“Ow, ow, ow!…OOOOUUUCH!” Wildfire released the piercingly loud scream of pain as the end of the leather crop made contact twice with her left cutie mark and twice more on her right, the stinging pain lancing through her already sore and tender flanks.

Dancing on the tips of her hind hooves the little yellow pegasus struggled against her tight bonds to no avail. She knew full well the ropes wouldn’t give, but she struggled anyway. Bent over the hardwood desk she had nowhere to go to escape the relentless swing of the damned crop.

The spreader bar kept her hind legs apart a full twelve inches past shoulder width, the attached hoofcuffs held her hind hooves on eight inch chains the legs of the desk. Extended in front of her on the desktop her forelegs were secured together by another pair of hoofcuffs joined by a D ring, which in turn had a chain looped through it extending down the side and under the desk to another D ring in the centre of the spreader bar. A knotted rope tied at the dock of her black tail was pulled taut by the clamps at the tips of her ears. The choice was easy, lower her tail and painfully pull her head back or ease the cramp in her neck by lowering her head and pulling her tail further up her back.

“The answer Miss Wildfire. Do you have it?” The purple coated unicorn stalked slowly around the desk, watching the struggles of the bound pegasus as a predator observes its prey. Held in a glowing green magical aura the crop gently stroked and caressed Wildfire’s cutie marks as its owner ceased her pacing behind the bound pony. “I’m waiting Miss Wildfire.”

“I – I don’t know!” What she did know was this was humiliating. Very humiliating. If the moisture and growing heat in her nethers was any judge, also a huge turn on. She had only been given twelve strokes of the crop, already she could feel the steady plick, plick, plick of her juices dripping from her exposed pussy.

“Pathetic Miss Wildfire. Absolutely pathetic.” The crop swished through the air, striking twice at each thigh, once on her labia and once on the pegasus’s exposed tailhole.

“Miiiiiistr…AAAAGGGHHH!” Wildfire screamed as the crop smacked the ring of her anus, tears streaming down her face. The plick plick from her marehood had increased to roughly two per second, the sound and smell only adding to the reddening blush of embarrassment on her cheeks.

“We’ll try this again Miss Wildfire.” Her cruel Mistress’s cold voice echoed through the empty classroom. “Seven multiplied by eight. You have five seconds.”

Wildfire barely had time to register what the question was before the sadistic unicorn started her countdown.

"Four..."

Sweat poured down her face as she tried to work out the answer, try as she might, she just didn’t know.

“Three…”

Once more she struggled pointlessly at her bonds, the plick, plick, plick of her leaking marehood audible over the rattle of the chains.

“Two…”

The crop stroked her reddened flanks, massaging the areas already hit by the merciless teacher.

“One. Time’s up Miss Wildfire. Your answer?”

“I – I…I don’t know!” Wildfire buried her head into the desk, shame and humiliation burning her cheeks as red as her flanks.

“I’m sorry…” She whimpered pathetically.

“You will be. Oh you will be Miss Wildfire.” Wildfire heard the crop drop to the floor behind her. Turning her head as much as she was able her brown eyes went wide as saucers as she saw a cane floating in the purple unicorn’s glowing green magical grasp towards her. “Fifty six. The answer is fifty six. What is it?”

“F – F – fifty s – six…” Wildfire trembled in fear against the desk as the cane came to rest against her tender plot, the plick, plick of her juices now a uninterrupted stream creating a puddle between her hind legs. The swish of the cane was the only warning she got. A split second later the burning pain blossomed across her thighs as it hit below her pussy. She released an ear-splitting scream as the cane struck three more times, once on each cutie mark and finally at the perineum between her vagina and anus.

The purple unicorn stood in front of the bound pegasus. “Sixty divided by five. You have five seconds Miss Wildfire.”

Between her sobbing tears and intense pain Wildfire didn’t realise the five second count had gotten to ‘two’ already. She didn’t even know what the question was, let alone how to answer it.

“One…” The cane came to rest at the soles of her outstretched forehooves, bending with just enough flex to rub the sensitive frogs. Enough pressure to let Wildfire know what was going to happen next. “Your answer Miss Wildfire?”

No…no…p – please my Mistress…not there…please…” Wildfire begged as she tried to shift her hind hooves out of the growing puddle of herself spreading on the floor. She knew it never did any good to beg. Her cruel Mistress never listened. Only a correct answer stopped the punishment Wildfire knew she was getting.

“The answer is twelve Miss Wildfire.” The cane stroked up and down the soles of the pegasus’s hooves, from the bulbs to the toes, “Twelve strokes should help you remember hmm?”

“T – twelve?” Wildfire shook her head in sheer panic. “No, no please!”

“You will count them Miss Wildfire. Miss a stroke and we start from one. Understand?”

“Please, Mistress, please…” The pegasus lowered her head, pulling painfully on her tail, “I…I understand, Mistress Amethyst.”

“Then we begin.”

Wildfire braced herself as much as she could against the unbearable amount of pain she knew she’d be receiving in a matter of seconds. She knew even if she counted to twelve in one go she wouldn’t be walking anywhere anytime soon. Only she would, because she was released from the desk the unicorn would fasten a spreader bar to her wings, holding them open and making flight impossible. She would feel these twelve strokes for days to come. The humiliation would be exquisite.

The cane floated back away from her exposed hooves, hovering in front of her.

The cane started to move.

Wildfire felt the air move ahead of the cane.

Wildfire shut her eyes.

~ ~ ~

“Wily!” A voice that sounded nothing like the cruel sadistic Head Warden called her name.

“Wily! There was that voice again, more insistent this time, and definitely male.

“Wildfire!”

