Rainbow awoke and stretched her wings, wide. The action was a mistake, as soon as she stretched her wings pain shot from her back. The newfound star tattoo—barely a day old—made itself known to her all over again.

The mare immediately relaxed her wings and looked around, her eyes blinking rapidly as she took in her surroundings. She was in a round, soft quilted fleece mat laying on the floor. Not uncomfortable, the lining was as soft as a cloud, her blanket more comfortable than any she had owned in her life, and it was enlarged to fit her size, but even with all the accommodations, there was no doubt to what it was.

It was a dog bed.

That realization brought others. Her ears were still sore from the piercings, her back from the tattoo, and her reputation was shot with everyone who’d seen her. And, now that she was up, her body ached as well, especially her nethers.

“Damn Twi, you really did a number last night,” Rainbow said as she looked up on the bed.

Her normal spot—for the last two days anyway—was on that bed. But last night, after some fun, Twilight had kicked her off. Literally kicked her off. Not in a way that hurt, but in a way that was definitely demeaning. The princess, her ‘master’, had accused her new pet of smelling and kicked her off the bed.

Given, after their activities, both mares smelled, but the details weren’t the important thing, it was the actions, it was the master putting her pet in its place that mattered.

Rainbow gulped as she remembered last night. An action that reminded her of the spiked collar she now wore around her neck. It was tight, tighter than she thought it should be, but her ‘master’ had absolutely assured her—after triple checking a few times with her magic—that it would cause no danger to her breathing or run the risk of harm. Twilight had said that she’d magically enchanted it to come off the moment Rainbow’s O2 level dropped below acceptable levels.

Even playing a dom, you can’t help but be an egghead can you, Sparklebutt? Rainbow thought as she quietly chuckled and jumped up on Twilight’s bed. Her thoughts were reinforced by the fresh new books Twilight had next to her bed. Books Twilight wouldn’t be caught red-hoofed with on a normal day, books that Rainbow suspected she had Cadance to thank for. Among them were such titles as: How to be a Dom, How to care for your new ‘Pet’, Playtime and Punishments, The Pleasure of Humiliation, and the last one which made Rainbow blush, Preening your new Pet Pegasus.

Looking at those titles, Rainbow felt her already matted fur dampen again. There was no greater evidence that Twilight was taking her new role seriously. A portion of Rainbow, a rather large portion told her to end this, but in spite of that, in spite of the humiliation and treatment, she was enjoying herself, more-so than she’d ever expected.

It was just a bet, it was just her following along with her end of the deal, a deal she had been the one to insist on. Or at least that was what she told herself. But the way she felt couldn’t be written off that easily. It’d only been two days, and yet… yet.

Rainbow shook that thought off as she admired her new ‘master’. Twilight was sleeping peacefully in her bed, her hair matted against the side of her head. Her muzzle skewed in a smile.

Her eyes rested on Twilight’s own changes. As Rainbow had Twilight’s cutie mark tattooed on her back, Twilight had Rainbow’s tattooed on her chest. The princess even had her fair share of piercings on her ears. Just like Rainbow now had. She also wore a collar, just like Rainbow’s.

We went too far, didn’t we? Still… Damn you look hot like this.

Rainbow couldn’t lie, not to herself. This change, this persona, seeing the princess play the bad girl, it was rather hot. It was that change, that commitment that made Rainbow’s own that much easier; Twilight being contrary to her very nature made Rainbow being contrary to her own that much easier.

And the fact that the last two days were—bar none—the best sex in her life didn’t hurt things either.

Rainbow’s eyes glanced from the sleeping mare to the clock. She saw that it was time for her ‘master’ to awaken. That was one of her new duties; to make sure her master woke on time. Rainbow sighed, a little too loudly. A bet’s a bet…, she thought as she moved in to nuzzle Twilight’s chest.

Only to immediately pull back as the smell hit her. Damn Twi, if I smell half as bad as that it’s no wonder that you kicked me out of bed last night. She shook it off, readied herself against the smell, and went back in.

Twilight’s fur was just as matted as she’d expected. The feel of sweat and other juices permeated every follicle of hair. Rainbow ignored it and pressed her muzzle into Twilight’s chest. She was rewarded for her efforts.

Warmth greeted her. The warmth of a perfectly content, satisfied, and sleeping mare. Rainbow pressed deeper into her mare friend’s fur, the thump-thump of Twilight’s heartbeat greeting her as she did so. When the mare didn’t awaken, Rainbow kept her eyes shut and pushed harder while letting her muzzle slide along Twilight’s barrel.

There was no getting past the smell, but the warmth more than made up for it. When Twilight didn’t awaken, she kept going, expecting to end the session by finding the mare’s muzzle. What she found instead surprised her.

Somehow, she’d traveled down Twilight's body instead of up. Rainbow only realized it when her muzzle encountered one of Twilight’s nipples. Maybe it was out of instinct, maybe due to the absurdity of the situation, but Rainbow’s next actions surprised even her. She latched her lips around the nipple and begin suckling like a newborn foal.

The action was soothing in a way that surprised Rainbow. She fell into it, forgetting about waking her ‘master’, forgetting about the last two days. It was as if nothing else mattered, as if all that existed was the bed she was on and the nipple in her mouth. Her body relaxed, her eyes closed, and she gave in, letting the action be her everything.

That is until she felt a hoof brush through her mane. “I didn’t know you liked this, Rainbow.”

Rainbow jumped up in horror at the sound of her master’s voice. “Twi, I… um… I—”

Twilight’s smile fell to a frown as she detangled her hoof from Rainbow’s mane. “Ugh, remind me to get you a haircut today. And relax, I’m not mad. It felt pretty good on my end, although you do need to watch your teeth next time. If you like that we can do it more.”

“I didn’t say I liked it! I just… umm…”

“Relax Rainbow. It makes sense, it’s our natural instincts to suckle on teats for sustenance when we’re young. All mammals have that impulse. And while we do grow out of it, it’s logical that those instincts would remain.” At those words Twilight levitated over a parchment and quill, “Tell me how it felt? What caused you to feel like nursing?” She asked, her quill already scratching away.

“No,” Rainbow stated with all the force she could muster.

“Ahh, come on,” Twilight said with a slight pout to her voice. “It’s for science!”

“No,” Rainbow replied again as she jumped off the bed with more force than was necessary.

Twilight huffed as she felt her bed lurch slightly to the side. “You’re no fun,” she replied as she crossed her hooves on her chest. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she caught whiff of the smell. “Ugh, I need a shower.”

“You and me both,” Rainbow replied, smelling herself and recoiling as she headed to the showers.

Twilight went to climb out of bed when her eyes caught sight of the book How to care for your new ‘Pet’. She smiled as she got to her hooves. “Sorry Rainbow, pets don’t take showers.”

“You can’t be serious,” Rainbow replied as she paused and looked back.

“Very,” Twilight replied matter of factly, “Pets don’t take showers,” she repeated as she walked past Rainbow. The mare smiled as she looked back and said, “They get bathed by their masters.”

“You… want to… wash me?” Rainbow stuttered.

“It’s a master’s duty, isn’t it?” Twilight replied. “I mean, that’s what the book said. Chapter two if I remember correctly. It dealt with the proper bathing and care of your new ‘pets’ and I—”

Rainbow cut her off with a facehoof. “Twilight, I will never know how you go from sexy dominatrix to nerdy egghead at the drop of a hoof.”

“So you think I’m sexy?” Twilight asked, her face a mixture of playfulness and shock.

“Don’t make me take it back,” Rainbow replied.

“Oh just wait for me in the tub, I’m going to go take a shower. I’ll bathe my pet afterwards.”

“Wait, you don’t want me to join you in the shower?”

“And miss the chance to clean you myself, no thank you. Now be a good pet and jump in the tub,” Twilight replied as she walked past Rainbow and into the bathroom. Rainbow sighed and followed, apprehension and anticipation plaguing her steps in equal measure.

Rainbow turned left and jumped into the tub. Her last sighting of Twilight was seeing the mare’s flank as she disappeared behind the shower curtain. She smiled slightly when she heard the showerhead turn on, but it was a smile that was short lived as the seconds ticked over to minutes.

Ugh, why is she taking so long in the shower… Wait, does she take Rarity level showers? Am I going to be waiting in here for a hour‽ Two‽ No, Twilight’s not like that. Still, I’d have been in and out in ten seconds. This is ridiculous.

As boredom kicked in Rainbow started to debate about simply turning on the bath water and bathing herself. She wrote that idea off, partly because Twilight would be mad at her and partly because she didn’t want to direct the hot water flow away from Twilight. Doing so would be hilarious, but it’d also seriously tick off Twilight. Although she had to admit that the option was getting more and more tempting as time went on.

Nah, I don’t want to make Twilight mad. Wait, why I am so worried about that? Why am I agreeing to this? A bet’s a bet, but still… Even I know we took it too far. Those piercings, the tattoos… Celestia is going to have my flank when she sees, never mind the others.

Rainbow’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt when she heard the shower head turn off. Her ears perked up and eyes shot straight to the curtain. She couldn’t help but notice that her tail started to move on its own. The realization dawned on Rainbow; her own body was betraying her. Why do I love this so much‽

“Who was a good girl and waited for her master?” Twilight asked as she came out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her mane. “Yes you were, yes you were.” Twilight used her magic to start rubbing the side of Rainbow’s head.

Rainbow couldn’t help but lean into it. She found herself enjoying the praise and the attention in much the same way as a dog might. For about two seconds anyway.

“Too much, Twi. Too much,” Rainbow said as she regained her composure and pulled away.

Twilight’s manner quickly changed. “Oh, I’m sorry Rainbow, I didn’t mean to push it so far so fast. It’s just that you’re responding so well, just like the books said you might!”

Rainbow’s ears fell flat at that. “What do you mean books said I’d act a certain way‽”

“Well, according to the book your personality is close to an ESTP, meaning that you’re incredibly dedicated, strong-willed, direct, and loyal. You take on challenges because you love to be rewarded, and you’ll respond quite favorably to constant positive feedback, especially if it came at no effort other than incremental behavioral changes.”

“You… you got all that from a book?”

“Yep! Honestly even though it’s a sex book I wish I’d read it earlier. It makes so much sense! All I’ve been doing is rewarding you with constant praise and attention for doing next to nothing. Your personality type would accept that reward and continue on the path I want you to be on, just so you’d get more of the attention you want.”

“And I’ve been going along with this?”

“To be honest you’ve done most of it yourself. I find myself having to skip chapters just to keep up with your development. I’m quite shocked with just how well you’ve done.”

Rainbow’s muzzle opened and shut several times. She was so flabbergasted at what Twilight had just told her that she didn’t even notice when the water came on. “That’s… that’s really messed up, Twi.”

“Messed up?” Twilight asked.

“You’re manipulating me!”

Twilight dropped the soap she had just picked up. “Yes, but isn’t that what you want me to do?”

“Want? Why would I want that‽”

“You agreed to be my pet, Rainbow. That means I’m your master. If I’m playing the role of the master doesn’t that mean I need to treat you well? That it’s my job to make sure my pet is behaving properly? Don’t you want me to be the best master I can be so I can make you the best pet you can be?”

“Well, I… wait… I mean, I…”

“We can stop whenever you want, bet or no bet,” Twilight replied as she fished the soap out of the bath and started scrubbing Rainbow right under her left wing, right in the sweet spot that almost caused her to melt into the bathwater.

“I don’t welch on my bets,” Rainbow said with a little more force than intended as she leaned into Twilight’s touch.

Twilight noticed the dichotomy between Rainbow’s actions and words. She was definitely enjoying herself, her body language said that much, but Rainbow was mentally justifying it with the bet. “We can stop whenever you want. Unless you have the… perseverance to keep going?”

“Never use that word again,” Rainbow purr-growled.

Twilight laughed at that. “No but seriously, if we do something you’re not okay with…”

“Trust me, I’ll let you know.”

“But I will keep pushing your limits, Rainbow.”

“As a good master should,” Rainbow replied in a deadpan tone as she adjusted her position, letting Twilight’s hoof reach her sides and flank. “So you’ve said at least a dozen times these last two da—”

Rainbow’s words were cut off as soon as Twilight's hoof found her nethers. She let loose a deep breath, enjoying the stimulation. “Is this… is this part of the ‘reward’ for me being good?” Rainbow asked.

“Of course, not that you’d have to be a good pet to get this reward,” Twilight whispered in Rainbow’s ear.

Stupid sexy Twilight. Rainbow thought as she lost herself in the feeling of that hoof. She felt Twilight’s fur brush against her slit, move up and down her clit, lightly pressing—teasing the entrance to her marehood. The hoof moved slightly faster every second, which combined with the water, the heat, caused her normal feelings of tension and the ‘itch’ to come far faster and arrive greater than she’d ever experienced before when playing with herself.

As the seconds ticked by, Rainbow lost herself to the hoof, to the feelings growing within. She lost the fight she’d been having with herself and one of her cyan hooves started assisting Twilight’s, rubbing her clit viciously.

Twilight slapped it away, “uh no, Rainbow. That’s the master’s job.”

At that Rainbow huffed and looked away, but noticeably, put her hoof back down while moving her flank and tail slightly to provide Twilight better access. Twilight smiled at that and started over, finding Rainbow’s marehood practically soaking, and not from the water.

She powered her horn and started working Rainbow from several angles. She teased her flanks, her thighs, her chest, and her wing base, all the while working her marehood with a hoof. Under the combination assault it was seconds until Rainbow was once again lost to the pleasure. “I think it’s time we do something about that mane as well.”

