Chapter 25

A cave, somewhere near the Crystal Empire

Cheerilee’s head felt like it had been stomped on by a buffalo. She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to focus on where she was rather than on her pain. It wasn’t long before she felt something soft and feathery wrapped across her side. The sensation was pleasant to be sure, but she was confused as to why she was even feeling it. The last time Cheerilee was conscious, she was on the verge of freezing to death. With a quiet gasp she realized it was Princess Luna’s wing. Was such a thing proper? Cheerilee’s mind reeled at the implications. She was snuggling one of Equestria’s sovereign rulers!

The worst part about all of this was that the bodily contact seemed to be completely unnecessary. At some point Luna had constructed a small fire pit and it was currently blazing away, bathing the two mares in sea of flickering light and heat. The school mare let out a sigh. Things could be much worse. Without Luna she would’ve been well on her way to becoming a ponfied popsicle.

Luna yawned. “Hmm it seems as though I dozed off.”

“Hello Luna, I take it you slept well?”

“Ah you’re finally awake. I was beginning to worry because you wouldn’t stop shivering. I’m glad that you’re ok.”

Cheerilee blushed. “Thank you Luna. You saved my life and I have no idea how I’ll ever repay you.”

“Think nothing of it. It is my duty as princes to protect my subjects. And…I also wanted to help a friend. As such, we keep no debts.”

“Umm is it really proper for us to be…snuggling like this?”

Luna giggled. “Is that what you’re worried about? I assure you it isn’t an issue. You were cold and needed to be warmed up, so I built a fire and shared my body heat with you. It’s only natural in a circumstance such as this.”

Cheerilee pawed the ground. “Of course, I’m just reading into things too much. Sorry Luna.”

“There is no need to apologize Cheerilee. I am not offended by physical contact,”

“Oh thank goodness!”

Luna cocked her eyebrow. “You sound rather relieved. Am I missing something?”

“Wait…you really don’t know?”

“Know about what exactly?”

Cheerilee bit her lip. “I really shouldn’t be the one to tell you this, considering that I’m an earthpony…”

Luna growled in annoyance. “I detest when ponies try to hide things from me because they think I’m too ‘old-fashioned’ and won’t understand. OUT WITH IT!”

“Well…when a pegasus uses their wings to embrace another pony, it’s often considered a sign of affection.”

“I fail to see why that is such an issue. I am merely showing you friendly affection.”

Cheerilee face-hoofed. “No, Luna I don’t mean that kind of affection. Any type of wing-play is considered an act of intimacy…between lovers.”

Luna bellowed with laughter. “SERIOUSLY!? HAHAHAHAH! You were all worked up over that? Truly, my sister’s conservative attitude towards sex has rubbed off on all of her little ponies!”

“Errr…huh?”

“Such a gesture is mere foal’s play. I placed my wing upon your side because I wished to. There is no need to divine a deeper meaning from it.”

“B-but I was always led to believe that only lovers…”

Luna waved her hoof. “Bah! Tis malarkey cooked up by my sister, in order to mold her ponies into bashful school-fillies upon hearing the very mention of copulation. Such things during my time were not shameful, but highly celebrated.”

“Hmm that’s…interesting.”

“But of course! I have many interesting tales to share from those days. Since we have little else to do, why don’t I regale you with a story about the summer festival?”

Cheerilee mentally groaned. “If you insist.”

Luna’s eyes sparkled. “Ages ago before I was banished to the moon, there was a festival held during the apex of summer. It was when the sun was at its warmest and brightest and all of the ponies came out to frolic and enjoy nature.”

“Oh so it was the summer sun celebration.”

“Nay, that was not the title it had during my time. It was known as the Sunflower Festival. Now, part of celebrating summer is to recognize that the sun bestows fertility upon the land. We partook in wine, song, dance and food. However, the most important part was during the third day.”

“What made the third day so important?”

Luna grinned. “That was the day we celebrated fertility. On the third day all the ponies migrated to the sunflower fields and it was there that they found love, or enjoyed their lover’s company without restraint.”

Cheerilee blushed heavily. “Y-you mean it was…an orgy?”

“I suppose one could use that word to describe it. You must understand that life back then was less certain than it is now. Ponies had to enjoy themselves while they could. Ah it was such a lovely sight to see. So many lovers found each other in those fields. It saddens me that such a tradition no longer exists.”