Wildfire raised her head from her forelegs on her folded down bed in the cabin of the Friendship Express’s First Class carriage, and felt the warmth of the early morning sunlight catch on her face, but not as warm as the very fluffy mattress and extremely soft blanket to which she retreated back to. Quickly realising there would be no more sleep she yawned herself fully awake and re-emerging from the luxurious sheets she turned her head around, searching for the source of the voice. She could smell the familiar scent of the stallion. Standing a couple of feet away from her in the cabin was her best friend Dusk Melody.

“You…” she yawned again as she scratched the back of her head with a hoof and sitting up in her fold down bed, “What do you want, Dusk?” Wildfire asked grumpily, sliding off the bed to her hooves.

“And a very good morning to you too, Miss Grumpy Wings.” Dusk said tersely, his tone devoid of any humour at all. “It’s eight thirty a.m., the Express gets into Manehatten Station in roughly ninety minutes and, just because I asked them very nicely, the kitchen has kept a breakfast open for us a little later than normal.” He paused for a breath, studying his old friend closely as he did so. “C’mon, they have sugared oatmeal…”

“I’m not hungry.” Wildfire stated plainly, sitting down in the cabin and using the heat on her face to turn her head to the sun.

“You’re not…” Dusk started with a pause. This wasn’t like his Wily to refuse oatmeal, especially sugared oatmeal. “Wily you didn’t eat yesterday, c’mon you must be a little hungry?” He tried to coax her gently.

“I said I’m not hungry, Dusk.” Wildfire replied. She wasn’t, in all honesty hungry. Yes it was Tuesday morning, yes she hadn’t eaten all the day before, but her Mistress had very kindly allowed her a full bowl of dog food in her cell on Sunday and the little yellow pegasus wasn’t due to be fed again till the coming Thursday.

“Well,” Dusk said firmly, resting his hoof on his best friend’s shoulder, “I’m hungry, and either way we need to get out of this cabin for a while, the turn down team will want to clean it out for when the Express arrives in Manehatten.” He said, sliding open the door with his midnight blue hoof.

“Yes Dusk.” Wildfire capitulated with a slight bow, her voice dulled and her ears slicked back at the authoritative tone in his voice.

Dusk frowned at his friend’s unusual reaction, but chose not to say anything about it. After all, they had been apart for five years, ponies change. “Alright then, let’s go eat.” He smiled, gently steering her with the hoof at her shoulder.

“I can walk, Dusk. I know the way.” Wildfire snapped, shrugging her friend’s hoof away from her shoulder. Extending her wingtips to the floor the yellow mare took her hesitant careful steps out of their cabin and into the aisle, using her wings to feel where she was and turning right to walk to the Friendship Express’s buffet carriage.

“What’re you having Wily?” Dusk asked as he slid easily onto his seating pad opposite his friend.

With a small amount of effort as she felt with her hoof and wingtip for her own seating pad Wildfire seated herself and rested her forehooves on the table between them. “Nothing, I said I’m not hungry.” She said simply.

“Well that’s too bad,” Dusk smiled warmly, “Because I ordered ahead while you were sleeping and you have a bowl of hot oatmeal with chocolate sauce coming in about five minutes, along with a black coffee, stirred clockwise just the way you like it.”

“Yes, thank you, Dusk.” Wildfire thanked him curtly, sitting arrow straight and unmoving on her seating pad, her head pointed down to the floor.

‘Grrrr…’ the midnight blue stallion growled internally, trying with all his might not to reach over and shake the ungrateful mare by her shoulders until she squealed. ‘I don’t get this…that’s her favourite, it’s always been her favourite…what the hay’s going on?’ The thoroughly perplexed stallion asked himself. “Wily, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, Dusk.” She replied quietly, the blind mare still looking at the floor.

‘Nothing bucking much,’ Dusk thought as he watched his friend sitting there opposite him in silence, only answering with the barest of answers. His mother, Octavia, had warned him that ponies change, and to not expect too much from the yellow pegasus, but this was utterly ridiculous.

Dusk sighed deeply and rested his head against the train’s window, his memory and attention wandering as he wistfully watched the Equestrian scenery whizz past outside. If he was honest with himself this trip hadn’t been at all as the young prince had imagined it would be. He had thought, once he had been reunited with his old friend, the weight of Equestria that he’d been carrying on his shoulders would’ve finally been lifted. Alas that wasn’t to be the case, as was quickly apparent in the first few hours of this trip.

Dusk Melody was inwardly very happy the journey was almost over. What had started as an optimistic opportunity to reconnect and bond with his oldest friend had quickly, very quickly, not even two hours into the twenty hour train ride things had started to go south.

“Your breakfasts, your Highness, Ma’am.” The earth pony waiter bought over their orders on a high quality silver tray on his back and, with a delicate grace he seized the tray in his mouth and laid it on the table between them.

“Thank you, Savoir Fare.” Dusk gave the first class waiter a polite nod of thanks as he carefully positioned the teacup for the Prince and the coffee mug for his friend.

“Enjoy your meal, Highness, Ma’am.” The cream stallion bowed in return, and took his leave to clear away the other tables.

“I will, thank you.” Dusk reached a hoof for his earl grey tea and lifted the teacup to his lips for a delicate little sip, looking over at the little yellow pegasus sat silent and unmoving opposite him. Again he had the urge to seize and to shake her silly, if only to get a reaction from her. No matter what his mother said about ‘ponies changing’, this wasn’t the best friend he remembered.

‘I wish Vocal Chord was here…’ he thought glumly as he held the teacup in his hoof. Then again, he dearly wished he could’ve flown the journey. At sonic rainboom speeds he could’ve made it to Manehatten from Canterlot in just about two hours. Instead he was stuck on the Express with a friend who had been pretty much unresponsive since leaving the capital city. ‘Vocal at least would’ve been fun, like he was last week.’

