Midnight Walks

Midnight Starfall's eyes opened to an unfamiliar sight. She was not in her own room. Mild confusion was quickly replaced by a warm feeling as she remembered the previous night. As her grogginess further cleared, she spread herself out between the sheets, enjoying the enormous and spacious bed. Her legs were all stretched to their limit, and still she was completely under the covers! She could certainly get used to this.

After a yawn and a nice relaxed sigh, she got out of the extremely comfortable bed and went into the bathroom. They had everything she could possibly need, and they had said this was a room for their pets, so she made herself quite at home. She took a long, hot bubble bath and spent plenty of time brushing and preening, finishing with a few spritzes of coat shiner and some hoof polish (applying a bit to her horn as well). Satisfied, she left the room, and stopped in her tracks just as she did.

Next to the door, in the hallway, was a cart. Everything she had worn the night before was sitting on it. The collar, leash, and bridle sat in a small pile next to the neatly-folded dress, which had a note on it. Next to the note was a small sack full of coins. She grabbed the paper and read what it had to say.

Middy,

As a token of our appreciation for a lovely night, please have these things as our gift to you. You may keep them whether you come back next week or not, but if you do, we expect you to be wearing them.

Fleur de Lis and Fancypants

"What," she said. She giggled. "Wow."

Under the items, there was a night-black bag for her to carry everything in. She packed the things into it with giddy glee and slung the strap around her neck, carrying it like a mailbag. She found her way to the stairs in the main entrance and saw the butler at his post by the front door.

"Hey!" she called to him. He turned toward her attentively. "Can you tell Fleur and Fancypants I'll definitely be coming again next week? And that I said thanks for everything?"

"Of course, Madame," he replied with a respectful bow, making her feel just a bit above her normal station.

As much as she'd have loved to stay and experience a rich mare's life, she didn't want to overstay her welcome, and had other plans for the day anyway. She was going to meet her friend Libby for lunch, and the sun's position in the sky told her it was late morning.

Midnight walked home at a slightly quickened pace, and recalled the night's activities, feeling as though they had happened to somepony else. She knew it was no dream, but it still felt very much like one. The bag was heavy against her shoulder where it rested, but it didn't actually weigh all that much. Its contents were burning a hole through the fabric and into her mind. She couldn't wait for next week.

As distracted as her thoughts were, she still managed to make it home in a timely manner. She placed the black bag in her closet, levitating the sack of bits out to set aside. Then she went straight back out to head to the restaurant where Libby would be meeting her.

It wasn't a long walk to The Morsel Morral, a small building with a large covered outdoor sitting area. She plopped into a chair that was surprisingly comfortable for patio furniture, and levitated a complimentary newspaper from a nearby table, spreading it open. Her friend would likely be another twenty minutes, so she settled in and prepared to wait. The wait would not be a relaxed one, however, as she saw the front page of the day's paper.

She saw herself wearing the dark dress, collar, and bridle with blinders. She, Fancypants, and Fleur de Lis were all facing away from the camera, with Fleur holding her leash, clearly attached to the collar. The article title, just above the photo (she hadn't heard any cameras!), said Did Princess Luna Lose a Bet? Midnight whimpered and moved the paper just a little closer in an effort to hide her face from the world. Her heart sank and her curiosity got the better of her. She began reading the story, knowing she was not going to like it.

The article speculated many reasons why "Princess Luna" would be wearing blinders and a leash and collar, and none of them were particularly flattering. She deeply hoped Fleur and Fancypants had a plan for this, but she felt utterly helpless. The last thing she wanted to do was run around the streets telling everypony that she was responsible for this mixup, but short of that, there was little she could do. A small spark of optimism kept her from despairing, however, as the couple had seemed quite certain that they could handle whatever problems might arise.

"Middy? Is that you?" came a familiar voice. She lowered the paper to peek over it and saw her friend Libby, a light cream-colored pegasus with a grass-green mane.

"Libby! Oh, sweet merciful Luna, thank goodness you're here! You need to look at this," Midnight said, swiftly turning the paper around and shoving it into her friend's face.

"Hey! Ah... sure," Libby said. The paper lost its blue aura as the pegasus took it in her forehooves, sitting opposite Midnight. "Okay, so Luna has a weird kink. That's kinda cool, I guess."

"No! That's..." Midnight said, then stopped and lowered her voice to a whisper. "That's me!"

Libby quirked an eyebrow. "Huh."

"Huh? Huh? That's all you have to say? What if she finds out? What if I get in trouble? Does that count as impersonating a princess? Isn't that illegal?"

"Yep," Libby deadpanned. She was an attorney, so she would know.

"I can't go to a dungeon! I... I..." Midnight began to pant and her eyes darted about as panic set in.