“Mhmm…” Rainbow mumbled, only partly paying attention.

“That’s a yes?”

“Yes,” Rainbow moaned.

Twilight smiled and floated over a pair of scissors.

When the moment came Rainbow all but collapsed into the water. She felt it like a wave of pleasure washing over her from her flank to her muzzle. Every iota of her being felt good, exhausted, but good. Twilight helped her out of the water and levitated over a towel to wrap dry her off.

Rainbow smiled at her and took over the duty for herself. “I hope you like it, Rainbow,” Twilight said, smiling.

“I loved it,” Rainbow replied. “Are those the types of bathings I can always expect? If so this is the greatest bet I’ve ever lost.”

“Of course, but I meant your mane-cut.”

“Mane-cut?” Rainbow asked, unsure. Unsure until she reached up to the top of her head. “Wait…” Twilight levitated over a mirror for the mare to use. Rainbow snatched it and examined her new mane.

Her normal long hair was gone. In the front it no longer dripped over her eyes, stopping just over her brow. In the back it was trimmed all the way down to the bottom of her head. “Waahhhtttt….”

“I hope you liked it. This cut should be far more efficient for both flying and cleaning. Plus I think it looks adorable on my new pet.” Twilight’s expression was the same she had when a new experiment worked exactly as she had planned.

“Why did you? I… Better at flying?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh yes, the reduction of air resistance and wind drag should produce a noticeable increase in your speed.”

Rainbow's mouth opened and closed several times as her eyes took in exactly what her new ‘do’ would look like while flying.

“Plus I think you look really cute like that,” Twilight replied.

Rainbow gave her a death glare, but didn’t say anything. Well, it’s not worse than the tattoo and piercings. And it makes Twilight happy, so...

Twilight all but clapped in cheer when Rainbow put the mirror down with a look of acceptance on her face. “I’m so happy you liked it, let’s go get something to eat!”

“Sound good,” Rainbow replied, then thought of something. “Umm… Spike’s still at Rarity’s, right?”

“Oh no, he’s due back this morning. He should be downstairs making breakfast.”

Rainbow stopped in her tracks. “Wait, he’s… here?”

“Of course Dash, he wasn’t going to be gone forever. Wait, did you think our friends would never see us again or something?” Twilight asked as she powered her horn to levitate something else over.

As that realization dawned on Rainbow her mind went blank. So much so that she didn’t even notice when Twilight attached a leash to her collar and began leading her down the stairs and to the kitchen.

Spike whistled to himself while he worked. For the young dragon the last two days had been strange to say the least. The last time he’d seen his best friend in the world, Twilight Sparkle, he’d been given a claw-full of letters to take to Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity. That in and of itself wasn’t unusual, what was unusual was two things: first and foremost the way in which he’d been given the letters. Rather than Twilight levitating them to him, like she normally would, the alicorn had teleported them from the other side of a locked door. The second was the instruction that they should be delivered personally, not through his flame.

He would have questioned more, if not for Twilight telling him that she needed to be left alone for a while and that he was to spend the next two days helping Rarity with whatever she needed afterwards. Needless to say, that got him moving.

After all, you should never look a gift pony in the mouth.

So Spike grabbed the letters and ran to each of his friends, one at a time, and dropped a letter into each of their hooves. The dragon didn’t even stick around to see what was in the letter, or what they had to say about its contents, that is until he reached Rarity’s. He did see her reaction to that letter.

What was in it left both of them shocked. It was an apology letter, written by Rainbow Dash, and they both suspected dictated by Twilight, detailing the ‘prank’ that Dash had Twilight play on Rarity. They were both surprised to learn that Twilight had been the one that placed the itching powder in Rarity’s dress.

Spike had managed to stop her from barging right over to have words with Twilight, stating that whatever she was doing was super important and that she couldn’t be bothered for at least two days. When that didn’t work, Spike offered to go on a gem hunt with her all day.

That did work.

Overall the dragon would say that the last two days were rather great. He’d enjoyed himself so much that he barely noticed when Twilight guided Rainbow downstairs and into the kitchen.

Spike kept whistling as he flipped the freshly made pancakes onto a plate and walked over to Twilight and Rainbow. “Hi Rainbow, nice leash,” Spike said, dropping two pancakes into her bowl on the floor. “Hey Twilight, nice tattoos,” Spike said as he made to give her two pancakes as well.

Smash!

Spke dropped the plate he’d been holding, causing Twilight’s normal pancakes and his gem encrusted pancake to fall onto the floor. “Collar? Tattoos? Mane? What—” The dragon darted to Rainbow, grabbing the leash and investigating it the same way Rarity might over a new type of silk. He then roughly examined Rainbow’s tattoos and piercings.

It was that action that snapped Rainbow back to reality. “Spike, get off me!” Rainbow shouted, pushing the dragon away from her with slightly more force than she had intended.

“Rainbow be nice!” Twilight admonished.

Spike wasn’t done, he dashed over to Twilight, inspecting the changes his best friend had undergone, including the tattoo on her chest. “I… I… What… I… What—”

The dragon fainted.

“Maybe ripping the bandaid off was the wrong move,” Twilight said as she levitated Spike up in the air and gingerly placed him on a nearby chair.

Rainbow facehooved. “I could’a told you that’d happen, Twi.”

“Well it’s a little late to speak up now, Rainbow,” Twilight replied as she levitated over some water and started to mist it on the dragon’s face. “C’mon Spike, come back to us,” she cooed.

“Wah… what happened? I thought… I thought I remembered you… Oh, that was real,” Spike said upon the return of his consciousness, his eyes taking in the sight of his best friend, mother figure, and current Princess of Equestria looking like a punk teenager. Not able to focus on that for more than a few seconds his eyes darted to Rainbow. That scene was just as unbelievable, Spike’s eyes darted from her piercings, color, leash, mane-cut, and the portions of the tattoo he could see.

“You’re not really Twilight and Rainbow, are you! You’re changelings doing a crappy imitation of them! You can’t fool me!” Spike yelled as he tackled Twilight to the ground.

“Ahh, Spike, it’s me!”

“Hey, get off her!”

Spike was ripped off the Twilight-changeling when Rainbow bit down on his tail and yanked him off. “You won’t get away with this!” he yelled as he pulled his tail free from Rainbow’s mouth and went to run out into Ponyville. “I’ll get the others to stop you!”

The little dragon ran right into a purple forcefield. “Spike, I’m not a changeling!” Twilight yelled as she pulled herself to her hooves, her horn radiating magical energy.

“Yes you are, you both are! Twilight would never get a tattoo, and Rainbow would never let herself be led around on a leash!”

“Hey, I’m not… well…” Rainbow looked down and for the first time truly noticed the leash. “I mean, I… ummm…” her head shot up, seeing the anger and fear on the dragon’s face. “It’s not what it looks like, Spike. It’s the result of a bet, that’s all.”

“A bet?” Spike paused at that.

“Yeah, just a bet.” Rainbow replied, uncertainty bleeding from her, but unwilling to back off this train of thought due to the acceptance Spike seemed to demonstrate.

“So due to a bet, you two got matching tattoos, piercings, and you’re leading Rainbow around on a leash?”

“Umm… yeah, kinda,” Twilight said as she let the dragon go. She sat down on her flank and wrapped her tail around her. Rainbow walked up and sat next to Twilight, providing whatever support she could.

“I’m assuming this has something to do with the letters you had me deliver?”

“Yeah, that was part of the bet. Twilight bet me I couldn’t be good for the day. But I said that was stupid and bet that she couldn’t be bad for the day. That’s kinda what lead into the pranks, and piercings, and tattoos, and se—”

Twilight closed Rainbow’s mouth with her magic before she could finish that word. “And I won, so Rainbow had to pay up. The letters were an apology for certain actions that occurred because of it.”

Spike walked over and investigated the changes, physically, with no regard for personal space. He examined the tattoo Twilight now wore, her collar, and the ear piercings. It was the last one that caused Twilight to react. “Ow, that’s still sore.” She mentally berated herself for forgetting to numb the area with her magic again.

“I don’t know about this Twilight. I think you took it too far. I mean what are your parents and Celestia going to say when they see this? What about the rest of our friends?”

“I can make my own choices, Spike. But it’s not like they have to know right away. I’ll tell them, but in time.” Rainbow’s ears perked up at the hint of uncertainty she heard in Twilight’s voice.

Spike shook his head and turned his attention to Rainbow. The two locked eyes and silence filled the room for several pregnant moments until, at last, Spike broke it by bursting into laughter.

Anger took hold in Rainbow as she ran up and started poking Spike in the sides. “Hey, what’s so funny‽”

“You… have… to be… Twilight's pet! The great Rainbow Dash, a pet!”

“Now Spike, I taught you better than that! It’s not nice to laugh at ponies!” Twilight admonished.

“Sorry, sorry,” Spike said as Twilight lifted him upside down with her magic by his tail. “It’s just really funny though.”

“How would you like it if somepony made fun of you for your crush on Rarity?” Twilight asked.

Spike’s laughter died in his throat. “Wait, you’d do that?”

“No, not me, I meant if somepony else laughed at you like that. Especially if it was one of your friends?”

The dragon rubbed the side of his arm. “I’d hate it.”

“So why do you think it’s appropriate to laugh at Rainbow like that?” Twilight asked as she put him down on the ground.

Dejected, Spike looked down at the ground, crestfallen. “I’m sorry Rainbow, I didn’t mean to laugh at you like that. I know you’re just doing this because of the bet and all, if anything it’s honorable that you’re living up to your side, especially when it involves this.”

Twilight looked hopefully at Rainbow, unsure what her reaction to all of that would be.

In the span of a few seconds, Rainbow went from anger, to embarrassment, to fear, to rage, and in the end, settled on a hint of pride. The laughter cut deep, deeper than she could remember in a long-long time. But hearing those words reaffirmed all the things she’d been telling herself. Still, her voice trembled as she spoke, “No worries, Spike. I take my bets seriously.”

Twilight let out a breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding, a sense of relief permeating the mare, that is until Spike asked her, “Why would you want Rainbow to be your pet anyway?”

It was Twilight's turn to be tongue-tied. “Well… I umm…”

“It’s not… it’s not because you’re trying to replace me or anything?” Spike asked.

Twilight’s heart dropped in her chest. “Spike, we’ve been over this with Owlowiscious. I’d never replace you. And you’re not a pet, you’re more like my baby brother.”

Spike’s relief was palpable. “I know I just…”

Twilight hugged him. “You never have to worry about that.”

“Then why?”

Thinking quickly, Twilight answered, “It’s part of the bet we had. Rainbow had me act bad for a while, and let me see what that’s like; so I wanted to return the favor, just in a different way.”

“Oh… okay. But for… for how long?”

“How long what?” Twilight asked.

“How long will she have to behave like that?” Spike asked, generally curious.

“Until she says she’s done,” Twilight replied. Leaving unsaid that ‘saying she’s done’ would be welching.

“Oh, okay.”

Twilight nuzzle him softly. “Why don’t you go read your comics, I’ll take care of breakfast.”

“Alright,” Spike said as he darted off to his room.

For the second time that morning Twilight let off a deep breath of relief. “That… could have gone better.”

“You’re telling me,” Rainbow said as she walked up to the table, her bowl in her mouth.

“And that was the easy one, wait until we have to face the others,” Twilight said as she watched Rainbow. “And you know full well that pets don’t eat at the table, Rainbow.”

Rainbow glared at her but lowered the bowl back to the floor. “Fine,” she grumbled as she started to eat.

Twilight watched, noting that Rainbow’s objection was muted. She celebrated inside and made a mental note to check that box off of her checklist the next time she had a chance as she went to clean up the broken plate Spike had dropped.

This is going great! I was so worried she’d stop, but she’s coming around to accept it! Just like the book said she would! Twilight thought as she finished cleaning the mess. Afterwards she made sure to rub up against Rainbow, stating, “I’m so proud of you, Rainbow. You’re doing great.”

Despite herself, Rainbow couldn’t help but smile as she ate. Twilight noticed several small, tell-tell signs that Rainbow was starting to feel better. The alicorn cooked her own breakfast and sat down at the table to eat.

Rainbow finished first. Without thought she picked up the bowl and took it to the sink. Twilight smiled as she did so. Noting that Rainbow had said nothing about the leash the entire time. It’d been an incremental process, their meals as important in establishing their new dynamic as anything else, but over the past two days she’d gotten Rainbow to eat from a dog bowl, to eating on the floor, and now with a leash on.

As Twilight finished her own meal, she took the next leap. “So, Rainbow. You ready to go on a walk?”

“A what‽”

“A walk,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “It’s important for a master to take her pet on walks, that way she gets her exercise and stays in shape.”

Rainbow’s jaw was agape as Twilight lifted her leash and started to drag her out the door. “Oh no-no-no-no-no,” Rainbow protested. “I’m not going outside on a leash while you walk me around town.”

Twilight turned her head to face Rainbow, a frown on her face. “You mean like you led me around town two days ago?”

“That was… but… I…”

Twilight smiled. “Relax, I’m not going to lead you around town on a leash.” Not yet anyway, she thought. “We’re just going out back, around the castle. I doubt anypony will even see you today. Plus I have something special planned just for you. I think you’re going to love it.”

Crestfallen, but curious, Rainbow found her limbs starting to work again as she asked, “What’s that?”

“I’ll tell you about it on the way,” Twilight replied as she picked back up the leash and started to walk Rainbow out the door.