“Hehe…” Dusk chuckled lightly under his breath as he took another, bigger sip of his earl grey. That trip to Manehatten they had both undertaken just a few days prior had been fun indeed. Sure the royal duties bit had been dull as anything, even desperately so, these types of event usually were. Like Twilight had often said, ‘nod and wave, Dusk, nod and wave.’ And more than anything else, the appearance in Manehatten to open the new wing of the Manehatten General Hospital, had involved a lot of nodding and waving.

‘Still…the trip wasn’t a complete dull waste of time.’ Dusk smiled to himself as he drained the rest of the earl grey from his cup and set it back on its china saucer. On a walkabout during some rare downtime Dusk and Vocal had discovered, entirely by accident, a zebra owned coffee shop under the building that housed the Manehatten Times newspaper.

In the short space of time the young lovers had been going to the coffee shop, Stripe’s Cup of Java, both Dusk and Vocal had struck up an easy going friendship with Caffienated, the orange coated zebra stallion who owned it. Dusk smiled at the thought of the zebra, ‘Stripes’, as he had quickly taken to calling him. He was the reason the Prince was heading back to Manehatten. With no royal engagements on the horizon, well, none he couldn’t hoof along to that idiot Blueblood, Dusk had readily taken the zebra up on his offer of attending one of his strictly ‘adult only’ parties.

‘Which…is why we’re here now, I guess…’ Dusk mused as he reached a hoof for one of his cinnamon hay cakes. Vocal Chord had been so looking forward to coming back to Manehatten to attend Caffienated’s party. He had even been out and had Rarity make him a special collar and leash for the occasion, all frilly dark blue and pink lace, it would’ve looked perfect on his little pup.

‘Oh well…’ Dusk thought mournfully as he chewed the hay cake and swallowed it down. Saturday afternoon his mom had stopped by their suite in the Canterlot Castle’s east wing with what she thought was good news, and it was, really. Vocal’s band had been struggling for the past couple of years, their last few albums hadn’t been very well received, either by the critics or the fans, and Luna had come with a surprise announcement. She had only gone and gotten Vocal and his band a sell-out gig, and of course it was for Tuesday night over at the new and improved “Trixie’s Place” club.

There was no way in Equestria his sexy coltfriend could turn that opportunity down to attend a BDSM party, no matter how much he wanted to. And of course Dusk had understood, like a good coltfriend does, so here they were. A brief visit to the care home where he’d discovered Wily was living yesterday noon time and they were off on the two p.m. Express to Manehatten.

Dusk was reaching for a second hay cake when a thought occurred to him. Glancing over the table at his friend he found her sat unmoving, still as a statue, with her scarred face looking down at the floor of the train carriage. In the past ten minutes she hadn’t made any effort to get her chocolate oatmeal or her coffee. Biting back the comment he wanted to utter, instead he asked, “Wily…I saw the letters you sent to your dad. Why, why didn’t you tell us, tell me, where you were?”

From her statuesque position on her seating pad Wildfire didn’t bother to lift her head up. “Why, should I have?” She asked dully, her voice again not sounding like her own, at least as Dusk remembered it. “You didn’t care. None of you cared.” She accused her friend, who in turn looked down and away.

Cocking her head to one side Wildfire recalled clearly the last moments she had shared with the midnight blue pegasus all those years ago;

“Blitzwing threw acids in your face, Wily. Your eyes…they um…the doctors say they exploded in your head.” Dusk explained, feeling sicker and sicker with each word, each syllable of each word, that he spoke. “I'm sorry…”

“STOP SAYING YOU’RE SORRY!” Wildfire threw Dusk's hoof back at him as her temper exploded. “I’M THE PONY WHO’S BLIND!” The pegasus screamed, not caring that her lungs and throat were burning raw, “WHAT THE HAY ARE YOU SORRY FOR?”

“Wildfire…please calm down,” Eirene put her hoof on her patients shoulder, causing her to jump in panic. “I'm sorry Wildfire, but you need to calm down.”

“Wily…” Dusk started, his head in his hooves as Wildfire started to take deep breaths. “It…it was my fault.”
“What?” Wildfire asked.

“Oh I’m sure Dusk didn’t mean anything by it Wily.” The nurse tried to intercept the outburst she could see coming. Sadly she wasn’t quick enough.

“Shut up, nurse.” Wildfire snapped, silencing the student nurse who ‘eeped’ as she turned her head in her direction. “Dusk,” she said dangerously, “What do you mean, it's your fault?”

“You weren’t paying attention in the science lab.” Dusk said quietly, each word ripped from him. “I showed Blitzwing the scroll that made him snap. It was all me, Wily. I…I’m so sorry.”

“So…he was aiming for you?”

"Yes....yes he was.” Dusk almost whispered, unable to look at his friend.

“Why?” Wildfire asked, her simmering temper barely held in check from her earlier outburst.

“Why what, Wily?”

“Why show Blitzwing that scroll? So what he won for that second. So what Dusk? You had to know how he’d react, D.” Wildfire demanded of her friend.

“Wily, I had no idea he’d lose it like that, I swear!”

Wildfire raised a hoof for silence and cut across the midnight blue pegasus. “You knew he’d react though, didn’t you?” She whispered as her voice threatened to give out, “You wanted him to react, you wanted him to rise to that stupid scroll. Well congratulations D, he reacted, and here we are. Was it worth it?”

“Wh – what?” Dusk asked, disbelieving of what he’d heard. “Wily please…”

“DON’T CALL ME WILY! GET OUT!” Wildfire screamed again, causing a doctor to look around the door frame, only to be waved away by Eirene.

“Wil…Wildfire…” Dusk couldn't remember the last time he’d used his best fiend’s full name. “You don’t mean that, please!”

“YOU DID THIS TO ME! GET OUT!” She screamed again, her hooves searching her bed for something to throw. Finding nothing she seized her pillow and threw that instead.

“Wily, what the buck?” Dusk exclaimed as the pillow missed him by a clear four feet to bounce off the walls to the floor.

