Foals

Cadance lay there in the snow, the hunched form of the Pale Mare towering above her. She could see her own reflection in its huge soulless black eyes as they bored into her, could smell the stench of death, feel her life flashing in front of her eyes as her life forces were drained.

“Pferdeäpfel! Uhm… Princess? Are you alright?” the Pale Mare said in a distinctly unmarelike voice.

Cadance blinked, disoriented. She canted her head and slowly took a calmer look at the Pale… not-mare. On closer inspection Its eyes looked a lot like mirrored Hearthswarming baubles set into the skull’s eye sockets, but she caught sight of a much smaller set of concerned blue-green eyes peering out at her from the gap between the thing’s jaws.

She felt a gentle hoof on her withers and heard Tourmaline’s voice, “Ma’am?”

Cadance looked about her, her vision and hearing slowly returning to normal as her heart rate evened out. A gaggle of a couple dozen or so stallions were flanking the skeleton pony on either side, peering down at her nervously. They were all wearing lederhosen, feathered caps and clutching flügelhorns, marching drums or other instruments. She peered back at them. Some of the younger colts were holding saucepans and wooden spoons. She thought she recognized a couple of faces as sons of the Oberbürgermeister.

“This is another local tradition isn’t it?” Cadance said slowly.

Tourmaline giggled nervously. “You got it Ma’am. This is Ernteopferparade, the um… Harvest Wassail. The Knochenköpfe in the Pale Mare costume this year are my brothers, Malachite and Jasper.”

“Sorry Your Highness, hope we didn’t give you too much of a scare!” The front half of the skeleton bowed at her, which was followed by an anguished cry of “Hey, watch where you put your rump you klutz!” from the back half.

“Very good. You got me!” Cadance said, giving the skeleton a bashful grin and a wave. “I suspect this means I need to buy you all a drink now doesn’t it?”

A cheer went up from the group of wassailers.

Once drinks for the wassailers had been arranged, the procession started back up in high spirits, blowing horns and banging pots and pans merrily as they marched through the square, the unicorns in the group gathering up the drinks, and holding them aloft like prizes.

“Where are they headed?” Cadance asked, breathing a sigh of relief as the din receded. “Aren’t they supposed to go through the town knocking on every door?”

“No no, that’s the Herdopfer, that takes place closer to Hearthswarming. The Ernteopferparade is much older. It ends in the orchards, where glühwein and cider and um… bodily offerings are given up to the vines and fruit trees to melt the snow and secure next year’s harvest.

Cadance frowned. “Bodily offerings? There’s… there’s no pony sacrifice involved is there?” she asked sternly in a hushed voice.

Tourmaline laughed nervously. “Oh no, uh, nothing like that.”

“She means they piss on the trees Ma’am.” Áedammair said grinning.

“Oh. Ooohh.”

“It’s an excellent fertilizer!” Tourmaline protested.

“And this offering is only made by stallions?”

“And colts. Traditionally yes. It’s… um… it’s just easier for them, you know.”

“Pity. I could really use a tree right now.” Cadance sighed gazing back towards the line outside the Rathaus. “I guess that might go some way to explaining why the line for the little filly’s room is so much longer.”

As they pushed unsteadily through the throng of revelers Cadance found herself salivating at the tantalizing scent of freshly baked goods and dragged her new marefriends over towards a brightly lit stall in an alley off the main square that was conveniently selling both pretzels and glühwein.

They bought each other another round of drinks and Cadance and Tourmaline ordered traditional carnival pretzels topped with rock salt and caraway seeds, Áedammair opting for some kind of rye bun with a sesame topping instead.

They found a cozy place to sit around a barrel next to a brazier, glad to warm up and rest their hooves for a bit.

Cadance bit into her pretzel eagerly, shutting her eyes and savoring the salty butteriness of the warm pretzel tempered by the bittersweet anise taste of the caraway seeds. In the moment, sitting there in the snow, it seemed like the perfect winter snack, just what was needed to soak up all the glühwein.

“Bllecchh!” When she opened her eyes she was greeted by the sight of Áedammair watching her and Tourmaline eat their pretzels, her muzzle screwed up in disgust. “I don’t know how you can eat that forsaken trash.”

