping and tail twitching as the hot water ran down the outer sides of her labia. She flicked her tail higher, instinctively, and the water thundered instead against her slit, the pressure forcing her labia to spread out.

An almost unbearably hot stream of water flowed against her entrance, dribbling down from there to run over her exposed clitoris. Rainbow Dash moaned quietly, stifling her noises against one foreleg as her hind legs shook. The heat rose in her body from her vulva to her abdomen, roiling there in a ball before creeping further up her body. Her mind raced, fantasies never spoken bubbling to the fore of her brain.

Maybe... if I moan too loud, a guard might hear... Rainbow Dash's body shivered at the thought, eyes clamped shut. He'd come in, concerned, and see me like this... She knew how she must look, shower curtain half pulled back, body splayed out, cunt on full display. M-maybe he'd stop, but then... then I'd beckon him with my wing... Her legs shook harder, another small moan slipping past her lips. He'd take his armor off, and get in here with me, and lick my pussy until I beg for his cock... The shakes came harder now, the heat beginning to finally boil to a breaking point as she imagined the crystal guard. He'd pull me back, and press his cock against my cunt until it finally stretches and takes every inch— Her fantasy broke up in her mind like so many fragments of crystal, leaving nothing but the ideas and sensations, the stretching, the heat, the strong hooves on her backside. Closer to her orgasm she edged, throwing her head back blissfully as she felt it begin to crest the final peak...

...and an ethereal giggle, impossible to pin down in the echoing bath chamber, rang through her ears. Rainbow Dash froze, orgasm abruptly and rudely stopped, flicking her ears back and forth to listen.

"Rainbow Daaaaaaaaash... naughty filly..." The voice was raspy, but still feminine, still echoing over the walls of the bath chamber. Frustrated and blushing madly, Rainbow Dash leaped from the bath, hooves clanking sternly on the marbled floor.

"Show yourself! Impostor!" Air coming in ragged breaths, the pegasus whipped her head from side to side, heedless of the water she flung from her mane and of the angry throbbing of her neglected pussy. One rose eye twitched, scanning the room in fits and starts.

There was the short ringing of light hooves galloping away, and then silence.

Rainbow Dash growled low in her throat, the sound rising into a shout. "Mare-Do-Well! When I catch you, I'm gonna—"

She was cut off as the bathroom door was flung open, a crystal guard charging in. His topaz eyes scanned the room, finally alighting on Rainbow Dash. "Lady Rainbow! Is everything alr...alright?" He blinked, taking in the soaking wet mare before him, wet mane hanging in strings over her face and plastered to her neck, wings splayed and dripping. His nostrils flared, and a moment later, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened.

This whole bucking bathroom smells like sex! She pushed down her embarrassment, willing the heat in her cheeks to subside. Pulling herself up to her full height, she forced her wings to her side again, chin high. "Guard! Mare-Do-Well was here! I have reason to believe she was spying on the baths."

To his credit, the Crystal Guard pulled himself together quickly, raising himself up straight and saluting her with one diamond-shining hoof. "Yes, My Lady!" From the side of his armor, he pulled a small trumpet that nonetheless gave a deafening blast. Before Rainbow Dash knew it, the bathroom was filled with Crystal Guards, and she cocked an eyebrow as the initial guard relayed the message about Mare-Do-Well. The six assembled guards saluted, clattering away down the corridor, and Rainbow Dash finally allowed herself to slump down, shivering. She's gone by now. And I'm cold. And I was about to bucking cum! That bitch. She tried her best to ignore the cold waves of a denied orgasm that were rolling through her chest, shivering once more regardless.

She snagged a towel with her mouth, laying it across her back and mane as she exited the baths, still grumbling under her breath. "Stupid Mare-Do-Well... when I catch that stupid pony, I'm going to burn her stupid costume and fly her right in front of Cadence for judgement..." Her fantasies of revenge were interrupted by her nose squishing into something very, very soft. Blinking, she stepped back, rubbing her snout and looking up.

Cadence looked down, eyes fully of worry and mane in disarray. "Rainbow Dash! Are you alright? I heard you may have seen the Mare-Do-Well while bathing. Is this true?"

"Yes. I was... showering..." Her cheeks burned, and she cleared her throat before continuing. "Uh, anyway, I heard giggling and she called out my name before she ran away. I didn't actually see her."