“Prince Dusk…” Nurse Eirene stooped to pick up the pillow, “I think you should leave, please, my patient doesn’t need this stress.”

Dusk slid off the seating pad he was sat on, but made no movement to leave. “I'm not leaving!” He said with a stomp of his hoof, “We need to work this out.”

“GET OUT!”

“Your Highness, please…” The young earth pony mare took a deep breath and squared up to the Prince. “My patient has requested you leave. Um…please do so or I'll summon security.”

"Fine...I’ll go.” Dusk turned to leave and paused in the doorway. “Wildfire, I really am so sorry.”

“Just go Dusk.” Wildfire said quietly as she rolled over in the bed she was laid in, hoping she was facing away from the door. “Leave me alone.”

Wildfire lifted her head up as she finished speaking, facing roughly at Dusk, who in turn had remained silent throughout the unpleasant little trip down a very bumpy memory lane. “You left me, Dusk.” Wildfire said quietly, “You left me and you didn’t come back.”

Dusk paused, glancing at his old friend. “You asked me to leave.” He replied, not looking away from her.

“Dusk I was nineteen; I was scared, I was in pain, I had Celestia-knows what drugs pumping round my system…” Wildfire started, looking downwards again. “I was lashing out. Yes I wanted you to leave but…but I didn’t want you to stay away.”

“Alright…” Dusk said as he started to pour himself another cup of tea from the pot that Savoir Fare had left on the table, “If not me, then why not tell Air Raid, or Cyclone, Darkstar, or any of us?” He asked, breathing in the heavenly earl grey scent.

“Air Raid?” Wildfire asked incredulously, again lifting her scarred face, “You are joking, right? Vocal Chord finally teach you a sense of humour, did he?” She asked, her temper rising. “She left me! Or didn’t she tell you the details?”

“She uh…no, she rather glossed over the whole ‘leaving you’ thing. She told us she left you, that was it.”

“Well then,” Wildfire said bluntly, “Let me fill you in, shall I?”

“AAaaaaAAaaaHHH!” Air Raid screamed. And screamed. For a full minute she screamed, unable to vocalise her emotions any other way. Finally after what seemed like an age the green mare ran out of breath and shuddered to a haggard awkward silence that, in the wake of the terrified scream, seemed to stretch for eternity. An eternity in which the only sounds where the breathing of the three mares.

"R – Raid…Raid…wh – wha…” There was so many things whirling around Wildfire’s brain that her questions all muddled and what came out of her mouth was a garbled mess.

“W – Wily…I'm sorry I can't do this…” Air Raid interrupted, standing to her hooves.

“Wha…what d’you…I don't understand….you said I was p – pretty…”

“I lied! Okay I lied! I'm sorry Wily but look at you…you aren't my mare…she was pretty; you…you just aren't.” She turned on her hooves and started to head towards the open door.

Wildfire heard the clopping of her hooves, “Raid…please, I'm still your Wily, come back…”

Air Raid didn't bother to turn around or even look over her shoulder as she paused halfway to the door. “I can’t do it Wily…I can't care for you. I have my career…my racing…you're hideous...I can't be seen with you looking like that…” Feeling thoroughly wretched Air Raid took another loud step away from her now snivelling mare.

"Raid please..." Wildfire reached with her hoof, grasping at the very air. "Come back, talk to me, please!"

Air Raid just carried on walking. “Sorry Wildfire...we had fun while it lasted. Fun’s over, babes.”

“Raid!” Now it was Wildfire’s turn to scream, as the sound of hooves receded away. “AIR RAAAAID!” Wildfire reached out further with her hoof, hoping to catch the retreating mare. “Come back…please, please come back!”

“Wily…Wily I had no idea…” Dusk murmured as he lifted his teacup to his lips for a hesitant sip. “I…I’m so sorry.”

“Will you stop saying ‘sorry’, D?” The yellow pegasus asked with a tentative smile, “We’re here now, aren’t we?”

Dusk couldn’t help but smile a very wide smile. That was the first time since their reunion in Canterlot’s Residential District Cemetery at Silverbolt’s graveside two weeks ago that his best friend had called him ‘D’ like she used to all those years ago. It was only when he heard it said so naturally then that he realised just how much he’d missed hearing her say that. It felt…it felt good, almost better than finding her again. “You’re right, Wily. We’re here, and we’re going to have some fun.” Still beaming his wide smile he reached a midnight blue hoof for another of his cinnamon hay cakes, again he noted that his friend wasn’t eating. “Would you at least try the oatmeal, for me?” He asked again, “You know I hate eating alone.”

“Ugh…fine, D.” Wildfire pouted playfully across the table. “But only because I hate being nagged.” Slowly, very slowly indeed, Wildfire lowered her muzzle to the bowl of chocolate covered sugared oatmeal resting in front of her on the table. Using her hooves either side of it she located it and moved lower still, hesitantly sticking her tongue out just an inch above the bowl before her. For a split second she paused. It had been so long since she’d eaten chocolate, or oatmeal, or even tasted coffee, she had quite forgotten what it tasted like.

A split second later, and aware that Dusk's pink eyes were upon her, Wildfire hesitantly plunged the tip of her tongue into the chocolate coating the sugared oatmeal. All at once the rich flavour exploded on the tip of her tongue, exciting her long-neglected taste buds. “Oh sweet Luna’s sainted mane!” She gasped, pulling back and swallowing just the slightest bit. It was like nothing she’d ever tasted before!

If she could’ve seen, she’d have seen Dusk’s face full of confusion at her reaction, but instead she delved in again to the bowl of oatmeal, this time dragging her tongue along the chocolate for a longer taste. Again her tongue exploded with sensations long forgotten and denied her; the smell of the cocoa in the chocolate and oatmeal hit the back of her nostrils just as the creamy sweet taste of the beautiful chocolate lit up her mouth. Instantly it made the yellow mare think of fresh warm strawberries that just fell on loamy soil after a gentle summer rain. It was a warm, complex, sweetness balanced with a fresh bitterness.