Rainbow nervously followed. Her steps heavy and eyes darting around as soon as they left the castle. Twilight smiled as she saw Rainbow’s wings shot up to cover her face. “You know, just because you can’t see anypony else doesn’t mean they can’t see you.”

“Yeah, but it means I won’t have to see the looks they give me,” Rainbow replied, practically blindfolded being lead around on a leash.

The leash lead her right into a pair of lips. She uncovered her eyes to see Twilight sitting directly in front of her, kissing her by surprise. “There’s no one around, Featherbrain. Relax, I want this to be fun for you too.”

“How is this supposed to be fun?” Rainbow asked, doubt and curiosity warring for dominice in her mind.

“Trust me,” Twilight replied as she started to lead Rainbow around back.

“Sure thing,” Rainbow said in a voice that said she did anything but.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You know I did a lot of reading on this. They say you should challenge your pets, driving them to their limits with different obstacles that not only increase their speed, but cognitive functions as well. Obstacle courses are great for this, that’s why most pet shows have them.”

“So you’re going to run me through a dog obstacle course?” Rainbow asked in disbelief.

“Something like that,” Twilight replied with a chipper voice.

“And this is supposed to be fun?”

“Trust me, Rainbow,” Twilight replied. “Although I am going to demand a lot from you, I think you can handle it.”

“Oh please, Twilight. I can defeat some dumb obstacle course.”

“We’ll see about that,” Twilight said as they arrived at the top of a hill. “I think this is a good spot.”

As Twilight powered her horn, concentrating on whatever spell she was working on, Rainbow took a look around. Sparklebutt was right, I haven’t seen a single pony anywhere nearby. And this is a good hill. Heh, I bet she’s going to make some dumb challenge down the hill, probably make me run through tires and jump through hoops. How demeaning, I’m Rainbow Dash! I can handle so much more than she’d ever give me! I can—

“And that’s it,” Twilight said, a small amount of sweat dripping from her brow.

“What is? You didn’t do anything,” Rainbow replied, glancing around down the hill.

“Not down there, up there,” Twilight replied, smiling.

Rainbow glanced up, her mouth agape at what she saw.

It was indeed an obstacle course. But it wouldn’t have fit into any pet show. It’d have been something more fitting in a Wonderbolt’s training facility. Rainbow saw loops, tunnels, and monkey bars just to name a few. All designed out of clouds to be fully utilized by a pegasus.

“You… you made this for me?” Rainbow asked, not able to take her eyes from what she was looking at. It was simply massive with too many details to take in.

“Of course. I knew a normal obstacle course wouldn’t challenge you, so I stayed up and sought ways to combine professional courses with pet courses. I must say there’s a lot of similarities between them. It’s kind of shocking nopony ever thought to put them together before,” Twilight said as she unleashed Rainbow, both metaphorically and literally. “Now go, have fun. But no sonic rainbooms. Otherwise you’ll blow it all away.”

Rainbow kissed Twilight on the side of the muzzle before flying off, a look of pure adulation on her face. Twilight smiled in return. She watched as Rainbow flew up to her newly made obstacle course.

Rainbow smiled as she felt the cool air blow over her. The wind and moisture made the soreness from her fresh piercings and tattoos practically disappear. She found herself loving this all that much more as she truly got to flex her stuff for the first time since she went into the tattoo parlor.

As soon as Rainbow crossed the start, Twilight created a stopwatch with her magic and activated it. She watched as Rainbow cleared obstacle after obstacle far faster than she’d expected for her first time. I gotta remember to add more mentally challenging ones next time. Rainbow perceives almost everything without realizing it while she flies, maybe I can play more into that?

Rainbow was bursting with pride as she flew up and around the final obstacles. “Oh yeah! That was a blast!” she started an endzone dance, celebrating her victory.

“Five seconds too slow, Rainbow!” Twilight shouted, ending her dance.

“Wait, what‽” Rainbow asked as she flew down to Twilight. “What do you mean five seconds too slow?”

Twilight smiled and levitated the stopwatch she’d created over. “You did it in fifteen point three seconds. Are you telling me the great Rainbow Dash can’t complete that course in less than ten seconds?”

“Ten seconds flat,” Rainbow replied as she zoomed back to the course, a rainbow contrail in her wake.

“That’s my pet,” Twilight said with a smile as she restarted the timer.

After ten minutes Rainbow found herself hating that timer. Every time she’d end the course Twilight would yell out “Thirteen point six,” or “Eleven point two!” After thirty minutes Rainbow was dead tired but her best time had been ten point four. Twilight flew up to her and offered her some water. “You done?”

“Not… even… close…” Rainbow replied back, taking the water and gulping it down.

“You sure? I mean if you can’t do it you can’t do it. There’s always tomorrow.”

“When it comes to challenges, Rainbow Dash doesn’t do tomorrows,” Rainbow replied. “Once more. I’m gonna give it everything I can.”

“You might say you have the… perseverance to keep going,” Twilight said, smiling.

Rainbow’s head shot up to glare at Twilight, but found herself doing something rather unexpected instead. She smiled. “Yeah, that… perse… perseverance.”

“I know you can do it, Rainbow. I believe in you,” Twilight replied as she kissed Rainbow again.

Rainbow found herself smiling at that. She readied herself, flexed her wings, and said, “Give me a countdown.”

“Three… two… one… go!” Twilight shouted. The princess never took her eyes off of Rainbow. She didn’t glace away once, not even to look at the stopwatch. She watched as Rainbow zoomed past every obstacle, traveling purely on instinct. Each moment perfectly calculated to provide maximum thrust and lift while setting herself up for the optimal position for the next obstacle.

“And… time!” Twilight shouted as Rainbow crossed the finish line.

“How… how fast was that?” Rainbow asked while trying to catch her breath.

Twilight levitated the stopwatch and examined it. “Ten… point… zero.”

“Ahh, yeah!” Rainbow shouted in joy before hugging Twilight for all her worth.

Twilight returned the hug. “I’m so proud of you, Rainbow.” The two held that hug for several moments, only releasing when Twilight said, “Let’s get back inside. I think you could use another bath.”

Rainbow felt her muscles protest at the thought of further movement, but she forced herself to land on her hooves. “Sure thing.”

Twilight levitated the leash up to Rainbow. To her delight the pegasus didn’t even flinch, rather Rainbow simply raised her chin to give Twilight easier access to her collar. Clipping it on, the two walked side by side back into the castle.

Rainbow rolled over on her back. Everything, every iota of her body was sore, either from physical exhaustion or pleasurable exhaustion. “That… was a great time.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Twilight replied as she finished washing and drying off her hooves. “Sleep well, I’ll come get you when it’s dinner time.”

Upside down, Rainbow let her head fall backwards on Twilight bed. “Hey Twilight.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks, that was fun. Think we can go for another walk later tonight?”

“Sure thing, you sure you want to though? It’s going to be tougher tomorrow,” Twilight stated.

“Looking forward to it,” Rainbow replied as she let her eyes close and her dreams take her.

Twilight grinned as she left the room, several books magically levitating behind her. This is going great! I have some work to do, but I think we’ll both like what comes next. Sweet dreams my pet.

Rainbow lay on the grass, her wings spread wide as Twilight applied a soothing lotion to her back. At that time, in that moment, she found it rather easy to forget the past few days. She could close her eyes and lose herself in the feeling of the soothing cream being placed against her tender back and wings.

She’d overdone it, as they both expected. Twilight hadn’t lied; she did indeed push her to get through the obstacle course faster than she had that morning. By itself that would not have been an issue, but combined with her near total lack of flying in the past two days—something insisted on by Twilight and the tattoo specialist that did her back—she was a little out of shape. The sudden, high demand workout really did a number on her.

“I told you,” Twilight repeated herself.

“Yeah yeah. Just… keep that up,” Rainbow replied as she felt Twilight’s hoof press another slather of whatever that miracle cream was on her back. It seemed to penetrate directly to her muscles, soothing her sore back inside and out. “Mhmm…. You’re better at that than Aloe.”

“Go to the spa that often, Rainbow?” Twilight teased.

“What? No, I mean… I’ve just been there a few times, that’s all.”

“Sure,” Twilight smiled. “You know it’s fine to like things like that, right?”

“I know, I know,” Rainbow replied as she let out a loud yawn.

“You can’t possibly be tired, you’ve slept thirteen hours today!”

“What can I say, I like to preserve my ener-GY.” Rainbow all but shot up as she felt Twilight’s hoof wander further south than she had expected.

“Still got some energy I see,” Twilight all but purred as she continued applying lotion, teasing Rainbow’s nethers with each circle of her hoof.

Rainbow’s eyes darted around the field, looking to see if anyone else was around. She relaxed only slightly when she saw that they were still alone. “It really is the quiet ones,” she said to herself.

Twilight smiled as she heard Rainbow’s comment. It’d been something the mare had repeated a few times over the past couple of days. With a smile she leaned in and gingerly kissed Rainbow’s neck, letting Rainbow’s musk fill her nostrils as she did so. All the while her hoof kept teasing Rainbow’s marehood, rubbing up and down, up and down.

“Rainbo-o-o-o-ow Dash!”

Both mares shot up at the sing-song voice that trailed down the hill. They watched as a small orange pegasus bounded down, the excitement at finding her hero self evident in her approach.

“I gotta get out of here,” Rainbow mumbled, eyeing an exit from the situation.

“Calm down, you’re not going anywhere, pet,” Twilight said back, her tone brooking no disagreement.

“Twi…”

“Rainbow! Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over town for you for days!” Scootaloo shouted as she cleared the last few feet down the hill and to the pair. “Nopony has seen either of you for… what’s that?” Scootaloo pointed at Twilight’s tattoo in shock.

Rainbow put on her best faux smile as she tried to seem cool, but the mare was finding it hard to feel anything remotely like ‘cool’ as she saw her number one fan catch her red-hooved with Twilight doing things that definitely were not appropriate to do in public. Needless to say, Scootaloo’s distraction upon seeing Twilight’s tattoo was highly welcomed.

“That’s my cutie mark,” Rainbow replied, grateful to change the subject. “Twilight got it as a tattoo.”

Scootaloo walked up and examined it in detail. She inspected it from several different angles before saying, “That’s… that’s so cool!”

In spite of herself, Twilight felt herself sit up just a little bit straighter, letting the little filly get an even better look.

“I heard about the mane-cut and collar, but I didn’t know you got a tattoo! Wow!”

“Thanks, Scootaloo,” Twilight replied with a smile before asking, “You heard about the rest?”

“Oh yeah, it’s all over town how you went around four days ago and acted all mean. Why… why’d you do that anyway?” Scootaloo asked.

“That was… that was my doing,” Rainbow replied as she cut in.

“No Rainbow. That was my choice. I chose to make that bet with you and I’ll own it,” Twilight replied as she turned from looking at Rainbow to Scootaloo. “Rainbow and I got into an argument about responsibilities, it ended with a bet. She bet me that I couldn’t act counter to myself for a day.”

“So she bet that you couldn’t be a jerk?” Scootaloo asked in disbelief.

“Kinda?” Twilight replied as she pulled back a little and eyed Rainbow. It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it was a close enough approximation.

“That’s a dumb bet. I'd bet you couldn’t pull off a triple wheel kick or something.”

Both Twilight and Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.

“But what’s with the new haircut, Rainbow?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh this? This is part of the bet.”

“Huh?”

Twilight caught on to the confusion quicker than Rainbow. “See, I won the bet. So that means that—”

Scootaloo cut in. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, you want me to believe that you beat Rainbow Dash at a bet?” The look on her face said that that would be a bridge too far for the mare to believe.

“She did,” Rainbow replied.

Scootaloo’s expression turned crestfallen. “Really? You… lost?”

Rainbow felt her heart jump up into her throat. The feeling of disappointing her—self-proclaimed—number-one fan weighed heavily on her far more than she thought it would. “I did lose, squirt. I lost to Princess Twilight Sparkle. The Princess of Friendship and the hoof-picked student of Princess Celestia. The only mare in all of Equestria that’s anywhere near as cool as me.”

Both Twilight and Scootaloo stared dumbfounded at Rainbow. Each for different reasons. Twilight in a sense of disbelief and Scootaloo in a sense of awe and wonder at hearing her hero speak so highly of another pony. When Rainbow saw that her excuse was working, she pushed further, “Make no mistake about it squirt, Twilight’s just as amazing as me, even if it is in a different way.”

“Really‽”

“Really. After all, she’s not the only one that got a tattoo,” Rainbow replied as she turned her back and spread her wings.

Scootaloo stared dumbfounded at the all-too-familiar star design tattooed on Rainbow’s back. “Wahhhht?”

“Would I, Rainbow-Danger-Dash, get another pony’s cutie mark tattooed on myself if she wasn’t just as amazing as me?”

When Scootaloo turned to stare at Twilight, the alicorn princess reflected that while she had stood in front of crowds full of adulation and been cheered on by hundreds, if not thousands of ponies at once, this was the first time she’d ever felt idolized. The look on Scootaloo’s face made her want to stand taller, to be better, to be worthy of such reverence just so she wouldn’t see disappointment in those eyes, ever.

“I wouldn’t say I was half as good as Rainbow,” Twilight replied, trying to deflect such attention away from her.

“That still makes you the second most amazing pony in Equestria!” Scootaloo shouted as she jumped up in the air and hovered for a bit before falling back to the ground.

Tearing her gaze away from Scootaloo, Twilight’s eyes found Rainbow’s. There was a look there, a look Twilight had not been expecting. Deep in those magenta eyes Rainbow all but said the same thing Scootaloo had.

