Chapter 26: Relief and a Rainbow at Midnight

Now, Applejack had little experience with corpses. However, she was fairly certain that dead bodies do not typically talk, nor do they complain about being in pain. She slowly maneuvered her weight off of Lewis, to see that his eyes were open, and he was moving, slowly and painfully, into a more comfortable sitting position. She stared at her beloved as he reached behind him and removed several of the fancy do-dads that he had been issued with. Or at least, he removed what was left of them, as several seemed to be in little pieces.

"Guess ah'm gonna have tah replace those," he mumbled weakly, flexing his back, "So, did ya'll beat that bitch yet?"

Applejack merely flung herself about his shoulders and sobbed, now with relief, into his shoulder. Lewis was surprised for a moment, then held her tight. Celestia almost collapsed, having evaded her absolute worst fears. In fact, everypony seemed to be alright, if not entirely comfortable. Bourbon woke to find a hopelessly wailing Fluttershy on his chest, and it took him several minutes to calm her. The big surprise was when Wolfe hobbled into view, being helped along by Rainbow Dash who seemed to be trying to plant a minimum of three kisses per square inch over his entire face, both of them looking rather pleased with themselves all the while.

Primus and Magus held Shining Armor up between them, and there was a brief period in which everypony and Lewis stood about trying to come to terms with the fact that they really were still alive. "Well," said Twilight, breaking the increasingly awkward silence, "That was . . . an interesting way to spend an afternoon."

"Indeed," Luna agreed solemnly, "I think it time that the moon take its place in the sky. While I attend to that . . . ah yes, her they are."

At that time, the first responders finally arrived, paramedics bearing the royal crest, as well as dozens of Royal Guard flooded in, several times tripping one another. Shining filled his lungs and began barking commands, his mere presence sending a ripple of order and calm through the ranks. Twilight paused to admire her brother at work. He wasn't Captain of the Guard for nothing. Even as he was loaded onto a stretcher, he kept things moving, detailing teams to clear debris and tend to the wounded.

The badly depleted unicorn went so far as to hurl abuse at the stretcher bearers, demanding they deal with Primus and Magus first, as he was carted off, although how he still had the energy to do so was anypony's guess. Of course, in spite of his comrades' wounds, the danger of magical depletion for a unicorn made him the medical priority, but it was typical for him to ignore that fact. Twilight wondered briefly why it had taken so long for anypony to react, but dismissed it as a question for later, as weariness began to take a toll on her as well.

Luna quietly guided Celestia from the room, but not before sneaking a mischievous wink at Big Macintosh. The big red stallion wasn't sure how to react to a wink from a princess, so he decided to stand by his sister and future brother-in-law.

Lewis' back ached, and there were deep bruises running down his back. Applejack had certainly taken her time in allowing him to stand, but he felt much better when she did, and he was relieved to find that his injuries were minor. "So, we survived," Lewis grunted with mild surprise.

At this point, Applejack finally recalled her earlier fury, and Lewis yelped as she stomped on his foot. "HOW DARE YOU?" his feisty fiancé yelled into his face, "ARE YAH STUPID? YAH COULDA DIED!" The ponies surrounding them had the tact and sense not to get involved in the dispute, leaving the great and powerful marshal to the mercy of his mare. One of the younger members of the Royal Guard had the temerity to snort in amusement, but one of superiors quietly cuffed him.

"Sweetheart," Lewis said in a calm voice, "Ah know yer upset, but can't yah understand? If we hadn't ah fought, she woulda destroyed Equestria, it was about more than me." He crouched down and held Applejack's face close, making her look him in the eye. "This 'ere is part of mah job. It's gonna get risky sometimes, ah won't lie to yah." She nodded in response, not trusting her voice as tears welled up in her eyes. "C'mere, hon." Lewis held her tightly while she cried. He couldn't help wondering when she would start to suffer from dehydration on account of all the weeping.

It was an hour later that Lewis and Applejack stumbled into a private suite in the upper reaches of the castle, much drained by their experience. A servant took Lewis' badly singed coat and hat, promising to return them cleaned and repaired in the morning, before scurrying away. The bed looked like a very attractive prospect, but both knew that sleep would be elusive, so they sat at a small side table, where they found some small sustenance in the form of tea and scones.

The snack was somewhat reviving, and at last, the tired mare looked over at Lewis and brought up something that had been eating away at her. "What happened between you and Luna?" she asked Lewis rather directly, causing him to choke on a mouthful of pastry. "Well?" she pressed.

"Ahem. Well, see it ain't what yah think . . . ."

Applejack facehoofed in frustration. "Y'all know that's 'bout the dumbest thing yah could say at this point."