“Wily…” Dusk said with a frown as she lifted her head up from the bowl, “What gives? You’re acting like you’ve never tasted chocolate before.”

Wildfire didn’t answer straight away. Her brain was overloading. Long hidden memories were starting to resurface, neurons firing in her head connecting with strands, sensations and feelings she had locked away in a little dark part of her head, memories of chocolate, and of coffee…coffee, of an eighteenth birthday that involved coffee, black coffee with two sugars, in bed with Air Raid…coffee…Raid…she remembered, though it was fragmented.

“I…” Wildfire sat up, panicking. “I, um…I uh…” she was in a sensory overload, she was at a loss as to what to do. She wasn’t supposed to feel like this, this wasn’t right. She was a slave. Slaves weren’t given chocolate and coffee. “Am…Amethyst…” she whimpered quietly, wishing her Mistress were here to comfort her. Amethyst would know what to do, she’d beat her until the doubt and confusion left her mind. “I…Dusk, D, I um…sorry I need to go…cabin…” Quickly she slid to her hooves and with stumbling hoof-steps used her wingtips to guide herself back to the first class cabin, leaving a stunned and bemused stallion behind her, a cinnamon hay cake held in his hoof.

In a matter of a few moments Wildfire had found her way back to their cabin, her wingtips steering her straight down the Express’s aisle. In their absence the turn down team had been in and done their jobs, cleaning out the cabin and folding away the beds. Sniffing she could smell the scents of the cleaning products they’d used, the scents of the freshly pressed linens even though they were folded away. Using her wing and hoof to locate the couch she laid across it, feeling the cold worn leather beneath her hooves and her fur. Resting her chin on the side of it she breathed in, the smell of the cleaning fluids calming her shattered frayed nerves.

Wildfire laid there immobile on the couch, for the first time in a very long time the little yellow pegasus was at an utter loss as to what to do. She needed her Mistress’s guidance, desperately. Thoughts, memories that she hadn’t had for five years, so long that she had thought them forgotten, were bubbling unbidden to the fore of her mind. Her nineteenth birthday…spent with Air Raid…that had been a good day. Now she was thinking, without her Mistress to guide her, she found she recalled that day, tied up to her bed and being made to orgasm for her marefriend…her marefriend.

“Air Raid…”

“How many did we have?” Asked an amused voice on the edge of her consciousness.

“Whaaaa?” The semi-coherent thought was the best she could manage after the vibrator’s merciless assault. At this point she wasn’t even sure who was asking or what they wanted to know. She was just pleased the orgasms had stopped.

“I asked, ‘how many did you have?’.” Air Raid placed a gentle kiss on Wildfire’s sweat soaked lips. “Did you enjoy your present sweetheart?”

“E – e –eight…teen.” Wildfire managed to breathe out. “I…came…eighteen times…” Her head rolled back against the board, her breathing coming under control.

“Well,” Air Raid frowned at her, “That won’t do at all will it? You’re nineteen today after all.”

Wildfire barely had time to register what her marefriend had said before she felt a hoof at the entrance of her sopping sex. As wet as she was Air Raid had no trouble inserting her hoof all the way to her elbow in one smooth thrust, tapping Wildfire’s cervix in a matter of seconds. Pulling out to her fetlock she thrust in again, once more bumping the closed entrance to Wily’s womb.

“Ah ah aaaAAAAAHHHH RAAAAIIIID!!!” Wildfire screamed as she climaxed for the nineteenth time, her marefriend thrusting her foreleg in and out of her like a piston, further wetting the already soaked bed and her partner’s leg with more of her cum. “Puh…p…please…no more, I can’t take any more…”

“And that makes number nineteen!” Air Raid smiled as she started to unbuckle the hoofcuffs, releasing Wildfire from her bindings. Once freed the exhausted pegasus flexed her aching muscles, rubbing circulation back to her shaking hooves.

Summoning what strength was left in her forelegs Wildfire pulled Air Raid into a tight hug, showering her muzzle in soft flowery kisses. “Thank you thank you!” She kissed her once more on the lips, “I love you y’know, like, a lot.”

“That’s a coincidence, ‘cause I love you too.” Air Raid gave her a kiss of her own, before breaking away from the tight hug. “Now my sweaty little sex kitten, ready for the next part?”

“Wha…there’s more?”

“It’s only six thirty. There’s the whole rest of the day to go yet baby.” Air Raid scooped Wildfire up and onto her back, spreading her lime green wings wide to support her marefriend’s weight as she trotted them both to the bathroom. “But first, a certain somepony needs a bath. You stink of sweat and sex.”

“Whose fault is that?” She asked dreamily, her head still a daze of sensations from the hour of orgasms.

Air Raid shouldered open the bathroom door with a smirk. "It's yours of course. Not like I have a spray can of Wily Funk." With that the lime green pegasus trotted over to the large oval bathtub, and gently laid her marefriend into the waiting hot water, disturbing the floating rose petals as she settled on her front. Looking around the bathroom Wildfire noticed for the first time the nineteen rose scented candles scattered around the room as the blessed hot water soothed her tight muscles.

“Spread your wings Wily.” Air Raid seated herself behind Wildfire on the outside of the tub, and ran her hooves up her back from the dock of her tail to the shoulder joints, slowly circling her hooves around the bases of her wings to stimulate the uropygial gland at the base of her tail. Lowering her hooves to the base of her tail Air Raid coated her hooves in the oily substance and returned them to her marefriend’s wings, spreading the diester waxes over the feathers. Starting with the primaries she made sure that each was coated in the oil that would help waterproof the feathers and keep them flexible. Symmetrically she moved each hoof to the secondary and tertiary feathers in turn until her task was completed.