"Relax, the last time that law was relevant in a case was over three hundred years ago. At worst, you'll be remembered for reviving it!"

"Not helping. Seriously, Libby, I might need you to represent me! You'd do that, right? For me?"

"Sure."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"As long as you can afford me," Libby said, her expression unchanging.

Midnight narrowed her eyes and the start of a growl came from the back of her throat, deep and low.

"Hah, I'm kidding. That was for saying Equestria would be better off without lawyers," Libby said with a smirk.

Midnight gave her a flat stare, but it quickly broke and she sighed. "Okay, fine. Fair enough," she said.

"Honestly? I expect this'll all just blow over by next week."

A week. A whole week, and if Midnight kept her promise, it would start all over again. She took a deep breath to calm herself some and spoke.

"Okay, so you don't think I'm going to get in trouble?"

"Nah. Maybe you'll be fined and charged with something minor. Impersonation laws are for stuff like treason and political manipulation. You'll be fine."

Midnight sighed. "Okay. Okay, good. Thank you."

"Sure, no problem. But, uh... now you gotta tell me about it."

Midnight's face burned, but she didn't mind sharing details with her best friend... even if she did just about give her a heart attack.

They ordered lunch and Midnight talked about what had happened, earning plenty of smirks from Libby. She left out what had happened in the alley. By the time she was done telling the story, she was feeling much better. Libby had suggested that, even if she was fined, it was likely Fancypants and Fleur would cover it, so there was actually almost nothing to really worry about. Legally, anyway.

There was still the matter of what ponies would think once news got out about who was really wearing that leash and collar. She expected to have plenty of explaining to do to once that detail reached the press. That, however, was territory she felt she could navigate on her own; she could certainly weather that storm when it hit, as unpleasant as it might be. It was much better than life in a filthy dungeon.

Their luncheon finished, Midnight gave her friend a quick hug and a sincere thanks for the reassurance. They made plans for their next meeting and parted ways, leaving Midnight with a new set of problems. Manageable problems, but problems nonetheless. She went home and brought the newspaper with her.

Later that night, after a day filled with writing apologies and planning explanations, Midnight's tiredness caught up to her, and she crawled into bed. Whatever was going to happen, hadn't happened yet, so she was grateful to have had time to prepare. Her mind relatively at ease, she quickly fell asleep in her warm bed.

Wrapped in the fuzzy blanket of sleep, her mind conjured up the memory of her night as a pet, and she began to dream about it. Then, the instant she did, an enormous and terrifying presence was there with her. She didn't know why, but she knew that whatever it was could see all of her thoughts, and she felt extremely exposed. Then, as quick as it had come, it was gone.

A gentle breeze. A bright flash and magical pop! A shadow in her doorway. Tall and commanding.

Midnight felt afraid. She stared at the shadow, unblinking, and it approached her. As it stepped closer, she could make out details, and she saw... Princess Luna. The alicorn was standing over her, a stern and displeased scowl on her face.

"P-Princess Luna? I ca-"

"Silence!," Luna said, not quite a shout, but with all the power of one.

The princess watched the terrified unicorn, judging her and reading her. Midnight gulped, as much out of fear as to swallow words she desperately wanted to say. After a minute that felt like twenty, Luna spoke, softer but still with a dangerous edge to her words.

"We know not who you are, but you have given Us a bad name, and We will not stand for it. We have come to discipline you as the Crown demands. You are not to speak unless We tell you to. For your crimes against a Princess of Equestria, We hereby sentence you to one night as a servant to Us while we make right the wrongs you have done. Do We make Ourselves clear?"

"Yes, Pr-"

"Silence! We did not ask you to speak. You may nod or shake your head."

Midnight nodded quickly, quaking in terror. Her mouth was clenched so tightly that her jaw ached.

"Very good. Now, the first order of business is to make you look like you did last night. Do you have the items here? Ypu may speak only to tell me where they are."

Midnight pointed a hoof at her closet. "C-closet, black bag," she said, then shut her mouth tightly for fear of saying more.

Princess Luna flung the closet door open noisily and took the black bag, emptying it into the air and separating the items out in an impressive display of telekinetic control. She then lifted Midnight herself, who let out a surprised squeak, and skillfully put everything on her at once. After only a few seconds, the unicorn was dressed just as she had been last night, and was gently placed on the floor.

"Ah, yes. Just like the photo in the newspaper. Now," Luna said with a harsh tug of the leash, "let us go out."

Out? Midnight thought. As much as she wanted to protest and ask questions, she dared not defy Princess Luna's orders. Not that speaking was much of an option with the bit back in her mouth, anyway. All too quickly, she was pulled out her front door and was on the street. Luna marched with a burning purpose in her steps, and Midnight was sure she knew where they were headed. They were going to the same place Fleur and Fancypants had walked her.