Despite her embarrassment, Cheerilee couldn’t help but feel some pity for Luna. The estranged princess was only trying to hold a conversation. It couldn’t be helped that she came from a different time that espoused different values. Hesitating at first, Cheerilee gently nuzzled Luna’s neck.

“I know that you miss your own time Luna, but maybe once this is all over we could go to the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville. It certainly won’t be the same as you remember it…”

Luna smiled. “I know and I’ve come to accept that. I’d be more than happy to accompany you, it sounds…fun.”

“Hey Luna, I know this sounds a bit off topic but what exactly was that thing that tried to seduce me out there?”

The moon princess stared into the fire. “I’m afraid that was a Wendigo. They used to roam wild across Equestria during ancient times, but most of them were destroyed by Princess Platinum during the age of unification. I suppose it is possible that a few still roam the frozen wastes. You are lucky that I intervened when I did.”

Cheerilee’s ears flattened again her skull. “I’ve only heard of Wendigos from foal’s story books. I thought they were merely legends. What would have happened if you hadn’t killed it?”

“The creature would have sucked the life out of you. Like the changelings, Wendigos are a type of succubus. However, instead of feeding off of emotions, they feed off of a pony’s life essence. If the creature had continued, you would have been nothing more than a shriveled husk.”

Cheerilee shuddered. “That’s…horrible. But I always thought that they were attracted to negative emotions.”

“That simply isn’t true. Wendigos seek out strong sources of life. You see, everything in nature emits an aura of magic. Sentient creatures, such as ponies, tend to have a higher concentration of life magic. That is why it was attracted to you. I fear that this is yet another one of my sister’s ploys to keep her ponies sheltered from mass hysteria.”

“We really should ask Princess Celestia to change the Hearth’s Warming play if it’s that inaccurate.”

Luna sighed. “Tia has her reasons. It wouldn’t do to have such terrifying creatures in what amounts to a foal’s play. I too have seen that play and it irritates me how misrepresented the characters are, but such is tradition.”

“I’m curious. Who exactly is it that is misrepresented?”

Luna took a deep breath. “For one, Princess Platinum was never that high strung. She was curt at times yes, but she always had the best intentions for her unicorns. Commander Hurricane was not as brash as the story seems to suggest. He was an excellent tactician and had the patience of a sage.”

“Well it’s only natural that some aspects of our history become distorted over time. What about Chancellor Puddinghead…you didn’t really mention him?”

Luna stomped her hoof against the ground. “Don’t ever call him that vile name!”

“Luna I didn’t mean to insult you…”

“I know, please forgive me Cheerilee. It is an old habit of mine, you couldn’t have possibly known. Puddinghead was a moniker given to him, as a form of jest. His real name was Chancellor Level Head. Level was energetic, supportive and smart as a whip. Unfortunately he was also a bit eccentric, which is why they called him Puddinghead.”

“That seems like a terrible thing to say about a pony who seemed to be such a wonderful leader.”

“It was and I wish I could have changed it. They called him that because he had an extreme sweet tooth and as you may have guessed…he loved pudding in particular. That alone wasn’t what earned him his nickname. He also tended to have bouts of mania sometimes, and became distracted. I’m not so sure he could help it.”

“Luna, it sounds as if you knew him personally.”

“Is it that obvious? Ha…it has been some time since I’ve talked about him.” Luna croaked.

Cheerilee placed her hoof on Luna’s back. “You don’t have to talk about it if it makes you feel uncomfortable.”

“No…this will be good for me. Level and I we…were lovers. When we were alone, gazing up at the stars he would always call me…*sniff*…h-his moonbeam. He was such a wonderful stallion and that is why I hate it when ponies think he was some kind of buffoon.”

Cheerilee certainly was shocked by this new information. None of the texts she had read about the age of unification ever mentioned that the Chancellor was Princess Luna’s lover. It pained the school mare to see Luna in such a state; it must have been a great burden to be an immortal. Despite their difference in height, Cheerilee gently placed Luna’s head on her chest and began to stroke Luna’s ethereal mane. The princess tensed at first but eventually relaxed enough to doze off. As the fire died down, the only sound echoing from the cave was Luna’s soft snores.