Cadence, being both the Princess of Love and Not All That Stupid, took one subtle sniff to the air before having to suppress a grin. "I see. Well, I have my guards combing the palace. Let's get you dried off and get some supper into you."

Rainbow Dash shook her head, sopping mane spraying the Princess accidentally. "No, I have to help the guards. I know what she looks like! I can help!"

"Rainbow Dash." Cadence set a firm forehoof on the pegasus' withers, willing her violet eyes to carry as much weight as her aunt's did. "I may have framed that politely, but it was an order. You will get dried off, and you will not be so rude as to turn down a dinner invitation from the Princess and Prince of the Crystal Empire." She winced internally at the split second of hurt she saw cross Rainbow Dash's face, and allowed her face to soften. "You know, I do talk to Twilight a lot." She giggled, pulling the pegasus beside her under one large, soft wing. "And I know that while you value your nap times and sitting in Applejack's trees, once you have a job to do, you can sometimes overdo it."

With a self conscious chuckle, Rainbow Dash gave a wing shrug. "I guess so. It's just, I mean, the whole reason I'm here is because of this threat, so I feel like I should be helping more." She tugged the towel from her back and pulled it over her mane, giving it a good rub and hiding her face in the process. Stupid Princesses smelling so good. Regardless, she relaxed into the wing Cadence had draped around her, earlier tension ebbing away.

"And you will. Tomorrow, after you've rested. You just had a long flight here, and even the shower that was supposed to relax you got interrupted!" Cadence smiled warmly. "So, come. Let's have dinner with Shiny, and get a good night's sleep. I can assure you that our guards will be on high alert all night, okay? After all, we need the most awesome pony in Equestria at her best to help thwart this villain!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Princess Cadence's cheesy declaration, but still giggled, relenting finally. "Okay, okay. You win, Princess." She disengaged from Cadence's wing, draping her towel over her back again as she started up the plush carpeting of the hall.

Cadence smiled warmly, watching the pegasus trot to her quarters.

Thirty minutes later found the prismatic pegasus trotting through the dining room doors. Fully twenty minutes of that elapsed time had been spent fighting with her overgrown mane and tail, so much more prone to tangling now. To Rainbow Dash's embarrassment, Cadence had sent a maidservant to her quarters, and said maidservant had taken one look at her mane and tail and had gone to work.

Mane spilling over one shoulder in a loose braid, her tail in the same style, Rainbow Dash trotted uneasily around the table. "So, uh, where should I sit?"

Shining Armor, seated beside his wife, gestured to the seat across. "Right there is fine. It's just the three of us, so there's none of that assigned seat stuff you sometimes get in Canterlot." He grinned widely, white muzzle meeting Cadence's in an affectionate nose-boop. "We're a little more laid back here in general." Cadence giggled, before clopping a hoof on the table to summon the waitstaff.

Rainbow Dash slid into her seat beside the Princess as a stallion with a cart bustled out, lifting a water pitcher in his mouth to fill their glasses. Setting it back down, he bowed his head. "Does Your Highness desire a wine pairing this evening?"

Cadence tapped a hoof to her chin. "It's pasta tonight, right?" At the citrine stallion's nod, the Princess broke out into a grin. "Dry white wine, please."

"Very good, Your Highness." He bowed again, heading off to the kitchens. Rainbow Dash fiddled with her wineglass nervously.

"Did the guards find anything yet?" At the amused glances of the royalty, Rainbow Dash's cheeks burned. "I mean, I'm still kinda pissed that she ruined my shower."

"Understandable, but no. She seems to have vanished into thin air." Shining Armor's brow creased in annoyance. "I've got my guards patrolling every inch of the palace, but I'm thinking I might send a small contingent out to check any place in town that might be abandoned or otherwise would make a good hideout."

Cadence swatted lightly at her husband's foreleg. "I don't want to cause a panic, Shiny! What will the populace think, seeing guards patrolling the streets like that?"

He grunted, shaking his head. "Cadence, they'll think they're protected. Canterlot has guards patrolling the streets at all hours!" He rubbed his face, smiling apologetically at Rainbow Dash. "Sorry. She's just so convinced that the best military presence is an invisible one. We differ on that, obviously."

Rainbow Dash chuckled, and Cadence managed to keep her annoyed expression on for all of two seconds before relenting and giggling as well. "I guess you're right, Shiny. Just, don't overdo it, okay? Maybe just small patrols of two or three, spread out far from each other? I know how Canterlot does things, but the Empire was under the iron hoof of a ruthless military leader before we showed up... and those memories are fresh for our restored subjects."