Lewis shrugged apologetically. "Mah brain ain't exactly runnin' at full steam right now, ah kinda hope you'll give me the benefit of the doubt here, and ah'll try an answer clear-like." He sat up straight in his chair and looked at his fiancé. "After ah got mah commission as Marshal, Luna called me for a private audience. Seein' as ah was sorta workin' fer her, ah didn't think twice. 'Scept when ah got there, she wasn't interested in talkin' business, and it was more than a simple thank-you fer mah . . . well fer beatin' the shit 'n' piss outta them rapists for her."

"Yer sayin' she wanted yah," interrupted a very skeptical mare, "Am ah expected tah buy this story? And why in the hay am ah only hearin' this now?"

"Well, lemme finish 'ere, yah ain't heard all there is tah be said," Lewis tried to reason with her, "As ah was sayin, once ah realized that was what she wanted from me, ah refused."

"Why would yah go and do a fool thing like that?"

"Huh-saywhatnow?" Lewis babbled in confusion.

Applejack sighed. "Yah don't have tah lie tah me Leiws. She's a princess, yah couldn't ah just turned 'er down like that. She's beautiful in a way ah'll ne'er be, and most stallion's would give anythin' to be with 'er. Ah'm only mad 'cause yah didn't tell me, and now yer tryin' tah lie 'bout it- HMPH!" She was stopped by Lewis planting a big deep kiss on her lips. "What they hey?" she spluttered when he released her.

"Applejack, ah'm a one-gal kinda guy. Ah DID turn her down, on account ah me bein' with you already." She almost opened her mouth to object, but he put a finger to her lips. "Honey, yer still wearin' the Element of Honesty. If ah was lyin' wouldn't yah be able tah tell?"

She looked down at the necklace, surprised to find it still around her neck. "Ah ain't ne'er used it fer nothin' like that. 'Spose it couldn't hurt." As her hoof stroked the jewelry, it began to glow softly. The glow expanded outward from the necklace, and before them formed into a flattened rectangular shape, almost like a screen. While they watched, images began to flash by on the screen, taking on the appearance . . . Luna's private quarters.

Applejack's mouth hung open as the image began to move, and immediately she could hear the voices of Luna and Lewis. It was his recollection of that evening, preserved in perfect quality. Lewis sat there and stared at his feet, not wanting to see it again, but he could feel Applejack's reactions. He felt her heart race as she watched the one she loved refuse the advances of one of the most gorgeous and powerful mares in Equestria, on her account. He also felt her muscles harden as the images of Luna's reaction played themselves out.

At last, it was over. "Yah told the truth," came a soft, uncharacteristic voice form Lewis' side, "Ah know fer a fact yah told the truth, but ah still can't believe it."

"What's tah believe?" he retorted, putting an arm around the warm shoulders of the mare that held his heart, "Ah love you, and nopony or whatever else, is ever gonna change that."

"Ah love you too."

Primus wandered the palace, taking in the changes since his last visit. His thoughts wandered to happier years, when he had spent a great deal of his time in Canterlot, and wished his return had occurred under more pleasant circumstances. The aches and pains of battle caused him no concern; they were merely the newest additions to a sizeable collection. The world had put a great deal of effort into killing the tough black stallion since his birth, but he was still standing.

Without realizing where his hooves were taking him, he found himself at his favorite balcony. It was a quiet spot overlooking the gardens. It was rare for anypony to come by even in the day, so Primus was surprised to find another pony there, gazing at the stars.

"Come on over mon ami, deh night air is cool and calm." Magus' voice startled Primus. He had thought he was moving more quietly than that.

"Thank you," he said as he stepped out to join the rather unusual unicorn. Primus had rarely met another black pony. The color was exceedingly rare in ponies. In his life, he had only met two others. The color seemed indicate individuals with extraordinary abilities. That made Magus a pony to be reckoned with.

"A beautiful night, eh? Make's me miss deh bayou. At least ah managed to find some replacement ingredients." Magus' accent was a true curiosity for the sword-master. "Ah wandah 'bout 'at Marshal. Odd lookin' bâtard, but 'e can 'andle 'imself in a fight, an' that's good enough for jazz, oui?"

"Um, yes," said Primus, "I suppose he did very well. I mean, he was the only one of us that could hit her, wasn't he?"

"HA! You forget 'bout little ole Magus already? Maybe ah don't go smackin' ponies with clubs an' swords, but ah wasn't sittin' on mah cul, was ah? Certainement pas! 'Fraid mah magic just wasn't thah trick today, but ah still managed to get a few in."

"So you did friend," said Primus, "My apologies."

They sat there for a short period, looking up together. Primus looked down at last when he noticed Magus levitating a flask. The cork popped free with a loud "pop!" "What's that?" he asked, eyeing the container curiously.

"Dis, mah friend, is good bayou Moonshine," Magus answered, taking a pull before nodding and humming appreciatively. After two more pulls, the flask drifted over to Primus. "Here, after the day we've 'ad, ah think we both earned this."