Cadance looked at her in surprise with her mouth full of pretzel, sharing a look with Tourmaline. “Not a fan of pretzels then?”

“Pretzels are grand, I’m just not a fan of feckin caraway!” Áedammair said disdainfully, sounding as if this should be obvious to anypony with half a brain.” She turned to Tourmaline and scowled. “I don’t know what you’re grinning at… No tongue for you tonight.” She took a prim bite of her own bun. “Not near your mouth anyway,” she clarified while still chewing, winking at Cadance.

Tourmaline almost choked on her drink, blushing furiously. “M’Láireog! Not in front of the Princess!”

Cadance waved her hoof tipsily, suggesting she was perfectly happy for the two mares to keep flirting in her presence, as long as she could watch. “You still haven’t told me what that name means?” she said grinning.

“M’Láireog? It’s not a name, just a thing my Da called me that stuck. Roughly translated it means ‘my little filly’,” Áedammair explained, licking sesame seeds off her hooves.

Cadance clopped her hooves together in delight and hailed the stallholder to bring over another round of drinks.

After another drink or two, they had bumped back into Shining and Lock. To her relief Charteris wasn’t with them to nag about her drinking; by the looks of things, he had gotten stuck talking with the Oberbürgermeister.

“There you are!” Cadance said loudly, throwing her hooves around Shining’s neck. “I missed you Shiny. I was just hanging with the fillies. Me and the gals. Did you know that Tourmaline and Mlem… M’l…M’leeroyg… Did you know that these two are galpals? Like… galpal galpals… How cool is that?” she slurred, whispering in or around his ear.

“I didn’t. That’s pretty cool,” Shining agreed. “How much have you had to drink Cady?”

Cadance blinked. “A few?” she hazarded, mentally counting on her hooves. “And then a few more, and a few after that? Greater than or equal to seven…ish?” She belched. “Make that seven point three three three recurring?”

“She’s had at least… eight I think.” Áedammair said, doing her own mental calculation. “She’s holding her piss like a champ.”

Tourmaline gave her marefriend’s flank a nudge. “Sorry, we call booze piss where I’m from,” Áedammair clarified.

Shining looked at Cadance with one eyebrow slightly raised. “I think you should drink some water.”

“Whaat? I’m fiiiine! You heard the pretty lady. I am holding my piss like a champ! Have you seen the queues? I can’t drink water or it’ll definitely make me need to pee! I need to save room for more glühwein!”

He sighed. “Hmm, are you sure you should be drinking more? You’ll give yourself a hangover.”

“Psssshh… You sound like Charteris!” She said. She fluttered her eyelids at him. “But you’re not stuffy like Charteris… you’re my sexy hornblower…” She leaned in exhaling, and he could smell the wine and feel the warmth of her breath on his horn. Without warning she gave his ear a nibble, instantly making him blush intensely.

“Ow…Cady! Not here! Save it for the bedroom.”

“Maybe I will,” she said sweetly. “Or the bathroom. I am going to need another drink though!”

“Fine. But just one more round OK? Then we should head back to the castle, and get some water into you.”

It was at that moment Cadance was struck by divine inspiration. “Okay, sure. I’ll just buy one more round then!” She said happily, and pranced off unsteadily towards the nearest glühwein stall. She found herself crossing her hind-legs while she waited in line, willing her bladder into submission. Eventually reaching the head of the queue and exchanged words with the vendor, who nodded their head, before bowing and shaking her hoof vigorously.

To Shining’s surprise she left the stall and returned to the group empty hooved, sporting a cheeky grin.

“Okay, what happened?” he asked warily. “Did they refuse to serve you? That’s probably for the best you know.”

“You’ll see.” She said mysteriously.

The glühwein vendor, a crystal Earth Pony stallion with a flowing golden mane and a cutie mark of a silver stein, stepped out from behind his stall and walked a few paces into the crowd in the square, which had started to thin out.

“Excuse me, excuse me, your attention everypony!” He yelled cheerfully, in a practiced carnival barker’s voice. “Mares and gentlestallions, fillies and colts. To celebrate this most auspicious occasion, our benevolent and generous ruler has seen fit to bless each and every one of you with a tankard of our world famous glühwein, or a fohlenpunsch for the little ones, strictly while stocks last! Please join us in raising a cup to Her Royal Highness, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”

“I told him to call me Cadance!” Cadance moaned.