Shining Armor took a thoughtful sip of his water, setting the glass down again on the embroidered tablecloth and clearing his throat. "I hadn't considered that. Alright. So we'll do patrols of three guards each, no more than two patrols at a time, sweeping from the outer edges inwards. Is that agreeable, Cadence? It'll leave a lot of holes..."

Rainbow Dash raised a hoof awkwardly. "If I can, uh... interrupt? If you do it Cadence's way, it'll leave more guards in the castle, which is where everypony has seen and heard Mare-Do-Well so far."

Cadence nodded in her direction. "The conversation includes you, too, so you're not interrupting. And you might be right."

"Yeah, and maybe just seeing or knowing of the presence of guards outside will be enough to keep her corralled to where it's easier to catch her..." Shining Armor trailed off, taking another deep sip of water as his brain raced through his well-honed military training. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. We'll do your compromise, Cadence."

His horn glowed for a moment, deep pink spell forming as a ball at the tip of his horn. "Topaz Dreams, Diamond Hoof, and Jade from First Battalion, your orders are as follows: gear up and begin a sweep of the Empire from the far eastern end towards the causeway in the middle of town. Objective: find Mare-Do-Well if possible, and keep the populace calm when you are spotted. Wishing Stone, Pounder, and Jasper from First Battalion, your orders are as follows: gear up and begin a sweep of the Empire from the far western end towards the causeway in the middle of town. Objective: find Mare-Do-Well if possible, and keep the populace calm when you are spotted. You have your orders, effective immediately." With a thought, he sent the communication ball whizzing away through the dining room doors as the waitstallion returned with their wine.

"Must be useful, being the only unicorn in the Empire," said Rainbow Dash, accepting her glass of wine from the waitstallion gratefully.

Cadence giggled behind a hoof. "Oh, I don't think he'll be the only one for long. It's true that Crystal Ponies, as a rule, are Earth ponies. At least, so far. But with the influx of tourism here, where before they were isolated... well, let's just say I've felt a lot of new love starting to bloom." She smiled at her husband, who laid a hoof over hers.

Shining Armor looked at his wife lovingly, a small grin tugging at his own cheeks. "Yep, before long, I bet we start seeing crystal pegasus and unicorn foals being born here."

Cadence gave a happy squeal, levitating her freshly poured wine. "Yes! And they'll need to learn magic, and flight..." She trailed off, eyes unfocused. "I... I guess we'll need to start hiring outside teachers for the schools, and build a flight camp..."

"And a magic school..."

Rainbow Dash relaxed into her seat, content to let the pair hash out the matters of state as she sipped carefully at her wine. I wish I could offer to help, but I just got into the Wonderbolts Reserves... maybe I can convince them to come out here once the camp is built to do a little show for the kids? Her mind meandered, interrupted only by the arrival of dinner. A plate of penne alfredo was placed before her, garnished with basil and a mix of spices from Zebrica. She dug in, mind still running over the issues at hoof. First, though, we need to find whoever thinks it's so funny to dress up as Mare-Do-Well. Chewing slowly, she stopped suddenly, surprised.

But who even knew about that? The girls, obviously, and most of Ponyville. And Twilight told Princess Cadence, which means she probably told Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, too. Her mind ticked over the problem as she swallowed more of the surprisingly good and spicy pasta. She was only vaguely aware of Cadence and Shining Armor in the background of her mind, still talking. But... there were a lot of ponies from out of town there. And ponies in Ponyville have plenty of relatives outside of town, like Rarity's parents, who I'm sure she told. She's such a gossip. And most of the pegasi in town have friends or work in Cloudsdale... I guess it really could be anypony...

So engrossed in her own thoughts, she was only pulled out of them when she felt a gentle tug on her mane braid. Surprised, she dropped her fork, blinking over at Cadence with a sheepish smile. "Uh, sorry, Princess. What was that?"

"I said, your mane looks really nice this way." Cadence smiled warmly. "I think you should keep it. What do you think, Shiny?"

Shining Armor, wise enough to know there was probably no good answer, immediately stuffed his face with pasta and shrugged. Cadence rolled her eyes with a good natured smile, turning back to Rainbow Dash. "No, but seriously. You look so... so ladylike!"

"Ughhh..." Rainbow Dash slumped into her seat. "I know. But like, it's not really my style, you know? And the extra hair creates all this drag when I'm flying."