The proffered flask found waiting hooves and an eager mouth. As he tipped the liquid into his mouth, he had to stop himself from gasping. It was excellent, like nothing he'd ever found in all the dives he had ever visited. Smooth, sweet, with a subtle kick. It felt cool, far cooler than a simple flask aught to have kept it. "Once more," Primus said, "What is this exactly?"

"Moonshine, mon ami," his new unicorn pal told him proudly, "The name is quite literal, it's distilled from liquid moon-light." This statement earned Magus a skeptical glance. "It's true. Tell me you can think of anytin' to compare it to but a full moon."

The skeptic was silenced, realizing that it couldn't be anything else. "But how . . . ?"

"Sorry," came the mischievous reply, as Magus reclaimed the flask and took another swig, "That's a secret." The tired fighters chuckled together, long into the wee hours of the morning.

"Mother of Celestia this feels amazing!" Wolfe moaned. His injuries still stung but the pain was greatly dulled now. The burns had been carefully treated by unicorns specializing in healing magic, and such trivial hurts could never compare to what was happening to him now. Rainbow Dash was giving him a fantastic reward for his valiant efforts in protecting Equestria, and he was at her mercy. He twitched helplessly at her merest touch, and touching there was aplenty.

"How's that?" the lovely cyan bundle of awesome asked as she made her final push. Wolfe tensed for a few moments, then relaxed at last, lost in ecstasy. Dash giggled. "I've gotten pretty good at this over the years. I've never left anypony dissatisfied."

"I believe you," the happy deputy groaned, the tension of the day simply gone, leaving his face a picture of utter bliss. After a few moments, he flipped over on his back and looked up at her. "Best. Massage. Ever." Not only was he refreshed from his earlier trials, but the kinks and knots in his back that had troubled him for several weeks were gone.

"When you get into flying sports as much as I do, you gotta learn the basics of dealing with back pain," Dash bragged, glad for the opportunity to show off her expertise, "Too many knots and those wings are as useful as a couple sacks of sand on your back."

"Yeah, I guess I could be doing a better job with that," Wolfe admitted, "When I was growing up, flying sorta . . . took a back seat to other things. I guess some of this other stuff got neglected a little bit too."

"Yeah, well start taking care of yourself dummy," Wolfe's volunteer masseuse reprimanded, then added more softly, "I don't wanna see you get hurt."

"What was that?" the patient asked, sitting up slowly and looking at the lovely female in wonder.

"Errr, nothing. Forget I said anything."

Wolfe wrapped a hoof around Rainbow Dash before she could run off. "I like you a lot Dash. I don't want to see you hurt either."

The deputy and the daredevil regarded each other cautiously for a long moment, the silence of the dark little suite they had been given forcing them to acknowledge that, whether they were ready or not, they would be bunking together that night.

"I need to fly," Dash blurted out suddenly, moving to the window. She flung it open, and the cool night air was soothing to her senses, making her pause. "Oh what the hell?" she thought, turning her head to look back at a somewhat crestfallen Wolfe. "Are you coming?"

Within minutes the two were soaring in the skies high above Canterlot, specks lost in the vast sea of stars, dashing about through the few clouds present that night. Wolfe fought hard to keep up with the expert speed demon, but soon found his female company flying circles around him. At last, he alighted on a comfy-looking puff of cumulous to catch his breath. "Aww, what's the matter? Too fast for you?" his tormentor asked with a wide grin.

"Much," he answered, "But you already knew that." His wing-muscles were burning again, but he loved the exhilaration of flight as much as any pegasus. It was in their nature, as creatures of the sky. It was something that, for all their kinship to the two flightless pony races, they could never truly make understood.

It was this rush, perhaps, that had gone to Rainbow Dash's head, but she couldn't help thinking that at that precise moment, Wolfe looked more than a little dashing. She touched down next to him, for only a moment, and whispered in his ear. "If I slow it down for you a little, do you think you could dance on the wind with me tonight?"

Wolfe's eyes shot open. Amongst the pegasi, the phrase "dance on the wind with me," was more than a beautiful expression. It was an invitation, and a very formalized one. It invited a special somepony to participate in an aerial ballet of an extraordinarily intimate nature, known only to the creatures of flight and those that cared to study them. Wolfe had never been so invited. All he could manage was to nod dumbly for a moment, before snapping himself out of shock in time to deliver the formal response. "Too the sky, my love."

They flew then, fast and hard, higher than most pegasi would dare. For success, they had to achieve a certain altitude. Their instincts would tell them when they had arrived. Uncounted generations of such acrobatics had produced a reaction in their biology to the thinning air, the sudden cold, and the difference in air pressure. Wolfe's reaction became apparent as his shaft hardened in anticipation. Rainbow Dash felt herself becoming wet in response. They were high enough, and it was time.