“Can I get a tattoo like you two got‽”

The look on both mares turned to one of trepidation. “You want a tattoo?” Rainbow asked, hoping against hope it was a joke.

“Oh yes! If you two got one I want one too! Make it two actually, I want one of each of your cutie marks!”

“Squirt, I um…”

Twilight cut Rainbow off. She leaned down and got to eye level of the young pegasus. “Scootaloo, you’re too young for such things. If you got one right now it’d stretch out of proportion with your body as you grow up. But I tell you what. When you’re older, if you still want a tattoo Rainbow and I would be more than happy to take you to get whatever you want. But only after you’re grown up.”

“You… You mean it?” Scootaloo asked as she turned from Rainbow to Twilight and back again.

Twilight smiled and went through the old familiar motion with her hoof as she said, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Rainbow surprised herself when she found her hoof going through the exact same motion as Twilight’s, making the same promise.

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” Scootaloo shouted as she jumped up and hugged Rainbow with all her might. “I can't wait to grow up! I want to do the same things you’re doing!”

The fur on Rainbow’s face turned from cyan blue to a deep crimson. “I um…”

“If—when you’re older—that’s what you want, we can have a conversation about that,” Twilight replied with a knowing smile as she looked at Rainbow.

“You mean it?” Scootaloo asked excitedly.

“Of course she does,” Rainbow replied with a small amount of trepidation in her voice.

“That’s so cool! I can’t wait to grow up. I’m going to get the others and see if we can find a way to grow up quicker!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she ran off in search of Sweetie Belle and Applebloom.

Rainbow felt a sense of relief as she watched Scootaloo run up the hill and away from the two of them. Twilight’s words hung heavy in her thoughts, and what they might mean for the future, but she also couldn’t deny that in spite of her fears when she first saw the young pegasus, everything went just fine, better than she could have expected.

“Did you mean it?”

Rainbow was taken aback as she realized that she hadn’t been the one to ask that question. “Mean what?” she asked as she turned to face Twilight. The princess had a blush on her face that Rainbow wasn’t expecting.

“What you said to Scootaloo, about me I mean… I’ve, I’ve never heard you speak that way about anypony that wasn’t you before.”

Rainbow chuckled a little as she went to deny it, to say that she was just trying to make an excuse. Then her eyes met Twilight’s and her thoughts changed. She thought about everything they’d gone though, all the adventures and achievements, and how she truly felt about Twilight. “Yeah, I did actually. You are awesome, Egghead. Much more so than I give you credit for. I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you think otherwise. But… yeah, I did mean it, every word.”

In reply Twilight walked up and hugged Rainbow. She felt the mare return the gesture with equal force. “Thanks Dash,” Twilight said as she felt tears fall from her eyes.

“I wouldn’t just agree to be anyone’s pet, would I?” Rainbow replied as she chuckled a little before grunting in pain as Twilight started to squeeze a little harder than she was prepared for.

“Sorry, sorry,” Twilight said as she pulled away. “Let’s… let’s get you inside. It’s about dinner time anyway.”

“I hope Spike’s making something tasty,” Rainbow replied before presenting her collar for Twilight to attach the leash to it.

She’s asking me to reattach it? Yes! Twilight thought as she levitated over the leash and clipped it back on. The mare levitated the end of the leash and lackadaisically laid it over her own neck before walking side by side with Rainbow. “Hey Rainbow?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah?”

“What if we took a trip tomorrow instead of staying inside?”

“Oh, where?”

“The Crystal Empire. Cadance told us to come visit and I think we both kinda owe her a thank you.”

Is she… is she serious? Rainbow thought with a concerned expression that Twilight picked up on.

“It’ll give you a chance to stretch your wings some more. And besides, she might have some tips on how I can make this whole experience better for you.” Twilight added, hoping to give the mare a little incentive.

“I um… but… What about Shining?” Rainbow asked, jumping on the first counter argument she could come up with.

“Well…” Twilight replied, hesitating a little. “Cadance might have already told him, and if not then he was going to find out eventually, and with his little sister and wife going against him I’m sure that he’ll come to accept it.” She stated, and then got an evil look on her face. “And besides, I’ll consider this payback for him getting married without telling me.”

Rainbow shrunk back a little bit at the bite in Twilight’s words. She chose not to argue the point anymore, seeing that there was still a little bad blood between sister and brother over that event.

The two walked back in silence, Twi stormed a little about the memory, but when Rainbow walked closer and gingerly pressed their coats together, she noticeably relaxed, a look of gratitude on her face as she took in the warmth of her marefriend. As they made their way back into the castle Twilight noted that Rainbow didn’t bother to even look around to see if anyone saw them enter.

“Spike, how’s dinner coming‽” Twilight called out as they went up the stairs to head to the kitchen.

“Almost ready!” Spike called back. “How was the… walk?” the dragon asked as he struggled to keep the laughter from his voice.

“Great, Rainbow’s made a lot of improvement,” Twilight replied as the two walked into the kitchen.

“Almost under nine seconds,” Rainbow said with pride in her voice.

Spike giggled, but didn’t press it any further as he brought over the meal he’d finished cooking and placed it on the table for Twilight, and in a dog bowl for Rainbow. “I gotta tell you Twilight, this entire thing is so strange.”

“I know, but you’re handling it quite well. I’m proud of you, Spike. I’m proud of both of you,” Twilight replied in her usual chipper tone.

Spike and Rainbow gave each other a look before turning back to their meals. Both knew that this was anything but a normal situation, but the way Twilight was acting one might think it was a standard Tuesday. “Umm, okay,” Spike replied, trying to change the subject. “Oh, before I forget, we need to go over your list for tomorrow.”

“Actually can you cancel that?”

“Cancel your… list?”

“Yes Spike. Rainbow and I are going to head up to the Crystal Empire tomorrow.”

Spike looked flabbergasted at that. “But you’re not supposed to go back there for at least a month? Did something happen? Do you need me to go get the others?”

“No Spike, it’s just an impromptu visit for Rainbow and I. There’s no need to worry.”

“Worry? Why would I be worried. I mean all you’ve done is change your hair, gotten piercings, tattoos, and a collar, you’re spending all your time with Rainbow, and now you’re rearranging your plans last minute. What’s to worry about?” Spike asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Nothing at all,” Twilight replied, failing to read the subtext.

“Ugh, Spike it’s not a big deal. Twilight just wants us to pay Princess Cadence a visit to see if she can give us any tips about being marefriends.”

“Marefriends? What’s that?” Spike asked.

Twilight glared at Rainbow who simply rolled her eyes as she continued. “You know how you feel about Rarity?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s kinda… how we feel about each other now,” Rainbow’s voice trailed off at the end. She said the words, she meant the words, but that was the first time she’d ever spoken them aloud to anyone else. She was surprised by how heavy they felt, but also how light they seemed to make her feel.

At those words Twilight had to stop herself from jumping into the air. She smiled at Rainbow in a way that all but returned the feelings she’d felt. It surprised her that Rainbow seemed to return the gesture.

“Oh… okay, why didn’t you say so this morning?” Spike asked, wanting to break up the starefest between the two.

Twilight broke Rainbow’s gaze and turned to Spike. “It’s all kinda new. And we didn’t want to overload you with too much.”

“Okay, what do you want me to do when you’re gone tomorrow?”

“Why don’t you go assist Rarity again?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh can I‽”

“Of course, Spike. Oh and tell her I’d like to talk with her when we get back. I… we, need to tell everypony what’s happened,” Twilight said as she turned from Spike to Rainbow, the look Rainbow gave her reflected her own. They both knew that this conversation needed to happen, but that didn’t mean that either of them were looking forward to it.

Spike nodded at that. “Do you want me to tell them about you two?”

“If they press, you can mention us being marefriends. But try and keep it at that. Just save the other stuff for us to explain,” Rainbow replied.

“In fact… why don’t you head over tonight? Tell Rarity that we’ll be back the day after tomorrow,” Twilight cut in. “And that when we get back we’d like to talk to all the girls. That way we can explain things and apologize in person.”

“Will do! Thanks Twilight!” Spike shouted as his feet had already carried him up the stairs and to his room. The pair of mares watched in fascination as—faster than should have been physically possible—Spike was already running down the stairs with a fully packed night bag.

Rainbow turned to Twilight and asked, “What was that abo—”

Twilight cut Rainbow off with a kiss. The mare practically threw herself on Rainbow, knocking her down and locking lips. Rainbow felt every bruise on her body at the sudden rough treatment, but at the moment she was perfectly fine with it. The kiss was worth a little pain.

When they separated Rainbow asked, “You just wanted to be alone with me tonight, didn’t you?”

“You bet your flank I did,” Twilight said with a smile that Rainbow was quickly growing accustomed to.

“We’re not going to be able to get rid of him like that every night,” Rainbow replied as she ran a hoof up Twilight’s body, feeling her racing heartbeat.

“I know, I have a few ideas of what to do. I was thinking about giving him one of the larger rooms downstairs,” Twilight replied as she went in for another kiss, and another. After the third one she started to lick Rainbow’s neck. Her tongue tasting the sweat and lotion that covered Rainbow’s fur. She jerked up, “Bleh, remind me not to do that again.” She didn’t mind the sweat, but the lotion wasn’t exactly tasty.

“Do what?” Dash asked with a devilish look on her face. “This?” At that word she practically jumped up, forcing the two to switch positions. Rainbow smiled as she took the top position, her master underneath. “I think you’ve taken care of my needs plenty these last few days, it’s my turn to show you how good of a pet I can be.”

“Or how bad of a pet you can be,” Twilight replied in a sultry tone.

“Sparkles, I gotta say I love this side of you,” Rainbow said as she bent down and started to lick Twilight’s neck in the exact same manner Twilight had done her own.

“Well, I do have you to thank for bringing it out of me. Why don’t you show me just how much you love it,” Twilight replied as she felt Rainbow lightly bite into the side of her neck, just enough to leave a bruise.

“With pleasure, my master.”

Rainbow attempted to hold her head low, trying to avoid as much attention as she possibly could, only for Twilight to tug tighter on her leash, causing her to have to raise her head back up. “Do you gotta keep doing that?” she asked in a hushed tone.

For her part Twilight treated this like any other event. She simply trotted along, dragging an uncharacteristically shy Rainbow around the outside of Ponyville toward the train station. “Come along, Rainbow. You’re just making this harder on yourself,” Twilight replied with a chipper smile as they cleared the half-way point.

“Easy for you to say,” Rainbow grumbled as she moved her hooves faster.

It had been a compromise. Twilight agreed not to take Rainbow through the center of town, but Rainbow had to agree to stay on her hooves and walk with her. Less ponies would see, but they’d get there slower. Still, regardless how good the compromise had sounded that morning, actually going through with it was another story.

Twilight smiled as she kept track of the number of looks they had gotten. Three so far, but not by any pony that would make a scene, at least not yet. She wasn’t surprised that Rainbow was keeping her eyes firmly ahead of her, not wanting to know who was seeing her like this and who wasn’t. Her smile widened as she saw the train station around the next bend. “We’re almost there, Rainbow.”

Rainbow looked up for the first time since they left the castle and breathed out a sigh of relief. The train was already there and, judging by how empty the station was, most of the ponies had already bought their tickets and boarded the train. With a destination in sight Rainbow doubled her pace, pulling ahead of Twilight to try and end this embarrassment as quickly as she could.

“Nah-ah, Rainbow,” Twilight replied as she pulled back on the leash, harder. Rainbow glared back, only to receive a magical pat on her rear end.

“You know I’m not a literal pet, right?” Rainbow replied.

“I know, you’re my pet,” Twilight said with a smile and a wink as she took the lead once more, never speeding up or slowing down. “Now act like the good girl I know you are, or you won’t get your treat.”

Rainbow lightly growled, but fell back in line behind Twilight. The two cleared the distance to the station in less than a minute, but to Rainbow it felt like an hour, something made worse by the looks of the few ponies that still remained on the platform.

None of them commented, at least not at the moment, and as such Twilight ignored them. She trotted up to the ticket counter and said, “Two tickets to the Crystal Empire please.”

The pony behind the counter looked questionably at Twilight’s new look, in and of itself that would have been enough, but there was also no way to miss the leashed pegasus attached to her. “Princess Twilight, is everything okay?” he asked, unable to simply ignore the situation in front of him.

“Everything’s fine,” Twilight replied with a smile. “Rainbow and I are just heading up to see my sister-in-law.”

“But, I mean—”

“You know, the Princess of Love. I’m sure you don’t want to get in the way of the reunion of two Princesses of Equestria, do you?” Twilight added, her tone still chipper, but the words did not match. The undertone of the threat was obvious to anypony that heard it. “In fact, why don’t you go ahead and book me the VIP car.”

Rainbow watched wide-eyed as the ticket pony rushed to print off the tickets. I changed something in you, didn’t I? She couldn’t put her hoof on it. Something had been fundamentally altered in Twilight. She was still Twilight, still the nerdy bookworm, still the same pony that had saved Equestria countless times, but also not.

You really did like being bad, and now you’re trying to balance the two. The realization hit Rainbow like a ton of bricks. She had done this, she had introduced Twilight to a new side of herself, a side that shone through just now, and, if she were being honest, several times over the past few days. And it carried more than just a seductive undertone.

“Come along, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “I got us a private car all to ourselves!”