"Oh, that's easy! Just braid it really tight against the back of your head. Like a Prench braid, you know? And then you tuck the remainder underneath." Cadence demonstrated, magic weaving her tri-colored mane tightly away from her face. Once finished, Rainbow Dash could barely see her hair at all from the front, as it all sat in a tight line from the top base of her horn down to her withers.

"Yeah, it's easy with magic. If you hadn't noticed..." Rainbow Dash trailed off deliberately, moving her front bangs aside. "No horn."

With a grin, Cadence leaned over to Rainbow Dash. "Did you know that before I ascended, I was a pegasus? Not a unicorn."

"Really?! What was your wingpower?"

As the two mares proceeded with their animated discussion, Shining Armor could only sit back and smile. They'll talk each other's wings off all night if I let them. He chuckled to himself, his deep pull of his wine distracting him from the small blue spell ball that zipped across the room, hitting his horn and absorbing into it. His eyes widened, taking in the communication from the spell, and then he stood suddenly. "Rainbow, Cadence," he began, eyes darting around the room. "I, ah, need to take my leave. Immediately. Sorry, I know it's kind of rude of me."

Cadence tilted her head at her husband. "I... okay? Is everything alright, Shiny?" Rainbow Dash's brow was similarly creased in concern, and Shining Armor swallowed hard.

"Yeah, yeah. Everything is cool. Just, there's a report. I should go check it." He began sketching a half formed bow to the mares, but Rainbow Dash piped up.

"Hey, if it's a report about Mare-Do-Well, I wanna go, too!" She threw back the last of her wine, stretching out her wings.

Shining Armor held out a hoof in warning, stepping away from the table towards the door. "No, no, nothing like that. Just some boring stuff I have to take care of, okay? You stay here with Cady and talk about wing... stuff..." He trotted out the door quickly, closing it a bit too hard on his way out.

Both mares simply blinked at each other in confusion.

"Well..." started Cadence, slowly, "I guess that means there's more wine for us!" Her grin resurfaced, and she clopped lightly on the table again to get the sommelier's attention, and he was by her side in seconds with the large bottle of white wine. He began trying to pour it, but Cadence giggled, taking it from his mouth in her levitation.

"Your Highness?" Confused, the stallion began to reach out a hoof for the bottle, but then recalling his manners, set it back on the floor.

Grinning, Cadence poured both herself and Rainbow Dash a large, healthy glassful. "You may leave the bottle, Perfect Pour. By all means, take the rest of the evening off."

Perfect Pour nodded slowly. "Er, as you wish. I will, however, still be within the castle, should you require my services again." He bowed low, missing Cadence's exasperated eyeroll, and trotted from the room.

As the door shut again, Cadence sighed, and levitated her wineglass to her lips. "I love my ponies, don't get me wrong, but they stand so much on propriety... it's just weird."

"Know who's weird? Your husband. What was all that about?" Still somewhat grumpy, Rainbow Dash took her wineglass in her wing, sipping the dry beverage lightly.

Cadence flapped a wing lazily in her direction. "I'm sure Shiny had a good reason. He's the best stallion I know! I did marry him, after all." She giggled again, breaking down Rainbow Dash's composure as well, and soon the two mares were sharing both wine and stories together like old friends.

:Does Rainbow Dash know?:

And hello to you as well, my dear. Always nice to hear from you.

:I am being serious. I do not wish for her to know. Not yet.:

I know, I know. You did just pull me away from a delightful dinner with her. She's fine. Has no idea.

:Good. I would be quite upset if she did. I know you do not like it when I am upset, Sir Knight.:

The stallion's cheeks tinged red at that thought. I know.

:I require entrance. I am at the secondary agreed-upon spot since somepony decided to have guards crawling all over the place. Come get me at your earliest convenience.:

I had to, and... of course, my dear.

Shining Armor slipped from the alcove, eyes darting furtively to the left and the right. Seeing he was alone, he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and made his way on legs that tried to shake down the darkened corridor.

She's waiting...

Two hours later, Cadence and Rainbow Dash stumbled up the corridor together, away from the dining hall. Rainbow Dash leaned against the Princess, head delightfully fuzzy and warm. Cadence had her wings splayed out, a loopy grin on her face. "Y'know... y'know what I miss most, Rainbow?"

"Miss 'bout what?" A careful application of hoof to carpet avoided a stumble for Rainbow Dash, who grinned. I am like, so awesome.