Wildfire felt herself relax into the soothing rose scented water almost to the loss of consciousness. Sensual pleasure shot through her sensitive wings with every delicate little nibble and tweak that Air Raid performed, every minute realignment of a feather sent fresh spikes of bliss through the yellow pegasus. A couple of times Air Raid used her teeth to remove the tough sheath from a newly moulted feather, or to gently remove a damaged feather altogether.

“OoooaaAAAhhh…” Wildfire cooed as her marefriend used a hoof to stroke and tease the underside of the feathers while she licked, nipped and sucked the topsides into their proper aerodynamic positions.

Once she was satisfied the preening was completed Air Raid reached for the shampoo, and squeezed a generous amount over Wildfire’s back before using her hooves to rub it into her fur. A few moments later and the smell of the previous hour had left her marefriend’s coat, replaced with the lavender and jasmine shampoo. Dipping herself under the warm water Wildfire washed off the soap while Air Raid fetched a towel to dry her off.

Snapping back to the present, a present that saw her laid alone on the couch in the first class cabin of the Friendship Express bound for Manehatten with her best friend, Wildfire couldn’t help but smile at the long lost memory. “Damn you Air Raid…that was a good day.” She whispered to the leather couch.

‘The times weren’t all good though, were they?’ the poisonous little voice whispered in her head. ‘Raid used you in front of your mum and left you…didn’t she?’

Wildfire shook her head, confusion rife within her. In truth she wasn’t sure what she remembered as fact, what she’d invented, and what her Mistress had invented for her to believe. She very clearly recalled taking Air Raid to meet her mum in the Cemetery in Canterlot’s Residential District, the touch of the cold metal iron gate under her hoof, the smell of the warm grass under the evening moonlight…

Wildfire confidently pushed open the iron gate, leading the way along the well-trodden cobbled path she knew so well. “Mum’s waiting just over here,” the yellow mare said to her partner walking hesitantly beside her, pointing the way with a wingtip. “She’s been wanting to meet you for ages.”

Air Raid wasn’t sure how she felt about that, if she was honest with herself it sounded a little creepy, but it was obviously very important to Wildfire that they do this, and do it right. “I hope I make a good first impression Wily.”

A few minutes later they were stood before Silverbolt’s grave. “Mum, I’ve got somepony I’d like you to meet.” Indicating the other pegasus with a wing she continued, “This is Air Raid. You’ll remember I spoke about her before, and well, she asked me out tonight!”

Wildfire gave Air Raid a gentle nudge in the ribs, mouthing ‘go on’.

“Hey Ma’am,” Air Raid began uncertainly, ‘what do you say to a head stone?’ she thought to herself, “My name’s Air Raid. Call me Raid, most ponies do. I uh…asked your little girl out tonight, and err, Wily wants to know if you’re okay with it, with us dating, going out and…stuff.”

There was a moment’s silence before Wildfire tenderly nuzzled Raid’s neck, and said with a whisper; “Mum likes you, she just wonders what took us so long to get together.”

Air Raid released a deep breath she didn’t realise she was holding in. She was still unsure of this whole thing, but it felt weird, good weird, to have her mum’s ‘blessing’. “You visit your mum often then Wily?”

“Every Monday and Thursday. I come to see her, have a chat, unload stuff that’s bothering me, get her advice.” Air Raid shot her a sceptical look before she could stop herself. “I know she can’t really hear me silly, but I dunno, being here feels like being with her, y’know? Cuddling mum’s stone, it’s like getting a cuddle from her. I know it’s silly…”

Air Raid placed a foreleg over Wildfire’s shoulder, “It’s not silly. I get it, you want to be near your mum. How did she…?”

“Die? Mum worked with the Canterlot Weather Team. One day when I was twelve they were creating a storm and an errant cloud got loose, mum got hit by a lightning strike, she was dead before she hit the ground.”

“I’m sorry to hear that Wily.” She tightened the hug, nuzzling her cheek. “What else do you do, when you come to visit?”

“I write my poems.” Wildfire turned her head and retrieved her treasured book from her saddle bag carefully in her mouth. Taking it in her hoof she passed it to Air Raid, who took it in her own hoof.

Without even giving it a look she dropped the precious leather bound book to the grass and, without warning Air Raid spear tackled her to the ground, earning the lime green mare a surprised squeal from the yellow pegasus. “You really are adorable when you’re flustered you know Wily. Now, where were we?” Air Raid purred as she delicately nibbled her marefriend’s jawline up to her ear, giving it a long slow lick.

“W – we…ooooh that’s niiiice…can’t…do it here…hmm…Raid.” Wildfire managed to pant out through Air Raid’s sensuous nibbling.

“We can do it wherever I damn well want to do it, you got that, virgin?” Air Raid said nastily, harshly biting her way down her yellow furred body to her previously untouched marehood, uncaring of the fact they were in a graveyard.

“R-Raid…please stop…aaaaah…” Wildfire squeaked in surprise, her whimpered protests dying away unheard and unheeded as she felt Air Raid’s tongue start to lap at her exposed sex, her marefriend’s saliva mixing with her own juices coating the inner walls of her tight tunnel. “hmm Raid…I like that…” She cooed happily, giving herself over to her ministrations. Just as she was starting to buck her hips she felt the wondrous tongue remove itself from inside her, leaving her shivering on the edge.
“Why…why’d you stop?” Wildfire whimpered as the waves of pleasure dissipated.

“That was just the warm up act sweetie,” Air Raid giggled as she spat on her hoof, liberally coating it in her glistening saliva. ‘Should be enough lube’. “This is the main event…” She teased as she placed the leading edge of her hoof at Wildfire’s entrance, not enough to penetrate her but enough for her to know what was coming next.