Rainbow followed, but quickly looked back. In spite of the changes, of the leash, and tattoos, the pony behind the booth wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at Twilight with a stare that said he was worried about her. It didn’t surprise Rainbow one bit that the moment she went up the stairs, the pony put a ‘gone to lunch’ sign up and dashed into town.

“We’re going to have trouble when we get back,” Rainbow said.

“Oh I know,” Twilight replied with a dual hint of annoyance and sadness in her voice. “But let's save that for tomorrow. We should try and enjoy this trip together.”

“With that over our heads?” Rainbow asked as she followed Twilight down the hall and to their car.

“Trust me, I have something in mind that we’ll both enjoy for this trip.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?”

Twilight smiled back at her as she opened the car door and invited Rainbow inside. The pegasus shrugged and took the lead. The car itself was rather nice, nicer than any she could ever remember being in before, nicer than any of them had ever traveled in before. “Is this… ours?” Rainbow asked as Twilight temporally unhooked Rainbow’s leash.

“Technically it’s the princess’ car.”

“So... yours?”

“Well… kinda. I never reserved it because it just didn’t feel right. This is the car they set aside for Princess Celestia, Luna, or Cadance.”

“Or Princess Twilight,” Rainbow replied with a deadpan look on her face.

“Or me,” Twilight replied with a shrug. “It just felt wrong to travel in this. Plus I’d normally travel with you girls, and this isn’t exactly made for six ponies.”

Rainbow gave Twilight a deadpan expression as she patted down one of the alicorn-sized pillows. It was more than obvious to the mare that this car would have fit all six of them without issue, comfortably, but Twilight being Twilight had felt unworthy of such luxury. “Another change?”

“Seemed fitting, that way we could spend time together, just the two of us,” Twilight replied, both ponies lurching slightly as the train departed.

“Sex on a train?” Rainbow replied, already guessing where it was going.

“Well, maybe, but I was actually thinking we might do something different.”

“Oh? Like what?”

Twilight powered her horn and opened her saddle bag. She levitated out a book that Rainbow was all-too familiar with. “I brought along a copy of Daring Do and the Quest for the Golden Idol with us, I know you’ve read it a thousand times but I was thinking we might read it together, just the two of us.”

Rainbow had to force her wings down, flying today had been all but forbidden, but in her excitement her body responded automatically. “Sweet!” she exclaimed.

Twilight sat down on the large pillow in the center of the room and before she could even gesture for Rainbow to join her the mare was already by her side, their coats pressed together. Using her magic she opened the book cover, feeling her heart skip a beat as she realized that—through the closeness of their coats—she could feel Rainbow’s heart beating in her chest.

“Oh can we do the voices?”

“Sure thing. Why don’t you read the Daring Do parts, and I’ll read the rest,” Twilight replied as she felt Rainbow’s tail intermingle with her own.

“Awsome,” Rainbow said as Twilight opened the book.

“Daring Do and the Quest for the Golden Idol, chapter one, a new mystery,”

“Man I still can’t believe you went with such a lame-o voice for Professor Magno,” Rainbow said as the two left the train, Rainbow walking slightly in front of Twilight, her leash firmly attached to her collar and held in Twilight’s mouth.

“We’ve been over this a thousand times. She’s a professor, Rainbow. She’d be dignified,” Twilight replied with a sigh.

“No, she’s cool! She helps Daring Do!”

“And how are those things mutually exclusive?”

“Mutually whativs?”

“Mutually exclusive. It means that the existence of one excludes the existence of the other.” Twilight replied and then rolled her eyes when Rainbow gave her a look that said she still didn’t understand. “I’m saying someone can be both dignified and cool at the same time.”

“Why didn’t you just say that?” Rainbow asked.

“I did.”

“Umm, excuse me, what’s going on here?”

Twilight and Rainbow both looked ahead. The two had become so wrapped up in their conversation that they were completely oblivious to the crowd of onlookers staring at them. One of the crystal earth pony guards had approached, daring to interrupt.

“Is there a problem?” Twilight asked. Her body language indicating that she truly didn’t understand the issue.

Rainbow shrunk down, the realization that she had walked out in public in this situation without even realizing it surprised her.

“Is there a problem?” he repeated, unsure how she could be so oblivious. “Why are you leading her on a leash?”

Twilight looked back at Rainbow and then to the crystal pony, her wings flitted ever so slightly. “That’s really none of your business, is it?”

Rainbow’s eyes went wide at that. She stared at Twilight, seeing that slight change of posture, the way she carried herself, It’s the same as before, her dominant side, Rainbow realized. The change was small, slight. It wasn’t possession or some evil force, well not evil in the traditional sense, rather there was only one word she could ascribe to it, perseverance.

This is your domineering side, isn’t it?

“None of my business? Ma’am it’s my job to—”

“It’s your job to guard the Crystal Empire and serve the Princesses of Equestria,” Twilight said as she cut in. “And in case you didn’t get the memo, I’m one of the Princesses.”

“That doesn’t mean you can force ponies to—”

“Hey!” Rainbow found herself shouting, much to her own surprise. “She’s not making me do anything!”

That caused a noticeable gasp from the guard and the gathered ponies. “Ma’am, you’re saying you agreed to this?”

That took Rainbow aback. She was never one to shy away from the spotlight, but the attention on her right now was very different than anything she’d ever experienced before. The eyes on her might as well have been laser beams drilling into her. Then her eyes locked onto Twilight's and the rest of the world disappeared.

After a pregnant pause, Rainbow replied with an absolute definitive, “Yeah, this is my choice.”

The silence was deafening.

Twilight broke it.

“I assume that takes care of all your issues and we can pass by unmolested now?”

“I um… I…”

“Well?” Twilight pressed.

Rainbow found herself flinching at that word. The meaning far exceeded what anypony that was looking could know.

“Yes… yes princess,” the guard stuttered.

“I’m glad we have that issue resolved. And while we’re at it, why don’t you escort us to the palace so I can see my brother and sister-in-law. Just to make sure there’s no other misunderstandings along the way.”

“Of course princess, I’d be happy to be of assistance.” His voice did not match his tone.

“If you’re happy to be of assistance, I was tired of carrying these bags. Do bring them with us to the Crystal Palace,” Twilight replied as she levitated the satchel from her back and dropped it on the earth pony’s back.

“Y-yes, princess.”

“Thank you kind sir,” Twilight replied and then turned to Rainbow. “You ready, Rainbow?”

“Y-yes,” Rainbow replied. The whole scene bothered her on several levels. It had seemed as if Twilight wasn’t Twilight, that the ‘perseverance monster’ had taken over, and yet, at the end, when Twilight turned and smiled at her, that had been Twilight.

As their escort and Twilight started off, Rainbow sped up to a trot until she was side by side with the princess. “You okay, Twilight?” Rainbow asked.

“Hmm? Why do you ask?”

“You’re not normally so testy with ponies,” Rainbow replied.

Twilight smiled a loving smile at Rainbow, one that filled the mare with a sense of warmth she hadn’t been expected right before booping her on the nose with a hoof. “Trust me, Rainbow. That wasn’t me being testy. I could do a lot worse. That was me putting an end to any additional trouble we might encounter before it started.”

“But that’s not you,” Rainbow said.

Twilight cocked her head. “It’s the me you helped me find.”

“I did do this then,” Rainbow said, her eyes downcast.

“Yes, and no.” Twilight replied. “It was there all along, you simply brought it to the forefront. Made me see another side of myself.” When Rainbow kept looking at the ground, Twilight added, “A side that’s kinda fun, no?”

Rainbow looked up at her at that. There was a playful look on Twilight’s face that said exactly the sort of fun she’d been referring to. “Well, that has been kinda fun,” Rainbow replied.

“I think so too,” Twilight replied as she lightly smacked Rainbow’s flank with a wing.

Rainbow jumped a little at that, the action taking her by surprise. “But are you okay with it?” she asked. “I mean… I…”

Twilight smiled and nuzzled her as the two walked together, their tones softened so only they could hear one another. “I’m fine, Dashie. In truth I don’t think there’s any going back. No matter what happens I’ll never forget that side of myself, it’s a part of me now.”

“You make it seem like you’ve been possessed.”

Twilight laughed. “No, nothing like that. It’s more like… remember the first time you went to a spa?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, slightly embarrassed to admit that in public.

I’m leading you along on a leash and you’re embarrassed about that. Oh Rainbow, never change, Twilight thought with a smile as she continued. “Well afterwards, you always know how good that felt. How much you’d enjoy yourself. It was always a part of you. And you’d always be tempted to go back, you’d still be you, but you’d be a you that knew how much you enjoyed being pampered. This is like that.”

“So this is the after effects of you going to like, what... a bad girl Twilight spa?” Rainbow asked.

“Well that’s one way to put it,” Twilight replied with a laugh as the two made their way into the castle. I’m not the only one who has undergone a change, Rainbow. Do you even realize that? Twilight resisted the temptation to say that out loud. While the pegasus had made leaps and bounds, she figured it was still far to early for that level of self reflection on the part of her normally brash marefriend.

They walked up the stairs and dismissed the guard who—to put it mildly—was very happy to take his leave. When they got to the throne room Twilight was equally happy and disappointed. Happy due to the object of her quest being present, and disappointed due to her not being alone. Dammit, I’d hoped I’d be able to talk to Cadance before talking to Shining.

The room went dead as Cadance, Shining, and two servants stopped and stared at the sight before them. Several seconds passed before Cadance practically jumped out of her throne and ran to Twilight. “Twilight! It’s so good to see you!”

Twilight dropped the leash and ran forward. In tandem the two begun their usual greeting. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

While Cadance’s reaction had been one of ecstatic pleasure at the sight of Twilight, Shining’s reaction at seeing his sister walk in the way she had was one of complete shock. The stallion quickly cleared the room before walking up to join his wife. “Twily? I… what… huh,” he stumbled, his eyes never leaving his sister’s new ‘look’.

Rainbow didn’t know what to expect next. And yet, somehow, what did occur still managed to take her by surprise. “Hi big brother. Do you like my new look? I got it to commemorate my relationship with my new marefriend, Rainbow! Hope that’s not too surprising for you.”

Shining’s jaw fell to the ground, as did Rainbow’s. Cadance just laughed as she said, “Twily, you’re so mean to your brother.”

“Well I mean he does love surprises, especially life-changing surprises that we keep from family members,” Twilight replied as she blew Shining a raspberry.

Shining picked his jaw off the floor. “Are you doing this just to get revenge on me‽”

Cadance spoke up first. “Shining Armor, how dare you suggest such a thing!”

“Yeah big brother! That’s just a bonus.”

“Wait, so you, and Rainbow, I mean…”

“And is there something wrong with your sister finding her special somepony?” Cadance asked, her tone getting serious for the first time in the conversation.

“I uhhh…”

“Yeah BBBFF, what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, I mean… uh… it’s just kinda sudden,” Shining rubbed his hoof very uncomfortably on the back of his neck. The stallion didn’t know when the conversation had suddenly turned against him, but there was no doubt that it had.

“No more sudden than a letter received two days before a certain wedding,” Twilight replied.

“I told you that I didn’t have a choice!”

“There’s always a choice,” Twilight replied. “You had the ability to tell me, you chose not to, no matter what the orders were.”

Shining was taken aback by the vitriol he heard in Twilight’s voice. He knew she’d been mad, but he’d thought they’d moved past it. He stared down at his hooves.

Cadance stepped in, “I assume now we can call it even?”

“I’d say yes,” Twilight replied.

“Yes,” Shining mumbled.

“Great!” replied Cadance.

“But that still doesn’t explain… this!” Shining cut in, refusing to be bogarted out of the conversation.

All eyes turned to him. “What’s this?” Twilight asked.

“Don’t play dumb, the look, the tattoos, the leash, all of it!”

Damn, I was hoping to keep him on the defensive. Twilight thought.

“I’d say the leash is rather self explanatory,” Cadance replied with a chuckle.

It clicked in Shining’s mind. “Oh dear Celestia.”

“Oh please, brother. I heard about the saddle,” Twilight replied.

Shining’s eyes went wide as he stared at Cadance in total shock.

“And didn’t you say that he’s the one that enjoys being strapped into the sex swing?” Rainbow added in. Unwilling and unable to resist poking the bear.

Shining’s coat turned from white to red.

Cadace thought about adding something, but changed her mind. “Okay girls, we’ve upset my dear Shining enough today. Twilight, you don’t have to explain anything if you don’t want to. Shining, your sister is a living, breathing mare. One with all the needs and desires that you and I have. It’s time for you to accept that.”

It was then that Shining lowered his head in defeat. “Yes, ma’am.”

“For your information brother, we got a bit drunk one night and ended up at a tattoo parlor,” Twilight added in.

“Makes sense,” Cadance said. “Is that a good enough reason for you, Shining?”

Shining just nodded.

“I guess we know who wears the pants in that relationship,” Rainbow chuckled.

“Oh, speaking of pants, have you two started bringing clothes into your play?” Cadance asked.

“Wait, why would we add clothes?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m going upstairs,” Shining cut in.

“As you wish,” Cadance said with a wink.

As the three watched Shining hurry up the stairs Rainbow chimed in, “That alone was worth the price of admission.”

“Will he be okay?” Twilight asked, unable to not show some concern for her brother. She couldn’t lie; it did feel good to get revenge on him, but she didn’t want to hurt him.

“He’ll be fine. I’ll make it up to him,” Cadance replied.

“A turn in the swing?” Rainbow asked with a laugh.