One overblown sigh later, and Cadence poked Rainbow Dash with her wing. "'Bout bein' a pegasus, duh."

"Mmmmmno, what?" Rainbow Dash laughed a little too loud. "Y'miss being not all powerful and not havin' like, gigantic frickin' wings?"

The alicorn's wing caught Rainbow Dash upside the head this time instead, gently, and Cadence giggled. "Nooooooooooo. Okay sorta." At Rainbow's over-exaggerated quizzical look, she grinned. "When my wings were smaller, like, they were sooooooooooo much more sensitive... I usta' have a coltfriend when I was younger an' he would nibble on my wings and it felt so goooooood." She leaned more weight against Rainbow Dash, who stumbled under the weight of the larger alicorn, and both ponies went down, laughing.

Pushing against the Princess' pretty pink side, Rainbow Dash struggled to her hooves. "Maaaaare, that is way too much infor-info-information."

They resumed their walk up the hall, Cadence side-eyeing Rainbow Dash. "Really? You never, like, wanted a stallion to nibble on your wings? Or lick 'em?" She grinned, shaking her now-unbound mane in her face, small dents from the earlier Prench braid leaving soft waves to frame her face.

She's sure pretty... The pegasus blinked at Cadence's soft face, perfect pink fur leading down to full lips. I could just... right now... Rainbow Dash shook her head, hooves somehow finding their way to her door, nodding blearily to the guardstallions beside it. "Naaaaah. I don't have time for all tha' stuff." She headbutted the door until it opened, stumbling inside with Cadence just behind. "What I do have time for... is a nap. But like, a long one."

"Y'mean 'sleep'?"

"Shaddup." Rainbow Dash collapsed gratefully on her large, ornate, four poster bed, rubbing her cheek against the duvet. "Mmmmm..."

Cadence sidled up to the bed, grinning. "Y'know, if you leave your braids in, your hair is gonna be like, super girly in the morning, like mine."

Rainbow Dash groaned. "Ughh, whatever." Her eyes slipped shut.

They shot right back open a moment later as she felt a gentle, warm caress on her primary flight feathers, sending tingles down her spine to her marehood. She whipped her head around, seeing Cadence's nose buried in her wing, mischief twinkling in her eyes. Cadence pulled back when she saw the flush on Rainbow Dash's cheeks, and grinned. "See? Feels good. 'Kay, goodnight!"

Rainbow Dash watched Cadence prance out of her room with wide eyes, blinking only once the door was shut. "Wh-what? What? 'Goodnight'? Like I can sleep now." Huffing, she rolled over onto her back, scrunching her eyes shut and trying to ignore the throb of her reawakened marehood.

"Urgh..." She rolled around, tossing and turning on top of the duvet because the room just felt too hot for her. She rolled to her left side, staring out the window at the gently falling snow, backlit by the moon. Her breathing slowed as she took in the calming sight, a small smile tugging at her muzzle. I know there's stuff going on, but this place is really beautiful. Wish I could fly out there right now, but I drank too much for that... She frowned slightly, nuzzling against the purple silk pillow beneath her head. She shifted her right hind leg to get more comfortable, accidentally squeezing her clitoris for a moment between her legs, and the throb returned.

Well, nopony is around, and as long as I'm quiet, the guards won't hear... She spared a quick glance to the ornate crystal door, shut tight against the hall, and smiled to herself.

The bed was soft against her wings as she rolled to her back, hind legs spreading and bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window. With a content sigh, she allowed her right hoof to drift down to her needy cunt, rubbing in gentle circles on her exposed clit. Her body shivered with pleasure, pussy clenching and releasing as it slowly grew wetter under her ministrations. Her other hoof met her mouth, stifling her small moans as she rubbed ever harder and more persistently on the little nub, periodically dipping down to press against her entrance.

With a harder press of her hoof, the tip entered her, and she shivered again, a low moan escaping her as the thoughts from earlier returned. Thoughts of a strong guard, thick cock spreading her pussy lips before thrusting inside. And there's two of them less than 30 hooves from me... The thought spurred her onward, hoof pumping at her entrance faster, pussy leaking her arousal on the ornate pink duvet beneath her. Pink. Princess Cadence is pink... I bet her pussy is, too... The stray thought led to yet another: that of Cadence bent over, pussy presented to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash pumped harder, hoof now slick with her juices, brain running wild with possibilities. I'd have my muzzle in her cunt, and a guard would mount me and pound my dripping pussy while Princess Cadence cums on my face...