Wildfire felt the toe of the hoof resting on her sex, she had a very good idea what her marefriend had planned for her. She trembled in excitement, and a little in fear. Sure she’d pleasured herself before but she’d never had anything inside her.

“Are you ready for this Wildfire?” Air Raid asked gently, taking note of her partner’s nervous shivering.

Wildfire nodded, keeping her eyes closed. “Will, will it hurt?”

“You’ll feel a small sharp pain at first, then it’ll feel wonderful, like the best pleasure in the world.” Air Raid lowered her head to kiss Wildfire’s lips, “I won’t do it if you don’t want me to, I can do something else.”

"N - no...it’s, I’m, fine…I want you to, please…”

Air Raid kisses her lips once more as she applied a tiny bit of pressure to her foreleg, inching her hoof past Wildfire’s spread labia, breaking the hymen with one smooth, slow push.

“Oh…oww!” Wildfire squealed with the sharp pain she felt between her legs, her muscles tensing up with the warm sticky sensation trickling from her spread pussy as it flowed over the invading hoof and down the inside of her thigh. ‘I’m bleeding! That’s my blood!’

“Wily, relax, or it’ll hurt more sweetie.” Air Raid held her hoof in place, just barely inside her tunnel.

“I can’t…it hurts!”

Air Raid brought her other hoof over and started gently rubbing it around her marefriend’s hood, teasing her clitoris with half touches and near misses, wiping away most of the slowing trickle of blood in the process. Wildfire visibly relaxed with the sensuous circular motions, distracting her enough for Air Raid to slip more of her foreleg inside her.

‘Sweet Celestia’s mane she’s tight!’ Air Raid halted her pushing once more as she felt her vaginal muscles gripping her leg, instead pulling back out a tiny fraction, lowering her lips to plant several soft kisses around Wildfire’s hood.

“Ngh!...ahhh Raaaaid!” Wildfire squirmed with the renewed pleasure of her marefriend’s tongue against her, instinctively raising her hips, sliding further along the penetrating limb. She was no longer aware of the earlier pain, consumed with the overwhelming feeling of just how wonderful it felt.

Air Raid wrapped her lips around Wildfire’s sensitive swollen clit and suckled hard, thrusting her hoof forward, progress made easier with the flowing juices around her leg adding needed lubrication. Alternating between smooth licks and hard sucking Air Raid thrust deeper within her with each forward motion until to her very great surprise she felt the toe of her hoof touch her partner’s cervix. Withdrawing her leg a quarter of the way Air Raid thrust back in again, again tapping the closed opening of Wildfire’s womb.

“Cum for me Wily, spasm up and down my leg…” Air Raid cooed as she increased the pace of her sawing rhythm, pumping her leg into the wet whimpering mess that was her marefriend.

“Raid, I’m gonna…I’m close…”

“Cum for me…” Air Raid whispered right inside Wildfire’s ear, delivering a torturously long slow lick all the way up before nipping hard at the tip. This extra stimulation was the final push to tip her over her edge.

“AIIIR RAAAAAIIIID!!” Wildfire screamed her marefriend’s name into the night sky as the most intense orgasm of her life coursed through her body, her vision going bright white as her back arched from the cloud, her vaginal muscles clenching almost painfully around Air Raid’s knee deep leg.

“Hehe…” Air Raid sniggered as she pulled her hoof roughly from Wildfire’s stretched open marehood. “That was fun, babes.” She said uncaringly, wasting no time in standing up to her hooves as Wildfire panted underneath her. “Sorry but I’ve decided you aren’t good enough for me anymore.”

"Raid please..." Wildfire tried to get up from the grass but found she couldn’t move her hind legs. Instead she reached with her hoof, grasping at the very air. "Come back to me, please!"

Air Raid just carried on walking away from the used pegasus. “Sorry Wildfire...we had fun while it lasted. Fun’s over, babes.”

“AIR RAAAAID!” Wildfire reached out further with her hoof, hoping to catch the retreating mare. “Come back…please, please come back!”

Except…Except that wasn’t how it happened, was it? Or was it? “Ugh…” shaking her head in a vain attempt to clear her confused mind she found she still didn’t know for sure. She laid her head back down on her crossed forehooves she sighed deeply, trembling on the leather couch. Oh, how she wished her owner was here to order her troubled mind. With Amethyst everything was so much simpler. Back at home she didn’t have to think, she didn’t need to think. Amethyst had taught her through tender loving pain that thinking was dangerous. Slaves weren’t required to think, that’s why they had caring owners, to do the thinking for them.

Gently Dusk Melody knocked on the doorframe of the cabin to announce his presence to his friend. “Wily? Wily are you alright?” He asked, taking a tentative step inside.

“Yeah…Yuppers…I’m fine, D.” She answered without turning her head, though her ears swivelled back to Dusk’s direction and followed his hoof-steps as he entered the cabin. She didn’t know why she said that, ‘Yuppers…’ it just seemed, natural, somehow. ‘Yuppers…Yuppers…hmm…’ she rolled it around in her head a few times and smiled, deciding she liked it.

“I bought you your coffee.” He said simply as he set the fine mug down on the table between them, the scent wafting through the cabin. “You um…you left it, behind, in the buffet carriage.”

“Thanks D.” Sitting up on the couch she sniffed out the delicious smelling beverage seductively wafting its scent teasingly into her olfactory senses. Tentatively she felt with her hooves and, upon locating the mug of now cooled coffee, carefully lifted it to her lips, wondering as she did so if this tasted as good as the chocolate had. Taking a small mouthful she swilled it around her mouth, tasting it as if for the first time in her life.

Swallowing the liquid Wildfire decided it wasn’t as good as the chocolate. It was better. Better, and she wanted more, whether Amethyst Glory would’ve allowed it or not.