“Indeed, among some other things,” Cadance said. “But no more kink-shaming, Rainbow. Everypony has their own likes and dislikes. And they’re nothing to be made fun of.” Her tone went from serious to playful in an instant. “Now Twilight, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“Well… I was hoping to take you up on your offer for some personal lessons for Rainbow and I?”

“Personal lessons? I’d be delighted,” Cadance said as she led the two down a very different staircase.

“So, what’s your safe word?”

Had Twilight been drinking anything she knew that it’d currently be lining the walls.

“Our what?” Rainbow asked, almost tripping down the stairs.

“Your safe word. What’s the word you say when things have gone too far? When you want the other to stop,” Cadance asked again, chuckling a little.

“Well… we… I know the book said to establish one, but Rainbow isn’t really the type,” Twilight stammered as she rubbed the back of her head nervously.

“Wait, it was in a book and you didn’t do it?” Rainbow asked, the shock self evident in her tone.

“I was making allowances for your… eccentricities, Rainbow.”

“My what?”

“Girls, regardless, you shouldn’t skip that step,” Cadance cut in. “A safe word isn’t about stopping the fun, or a dare, or who can go how far, it’s about trust, respect. It lets the other pony know that you feel safe with what they’re doing, that they can keep going and you’re okay with it because you know that at any time, with a single word, they’ll stop.”

“I… I didn’t really think of it like that. I was worried Rainbow might take offence if I brought it up.”

“What’s your safe word?” Rainbow asked.

“Ours is Cadenza.”

“Cadenza?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her sister-in-law.

“Cadenza. I don’t like to be called that so it serves as a mood killer as well.”

“That’s smart,” Rainbow replied. “But what if you need to say it?”

Cadance chuckled a little as she pushed open the door at the bottom of the stairs and held it for the other two to pass. “I’ll let you know if that ever happens.”

Twilight nodded as she recognized the door they passed through, it was the same one she had found when the Crystal Empire had returned to Equestria. Although this time the door stayed put and lead to a completely different location.

“The Princess of Love’s got it going on,” Rainbow replied with a chuckle as she walked into the room and right into Twilight's flank. “Twi, what the hell‽”

Twilight had walked in first, only to stop dead when she saw what was in the room. It was obvious that they were in a room that only a few ponies had ever seen, no doubt something insisted on by her brother. All around the room were whips, chains, paddles, leather straps, and leashes. In some areas there seemed to be playpens along with magical devices that looked like they should be in a daycare center.

Rainbow rubbed her muzzle as she walked up next to Twilight and took it all in herself. “Whelp, I’ve officially learned far more about Shining Armor than I ever wanted to know.”

“You might be mistaken there, Rainbow,” Cadance said.

“Oh, how so? He’s obviously into some kinky shit.”

“I’d say he’s into me,” Cadance replied.

“Bowchickawo-OW,” Rainbow rubbed the side of her gut after Twilight hit her.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, glaring at Rainbow.

“These are all here because I want them to be, I’m the one into the ‘kinky shit’ as Rainbow put it. Shining goes along with it because I asked.”

“He agreed to all this?” Rainbow asked.

“He wants me to be happy,” Cadance replied with a smile as she sashayed into the room.

“I was right then, you really do have it going on,” Rainbow said as she followed Cadance into the room, only to turn back when she realized that Twilight was not following. “You okay, Egghead?”

“My foalhood….” Twilight mumbled.

Cadance chuckled a little at that. “Says the mare walking around town leading another mare by a leash.”

“Yeah, but… all this?” Twilight exclaimed. “I mean we do some stuff but…”

Cadance laughed out loud. “Twilight, do you think I got all of this overnight? That I jumped in hooves first? This is a collection that I gathered over time. It was brought together through years of experimenting.”

“Well, yeah, but… why?”

“Forgive me for replying to your question with another question, but let me ask you this: As the Princess of Friendship, how important is it for you to know about friendship?”

“Very,” Twilight replied.

“So you study it, you experience all the different types with as many different ponies as you can, right?”

“Yes.”

“So why do you think it’s different for me when it comes to love?”

“Oh, I get it. Learning kinky lessons for you is like learning friendship lessons for Twilight,” Rainbow caught on, surprising Twilight.

“Well that’s a colorful way to put it. But yes. And I must say that I’ve learned so much. Not only about cardinal pleasure but about intimacy as well. You’d be amazed what you’ll learn about yourself if you only give new things a chance.”

“Kinda like how I enjoy being Twilight's pet?” Rainbow admitted. Wow, I just said that out loud didn’t I?

“Exactly. But there’s so much more to learn, to explore. And that, my dear ponies, is why you’re here today.”

“Oh, are we going to learn some kinky shit too?” Rainbow asked, the excitement in her voice palpable as she practically ran around the room like a filly in a candy store, examining each item in turn. “Like whips, and chains, and… diapers?”

Cadance laughed again. “No Rainbow, you’re not here to learn ‘kinky shit’ or anything like that.”

“Good, cause I don’t think I’m into this,” Rainbow replied as she opened up a set of diapers that were far too big for a foal.

“Oh, you might change your mind one day. But you can put those down. Like I said, you’re not here to learn about that. Not this time anyway. Rather, you’re here to learn about Twilight.”

“Me?” Twilight asked, unsure why she had been called out.

“Yes you,” Cadance replied as she gestured to one of the tables for Twilight to jump on. The mare obeyed reluctantly. Her brain was unsure what was going on, something made worse by her eyes taking in all the toys, faux cocks, and whips around the area. When her eyes rested on a swing, she immediately turned away, thoughts of her brother strapped into the thing coming unbidden to her mind.

Rainbow trotted up. “Why her? I thought I was going to be the one to be on the receiving end of this lesson.”

“Knowing Twilight, you’ve already been, Rainbow. I’m sure she’s kept her nose in a book every chance she had, thinking of new ways to pleasure you, new things to try, experiments to find what works and what doesn’t. You’ve already been studied. Hasn’t she, Twilight?”

Twilight just nodded.

“But, while I make no judgment of your lovemaking skills, Rainbow, the one thing I’m sure Twilight didn’t study was how her techniques make one feel. She’s never considered the emotions, the pleasure. What the right rub, the right tickle, the right kiss at just the right time and place can do to you internally.”

“I have!” Twilight protested. “The books said that—”

“I’m sure they did, but do you know? Have you experienced it? Love is more than experimentation on somepony else, it’s about knowing the emotions and pleasure first-hoof.”

“Rainbow’s a great lover,” Twilight blurted out with a blush.

“I’m sure she is. I’m sure she’s wild, and unkempt, and brings a level of passion into your bedroom that you won’t find anywhere else. But I’m also sure that you could never be like her. That you’ll never be able to learn to make love the way she does, that when it comes to ‘returning the favor’ you simply can’t do to her what she does to you.”

“Oh, so you’re going to have me do to her what she normally does to me. So she can know how it feels?” Rainbow asked.

“Precisely. This lesson is Twilight’s, it’s in how certain actions feel. We’ll take it slow and build up.”

“Gotcha,” Rainbow replied.

Twilight did not feel the same level of confidence that Rainbow did, but nodded all the same.

“But, before we begin, you two need to talk and come up with a safe word.”

“Do we gotta?” Rainbow asked with a sigh. When Cadance didn’t budge she sighed and replied with, “Fine.”

Cadance walked back a bit and started to inspect some of the whips and even a few strap ons. She did so for two reasons, the first being to decide how she was going to pay Shining back for making him so flustered upstairs. And the second was because of the bright eyed blushes she’d see Twilight give her every now and again. In two minutes the pair called her back over.

“I think we’ve decided,” Twilight replied.

“Yeah,” Rainbow returned.

“Okay, what is it?”

“Smartypants,” they both said in union.

“Now that is a great safe word,” Cadance replied as she powered her horn and lifted up the side arms from under the table. Twilight and Rainbow watched as, without even looking, the princess levitated several straps and locks over to them and lifted one side of the table up in a leaning position. “Now Twilight, lay back, bend your knees, and put your back hooves on the side of the table.”

With no small amount of trepidation, Twilight followed her instructions. She grunted a little as Cadance locked her back hooves in that position, her knees closed, and her front hooves on either side. The princess could only move her head. She noted that in this position, her entire body was on display and there was nothing she could do about it.

Cadance whispered in her ear. “Remember, if at any time you want to stop just say Smartypants.”

Strangely, oddly, Twilight felt herself calm at that. She’s right, that does make me feel better about this.

“Damn, Twilight. You look good enough to eat,” Rainbow replied as she licked her lips, her eyes focused on one thing and one thing only.

Cadance playfully admonished Rainbow with a magical pat on the top of her head. “Now Rainbow, we’re not here for that. Don’t worry, you’ll get a chance, but remember why we’re here.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow replied with a downcast expression on her muzzle.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll learn as well. After all, you’ll be the one to test these applications.”

“I was gonna,” Rainbow replied as she resisted the urge to lick her lips.

Cadance just chuckled at the over-eager pegasus. It was refreshing to see such enthusiasm in Twilight’s marefriend; however, that wasn’t the reason why they were there. “Here Rainbow, why don’t you start with this.”

Rainbow looked up as she saw a small feather levitated over to her. “Why that?”

“Because look at her,” Cadance replied, gesturing to Twilight strapped into the table. “How relaxed does she look? How ready is she? How much do you think she’ll enjoy it if you just jump to cunnilingus without making her comfortable, without getting her in the mood?”

Rainbow looked from Cadance to Twilight. Twilight looked, in a word, uncomfortable. She was visibly fidgeting, and her eyes held a level of anxiety that Rainbow hadn’t noticed before. Rainbow was forced to admit that Cadance was right; Twilight was anything but in the mood. As such Rainbow took the feather from Cadance's magic with her mouth and moved closer to her marefriend.

“Twilight what is the most sensitive organ in the body?” Cadance asked.

“The clitoris,” Twilight replied.

“Technically true, when you consider nerves per square inch, but what organ has the most amount of nerves?”

“The skin.”

“Exactly.”

Rainbow nodded in understanding. She closed the distance and lightly brushed the feather across Twilight’s neck, running it from her muzzle down the side of her face and to her collarbone. She ran it along Twilight’s left shoulder, and then her right, letting the feather tease her fur, letting the sensation run along the fur on Twilight’s shoulders, causing it to move ever so slightly, almost like a small breeze.

“What is she doing, Twilight?” Cadance asked.

“Stimulating the fur endings, causing a feeling of goosebumps.”

“Indeed, but how does it feel?”

“Right now, just tickles a little?”

“Well, we’ve only just started. Rainbow, don’t just use the feather, you can use your mouth as well. Lick, suck, and blow.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, in spite of this being ‘Twilight’s lesson’ she couldn’t help but feel offended about the instructions. However she did as she was told anyway. Rainbow lighty licked the crevice where Twilight's neck met her collarbone several times. After three or four licks she suckled on it, getting the area nicely wet with her saliva, then following the last set of advice she lightly blew on the area, seeing with some shock as the action sent shivers all across Twilight's body.

“So what just happened there, Twilight?”

“Evaporation,” Twilight replied. “When Rainbow blew on the liquid it caused it to move across my fur, increasing blood flow and heat, causing the saliva to evaporate and produce a cooling sensation which in turn causes blood to flow to the area.”

“Yes, and how did it feel?”

“Good,” Twilight replied. “Very good,” she continued as Rainbow kept it up.

“That’s the feeling, Twilight. That’s what you’re here for. So you can experience just how these things feel, so you can know them, inside and out.”

Rainbow smiled and kept going. Her pace was slow, agonizingly slow compared to how she normally operated, but there was something about what she was doing, or, more precisely, something about how Twilight was responding to what she was doing that made her want to keep going. She wanted to see just how far down the rabbit hole this training would take them.

“Work your way down her barrel, but not to her mound, not yet,” Cadance whispered. Rainbow simply nodded in agreement as Cadance added, “And switch between the feather and your breath. Use the feather on untouched fur. Keep her guessing.”

Rainbow was never much of a student, but then again she’d never exactly had lessons like these either. She worked her way down Twilight's chest, to her stomach, switching every so often to the feather, and then, realizing she didn’t need it anymore, to her wings. She’d lightly blow on Twilight’s left side, only to tease her left teat with a feather as she suckled on her right one. She took her time, spending at least ten minutes enjoying the feeling of a shivering, shuddering Sparkle under her ministrations.

When she looked up Twilight’s head was laying back and her muzzle was wide open. The anxiety and trepidation were long gone. She was—in a word—ecstatic. Her pleasure overriding any sort of fear she felt at doing things like this in front of another.

Cadance gestured to the inside of Twilight’s thighs with her wingtip. Taking the hint, Rainbow moved and lightly licked, suckled, and blew, causing Twilight’s whole body to shake in anticipation, in desire.

“So what is she doing now, Twilight?”

“Huh?” Twilight found herself at a loss for words at that. Crap, I wasn’t keeping track. This feels so good.

“What’s Rainbow doing now?” Cadance repeated herself.

“She’s… she’s teasing me. She’s stimulating the nerves near my pubic mound, causing increased blood flow and building anticipation and… and desire.”

“And how does it make you feel?”

“I… want more. I want her to dig in, to ravish me with her tongue.” Did I just say that to Cadance? Buck it, I don’t care! Rainbow please, give me more…

Cadance nodded to Rainbow who, with a flick of her feather, sent Twilight's world into a tailspin. The mare bucked against her restraints as the sudden, much desired stimulation did something she’d have thought impossible this morning.

She came. She came without a single pony touching her sex.

As much of a surprise as that was, what came next even shocked Cadance a little, albeit in a good way.