“Cady, what have you done?” Shining asked.

“I bought one more round.” She said sweetly.

A long queue had formed outside the glühwein stall as chattering ponies of all ages rushed to claim their free drink. Shining watched with a sinking feeling in his stomach as happy patrons filtered towards them, many of them bearing multiple drinks.

A portly bespectacled Alderpony Shining recognized from the ceremony earlier was the first to reach them. “Danke, danke, Prinzessin!" He said cheerfully, laying his hoof on Cadance’s in a fatherly manner with a twinkle in his eye. He levitated one of the drinks he was carrying towards Cadance, who took it in her magic. “Ein prosit!” he announced cheerfully, clinking the side of his mug against hers.

“Ein prosit! Cheers!” Cadance responded, before downing a third of the steaming mug in one long gulp.

The Alderpony grinned and nudged Shining in the ribcage with his knee. “Du hast ein außergewöhnliches Stutfohlen.” He whispered in Shining’s ear.

“Uh… yep, she sure is.” Shining agreed. He barely spoke any of the Vormodernes Kristallponisch that some of the older generation of crystal ponies still preferred over modern Equestrian Ponish, but he felt like he got the gist of what the Alderpony was saying about his wife.

A young family had wandered up to Cadance; the parents, a pegasus mare and a unicorn stallion, stepped forward to greet her while their children, who stared up at the Princess in awe. The filly was proudly levitating her half-pint mug of fohlenpunsch an inch off the ground while the colt held his in front of him, gripped protectively between his fledgling wings.

The mother curtsied. “Thank you for the drinks, Your Highness. Please allow us to return the kindness.” Her husband bowed slightly and levitated two of the drinks he was holding in his aura towards Cadance and Shining.

“And I hope you don’t mind, but our kids would like to say a few words.” She nudged her daughter forward gently with her wing. “Go on Bee.”

The unicorn filly stepped forward. She took after her father with a golden crystalline coat and a black mane. “Um… Hi I’m Bee and I wanted to say this is my first Winter Market and I think it’s pretty cool and um tra…ditional? And I think you’re cool for making the Winter Market come back and also for being a princess which is cool anyway and also the snow is pretty cool and we’re not normally allowed outside of the city to play in the snow but Papa said we could play in it tonight because it’s inside the city and me and Jet and my friends from school built a snowpony and it was really cool and its nose was made of a carrot like in the storybooks but then it fell off and somepony ate it,” she said stopping for breath with a look on her face which suggested whoever had eaten the carrot was not cool.

“Goodness,” Cadance said smiling. “Well I’m glad you think it’s all pretty cool. I think you’re pretty cool too.” She went to give the filly’s nose a playful boop with her hoof, but somehow misjudged where her nose was and ended up booping air, which just made the filly giggle.

The pegasus gave her daughter’s flank a small prod. “And what else did you want to say Beryl?”

The filly looked unsure for a moment. “Um… Thank you Princess?”

“That’s better.” The mother said, giving her daughter a pat on the top of her head with her wing.

“Thank you Bee. See this cute mare… waitwheredshego?” Cadance looked around, before pointing her hoof unsteadily. “Thishish my friend Tourmaline,” Cadance said, slurring her words slightly and waving Tourmaline over. “The snow show tonight was all her idea!”

“Wow! Thanks Tourmaline! I really like the snow! It’s cold but fun and pretty cool!” Bee said. She squinted at Tourmaline. “Are you a princess too? I’ve never heard of you.”

“Beryl!” Bee’s Mom chided.

Tourmaline grinned. “It’s okay. No, I’m not a princess, I just work at the castle.”

“Go on Jet” the unicorn dad prompted, picking up his son in his magic aura and depositing him in front of the Cadance. He was smaller than his sister but seemed around the same age, most likely they were non identical twins. He took after his mother with a smoky black coat and a darker black mane poking out from beneath a grey wool bobble hat.

“Um. Hi. This foal punch is delicious, thanks Princess,” the pegasus colt said. “I can’t wait till I’m old enough to try the real stuff.”