While they walked, she gathered her scattered thoughts and got over the surprise of what had been a rather sudden intrusion. She remembered something, then. Princess Luna was the guardian of the dream realm, and Midnight had fallen asleep. This was certainly really Luna, and she was surely going to "punish" Midnight, but in a dream! A small smile crawled over her lips as she realized this. There was no way a Princess would visit her actual home and drag her out onto the streets. It had to just be a very realistic-feeling dream that was going to teach her a lesson about wronging Luna. She heaved a long sigh of relief, and her legs stopped shaking, and her breathing returned to normal. She would have to play along, of course, so as not to disappoint the Princess, but inwardly she was going to enjoy the harmless pet routine.

Armed with new confidence, Midnight focused on the swaying rear of Luna, not out of perversion, but to enjoy the hypnotic flow of her tail, and the way it moved as if underwater, in a gentle current. Despite complications that arose from looking like her, Midnight felt a strong connection to her, for obvious reasons. Being with Luna, even in a dream, was making Midnight quite giddy. She hoped to serve her "punishment" well and please the lunar goddess.

After about ten minutes of silent walking and nervous excitement on Midnight's part, the two reached an area that she recognized as the street that she had been on the night before. Ponies were whispering and staring, many bowing their heads in respect, but most of them seemed confused. There had been plenty of that on the way, as well, but Midnight was not bothered by it.

Princess Luna stopped. Midnight stopped too, just short of walking right into that royal rear. She backed up a step. Suddenly, surprisingly, Luna spoke very loudly.

"Ponies of Canterlot, hear me! We are here to absolve Ourselves of blame for the previous night! For, you see, 'twas not Us, but this pony here!" Luna said, then turned to Midnight and spoke more quietly. "Tell them your name."

Midnight cleared her throat. "Midnight Starfall," she said loud enough for everypony to hear.

"There! You see? 'Twas a lie what the newspaper printed about Us! This... Midnight Starfall impersonated Us! And rather poorly, We might add. Just look at her mane! 'Tis nothing like ours. She also has no wings! How could you all miss that detail? She is also at least a full two hooves shorter than Us. Now, as is tradition, We shall punish this impostor publicly."

Midnight bit her bottom lip. Being publicly humiliated was something she would normally avoid like a plague, but in the safe confines of her mind, it sounded... somewhat appealing. The illusion of being made an example of in front of anypony who happened by, but with none of the backlash? She was actually looking forward to it, as she trusted Princess Luna, angry as she may be, to not bring any true harm to her.

Princess Luna's horn glowed, and Midnight's dress was forcefully removed, tearing it harshly, then dropped to the ground in a heap.

"Look! This cutie mark is nothing like ours!" Luna said to the growing crowd of ponies around them.

Midnight felt so exposed, so vulnerable, so... turned on. Her hind legs shivered under the weight of the gazes she felt on her flanks, all the curious stares of a hundred unknown ponies drinking her in. Her face burned with shame, but she still liked it. She could feel herself winking, her marehood probably visible from the sides where her tail wasn't blocking the view. Uncountable whispers reached her ears, like the scurrying of a thousand rats on stone. They teased her, words she knew she could understand if only she could hear them, but they all drowned each other out, making it all a senseless cacophony that only hinted at having meaning. The few ponies she could see, directly in front of her where Luna or the blinders didn't block her view, had expressions that told of guilt and curiosity, like they were watching a train wreck and couldn't look away.

Princess Luna moved behind her, and Midnight's tail wanted to flag, but she held it down, willed herself to not reveal her arousal. It didn't matter.

"And what is this? Midnight Starfall, are you... enjoying this? We can see your tail twitches with desire," Luna said. Midnight could no longer see her, but she could feel Luna's presence there; it was a cold, dark void, like the very concept of Night itself was behind her. Contradicting feelings radiated from there: Safety, danger, darkness, coziness, warmth among cold, hostility, fear of the unknown, blissful unawareness, loneliness, softness, silence. She both loved and feared what she felt from the unseen diarch. Her tail raised.

"Ha! You are winking like a mare in heat. Is that really what you want, then? To shame yourself in front of all these ponies? Pathetic," Luna said, but Midnight could hear a slight breathiness in the last word. She decided to play along as planned, and shook her head violently, stifling whimpers.

Swiftly, a hoof pulled her tail aside and her marehood winked again, suddenly exposed to so many more ponies. At that, she actually did whimper, but Luna either didn't notice or didn't care about the small noise as she pulled the smoky blue tail up and flipped it onto Midnight's back. Whispers from the crowd increased dramatically, and her back-facing ears picked up distinct gasps and nervous giggles.