Rainbow couldn’t help herself. As soon as she realized what was about to happen Rainbow started to lap up Twilight’s very wet mound. Rainbow caught as much of the mare’s juices as she could, the taste something she’d never get enough of.

It also helped that Twilight was restrained with no way to get away from her attention.

Rainbow’s licks, her tongue, it all added together to help do something neither Rainbow or Twilight had experienced before.

Twilight went from her first orgasm straight to her second.

“How was that?” Rainbow asked in pride as she pulled back, licking her chops clean as it took a full thirty seconds for the last shivers of pleasure to leave Twilight’s body.

“Not bad for lesson one, my dear Rainbow,” Cadance replied.

“O-one?” Twilight asked, barely able to catch her breath.

“Man if school had been this cool I’d have paid waaayyyyy more attention,” Rainbow replied, the smile on her muzzle impossible to miss.

“It wouldn’t have mattered if it did,” Cadance said.

“What? Why?” Rainbow asked.

“Because it’s not anypony that could make something like that happen, Rainbow. It’s your special pony, and please don’t roll your eyes. Look, yes, mechanically the actions are the same, but the feelings behind it. The emotion, the trust and the love, all of these things add up. They serve to relax the body, to let loose the tension an—”

“And the cum?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes, that too. But that’s only a part of it. It’s about how well you trust your partner; how much you love them, care for them. Making somepony cum, that’s easier, especially if that pony is a stallion. But giving them pleasure, giving them an experience they’ll remember and cherish for the rest of their lives, building something out of it, a future, a relationship, a life, that all takes love, something that goes far deeper than simple physical pleasure.”

“I just thought it was rubbing and licking in the right places,” Rainbow replied shyly.

“You wouldn’t be the only one. Trust me, more than one pony has fallen into that trap, or the trap of only caring about self pleasure.”

“Self pleasure? Isn’t getting pleasure out of it kinda the point?” Rainbow asked.

Cadance sighed. “Rainbow there’s a fine line between masturbation and sex. When you’re masturbating you’re pleasuring yourself, when you’re having sex you’re pleasuring your partner. Never have sex with someone that’s masturbating.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way,” Rainbow replied.

“I know,” Cadance said. “Are you two ponies ready for lesson two?”

“I am,” Twilight said, smiling.

“It doesn’t involve diapers, does it?” Rainbow asked as she eyed the very specific table over in the corner.

“You’re awfully hung up about those, aren’t you?” Cadance asked with a chuckle.

“Well, she does like to suckle,” Twilight replied.

“Twi!”

Cadance laughed. “No, Rainbow, it doesn’t. This time we’ll go over some of the basics on toys, and how to properly stimulate the g-spot. Are you two ready?” Cadance asked as she levitated over a small strap on and some lube.

“Oh yes,” Rainbow replied.

“Yes,” Twilight said.

“Good, let’s begin.”

Sitting back on her chair in the map room, Twilight sighed loudly as the pair awaited the rest of their friends. Their visit with Cadance had been great, better than great in Rainbow’s opinion. Between the two of them they took back quite a haul of things to try, including a few items that Rainbow had protested about, but her hesitance simply made them that much more irresistible to Twilight.

But those items were for another day. Today... today was for something completely different, something decidedly less fun, but which both knew had to happen.

Today was the day they had to face the rest of their friends. Today was the day they’d face the music for their actions during Rainbow’s ‘bet’. And for everything that occurred after, including all the changes to both their persons, and to their relationship status.

Neither of them expected today to go well.

“You sure we can’t reschedule?” Rainbow asked as she fidgeted in her chair.

“Until when?” Twilight asked as she eyed the pegasus.

“Never? Never works.”

“The only way that would work is if we never saw them again, is that something you want?” Twilight asked rhetorically.

Rainbow shook her head. “Of course not. I just don’t want… you know; this.”

“I agree on that front. But sadly if A then B.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Rainbow sighed as she lay down on her chair. Her eyes stared through her idly fidgeting hooves, while her mind lost itself in her memories of the last few days. Well, at least Twi said I could go without the leash for this. But we still have collars on, tattoos, piercings, and new mane cuts. Ugh, we’re bucked, aren’t we? She fidgeted more in her chair. Why couldn’t we stay at the Crystal Empire for at least another day, or week, or month? Ugh, I just answered my own question, didn’t I? Her eyes glanced over to the other mare in the room. I wonder what Twilight's going to do?

Twilight’s gaze lingered on each of her friend’s chairs one at a time, her thoughts conflicted about how this would go, what she would say, and how she could possibly justify everything that had happened without risking the status quo.

When they’d encountered Scootaloo she’d had a plan, she’d had a plan for her encounter with Cadance, and Shining Armor too. The plans had been flexible, they relied on a set of responses she’d been able to anticipate. And they’d all gone either just as good as she’d expected or even better. Every plan she came up with for here, for now, they were all far too flawed. There were too many variables, situations, instances, counter arguments, and angry faces.

Twilight cursed herself for seeing them all at once. One at a time would have been far more manageable. But it was too late for that.

“Hey Twilight?”

Rainbow’s words snapped Twilight out of her thoughts. “Yeah?”

“Whatever it is, don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“C’mon, I’ve been watching you. I know you’re thinking of something, of some tactic to play, but not this time. Not with our friends. It’s fine with me; I got myself into this and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. But not with them.”

How did she know? Twilight thought, and then chuckled. “To tell you the truth, Rainbow; I can’t think of one.”

“Maybe that’s for the best. Let’s just throw ourselves at the mercy of the court.”

Taken aback, Twilight said, “That’s really big of you, Rainbow.”

“I have you to blame,” Rainbow replied.

Twilight smiled lovingly at Rainbow as a random thought came to her. In a way, I think we both won the bet. I definitely understand you better, and have no doubt adopted some of your tendencies, and you have started accepting responsibility for your actions.

Twilight made a decision shortly after. “Okay Rainbow, but I’m going to take responsibility for this, not you. This was my choice, my actions. I should own it.”

“I played my part too,” Rainbow protested.

“You did, but I agreed to it. I went along with it, and I even encouraged it in the end. This is on me.”

“Yeah bu—”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked as Rainbow cut herself off mid speech.

“They’re here,” Rainbow replied as her ears twitched noticeably.

Both mares sat up on their chairs as the doors to the throne room opened.

They watched as four ponies and one baby dragon walked into the room with determination and drive. Twilight’s eyes fell on Rarity first. The mare had a look on her face more fitting on one of the nobles of Canterlot than one of her friends. She moved like a pony possesed, one that was determined to prove that a nasty rumor she’d heard was a lie.

Applejack was directly behind Rarity and to her right. The orange farm pony had the look of a mare that didn’t believe what her eyes and ears were showing her. She marched forward, her motivation easy to read. Applejack wanted answers to impossible questions, and she was determined to get them.

Behind and to the left of Rarity came Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus looked like she wanted to be anywhere else. Amazingly, she didn’t look scared; rather, she simply looked embarrassed by everything. And yet Twilight couldn’t help but notice that despite her demeanor, there was a confidence in her steps. She walked at the same pace as the other two.

To the rear was the pony that made Twilight feel the worst. Directly behind the other three came Pinkie Pie. Whereas the pony normally would have been the first one in, bounding across the room with a million questions and invading everypony’s personal space, this Pinkie didn’t do any of that. Her hooves slogged beneath her, her speed was not even half of the others, and her hair was flat on her back. Twilight had no doubt that Spike’s presence on her side was the only reason that Pinkie Pie had made it this far at all.

Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy sat down first, each side by side facing Twilight and Rainbow. No pony said a word while they waited for Pinkie and Spike to catch up. Seconds ticked by in silence, the only sound in the chamber was Pinkie’s dragging hooves, until, finally, she all but collapsed on the floor next to Fluttershy, still refusing to look up at anypony.

Several more seconds ticked by as everypony took in everypony else. Eyes fell on tattoos, piercings, collars, hurt feelings, disbelieving faces, painful glances, and anger incarnate. Rainbow found herself, for the first time in her life, wishing that Discord would simply appear in front of them. Anything was better than this.

Twilight was the first to speak. She got down from her chair, unwilling to hold such a position in fear that she’d come off as somehow better than her friends. Rainbow followed suit as Twilight said, “Girls, I’m sorry.”

“Oh? Why would that be dear?” Rarity asked. “Because you terrorized the town? Played hurtful pranks on all of us? Psychologically damaged one of your friends? Or because you all but disappeared for a week, leaving us with only a letter confessing what the two of you did and saying you needed time alone?”

“Umm… all of that?” Twilight replied. Rarity’s words were like daggers plunged into her heart.

“Hold up a darn tootin minute, are we just s‘posed to ignore that what they look like?” Applejack said, gesturing to each of them in turn.

“Oh yes, how could I forget the uncouth appearance. A Princess of Equestria and Wonderbolt running around getting tattoos. Disgraceful! You both set examples for other ponies to follow. I might have expected something like this from Rainbow, but you Twilight? Seriously?”

At the mention of their appearance, Fluttershy’s eyes locked with Rainbow’s before the mare let out a loud ‘Eeep’ and hid behind her hair.

“Plenty of Wonderbolts have tattoos, Rarity. We wear wing-suits; it’s not an issue,” Rainbow said, unable to keep quiet.

“And do Princesses of Equestria wear wing-suits, Rainbow?” Rarity replied, not even looking at her.

“Umm… no.”

“Then my point still stands. Ponies look up to you two, and the things you’ve done…” Rarity shook her head for emphasis as she trailed off.

“Girls, I called you here to explain in person what I already did in the letters.” Twilight did her best to try and steer the conversation in a different direction and to figuratively jump out in front of the firing squad. “I cannot say I’m sorry enough. It was a bet, a bet we took too far, one that targeted everypony that I consider my dearest friends.”

She continued, “I don’t have any right to ask for your forgiveness. But I wanted to say I’m sorry, to each of you. Applejack. It was my spell that gave you superpony strength. I have no idea how many of your trees I ruined, but I swear I’ll make it up to you.”

“Seventeen trees, Twilight,” Applejack said as she stared down the princess. “That gosh-darn stunt cost me seventeen trees and a full day’s worth of work. I won’t even get to the damage to my home when I tried to open the front door.”

“Oh… yeah,” Rainbow gulped. “I guess opening and shutting doors with super strength would be kinda hard, huh?”

“I’ll replace them all, and we’ll both assist you however you want to make up for your lost time,” Twilight said.

Applejack considered her response for longer than Twilight thought she would have to, and then said, “You two make it right, and I’ll call us square for that event.”

Twilight suspected she knew why Applejack put so much emphasis on the word that, but moved on, expecting to have to deal with it soon enough anyway. “Rarity, I was the one that put the itching powder in those dresses. I don’t know how much that cost you in terms of bits or reputation, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to you.”

“Do you honestly think I still care about that?” Rarity said with a look of absolute disbelief on her face. “You need to make it right with Pinkie Pie. I can forgive and forget a lot, Twilight, but how Rainbow and you hurt one of our friends isn’t one of those things.”

Twilight nodded and temporarily moved past Fluttershy to Pinkie Pie. The pink pony didn’t look up. Twilight laid down in front of her, trying to catch her eye. It didn’t work; Pinkie’s gaze stayed away, her eyes glued to the floor. The princess waited for a few moments, hoping that Pinkie might look up at her, but in the end she had no choice but to give up.

“Pinkie,” Twilight begin. “I owe you the biggest apology of all. The things I said were hurtful, they were spiteful and cruel and vicious. They were said for the sole purpose of hurting your feelings, to be mean, and they were completely untrue.”

That did cause Pinkie to look up. “No, Twilight. They were true. You did mean them.” The tears in her eyes made Twilight feel even worse, something she didn’t think was possible. “I am annoying, and I do talk to much, and ponies do go out of their way to avoid me. I should just go away, everypony would be so much happier without me.” Pools of tears started to form under her muzzle.

Oh sweet Celestia, what did I do? Twilight thought. In the peripherals of her vision Twilight saw Rarity and Applejack glaring at her. She gulped, loudly.

Rainbow attempted to inject some humor, “C’mon Pinkie, that’s not true... Mostly not true.”

Rarity and Applejack both stared her down, causing Rainbow to flinch back.

Twilight sighed as she looked up at the group. It didn’t surprise her to see what was tantamount to hate from her friends. She realized then and there that this was her greatest sin in their eyes.

And they were right.

“Girls,” Twilight begin. “Let me ask, what’s been the general mood of ponyville over the last week?”

“Whatcha mean?” Applejack asked.

“Would either of you describe the mood of Ponyville as happy?”

“Well…” Applejack thought, rubbing her hoof to her muzzle.

“No, not really dear,” Rarity said, already knowing where this was going. “Ponies haven’t exactly been sad, but nopony’s been happy. Not like they normally are anyway”

“I reckon there’s been a cloud hanging over Ponyville this last week.”

Twilight nodded at that then turned back to Pinkie. “Y-you didn’t deserve what I said, Pinkie. I was wrong to say it, to hurt you like that. And… and if you never want to see me again it’d be what I deserve. But please don’t punish Ponyville for my mistake. Don’t leave, Pinkie, not for me, but for Ponyville. They need you.”

“B-but I don’t want to not see you anymore,” Pinkie said with a sniff as she looked up at the princess, her friend, Twilight Sparkle.

“I don’t want to not see you either,” Twilight replied as she ignored the use of the double negative. “And I promise I’ll never say something that mean or hurtful to any of you girls ever again.”

“Pinkie Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Twilight replied without a moment’s hesitation as she went through the motions with her hoof.