~ ~ ~

‘Well…that certainly was…something,’ he thought, popping the cinnamon hay cake he’d been holding for the last ten minutes into his mouth and chewing it slowly, mulling over the show he’d just witnessed. 'All I did was ask why she was acting so weird eating her oatmeal.' He shook his head to be honest the midnight blue pegasus didn’t know what to make of any of it. "Mares," he muttered.

The prince reflected on Wildfire's parting words, ‘Amethyst Glory, hmm…’ Dusk thought, bringing to mind the Director of the Helping Hooves Care Home over on the east side of Canterlot’s Residential District. The purple unicorn mare was definitely not a pony to cross, Dusk had ascertained that much from merely being in her presence for the two half-hour meetings he’d had with her.

The first, two weeks ago now, was shortly after he and Vocal Chord had reunited with Wildfire in the Cemetery when they were visiting Silverbolt for her fifty-ninth birthday. At first the yellow pegasus had been evasive and unresponsive to Dusk’s enquiry as to where she’d been living, but eventually she’d caved and told them she’d been staying at the care home.

It boggled the midnight blue stallion’s mind to imagine his best friend had been in Canterlot all this time, to be so very close to her these past five years and to not know anything about her well-being or where she was intolerable. Of course, once they had their respects to Wildfire’s mum, had laid their flowers and shared the thousand year old bottle of moonshine, he and Vocal had insisted on walking Wildfire home.

That had been the first time he’d met Amethyst Glory, sat in her metaphorical ivory tower of an office, overseeing the care home. ‘Definitely not a mare to cross…’ Dusk thought to himself as he reached a hoof for his third cup of earl grey tea. He stood by that claim as well. Oh, she had been pleasant enough, to be sure, but spending all of his life around the castle and especially his aunt’s Day Court and his mom’s Night Court Dusk Melody had long ago learnt the art of the ‘Pony With Two Faces’. Moreover, he’d learnt pretty quickly to recognise this behaviour in others, and when it was being employed against him.

'Amethyst Glory, Tartarus, she’s a master of the two-faced pony, for sure.’ Dusk chuckled as he drained his earl grey. ‘Aunt Tia would be proud,’ he thought wryly, allowing himself a smile. Of course, there was the question of her sheer power as well. Having been around; his mom, his aunt, his cousin, not to mention Twilight Sparkle and the rest of what most ponies called ‘The Celestia Six', not to mention his mother and even Vocal Chord, Dusk Melody was no stranger to being around and recognising power and talent in other ponies. By now at twenty four, Dusk could almost smell latent power and talent like an aura, and Amethyst Glory, she reeked of power from twenty yards away.

Still, there was no time to dwell on that. With all of his delicious cinnamon hay cakes finally eaten and the teapot emptied of its earl grey load Dusk realised they were just over half an hour away from Manehatten Central Station. ‘Better see if Wily’s okay…’ with that thought in mind he carefully reached over the breakfast table and picked up the silver tray with his friend’s mug of coffee on it and placed it on his back. If she hadn’t had all of her oatmeal he could at least make sure she had her coffee.

Trotting back to their cabin Dusk Melody gently knocked on the doorframe to announce his presence to his friend. “Wily? Wily are you alright?” He asked, taking a tentative step inside.

“Yeah…Yuppers…I’m fine, D.” She answered without turning her head, though her ears swivelled back to Dusk’s direction and followed his hoof-steps as he entered the cabin. She didn’t know why she said that, ‘Yuppers…’ it just seemed, natural, somehow. ‘Yuppers…Yuppers…hmm…’ she rolled it around in her head a few times and smiled, deciding she liked it.

“I bought you your coffee.” He said simply as he set the fine mug down on the table between them, the scent wafting through the cabin. “You um…you left it, behind, in the buffet carriage.”

“Thanks D.” Sitting herself up on the couch she sniffed out the delicious smelling beverage seductively wafting its scent teasingly into her olfactory senses. Tentatively she felt with her hooves and, upon locating the mug of now cooled coffee, carefully lifted it to her lips, wondering as she did so if this tasted as good as the chocolate had. Taking a small mouthful she swilled it around her mouth, tasting it as if for the first time in her life.

“No worries, Wily.” Dusk reclined on the leather couch on his side of the cabin, watching his best friend enjoy her black coffee with a smile on his face. For the first time since they’d been on the train together the little yellow pegasus seemed like the best friend he remembered her to be. In that one brief instance it was as if the past five years hadn’t happened.

“Twenty minutes! Friendship Express from Canterlot arriving Manehatten in twenty minutes! Could all passengers please be ready to disembark with their luggage when the train makes a full and complete stop, Thank you.” The conductor finished his announcement as Wildfire finished drinking her cooled mug of coffee.

“Have you got everything ready, Wily?” Dusk asked as he watched her hang her saddlebag over her barrel, just behind the base of her wings.

“Yea…Yuppers, D, I’ve got everything here in my bag.” Wildfire replied, checking her bag was secure as she felt the train begin to slow down. ‘What few things I have, anyway…’ she thought, thinking of the meagre contents of her saddlebag.

“Alright then,” Dusk smiled, hoisting his own bag on his back and taking a step towards the door of the first class cabin. “Need help finding the exits?”

“Um…yes, please if you wouldn’t mind, D.” Wildfire replied, a slight blush colouring her yellow cheeks.

“Hey, no problem.” Dusk took a few steps and left the cabin first, standing to the right side to allow Wildfire room to pass him. “Right, use your wingtips, walk forward till you’re out of the cabin and turn left, then keep going until you come to the carriage door. Then we’ll be in the entrance bit, ‘kay Wily?”

“Yuppers, I got this, D.” Quietly they walked single file down the aisle of the Express until they reached the entrance part that Dusk had mentioned just previously. “So,” Wildfire said as she hooked a forehoof around a guard rail to steady herself against the decelerating Express, “Tell me about this zebra you’re taking me to meet.”