Luna leaned up close to Midnight's ear and spoke in a low voice. "These ponies will be telling this story for the rest of their lives. By tomorrow night, the whole city will know of this moment. Is that what you want?" she asked. Midnight shook her head. Luna continued, her words razor-sharp and cutting. "Well, then you shouldn't have besmirched the good name of royalty!"

The princess's hoof suddenly pressed against Midnight's heated entrance, eliciiting a gasp of surprise and pleasure from her. The cold metal of Luna's regal shoe left an icy sting where it contacted Midnight's warm lips, but the pain wasn't all that uncomfortable, just odd. Being metal, however, it quickly warmed against her, and Luna swirled it in surprisingly gentle circles that Midnight found very pleasing. She moaned softly as the alicorn massaged her sensitive lips, still very aware of the crowd of ponies that seemed to be two or more deep, completely surrounding her. There was a loud click of a camera behind her, and she saw its brief, bright flash reflect off the ponies in front of her. That only increased her arousal, and she wiggled her rump against the smirking princess's ministrations.

"Like the attention, do you?" Luna asked, just above the murmur of the crowd. "Good, because now everypony will know who you are, and they will never mistake you for me again. Now, let's really make it memorable, shall we?"

Though her mind was filled with the lightning-bolts of pleasure, she still did not miss an excited lilt in Luna's voice, nor her use of the word "me" which was less formal. Knowing that Luna was enjoying this too pushed Midnight over the edge, and she spurted a warm splash of marecum against the royal hoof, making it sticky with her arousal. She groaned lewdly as she came, inner walls convulsing, and her hind legs were shivering so bad that they barely supported her weight.

To Midnight's horror, Luna continued.

The unicorn whimpered and shook her head, trying to signal that she was done, but Luna's horn lit up and a strange feeling fell over Midnight. She was... aroused again. Still quaking from her first orgasm, she suddenly came again, very nearly collapsing on unreliable and shaky legs.

"Like I said, they will remember this," Luna said. Another blue glow from her horn, and more unexpected arousal. She sped up, focusing on Midnight's clit, bulging out from its hood. The unicorn came yet again, with another wet splash. This time, her hind legs buckled and she found herself in an awkward sitting position. Her mind became clouded, but she still very clearly heard Luna speak again. "Hah! Only three? Very well, I believe we are done here."

There was a bright blue flash, then a vague memory of being back in her bed and watching the retreating and hypnotic rump of Princess Luna swaying as she left the room. Then the world faded away.

Midnight woke up feeling extra hazy, and remembered her dream with a warm blush. She shifted slightly, and felt wetness beneath her blanket. With mild dread, she slid out from under it, feeling like a cold swamp. She flipped the blanket back and saw a wet spot big enough that she worried she had wet the bed. A tentative sniff, however, proved that not to be the case. She couldn't believe she had cum so much, and quickly took the soiled sheets and piled them in her laundry basket. Her hind legs were wet and sticky as well, so she hurried to the bathroom to clean herself off.

One warm bath later, she was feeling quite refreshed, and went to her kitchen to make breakfast. She toasted and buttered a bagel, and sat at her small breakfast table, enjoying the view, and thinking about her amazing dream. A small speck on the horizon escaped her notice.

She took a bite of her bagel.

Crispy and buttery. The small speck grew larger and she watched it. It wasn't a bird, of that she was sure. She was quite used to seeing papegasi fly around the city, but this one was on a strangely direct trajectory. Another bite of bagel, a small and content smile on her lips. The pegasus was close enough to see now, golden armor standing out against a light orange coat and electric blue mane. Seemed to be a stallion (as most royal guards were). She wondered if something big had happened, as guards generally did not visit her area unless there was an emergency. As he neared, she expected to see him fly directly over her roof. Instead, he angled down and landed on her balcony. Her jaw dropped and she was speechless as the stallion gripped a letter tucked under his armor, and placed it on her table. Then, with a quick salute, he took off before Midnight could even ask what was going on.

After taking a second to recover, she looked down at the letter. It was a thick envelope with dark blue writing on the front that said "Hope you learned your lesson."

Midnight used her magic to carefully tear it open along the top, and spilled the contents out next to her bagel. The only item inside was a folded newspaper. A heavy ball of dread settled firmly in her belly as she unfolded it. And there, clear as crystal, she saw herself from behind, her cutie mark clearly visible and her tail raised. A black bar censored her plot, but Luna's hoof was clearly touching it behind the censor bar. She read the article's title above the photo.

Luna Impostor Outed By Luna Herself In Lewd Public Display!

"Oh," Midnight said. "Oh... buck."