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Rarity and Nightwing’s room, The General’s Palace

It had taken almost an hour but Rarity was finally ready to attend the reception with Nightwing. The fashonista honestly didn’t mind because Fabulous Finish was an absolute delight to talk to. The only other stallion that seemed to know more about fashion was Hoity Toity, but that was to be expected. After all, the Canterlotian stallion owned more than a few fashion lines.

With a brief glance, Rarity checked herself in the mirror one last time. She smiled in approval at her new, purple silk dress. Mr. Finish had also taken the time to style her mane as well. She now sported a lovely braid that trailed down her neck and a little bit past her shoulder. Nightwing trotted in sporting his nightguard dress uniform. The combination of sliver and navy blue complimented his dark grey coat quite nicely.

Nightwing’s mouth dropped. “Wow…you look amazing. I wish I could look that good.”

Rarity blushed. “You always know how compliment a lady, don’t you captain? But I must say that you shouldn’t discredit yourself. You look rather dashing in that uniform of yours.”

“Heh thanks…I guess. Shall we get going?”

Captain Hassan escorted them to the dining area. The room was decorated with stone frescos and Doric columns, which led to a large pool of water in the center. The tables themselves were arranged around the pool, where various guests sat and chatted about various topics. Nightwing and Rarity drew more than a little attention as they seated near the head of the table. Hassan trotted off, mentioning something about guard duty. As a waiter went back to the kitchen to prepare their orders, the entire crowd became silent.

A powerfully built, black coated stallion strode into the room. He was wearing what appeared to be desert fatigues and a tan colored beret. As he got closer Rarity noted that he was wearing an eye patch across his left eye and the faint line of a scar could be seen directly above and below the patch. As he sat down at the table, the stallion popped his neck and grinned.

“Well what the hell are all of you waiting for? EAT! DRINK! BE MERRY! This isn’t a state funeral.”

With that all of the ponies began chatting and nibbling on their appetizers. Rarity was busy enjoying some spinach quiche while Nightwing chewed on a spiced vegetable kebab. The burly stallion gulped down a tankard of beer and laughed.

“Ah a fellow military stallion, you must be Princess Luna’s envoy! It is my pleasure to have you here at the palace tonight.”

Nightwing shook his hoof. “Thank you sir, it’s an honor to be here. My name is Captain Nightwing and this is my marefriend, Rarity.”

“Oh ho she’s quite the looker! Why if she wasn’t taken, I’d bag her myself. In case you haven’t noticed I’m kind of the big cheese around here, the name’s General Al-Qadir. But my good friends call me Al.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Charmed…you certainly don’t mince words.”

The general laughed. “Never have, never will. I call it like I see it milady, and I like what I see.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “I shall take that as a compliment. I am known as Rarity and I own a dress shop in Ponyville.”

“Huh must be in the middle of nowhere, I’ve never heard of it. Ah well, some of us simply have humble beginnings. Why I was born in a small town myself, now look where I am. Ah but I’m rambling, a pleasure to meet you Ms. Rarity.”

“I must say General; the décor in the palace is breath-taking. Whoever designed it?”

Qadir took another swig of beer. “I have no clue. I don’t really pay attention to that kind of stuff. It was probably commissioned by the late sultan.”

Rarity bit her lip. “Oh…I see. Well it is very beautiful in any case.”

“Eh yeah I guess so. When you’ve destroyed as many buildings as I have, you tend not to care what they look like. Say, would you like some wine? We just got a shipment of orange wine from Mareribbian Islands. It’s pretty damn good, if I say so myself.”

Rarity whispered into Nightwing’s ear. “I can see why Celestia doesn’t like him. He’s a complete brute!”

Nightwing sighed. “Yeah I can see that, but just play along for now. I don’t want to upset him.”

“Fine, but I am going to have to consume copious amounts of alcohol to make this dinner tolerable.”
The general snorted. “Hahaha having a lover’s spat eh?”

Rarity put on her best fake smile. “Oh heavens no, I was just asking Nightwing if he wanted any wine. I find myself extremely tempted by your offer. Might I have a glass?”

“Only a glass? Hell, you can have a whole bottle. DRINKS ALL AROUND!”

One of the palace staff brought out a green bottle, which was labeled with a golden orange. Rarity immediately levitated it over to the table and popped open the cork. She greedily slurped on the bottle finding the taste the perfect balance of fruity and sweet. Unfortunately it was like drinking orange juice mixed with a sledge hammer. Rarity’s face flushed as she felt the room wobble around her.