Her peak approached again, the wonderful heat roiling through her entire body and shot upwards, wings beating against the duvet as she coaxed herself to crest that hill...

tink

The tiny noise was loud in the relative silence of the room, and annoyed, Rainbow Dash turned to the window. Her hoof faltered, then stopped entirely, the heat in her body once more replaced with the chill of a denied orgasm. There, hovering just on the other side of the window, was Mare-Do-Well.

The two ponies stared at one another for a moment, Rainbow Dash in shock. "Wh... What the buck?!" She sprang out of bed, dashing to the window to try to throw the latches, but she found none. Her hooves scrabbled uselessly at the bottom and top of the pane. What?! Why would they make a window that doesn't open?! She pressed her nose to the pane, glaring out at the interloper, who simply hovered calmly and stared back through her unreadable mask. Furious, Rainbow Dash turned, raising her voice as loud as she could.

"Guards! Mare-Do-Well!" She turned back to the window, stamping a hoof against the carpet as her door burst open and her two assigned guards skidded in.

Spotting the guards, Mare-Do-Well turned quickly, flipping her tail at Rainbow Dash in what might be interpreted as a sarcastic farewell. Even through her seething anger and haze of the wine, Rainbow Dash spotted something gleaming beneath her tail. Is that... is there a hole in her costume?! That... looks like her pussy... Before she could look further, Mare-Do-Well set her wings and sped off into the night, impossibly fast.

One guard ran from the room to alert the others, though Rainbow Dash knew they had no hope of catching such a fast pegasus. She... might have been as fast as me... She stared out at the fading purple contrail left behind, and shook her head, teeth gritting in anger. With a mighty cry of frustration, she threw herself at the window, hooves slamming against the panes and making the entire affair shake beneath her. She turned, coiling her hind legs and intending to buck the window from the frame, when a sudden weight on her back stopped her.

"Lady Dash! You must stop this immediately! Do not destroy the castle property. We have this in hoof!" The guard grunted as Rainbow Dash squirmed beneath him, trying her best to get out of his hold.

"No! I'm the only pegasus here, and probably the only one fast enough to catch her! Let me go!" She squirmed more, body shuddering at the feel of cold steel and warm skin against hers.

"No, My Lady. You have been drinking far too much this evening to fly." His voice was deep, and stern yet gentle, reminding Rainbow Dash of the lectures Big MacIntosh had given her about sleeping in certain trees. She calmed by degrees, stopping her flailing and simply laying still. The guard nodded to himself. "Okay. Now, if I let you up, are you going to start up again?"

She shook her head, eyes fixed on his massive hoof beside her head. "No. I understand."

Keeping her forelegs pinned behind her back for the moment with the other hoof, the guard raised himself off of her slowly. She stretched her hind legs before gathering them beneath herself, and the guard tensed, ready in case she bucked him. To his surprise, she didn't.

She instead raised her ass, tail flagging to the side, and he could feel a sudden wetness rubbing against his sheath. Shocked, he released her completely, scrabbling backwards from her and averting his gaze. "Lady Dash, please."

Her need was back full force now, and she flipped her tail up over her back, fully exposing her wet, puffy vulva. "Mmm, c'mon. You won't let me catch Mare-Do-Well, and that's the second time today she's interrupted my orgasm. Can't you help me?" The smell of her hit him full force, and even though his cock was strongly encouraging him from beneath, he shook his head. He stood, marching to her, and pulled her to stand upright.

"No, Lady Dash, and for the same reason I will not allow you to fly: you've been drinking." His amethyst eyes softened slightly at her pout. "Please. Go to bed. If it's still something you want when you're sober, we'll talk then. I think today has just taken a toll on you."

She sighed. "Fine." The grumpy pegasus crawled under the duvet, curling up in a prismatic ball. The guard stood watch for a few minutes more, getting his own cock under control. He sat on the cold crystal floor, clenching his teeth against the chill on his testicles. It had the desired effect, though, and soon his cock retreated into his sheath. Breathing a sigh of relief, he spared one more glance for the pegasus, who was snoring loudly.

Cripes. I never thought I would have seen the day a national hero came on to me... He shook his head, chuckling. Just the wine. She probably won't even remember.

With that thought, he slipped out of the door, closing it firmly behind him.