“Ahahaha. I’m so glad you like it,” Cadance said. “Just remember not to drink and fly!”

“Well, we really mustn’t keep you any longer,” the mother said hurriedly. “Thanks Princess! To your health!”

They shared the toast and Cadance finished her second mug in as many minutes on top of however much she had drunk earlier.

A crowd had formed around Cadance and Shining, full of other ponies wanting to toast with them. After accepting the next few drinks in her aura, she couldn’t keep up, and ended up setting them down on the ground. The waiting ponies did the same, a circle of drinks forming around her in the snow. She sat down in the snow, surveying her domain contentedly. She was having a good time for once. Even the flashes of the cameras weren’t bothering her now, as their magnesium flares blended into the sea of flickering braziers, lanterns and fairy lights.

Charteris had finally finished talking with the Oberbürgermeister and made his way over to the crowd formed around Cadance. After quickly assessing the situation, he shot Shining a look.

“Ahem… Thanks everypony,” Shining gave the crowd his most charming royal smile. “Despite my wife’s best efforts, I don’t think she’s actually going to get through all of these drinks herself, so please, help yourselves if you need another drink or would like to take one as a harvest offering!”

“Hey! Speak for yourself,” Cadance said, finishing her drink and belching uncouthly, prompting a cheer from the crowd. She tugged Shining towards her by his mane with her magic until his ear was within what she judged to be whispering distance. “I really need to pee, like right now.”

Shining’s eyes went wide, looking around at all the ponies expectantly waiting to shake hooves with Cadance and offer her drinks.

“Can you hold on for a bit?” he asked in a considerably quieter whisper.

“I’m not sure!” she said, giving him a sheepish grin. “I guess we’ll see!”

Shining sighed and looked around. There was still a long line of ponies queued up outside the Rathaus. “Let’s get you into the line then?”

She shook her head. “I can try holding on, but I don’t think I can wait thaaat long!”

“You’re the Princess, I’m sure we could cut in line.”

“Oh yeah, that’ll be real popular,” she huffed, “I am not cutting in line.” She looked around her before sighing dramatically. “Where’s a fruit tree when you need one! Am I right ladies?” She said loudly, winking at Tourmaline who rewarded her with a blush.

“Okay… Well, I’m going to get you home then,” he said firmly.

“Maybe just one more drinky?” she said hopefully, her horn lighting up as she tried to levitate a temptingly full mug of mulled cidertowards her, and succeeding only in spilling it in the snow as her magical dexterity failed her, leaving a yellow stain in the snow.

“No Cady. You’ve had enough. We’re leaving.” Cadance pouted, and he turned to face the crowd of well-wishers, some of whom now had concerned expressions on their faces.

“Thanks Everypony. I’m going to get my wife home now, she has really enjoyed her first taste of glühwein, but it looks like she may have underestimated how strong you Kristallponys take your drinks!” he said, prompting further friendly cheers from the crowd. “Please, enjoy the rest of your night, and help yourselves to what’s left here!”

He turned back to Cadance who chose that moment to fall forward face-planting into the snow while attempting to reach for another drink with her hooves.

“I’m fine!” she said, extricating her muzzle. “Um… I don’t think I can get up though. This dress is too tight.

Tourmaline and Áedammair had already stepped forward to help, each offering her a hoof up.

“Thanks, but… ugh… I don’t think I can actually get back up in this dress without wetting myself.” Cadance said desperately, her head spinning, wishing she was sober enough to teleport herself someplace private.

Shining sighed. “I’m going to pick you up with my magic okay?”

Cadance nodded, moaning quietly as the warmth of his magic enveloped her and she felt her weight shifting.

“Just try not to pee on me,” he muttered under his breath as he gently lifted her onto his back.

“Yet!” Cadance said happily, and a little too loudly, making his cheeks turn as pink as his horn’s magic aura.

“I told you she was a kinky one,” Áedammair whispered to Tourmaline, stoking her marefriend’s blush.

Cadance for her part just started to giggle, lifting a hoof and waving at the receding crowd of onlookers as Shining carried her towards their waiting coach. She attempted one last time to sneak another drink with her, but her magic was too unsteady and she only succeeded in leaving a long trail of spilled glühwein in the snow behind her.