“Hmm my word is this stuff strong.”

The general’s mouth hung open. “By the gods…you just drank all of that in one shot?”

Rarity stared at Qadir and his three twins. “What? You ssssaid I could haaaaave a whole bottle. Too bad there isn’t enough *errrrup* Oh hihihihihi I just burped! As I was saying, there isn’t enough for you and your brothers.”

“Umm well you see I may have called it wine, but that is a bit of a misnomer. Orange wine is made in such a way that its potency matches rum. I was merely kidding when I said to drink the entire bottle.”

Rarity grabbed the collar of his uniform with her magic. “You inconsiderate brute! How was I supposed to know how strong it was!?”

Qadir laughed nervously. “I truly am sorry Ms. Rarity; I thought you knew I was joking.”

Rarity whinnied in frustration. “Fine, I sssssuppose I can forgive your poor attempt at a joke. But as far as I am *hic* concerned we shall NOT be conversing for the resht of the….*errup*…night.”

Nightwing frowned. “I’m sorry for Rarity’s behavior sir.”

The general groaned. “No, I am the one who should be apologizing. She honestly did not know what she was drinking. I should be more conscious of my foreign guests. Perhaps it would be best to get her to bed.”

“BED!? NO I WILL NOT BE PUT TO BED LIKE A WHINING FILLY!”

Nightwing rubbed her neck. “Rarity I think it would be best if you got some sleep. The hangover will be horrible and if we get enough water…”

“Nightwing…I came to the palace to attend a party. Sleeping is not a party! I am going to party even if I must employ extreme measures to get you to enjoy it as well.”

“Rarity please, just calm down. I promise we’ll do something fun tomorrow to make up for it. How about we go visit the palace gardens?”

Rarity pouted. “We shall do no such thing!”

Before Nightwing could protest any further, Rarity grabbed him in her aura and threw him to the ground. She held his forehooves down and glared at him with a manic grin. Nightwing knew he could subdue her, but he didn’t want to risk hurting the mare in her drunken state.

Rarity drooled. “Now we are going to have some fun darling.”

Nightwing felt a few drops of Rarity’s saliva fall on his face as he struggled to gain control of the situation. As he began to lift himself off the floor, Rarity started licking his neck…not unlike a dog. She then moved up to his ears and began nibbling on the ends, which very nearly made Nightwing groan in pleasure (a thestral’s ears are extremely sensitive). Once she was done doing that she grabbed his muzzle with her hooves and stuck her tongue inside his mouth and was content to keep playing with his tongue until both of their snouts were covered in drool.

Nightwing gasped. “Rarity you’re drunk…we need to stop doing this.”

“Nonsense, I haven’t even gotten to the fun part yet!”

Despite Nightwing’s trepidation he couldn’t help but become aroused. Rarity too had noticed this and grinned like a Cheshire cat, upon seeing his erection. She felt very pleased with herself to know that her stallion wanted her. Now, all she had to do was return the favor. She slowly lifted his balls with her magic and licked them the base almost to the base of his shaft. Nightwing’s already hardened member twitched in response.

Taking that as a sign, she continued her ministrations. She took his entire sack into her mouth and sucked on it gently, as one would do with hard candy. Nightwing sighed with pleasure as a small globule of precum oozed from his head. Rarity licked his head, coating his stallionhood in a combination of saliva and his own natural lubricant.

As she bobbed her head along his length, the musky sent of his arousal wafted into her nostrils, increasing her desire to please the stallion she loved. Rarity felt his cock start to tense up against her tongue, a sure sign he was on the verge of sweet release. With a low grunt he blasted the inside of her mouth with his warm, salty, seed. Rarity removed him from her mouth with a wet pop, promptly passing out in a euphoric stupor.

Nightwing rose to his hooves, trying to cover his still partially erect stallionhood. He carefully hoisted Rarity onto his back and blushed heavily.

“I’m sorry for causing a scene sir. We’ll stay only till morning then we’ll go back to Equestria.”

As Nightwing trotted away, the general tried to speak with him but couldn’t find the nerve to follow. Qadir shook his head, taking another swig from his tankard.

“The poor lad thinks he’s upset me. I guess I better clear this up in the morning, considering it was partially my fault anyway. But…at least I got a nice show.”