They hung there, nose to nose, suspended in the darkness together. Then they came together, pressing their bodies against one another. Two pairs of wings folded. Two ponies began to fall.

As the air howled past his ears, Wolfe felt his girth enter Dash, as natural and simple as if they had rehearsed it. He wasted no time, she was open and ready for him. He began his thrusts with wild abandon, driving deep and hard. The smell of her and the heave of her breath excited him, and he could almost forget that they were plummeting through the air towards the hard and unyielding ground.

For her part, Dash's mind was afloat in a sea of bliss. Nothing mattered, except that she be entered again, and again, without cease. She was unable to tell where one orgasm ended and the next began, and the pleasure overloaded her senses, pushing everything but the desire to mate out of her mind. There had been a couple stallions before. Nothing serious, just flings that had ended almost as soon as they began. This was different, exciting in a whole new way.

At last, the instinct for self preservation kicked in, and both realized they would have to pull out of the dive soon. "I'll lead," Dash yelled out, and Wolfe could think of no objection, lost in the pleasure of being deep inside the mare of his dreams. She opened her wings, and looked at Wolfe mischievously. He was getting close, she could tell, and since he'd been such a gentlepony, he deserved a treat. They had built up and incredible velocity, and the angle was right. "Hang on!" she cried, as the wind began to howl, tortured by their passing. A familiar conical shape began to form, and the howl became a scream.

Below in Canterlot, a few night-owls amongst the city populace that happened to be up for one reason or another, looked up and saw something astonishing. A few, those more familiar with the skilled fliers of the day, recognized the Sonic Rainboom, but most simply gazed up in amazement as an explosion of multicolored light tore open the dark night sky. Many watched the sky long after the light faded, and the stars danced once more in the heavens, unwilling to miss the spectacle again, should it repeat itself.

Two exhilarated but exhausted lovers landed side by side in a suite positioned in the upper reaches of Canterlot Palace. Neither said a word as they stumbled to the bed, lying down beside one another. They kissed and cuddled briefly, but consciousness fought hard to slip their grasp. "What do you call that?" asked Wolfe.

"Sonic Raingasm," Dash replied, only half joking. Rather than laugh, the deputy let out a soft snore. "Lightweight," she mumbled with a self-satisfied smile and a yawn, "Points for style though." Moments later, she was fast asleep as well.

Pinkie Pie sat in her suite, bent over a list of essentials for Applejack's bachelorette party. She scribbled items down as they came to her. Her newly modified party cannon of course, and a few other odds and ends. Fortunately, the ever-prepared oddball had all the materials she would need handy. As the premier party-pony of Equestria, she had a reputation to maintain after all.

She grunted in frustration. Of course she needed to prepare for the bachelorette party, but when she had suggested a "Beat the Bad Guys Again" party, everypony had just stalked off to go to sleep. It was sheer madness! They were in a palace of all places, and all anypony wanted to do was get some rest? She set the parchment down once she was satisfied she had what she needed. The slightly disgruntled mare muttered grumpily to herself as she lay down to sleep. "We got to throw a party when we beat Nightmare Moon. Why don't we get to do it now?"

After tossing and turning for a few minutes, she got back up, unable to rest. "Ooooh!" Pinkie became excited as a light bulb appeared above her head in direct defiance of all logic and reason, "I know, I'll just pop over to 'Unbecoming Bronies' and have some fun riding Maxie's giggle-stick for awhile!" She waved at you, the reader, shattering the fourth-wall (for what must be about the millionth time by now). "By guys! Love you Max!" she called out, confusing the guard stationed outside her room whose name also happened to be Max.

Without further ado, she vanished, leaving the smell of cotton candy and marshmallows, and a note that read, "Back by chapter 27."

Okay, so I seem to follow a pattern. I tell people I have my schedule back on track, then vanish for a week. I'm not going to do that anymore. Here's the deal: I will promise ONE update weekly. I will do more when possible. If the last bit confused any of you, it's because you've been a bunch of bastards, and aren't reading "Unbecoming Bronies." Have fun Max. Also, "There is a Season" is not getting the attention it deserves. This is a threat: if "There is a Season" by Sword and Soul doesn't start getting a whole bunch of reviews really soon, I'm going to stop writing on LoE for TWO MONTHS. Now get off your asses and do the right thing.

This chapter is dedicated to two fairly new readers. NotoriousFig, for reading the whole effing story up to ch. 25 in one sitting, congratulations, you have left me with a thoroughly swelled head. Also we have Nick1318, recently started, recently caught up, and had a lot of really nice things to say when he did. Welcome and thank you. I hope to hear more from both of you again. I am Silas Grimm, and both of you are now my friends.