Lock trotted on ahead and opened the carriage door for them, and when Shining looked up, he saw Charteris already waiting by the carriage, his face a blank canvas.

Tourmaline and Áedammair had followed at a distance, watching as Shining bundled Cadance into the carriage and set her down gently on the rear forward facing seat.

“You girls want a lift?” Cadance called out, motioning for the maids to join her in the carriage.

“Oh, no ma’am, we can walk,” Tourmaline said, giving Cadance a tipsy curtsy which set all three of them off giggling.

“Actually, it might be best if you ladies join us, for a debrief,” Charteris said, his face still impassive.

Áedammair shrugged. Somehow the two maids managed to squeeze themselves in on the seat beside Cadance while Shining and Charteris shared the front, rear facing seat. Lock opted to ride up front with the driver on the outside of the carriage.

As soon as the carriage door slammed shut, Charteris’ face fell, his piercing blue-grey eyes sweeping the carriage before landing on Cadance. Without looking away, he banged his forehoof twice on the glass partition between the interior of the carriage and the driver’s cab, and a moment later they felt a lurch as the driving team took off.

“That,” Charteris said finally, “was less than desirable. In fact, I would venture to say it was a royal fiasco.”

“I thought my speech went great thank you! And ponies loved the snow! Did I tell you that was Tourmaline’s idea? S’ good idea. Ponies liked the snow.” She hiccupped. “Gotta have proper snow for Hearthswarming right?”

“Indeed. The speech was commendable, and the snow was well received. I was referring to your deleterious drinking afterwards.”

“It was expected!” Cadance moaned, wincing as the carriage swayed violently as it traversed the cobblestones of the square. “Tell him Tourmaline… the glüwinewines’s really traditional. Gotta have the glühwein for good luck.”

Tourmaline looked embarrassed, her ears drooping. “It’s true ma’am, it is a very traditional part of the festival.”

“Indeed, more’s the pity. The only thing stopping me from calling tonight an unmitigated disaster is that there is a very strong drinking culture in the Crystal Empire, and a lot of the locals might actually respect the princess for… committing to the bit.”

“You see! I’m doing my part for Equestrian relations!” said Cadance, wincing as the carriage hit a pothole. “Buck, I need to pee so bad. Could you ask the driver to slow down please, he could cause an accident!”

Charteris glared at her, but slid the glass partition open and relayed the message to the driver, who barked an order for the driving team to slow down a little. Shutting the partition, Charteris continued.

“Forgive me for speaking frankly ma’am, but it’s one thing to entirely ignore your estrus schedule, and partake in a drink or two for the sake of honoring a local tradition,” he said. “It’s quite another thing to allow yourself to get so… completely blotto that you make a spectacle of yourself and…,” he lowered his voice, “almost wet yourself in public.”

Cadance’s nose scrunched in annoyance as she crossed her legs. She was pretty sure she had already wet herself a little earlier, but she wasn’t about to admit that to Charteris. If she was lucky the cider she had spilled had covered her tracks. “Did you see the lines for the restrooms? I’m surprised it isn’t more of an issue for more ponies there given the amount of glühwein and cider being consumed. I’m definitely going to make sure there are better facilities next year.” Cadance said.

Tourmaline blushed a little, and flashed her a sympathetic grin, but didn’t say anything.

“Improving the facilities would be a sensible idea,” Charteris continued, “But do you really think Celestia doesn’t feel the need to use the conveniences when she is standing in line greeting ponies or partaking in diplomatic tea ceremonies for hours on end?”

“I dunno, but remind me to ask her when I see her.” Cadance said, stifling a giggle.

“That won’t be necessary,” Charteris said sotto voce. “Of course she must. The point is, Celestia knows how to pace herself and comports herself with utmost dignity, something you seem to have sadly misplaced tonight Ma’am. She certainly doesn’t go around drunkenly threatening to relieve herself in public.”

Cadance looked down at her hooves, wriggling uncomfortably in her seat, but Áedammair came to her rescue. “Don’t get your mane in a kink. Unless that’s your thing.” She added. “Krystalponies are famously pretty relaxed about that sort of thing.”