For the first time since she came into the room, Pinkie sat up and looked around. To Twilight’s dismay her hair was still flat, a surefire sign of that she wasn’t back to her old self yet, but she was at least making eye contact again.

The best I can hope for, Twilight thought as she moved on to the last pony there. “Fluttershy, I—”

“No.”

Everypony gasped at Fluttershy as she turned her head up and to the left in disdain. “No, you will not be apologizing to me, Twilight. You, and Rainbow, owe someone else an apology.”

Rainbow walked up to stand by Twilight and asked, “Who?”

“Angelbunny,” Fluttershy said as she reached behind her and pulled a very pissed, furless bunny out from the back of her mane. “You did wrong by him and you must make it right.”

The little nude bunny stomped his feet and made obscene gestures at the two ponies that had caused his current predicament.

Rainbow found herself fighting back a laugh as Twilight leaned down and talked to the bunny at his level. “Angel, I’m so sorry for what I did. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”

Angel spent about thirty seconds stomping on the floor, making those same rude gestures at Twilight, and grabbing her fur.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” Twilight said.

The bunny let out a long sigh before jumping up and smacking Twilight’s horn.

“Oww.”

“He wants you to regrow his fur,” Fluttershy said. Angel nodded in agreement.

“Oh, of course,” Twilight said as she empowered her horn and shot purple energy at the bunny. In a flash of light and a loud poof the bunny was just as fluffy as Twilight remembered him being. “Are we good now?”

Angel took a few seconds to celebrate the return of his fur before turning to Twilight and making several squeeks that—Twilight correctly suspected—were not suitable for polite company.

Fluttershy blushed heavily and grabbed Angel, lifting him from the ground as he tried to jump up and attack Twilight. “He’ll need some time to forgive you. But you owe him an apology too, Rainbow.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow asked, only to get a very sly squeeze of her collar from Twilight’s magic in response, causing her breathing to become slightly more labored. The action had the dual effect of being a threat and a promise of both pleasure and pain.

“Okay, fine,” Rainbow said as the pressure released. Oddly, she found herself wishing it hadn’t. “I’m sorry, Angel.”

Angel started kicking in her direction as well, only for Fluttershy to stick him back in her mane. “It’ll take him some time,” she repeated, blushing at the squeeks he was still making. “Oh my.”

“What did he say‽” Rainbow demanded.

“Drop it, Rainbow,” Twilight whispered back.

Rainbow grumbled, but then relented as Rarity spoke up, “So are we all agreed that that ugliness is behind us?”

Nods of agreement came from everypony in the room. Twilight smiled and then frowned as she looked at everypony. Yes they were forgiving her, but judging by the look of Pinkie Pie it wasn’t going to be that simple.

“Good,” Rarity continued. “That just leaves one more issue that we need to discuss.”

“What’s that?” Rainbow asked as she cocked her head slightly in confusion.

Twilight felt like doing a facehoof, but held back.

“Why, you two, dears,” Rarity said as she glared at the pegasus.

“What did you hear about us?” Rainbow asked, the nervousness in her voice unmistakable.

“Spikey here, the dear boy has been spending a lot of time with me lately, and he’s told me quite a tale, a tale I didn’t believe. Not until I saw you two anyway. One of some rather uncouth behaviour once you read the subtext,” Rarity said as she waved Spike out of the room. When she was sure he was gone and the door was shut behind him Rarity started to walk around the two, inspecting the changes. “I see the evidence with my own eyes, but I want to hear it from you. Is it true?”

Twilight shut her eyes and took a deep breath right before saying, “Yes, it’s true.”

When she opened her eyes the sight in front of her surprise her. She saw four smiles beming at her. “So you really are dating? That’s great! I hope it works out for you!” Fluttershy uncharacteristically shouted.

“I reckon this means we need to throw you two a party!” Applejack exclaimed as she winked at Pinkie.

“A party? Oh yes, a party for the new couple, we’ll need cakes, and balloons, and streamers, and a welcome to the dog-house, Rainbow, streamers, and—” Pinkie started, her tail inflating to its usual puffiness. Although her mane was still flat.

“Y-you’re not upset?” Twilight asked.

“Upset? No, not at all, dear. I admit I was taken aback when Spike told me, but when I thought about it you two are kind of perfect for each other. Rainbow is your exact opposite in so many ways, and yet you have so much in common. If you make each other happy, who are we to get in the way?”

“You girls truly are the best,” Twilight said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

“It’s hard enough finding your special somepony, believe me, I’ve tried, a lot. We’d be pretty bad friends if we stood in your way just because your relationship is a bit unconventional.”

“Unconventional?” Twilight and Rainbow asked.

“We heard about the leash,” Applejack admitted.

Fluttershy let out another ‘eep’ as she hid behind her bangs.

Rainbow and Twilight both blushed at that.

“I see that part’s true too,” Rarity said with a sigh. “I have to admit I never quite saw you as the submissive type, Rainbow. Although I guess it does make some sense. With your bombastic attitude and all, you’d naturally want to roleplay the exact opposite.”

“I don’t want to hear this,” Fluttershy practically whispered.

“I reckon we’ve discussed enough for today,” Applejack cut in as she saw the discomfort on Fluttershy’s face. “Let’s let the two love birds be for a while. They need some space. We can talk more later.” At that she lead Fluttershy out the room.

“I agree, I got a party to plan,” Pinkie replied as she followed suit.

Rarity watched them leave before turning to Twilight and Rainbow. “You two simply must come by the store. I have some wonderful ideas to dress up your new pet, Twilight.”

Rainbow’s eyes grew as wide as dinner plates.

“Oh we will, don’t worry,” Twilight said as she gave Rainbow a wicked smile.

“Great! Rarity replied with a chipper tone. “I have so many ideas. Come by after hours. Oh and bring some of the toys I have no doubt you got from Princess Cadance, I have ideas for how to modify those as well.”

“Sure thing,” Twilight said as she watched Rarity leave with a spring in her step. As soon as the doors shut she turned and smiled at Rainbow.

“I’m bucked, aren’t I?” Rainbow asked, and for the first time in almost a week she didn’t mean it in a good way.

“Oh yes,” Twilight replied, still grinning.

She meant it both ways.

Rainbow awoke the next day. Her fur, feathers, and sheets sticky from the night’s activities. With the confrontation with the others behind them, both Twilight and Rainbow had reason to celebrate. A celebration that lead from the kitchen, to the hallway, and finally to the bedroom. Rainbow moved her back legs in a stretch only to feel a slight pinch near her anus. Reaching back Rainbow grabbed a secondary tail and pulled slightly, gasping in pain as she felt her anus reist the pull of the plug while she pulled it free. Tensing slightly, she reached a hoof back and rubbed her sore sphincter, noting with some dismay that it took longer than she expected it would to close.

Her touch did her no favors. Ow, that’s tender.

Rainbow looked over and grabbed a bottle of lube that was left by the nightstand. With her other hoof she squirted a glop of it out and rubbed her tender butthole, tensing, and then relaxing as the gel went to work. She didn’t know why, but Twilight had been insistent on giving that hole a workout last night.

“I’m never leaving that in all night again,” Rainbow said to herself and then looked over at the other pony lying in bed. She smiled to see Twilight just as wrecked as she was. Although in Twilight’s case there was no butt-plug sticking out of her rear, instead Rainbow knew Twilight had several vibrating balls in her, ones that, as she listened carefully, Rainbow heard were still going.

The two had put their lessons with Cadance to very good use last night. Something Rainbow continued as she nuzzled into Twilight’s barrel and found her nipple.

After a few moments she heard Twilight say, “Mhh, now that’s a great way to wake up.”

“Glad I could be of service,” Rainbow replied with a grin. “Shower?”

“Bath you mean,” Twilight corrected.

“Yeah, that,” Rainbow replied as the two made their way off the bed and to the bathroom.

“Are we going for a walk again this morning?”

“Again Rainbow?” Twilight asked. “You know if you keep pushing yourself you’re going to get seriously injured.”

“Not my fault, you’re the one that put the goal in front of me,” Rainbow replied as she dug into her pancake. “You said eight seconds, I want to do it in eight seconds.”

“Even if you injure yourself, again?”

“Hey, at least I’ll have you to nurse me back to health,” Rainbow replied with a sultry look.

Twilight thought about it. “Well, I’m sure I’d look great in a nurse’s outfit.”

“Heck yeah.”

“But to answer your question, no we’re not, not today, and don’t give me that look, we have a schedule to keep.”

“Schedule?” Rainbow asked.

“We’re going over to Sweet Apple Acres today to help Applejack fix her orchard. That should be enough of a workout for even you.”

“Can’t you just magic them back into place or something?” Rainbow asked in a huff.

“I could, but AJ wouldn’t consider that to be much of a punishment would she?”

The groaning and mumbling from Rainbow told Twilight just what she thought of that idea.

“Chin up, we’ll go see a movie afterwards and if you’re a good girl, we’ll go to the Daring Do exhibit in Canterlot next weekend.”

“Heck yeah!” Rainbow said with a cheer.

“Oh, and we’re going to Rarity’s tonight.”

“Dammit,” Rainbow replied, her enthusiasm killed right out the gate.

“Rainbow,” Twilight said with a stern look.

“Yeah, yeah, good girl, I know,” Rainbow mumbled as she went back to her breakfast. “What did you tell Spike?”

“Oh, that we’ve made up with all our friends. But that things will be a bit different. We won’t see them quite as much as we used to.”

“And he accepted that?”

“In truth… I don’t know. I fear I’ve scared him with all this,” Twilight admitted, slightly worried.

“You just need to be open with him,” Rainbow replied.

“Rainbow, he’s just a baby dragon.”

“Exactly Twi. A baby dragon, one that already has feelings of greed and love. If he’s an average dragon it’s obvious they mature a lot faster than you’re giving them credit for.”

Twilight went to reply and then paused as she thought about it. Maybe I do need to adjust the way I deal with him.

“What about tomorrow?” Rainbow asked.

“Huh? Oh, tomorrow. I figure we’d pay Fluttershy a visit, see if Angel Bunny has calmed down. Then I was thinking we’d go see Pinkie, find out if we can help with the party.” And start making amends.

“You think she’ll be alright?”

“In time, I hope,” Twilight said, downcast. “Feelings don’t heal that quickly.” Rainbow stopped eating and went to Twilight's side. The princess wrapped a hoof around her. “I bucked up there.”

“We,” Rainbow corrected. “We bucked up there.”

The two held their embrace for a long time, only breaking when Twilight lightly kissed Rainbow on the side of the cheek. Rainbow smiled back and went to put their plates in the sink.

“Hey Rain—”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

Both ponies turned up to see the kitchen doors open up. Their jaws hit the floor the sight before them. Princess Celestia was standing in the doorway in all her regal glory. A small purple baby dragon stood behind her, half hiding behind her leg.

“P-princess Celestia?” Twilight asked.

Celestia kept her gaze on Twilight’s appearance, taking in every aspect of the newest princess. Then she turned her head and repeated the process with Rainbow.

“I… umm… I can explain,” Rainbow stuttered as she saw a look of fear on Twilight’s face. She’d never admit it, but she felt the same way.

“That’ll be enough, Spike. Please leave us, I need to talk to my student and Rainbow, alone.”

“O-okay,” Spike said as he scooted off as quickly as his legs could take him.

Twilight watched him leave, slightly cursing herself for not anticipating that her actions left the poor dragon feeling like this was his only choice. They had left him out of so much of the conversations, for obvious reasons, that he no doubt filled in the blanks with the worst possible assumptions.

I really should have talked to him sooner.

When the door shut, Celestia simply stared at both ponies, her gaze seeming to pierce their very souls.

Somehow Rainbow broke her gaze long enough to glance over at Twilight. The pony was shaking under the gaze of Celestia. Rainbow knew that thoughts of a locked dungeon in a distant land were no doubt playing through Twilight’s mind.

Rainbow jumped in front of her. Her hooves acting on her own. “It’s not her fault, it’s mine. It was a stupid bet. I bet Twilight that she couldn’t act bad. If you’re going to punish someone punish me!”

Celestia said nothing, she simply stared at her, her expression unreadable.

“We’re just doing this because of the bet. Nothing more. Just a— “ Rainbow paused, As the words came out they felt hollow, untrue. Her resolve changed. “No, it started that way, but no, not any more. I’m doing this because I want to,” Rainbow admitted. Her response snapped Twilight out of her fear. “I’m doing this because I want to. Because… because I love her.”

“Rainbow,” Twilight said, touched beyond belief.

When Celestia finally spoke again, her question shocked them both, “So, how many of your friends will you add to your harem?”

“My-Her what‽” Twilight and Rainbow exclaimed at the same time.

“Only one so far?” Celestia looked generally shocked about that. “Well, you’re still discovering this side of yourself, I’m sure there'll be more in time.” At that Celestia walked into the kitchen and went to the fridge to get some chocolate milk.

Twilight and Rainbow just looked at her, dumbstruck.

When Celestia pulled her head out of the fridge she turned back. “What? Were you concerned what I would say? I never thought you were immune to temptation, Twilight. It’s only natural to give in from time to time. Especially when you have authority. Just so long as you do so in healthy consensual ways and not at the cost of anypony else.”

Twilight managed to say, “You don’t—” before Celestia spoke again.

“Do you honestly think Luna or I don’t have our own harems made up of ponies we love and trust just as much as you do your friends?” Celestia asked with a chuckle.

“I… uh… ummm…” was all Twilight could say.