Charteris glared at her. “As for you two… you work for the princess, I would expect you to be looking out for her.”

Cadance looked up at him defensively. “Hey! It’s not their fault. They weren’t working tonight. We were just hanging out… as gal pals! Right girls?”

Áedammair nodded and Tourmaline tittered nervously.

“That’s as may be. They still should have known better than to act as your accomplices in causing such a scene. If we are very lucky the newspapers in Canterlot will think better than to print the photos that paparazzo pegasus was taking.”

“I just wanted to let my mane down for one night and have fun!” Cadance bemoaned. “Is that too much to ask?”

“I can empathise, Princess, but that’s not how the job works. Not in public. Not ever. Remember your oath of fealty. You must always be on your guard, against all threats, foreign and domestic, especially when you want to let your mane down and have fun.”

“Alright Charteris,” Shining said protectively, laying his hoof on Cadance’s. “Are you done?”

“Almost Your Highnesses.” Charteris lowered his voice further. “It has not escaped my attention that not only were you heard discussing your need bodily needs… but certain things were regrettably said, in quite a public setting, concerning your proclivities.”

“My whatnow?”

“I think he’s talking about you announcing you were going to pee on your husband when you got back home,” said Áedammair, nudging Cadance in the ribs.

“Ow… Whaat? I… I didn’t say that, did I?” Cadance blinked, “Out loud?”

“Not in those words, but it was strongly implied,” Áedammair grinned. Both Cadance and Shining were blushing furiously now.

“Quite. Now I am not in a position to judge,” said Charteris in a tone which implied he would very much like to be, “but while Their Royal Highnesses may not be alone in having certain unusual predispositions, as I’m sure you can imagine, they are placed in a unique position vis-a-vis the level of media scrutiny attached attached to senior members of the Royal Household.

Everypony nodded. The cart came to a grinding halt in the castle courtyard.

“Good, then I’m sure you understand it would be preferable if any discussion regarding this matter stays between us. Understood?”

“I think we got it,” Áedammair said, grinning “Your secret’s safe with us Princess, right Tourmaline?” She winked disconcertingly and Tourmaline nodded, blushing.

“Thank you,” Cadance said. “Now that we have that out of the way Charteris, would you mind please letting me out of the bucking carriage before I wreck the upholstery.”

Shining ended up carrying her upstairs with his magic. Charteris, Lock and the two maids accompanied them as far as the door to their drawing room.

The ride and Charteris’ stern lecture had helped Cadance sober up a little, but she cut a far from dignified figure, being carried on her back in a cloud of Shining’s magic while she crossed her hind-hooves, fidgeting like a filly as she tried to reign in her bladder.

“Thank you Charteris, Lock, that will be all for the night,” She said, waving them off dismissively. “Tourmaline, would you mind giving me a hoof to get out of this dress?”

Tourmaline followed them into the drawing room, and since nopony had asked her to leave, Áedammair followed her marefriend in.

“Maybe you should carry her straight to the bathroom?” Áedammair suggested to Shining.

“No, put me down here! Rarity would never forgive me if I ruined this dress. I need to get it off first.”

Shining set her down in the middle of the drawing room floor as commanded, and she swayed unsteadily on her hooves.

“Whoa… this room is spinny,” Cadance observed.

“I’m going to go find a bowl.” Shining said.

“I’m not… I’m not going to be sick... I don’t think,” Cadance said, sounding less than confident. “I think I may have just had… a teensy bit too much to drink.”

“Oh, really, you think?” Shining said, sighing. Once he was sure the two maids were there to stop her from falling over he trotted off to the adjoining kitchenette look for an emergency bowl just in case.

“We’ve all been there Ma’am,” Áedammair said helpfully. “I’m surprised you’re not boking your guts out with how you were knocking them back at the end there.” She lowered her voice, “it was pretty epic!”

Cadance gave her an unsteady grin. “Yes well, I do have the constitution of an alicorn.” She winced. “But still the bladder of a pegasus it seems.”

She stood there fidgeting as Tourmaline worked on her dress. “Did I do alright with the traditions?”

“Your speech went great, and the snow… thanks for that. It wouldn’t feel like a proper Hearthwarming here without snow.”

“You don’t think I offended anypony?”

“Apart from Mr. Charteris? I don’t think so! It’s hard to be offended when you were buying everypony free drinks. I think a lot of ponies will have been impressed by how you kept up.”

Áedammair leaned forward and patted Cadances’ head between her ears. “Aw, hear that? Charteris is just a tight-ass. You did fine, you didn’t piss off anypony important. Good girl,” she teased, grinning mischievously as Cadance eeped and blushed deeply. She pulled a small container out of her saddlebag, and flipped it open, holding it out to Cadance. “Sugarlump? They’re minty.”

Cadance accepted one, sucking on the sugarlump to distract her from her desperation, her cheeks burning.

“I’m nearly done Ma’am,” said Tourmaline, her horn glowing, a look of concentration on her face as she unlaced the underside of Cadance’s dress. “Now I’m going to have to pull the dress in tight to undo these fixtures, alright?”

“Uhhmf, buck. OK, yes, get it over with. And for the last time, stop calling me Ma’am. Cadance is fine… BUCK!” she squealed as Tourmaline pulled the dress tight, crunching down on the sweet. She could feel herself right on the edge of losing control and had to squeeze her thighs together tightly to have any hope of holding on.

“Nearly done… just one more hook to go,” she heard Tourmaline say, but she sounded far off and indistinct as Cadance focused her entire being on holding her bladder.

Shining was watching from the kitchenette door in horror, clutching a mixing bowl. “And I thought our dress uniforms were difficult to get in and out of,” he muttered.

Cadance let out a loud moan as Tourmaline pulled the dress tight again to undo the last clasp, the closest to her bladder.

“That’s it, we’re nearly done.” She barely heard Tourmaline say. “Just let me get this over your head.” Cadance felt the dress being lifted up around her, and over her head, until it was resting on the ground in front of her, and Tourmaline helped her step her forehooves out of it lifting each in turn with her magic.

Cadance breathed a sigh of relief, no longer constrained by the waist-line of the dress cutting into her bladder. It was almost a very bad idea as she immediately felt herself losing control, but she was able to resume pressing her thighs together like a vice at the last moment. She looked down at the carpet, half expecting to see herself standing in a puddle, but it was mercifully dry.

“Made it!” She said, grinning at Tourmaline and her husband.

“Well, close enough I suppose,” said Áedammair from somewhere behind her. “It looks like you may have had another teeny accident. Might need a change of knickers sweetie.”

Cadance blushed beet red.

“Oh.” Tourmaline said, stepping behind her, and presumably also eyeing her wet panties. “I wouldn’t worry, the dress is fine.”

To her horror Cadance could feel a drip running down her leg as she continued to leak. She shot her husband a desperate imploring glance.

“Alright. I think I can take it from here,” Shining said, taking the hint.

“Aw, just as things were getting interesting.” Áedammair said, emerging from behind Cadance and giving her an impish grin. “I suppose we’ll be getting out of your manes then. If you’re sure we can’t be of any further assistance to you tonight?”

Cadance shook her head. She was actually crying now from the strain of holding on, her body shaking.

“Well, goodnight then, you two have a lovely evening,” she said “Come on Tourmy, let’s go have some fun of our own.”

“G… Goodnight,” Tourmaline gulped, blushing as she followed Áedammair out of the room obediently, shutting the door behind them.

Cadance was hunched forward, her hind legs tightly crossed. “Take me to the bathroom love? Please?” she managed to moan pitifully.

Shining stood there looking at her for what seemed like an age. “No,” he said eventually.

“But… But… I… I can’t hold it anymore,” she whimpered, collapsing on the floor.

“Mmhmm,” he said. “And whose fault is that?” She thought she saw him grinning from a brief moment. What the buck was this?

“Mine! It was my fault. I drank too much, and I let myself get a little bit silly, and I guess I wasn’t thinking about later, and now later is now and AUNTIES FUCK ME WITH A CUCUMBER, I REALLY FUCKING NEED TO PEE!”

“And?” he asked calmly, looking into her eyes.

“And I’m sorry I drank too much glühwein okay! I shouldn’t have drunk more than I could hold. Now will you please help me to the bathroom!”

“No. No, I don’t think so. Not tonight,” he said firmly.